Think Piece
Think Piece 2
Helpful Hint: The Essay 2 Powerpoint(ATTACHED) provides clear examples of structure for this Think Piece and Essay 2. Make sure to check that out! NOTE: HERE ARE THE 2 ASSIGNED POEM LINKS:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47558/i-too
http://aspotlightoflornadeecervantes.blogspot.com/p/poem-for-young-white-man-who-asked-me.html
DIRECTIONS
- Create a document that has a working thesis and two body paragraphs that analyze how a common theme in two poems assigned during our poetry unit are enhanced through one specific literary device (setting, symbol, metaphor, historical context, etc.). See the Essay 2 PPT for an actual sample of what this would look like.
- At the end of your 2 paragraphs, write 2 questions on which you want someone to provide feedback after they have read your draft. Avoid yes/or no questions, or the reviewer is free to simply answer “yes” or “no”
Suggested Structure
1) Include the thesis sentence: (Literary Device 1) and (Literary Devise 2) are demonstrated in both poem A and B to demonstrate (Theme X).
2) For the body paragraphs:
- Include a clear topic sentence (“One literary element that poem A and B contain is ____.”)
- Discuss how the element is demonstrated in Poem A. Provide textual support. Analyze and connect the textual support to the common theme.
***New Paragraph*** - Include a transition sentence to analysis of the same literary element in Poem B (“Similarly, Poem B demonstrates the same literary element ____.”)
- Discuss how the element is demonstrated in Poem B. Provide textual support. Analyze and connect the textual support to the common theme.
- Discuss how the two poems work together to demonstrate the theme.
(300+ words)
Essay 2
See the Essay 2 Directions page on Canvas for FULL Requirements & Guidelines.
Eng 1B
Poems & Resources
ACCEPTABLE POEMS FOR ESSAY 2 ANALYSIS:
(All poems can be located in an internet search)
“Daystar” Rita Dove
“Legal Alien” Pat Mora
“I, Too” Langston Hughes (NA 1279)
“Poem for a Young White Man” Lorna Dee Cervantes
“Hanging Fire” Lorde (NA896)
“The Changeling” Cofer (NA 908);
“Latin Deli: An from Ars Poetica” Cofer (NA 943)
“Sonrisas” Mora
“I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud” Wordsworth (NA 853)
“Dover Beach” Matthew Arnold
*Contact me if you would like to do another poem.
HELPFUL IN-CLASS RESOURCES TO CONSIDER:
Library Resources
Excerpt from White Fragility, DiAngelo
“Ethnocentrism” Darity
“Positionality” excerpt from Merriam & Bierema
“Confirmation Bias and the Power of Disconfirming Evidence” Kolbert
“Kinds of Thinking” linked in pages
“Intellectual Traits” Paul and Elder
Chapter 7 – What is Argument? (BF)
Chapter 8– “Mine-Is-Better” Thinking (BF)
Literary Element: Any element of literature that enhances the story and creates meaning: Check out powerpoints that discuss figures of speech and figurative language. These are linked into the Essay 2 Directions page called the Literary Elements Resources page.
Essay 2 Directions – Structure
This essay should have about 6 paragraphs:
Introduction
Supporting Point 1A
Supporting Point 1B
Supporting Point 2A
Supporting Point 2B
Conclusion
Introduction
Conclusion
Supporting Point 1A
Supporting Point 1B
Supporting Point 2A
Supporting Point 2B
Essay 2 Directions – Specific Structure
This essay should have 5 paragraphs:
Introduction
Supporting Point 1 – Literary Element 1 Poem A
Supporting Point 1 – Literary Element 1 Poem B
Supporting Point 2 – Literary Element 1 Poem A
Supporting Point 2 – Literary Element 1 Poem B
Conclusion
Introduction
(with clear thesis containing authors and poems titles with list of two similar literary elements)
Conclusion
(re-state thesis)
Lit. Element 1 – How Lit. Element 1 manifests in Poem A
Literary Element 1 – How Lit. Element 1 manifests in Poem B
–(Clear transition to Poem B)–
Literary Element 2 – How Lit. Element 2 manifests in Poem A
Literary Element 1 – How Lit. Element 2 manifests in Poem B
–(Clear transition to Literary Element 2)–
–(Clear transition to Poem B)–
Helpful Tip:
Each box is its own paragraph, so you have to make sure you transition very clearly with topic sentences
Essay 2 Directions – Specific Structure
This essay should have 5 paragraphs:
Introduction
Supporting Point 1 – Literary Element 1 Poem A
Supporting Point 1 – Literary Element 1 Poem B
Supporting Point 2 – Literary Element 1 Poem A
Supporting Point 2 – Literary Element 1 Poem B
Conclusion
Introduction
(with clear thesis containing authors and poems titles with list of two similar literary elements)
Conclusion
(re-state thesis)
Literary Element 1 – How it manifests in Poem A
Literary Element 1 – How it manifests in Poem B
Literary Element 2 – How it manifests in Poem A
Literary Element 1 – How it manifests in Poem B
–(Clear transition to Literary Element 2)–
One literary element that Author A and Author B use to demonstrate the theme of X is {literary element 1}. In Poem A, Author A…..
Similarly, in Poem B, Author B demonstrates literary element 1 by…..
Another literary element that Author A and Author B use to highlight the theme of X is {literary element 2}. In Poem A, Author A…..
Author B also demonstrates literary element 2 by….
Essay 2 Directions – What should be in the introduction?
Introduction:
Hook: Create a broad statement about topic
Context: Discuss topic/Introduce specific poems you will analyze (2-3 sentences)
Thesis w/ listed points: State collective singular theme of two poems and two specific devices you will be analyzing in your body paragraphs.
Justification: Connect the theme to the human experience.
Sample from poems NOT assigned in class:
The loss of a loved one can create intense pain and grief for those who are “left behind.” Two authors who discuss loss are W.H Auden in his poem “Stop All the Clocks” and Natasha Trethewey in her poem “Myth.” These poems utilize specific literary devices that help readers experience grief in different ways. Through the use of visual imagery and metaphor, both Auden and Trethewey convey how the lasting effects of losing a loved one can impact a person’s life well after their loved one has passed.
Generate Your Thesis
You must brainstorm and create a thesis before starting your essay. STOP and visit the “Generating a Thesis” powerpoint to brainstorm and determine your main points so they are arranged in a clear thesis statement before you write your paper.
Essay 2 Directions – What should be in the thesis?
Suggested Thesis Structure:
Theme is demonstrated in both Author 1 “Poem A” and Author 2 “Poem B” through the use of device and device.
Through the use of device and device, theme is demonstrated in both Author 1 “Poem A” and Author 2 “Poem B.”
What is a Theme? See the Setting & Theme PPT in the Literary Elements Resources page in Canvas. Remember, a theme is not a command. It is more emphasizing the universal consequence of something.
What is a Theme?
See the Setting & Theme PPT in the Literary Elements Resources page in Canvas.
Remember, a theme is not a command. It is more emphasizing the universal consequence of something.
Instead of:
Pat Mora’s poem “Illegal Alien” is about the speaker’s isolation…
Pat Mora’s poem “Illegal Alien” says don’t cause isolation!…
Pat Mora’s poem “Illegal Alien” demonstrates the theme is about discrimination for the speaker…
Re-word like this:
Pat Mora’s poem “Illegal Alien” demonstrates the consequences of isolation that prejudice creates for people of color, as demonstrated beautifully through the speaker…
IMPORTANT: Note how the better theme can be applied to ANY context, not just a poem? A theme is a universal consequence, implication, or occurrence.
Essay 2 Directions – What should be in the supporting points?
Transition + main literary element that highlights poem/s theme
Explain the literary device/define it for the reader
Provide specific example & textual support (no more that 1-2 lines of poetry)
Significance of example & how the example demonstrates the theme
…One way that theme is demonstrated is through device.
…Device is used in poetry to…in Author 1 Poem A, Author 1 uses it in this way…
For instance…
This is significant because…
**[new paragraph]**
Similarly, [same] theme is also demonstrated in Author 2 Poem 2 through [same] device.
For instance, this is demonstrated when…
Sample from poems NOT assigned in class:
One way that loss is portrayed in both Auden and Trethewey’s poems is through visual imagery. Since poetry paints a picture for the reader who cannot necessarily visualize what the poet intends, visual imagery is vital to a poem’s strength in communicating a message. In both poems, the authors use intense visual imagery to display the speakers’ emotions after losing someone. For instance, in Auden’s poem, he uses hyperbole to construct a visual image of the whole world shutting down after his partner dies. He states, “Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun” (line 14). He also emphasizes that even the stars are not wanted, and that he should “put out every one” (line 13). This imagery allows the reader to imagine the utter devastation in the speaker’s heart as not even nature, a component of life that is fundamental, can exist with the death of this person.
Similarly, in Trethewey’s poem, she uses visual imagery …[discussion with examples partially removed]… These examples demonstrate the complexities of human life by allowing the reader to visualize grief and sadness, which, according to Janet Rodriguez in her article “Love and Loss in Literature,” is an important aspect how poetry can heal. She states, “the power of words through creative practice can help cultivate a sense of understanding among people” (89). This sense of empathy reflects necessary intellectual traits that allow one to function, make good decisions, and thrive in a complex world.
Essay 2 Directions – What should be in the conclusion?
Restate thesis
Comment on Theme and why/how poems demonstrate theme…and why theme relevant to humanity/the human experience, etc.
Also…Copy/Paste the entire Essay 2 Grading Rubric to the last page of your essay
Where is the Essay 2 Grading Rubric? –Linked at the top of the Essay 2 Directions page.
**Helpful Hint: Your syllabus correctly cites most sources we have read. For sources not in the syllabus, use the MLA Citation PowerPoint to help correctly cite sources.
Essay MLA Format
12-point font
Times New Roman
1-inch margins
Eliminate large gaps/spaces
For this class, single space
Works Cited MLA Format
Cite 2 poems and 2 required sources for a total of 4 citations
Double-space sources
Use a hanging indent: Indent all lines after the first line of the source.
eliminate large gaps/spaces
12-point font
Times New Roman
1-inch margins
Click here for a sample (on page 9 of the document)
Helpful Resources to Consider
FOLLOW THE STRUCTURE. I will provide clear guidance on how the essay should be organized from the thesis to the conclusion. Academic writing is not freewriting, and in a positive way, you can rely on a specific structure to know what to write about and where. This is one of the most important factors of a successful essay.
It is vital that you review powerpoints on MLA Citations, Integrating Sources & Quotations, Basic Essay Structure, Basic Paragraph Structure, Generating a Thesis, Improving Your Thesis Statement, and Introductions & Conclusions. Find these under Files on Canvas.
Visit the Library Resources page linked in the first Course Module to learn more about Library Databases. Your external source needs to come from the Library Databases and be peer-reviewed.
Revisit materials from the poetry weeks, such as those listed in the Essay 2 Directions and Slides of this PPT.
Visit Office Hours for help. Hours are listed in the syllabus. For the link, go to the first module in Canvas.