Appreciation of Literature, spring 2008
Essay #2
Due in class March 14

One typical way of writing about poetry is explication, which works line by line through a poem to show how each piece of the poem adds up to a whole. Explication employs the techniques we are reading about and discussing in class – for instance, you will want to consider issues of word choice, imagery, and figurative language. For the second essay, choose one of the poems listed below and, in 2-3 pages, write an explication of it.

• Rhina Espaillat, “Bilingual/Bilingue” (658)
• Robert Hayden, “Those Winter Sundays” (779)
• Wilfred Owen, “Anthem for Doomed Youth” (799)
• Adrienne Rich, “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” (428-29)
• Percy Bysshe Shelley, “Ozymandias” (694)
• Edmund Waller, “Go, Lovely Rose” (821)
• James Wright, “Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, Ohio” (826)

For help in understanding the goal and shape of an explication, read the section “Writing About a Poem” in your text (1437-61). The sections on explication (1446-51) and “How to Quote a Poem” (1457-1458) should be especially helpful to you.

Ground rules:

The essay should be 2-3 full pages long, double-spaced, with normal margins and font (12 point Times New Roman is standard). Be sure to number the pages, and give your essay a title. Do document everything according to MLA style, but DON’T do any additional research apart from using the dictionary or looking up facts (for instance, if the poem mentions a historical figure and you need to know who it is). DON’T Google the poem, or look it up in SparkNotes (or anywhere else) to get ideas. I want to see your original thinking about the poem itself.

As you write, keep in mind that I do not accept late papers. Please plan ahead for emergencies.