Writing about Literature
Review the chapter “Writing about Literature” (pp. 1089-1142) in your Backpack Literature textbook and model the format of your essay on the annotated sample essays in the chapter.
ASSIGNMENT: Write a 1000-word critical analysis using one of the poetry analysis prompts below. For this paper assignment, we will continue to work with scholarly sources in order to use what specialists in the genre of poetry have to say and to build upon their work to frame our own views in our our own academic writing. From the Graff/Birkenstein readings (see “Introduction” and “Chapters 3-5” in the Course Documents area of the course) you’ve learned how to effectively read, quote, and respond to sources by furthering the conversation — by either agreeing with a difference, by disagreeing with reasons, or agreeing and disagreeing simultaneously. Now it is time to demonstrate what you’ve learned by critically reading scholarly sources, effectively framing quotations from those sources, and presenting your original viewpoint by using one of the three ways to respond. For this assignment, you should search the TROY Library databases, identify two scholarly articles about the poetry you’ve selected, and frame and respond to at least one quotation from each of the two scholarly sources that address the specific topic from the prompts below.
Prompt #1: Compare and contrast any two poems in Backpack Literature that treat a similar theme. Let your comparison bring you to an evaluation of the poems. Which is the stronger, more satisfying one? Essay Outline: The introduction should identify the poems under consideration, their authors, and any necessary background information that is significantly relevant to the main focus of your essay. The introduction should conclude with your original idea (your thesis) presented as a response to an effectively framed quotation from one of the scholarly sources you found in the Troy Library databases (use the templates for introducing, explaining, and framing quotations in Graff/Birkenstein’s Chapter Three — pp. 42-50). Body paragraphs should support and develop your thesis with specific references to the poems, bolstered by effective responses to your scholarly articles. Use the templates in Graff/Birkenstein for introducing, explaining, and framing a quotation (Chapter Three — pp. 42-50) and the templates for responding to sources in Graff/Birkenstein’s Chapter Four — pp. 55-66. Be sure to clarify what you “say” from what your source “says” by using the templates from Graff/Birkenstein’s Chapter Five (“Distinguishing What You Say from What They Say” — pp. 68-75). Your conclusion should place your original argument within a larger, meaningful context for your reader.
Prompt #2: Compare and contrast any two poems by a single poet in Backpack Literature. Look for two poems that share a characteristic thematic concern. Some examples might include Mortality in the work of Emily Dickinson, Women’s Issues in the work of Sylvia Plath, or Nature in the work of Robert Frost, just to give you an idea of possible topics. See the Index on pp. 1179-1187 for a listing of works grouped by author to explore multiple poems by a single poet. Essay Outline: The introduction should identify the poet under consideration, the poems, and any necessary background information that is significantly relevant to the main focus of your essay. The introduction should conclude with your original idea (your thesis) presented as a response to an effectively framed quotation from one of the scholarly sources you found in the Troy Library databases (use the templates for introducing, explaining, and framing quotations in Graff/Birkenstein’s Chapter Three — pp. 42-50). Body paragraphs should support and develop your thesis with specific references to the play, bolstered by effective responses to your scholarly articles. Use the templates in Graff/Birkenstein for introducing, explaining, and framing a quotation (Chapter Three — pp. 42-50) and the templates for responding to sources in Graff/Birkenstein’s Chapter Four — pp. 55-66. Be sure to clarify what you “say” from what your source “says” by using the templates from Graff/Birkenstein’s Chapter Five (“Distinguishing What You Say from What They Say” — pp. 68-75). Your conclusion should place your original argument within a larger, meaningful context for your reader.
SOURCE CITATION: Your essay must properly cite the poems and the two required scholarly sources. Correct source usage consists of two elements: (1) brief in-text citations for any idea or passage that is not your original idea; and (2) a properly formatted list of all Works Cited at the end of the essay. Your Writers Reference textbook contains sections on evaluating and using sources and avoiding plagiarism. Email me with any questions about allowable use.
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