Poetry Analysis Essay

English 102 Composition II

Assignment: Poetry Analysis Essay

For this assignment, respond to one of the essay prompts below:

Note: Do not consult any secondary sources to assist with your interpretation of the

literary work. NO research. You will cite directly from the primary source (poem).

Only choose from the poems posted in Two: Poetry.

1. Choose one poem. In your chosen poem, which three literary elements does the author use to

highlight the theme?

Ex thesis: In “___” by ___, the poet uses ___, ___, and ___ to highlight a theme of ___.

2. Compare or contrast two of the assigned poems. It is not enough to merely say they are

similar or different. Make an assertion/debatable claim in your thesis statement.

Ex thesis: The similarities between “___” by ___ and “___” by ___ prove that ___.

Ex thesis: The differences between “___” by ___ and “___” by ___ prove that ___.

This assignment requires each student to write a 650-750-word essay consisting of at least five

paragraphs and a Works Cited Page. Review the 5-paragraph academic essay module and the

MLA Documentation Review Module for a refresher.

The introduction should provide a brief summary of the literary work. The thesis statement

should be comprehensive and include three things: ‘Title of the Work,” author” and

controlling idea (answer to the prompt). The thesis statement should be arguable and should

forecast the major point(s) in the essay. It should be the last sentence in the introduction.

Each body paragraph should begin with a topic sentence—think of these as the reasons why

to the thesis; topic sentences should not include sourced information. The body of the essay

should provide appropriate textual evidences to support your thesis statement. NOTE: A

minimum of two directors, brief quotes are required for each body paragraph. Each direct quote should be properly parenthetically referenced, and the corresponding literature must be

properly documented on the Works Cited page.

The conclusion should restate your thesis statement in a new way first, and then it should

reflect on the main ideas. NO new arguments should be made in the conclusion. No direct

quotes. Do not underdeveloped this paragraph.

The essay should follow MLA format (Times New Roman, double-spaced, 12″ font, 1″

margins, heading, and header). As always, grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence

structure, and word choice will be factored into your grade, so edit carefully.