Poetry Unit Take-Home Essay Exam 2003

English 2202

Summer 2003

Poetry Unit: Take-Home Essay Exam

Pick one (1) of the following topics:

On the first night of class, someone asked: “What is the purpose of poetry? Is it for us, the readers, for our enjoyment, entertainment, etc.? Or, is it for them, the poets, to make a statement?”
On the second night of class, another person asked: “What makes [this] a good poem? Why are we reading [this] poem? Why is it [or the author] in our book?”

Write an essay in which you attempt to answer the question(s) posed. In your essay, refer to a few of the poems assigned for our first three classes to support your points. (By “refer to,” I mean mention the authors’ names and titles of the poems; perhaps offer brief summaries or descriptions of parts of the poems, as needed, but do not quote at length from a poem.) In addition, try to incorporate some of the “poetic terminology” we have been covering in this unit—e.g. rhyme, rhythm, meter, denotation, connotation, imagery, symbolism, figurative language, closed forms (sonnet, villanelle, etc.), open forms, etc.—but also try not to sound too “artificial” as you use these terms. Also, do not organize your essay by picking 3-4 poems and discussing each of them one at a time, and do not organize your essay in response to each of the “sub”-questions. Instead, come up with your own main points and use the poems we’ve read as evidence and support for your main points.

Your essay will be graded on (1) the clarity of your main ideas and structure, (2) the strength of your explanations and evidence/support—the “depth” of your thoughts, and (3) your use of language—reasonable “correctness” in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and mechanics. In other words, your ideas and how you present and explain them are most important; “grammar” is only taken into account if it detracts from your presentation. In addition, I am interested in your ideas, not in a regurgitation of my ideas or in a guessing-game as to what you think I want to read. A final word of warning: you are able to use your text and notes as you write your essay, so be careful that you are accurate with your use of titles of poems (put titles in quotation marks), authors’ names, and quotations and factual details from the poems.

Formatting Requirements:

Your essay should be no longer than two (2) pages – double-spaced and word-processed – with 1.0” margins, and a 12, 11, or 10-point “normal” font (Times New Roman or Arial). No title page is needed: simply put your name, the exam title, and the date in the upper-left-hand corner of the first page.

Due Date: Tuesday, July 22. The Glass Menagerie is also assigned for that evening, so plan your work accordingly so that both are completed by the beginning of class at 6:00 p.m.