British Literary Tradition 1 (2101/02), spring 2002

Paper 2

This paper will focus on the process of analyzing a poem. Please develop an argument about one poem from the last three weeks of readings (Donne, Herbert, Herrick, Phillips, Marvell). You should start with a reading of the poem, and from that develop a claim about the relationship between how the poem works and what it means.

The procedure for this paper is similar to the last one: Think about the paper in two parts: first do a close reading of the poem (an explication of both what it says and how it says it), and then develop an argument about it. (In the final draft, your argumetn should be clearly stated at the beginning.)

Here is a reminder (from the last assignment) about the procedure for writing analytic papers:
     Your analysis of each poem should begin with a specific claim (the point you want to make about it), and then a discussion of the poem that supports your claim.
     Note the order: your analysis should be organized by a point and your discussions should refer back to that point.
     But also note that your claim may not be apparent to you until you’ve actually written your account of the poem. Drafts are occasions to work out your understanding of the material. And if you don’t know exactly what your main claim is at the beginning, that’s ok. Start writing about what is happening and you will (really!) arrive at something by the end of your discussion.
     It is the work of editing to rearrange your analysis into a reader-friendly format that will allow the reader to see your claim and follow your discussion as an explanation of that point. The points that come first in your final draft are often what you arrive at last in your early draft.

Papers should be 3-4 pages, double-spaced, in a standard font, with standard margins, etc. Title pages are not necessary.

We will not have an in-class workshop for this paper, but you should write a rough draft and exchange it with a classmate for editing. If you’d like an editing worksheet, ask me for one, or follow the link.

Revised, final drafts are due in class Wednesday (3/20).