Essays will be a minimum of 750 words and a maximum of 1000 words.
Other specifications:
*Include a clearly written thesis that directly answers the question somewhere in your introductory paragraph. Consult the notes on writing essays in the Course Documents section and your textbook for more info on writing a thesis.
*Make sure you stick to the topic you select. To help yourself stay on track, create an outline of your answer before you begin writing your essay. Check your outlined answer against the question asked, then follow that outline to make sure you don't stray off topic.
*Use examples and direct quotes from the text to support your points. Strive to include at least one or two direct quotes (phrases and/or sentences) per page of your essay. See info on handling quotes correctly on p. 1766-1768 of your textbook. Do not, under any circumstances, use block quotes in your essay. If there is a block of text you want to use, reevaluate it and ask yourself which part of the text best supports the point you are trying to make, then use only that bit.
*Do not summarize the poem. Assume your reader is familiar with the details of the text. This is one of the biggest errors beginning students in literature courses make.
Summarizing the poems instead of providing analysis will be detrimental to your grade.
*Write in third person, present tense.
*Titles of poems should be in quotes.
*Do not use outside sources. This should be entirely your own thinking, backed up with directly quoted examples from the poems.
Choose ONE of the following topics and write ONE essay:
1. The "human condition" is often discussed in terms of what binds people together-the experiences, fears, desires, and bonds that many individuals, no matter their background, can identify with. How would you describe the human condition? Focusing on two or three poems we have read, discuss how the poems explore the human condition as you understand it. What is the significance of the ways these poems approach the human condition? What message does it send to us as readers? What does it tell us about the poet's own context?
2. Focusing on two or three of the poems we have read, compare and contrast the ways the poems explore the issue of gender. What is the significance of these differences and similarities? What do you see as the main arguments surrounding gender?
3. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" deals with many issues, but especially focuses on the issue of identity and personal desire. What does the speaker want? How does he see himself? What challenges does he face? Focusing on Eliot's poem and one other, discuss how the poems explore issues of identity and desire. What is the significance of the ways the poems treat these topics?