Assignment
To Choose one of the followin oems: "The Quite World" by Jeffrey McDaniel, "Domestic" by Deborah Landau, "Seheherazade" by Richard Siken, "Miscegenation" by Natasha Trethewey, "Another Elegy" by Jericho Brown, or "Home Wrecker" by Ocean Voting and write a 2-3 page close reading of the poem. Poems will be posted in Blackboard.
A close reading is the careful, sustained analysis of any text that focuses on significant details or patterns and thattypically examines some aspect of the text's form, craft, meanings, etc...
The aim of this assignment: to learn about language and rhetorical technique, to gain a deeper understanding of a text understand, to understand how writers craft their work, and to become a more informed reader of poetry.
In your close reading, you will dissect the poem in the same way we dissected the poems during class. Be sure to evaluate not only the meaning of the poem but the strategic decisions made by the poet that enhance or support the overall meaning of the poem (see questions below).
Don't forget to include lines from the poem to support your claims.
If by chance, you use outside sources, be sure to use MLA carefully by citing your sources with in-text citations and providing a Works Cited page. Also, carefully proofread your paper for grammar errors and style.
Use the following questions to guide you through the close reading:
1. What is the theme of the poem? What is the poet trying to say? What is the poem about?
2. What happens in the poem? Are conflicts or themes introduced? Resolved?
3. Who is the speaker? What is the "point of view" or perspective of the speaker? The perspective might be social, intellectual, political, or even physical.
4. What is the setting? What is the time and place? How does the poet make use of the physical description? Does it create a mood?
5. Are there any key statements or lines that indicate meaning? Look for one key line or symbol however, the poet may make use of recurring symbols, actions, or motifs.
6. How does the sound or language contribute to the poem's meaning? Does the rhythm affect what the poet is trying to convey? What kinds of words are used? Are there words with double meanings?
7. Does the poem refer to other literary works? For example, is there a Biblical reference or referenct to another poem? How does the other work relate to the meaning?
8. Is that a historical. ideological. or cultural aspect? Does the poem refer to a world event. period of time. or particular aspect of culture (race, status, gender, class)? What are the basic ideas of the world or human condition or experience (love, hate, orderliness of the tmiver. etc.)?
9. That qualities or emotions does the poem evoke? How does the poem make you feel? What imagery is used? Does the poet use physical imagery or figures of speech, such as metaphors?