explication poetry

Explication of Poetry Essay Assignment Sheet


 

To guide you in the writing of this explication essay, please read, BEFORE you do anything else: “A Short Guide to Writing About Literature, 12th edition, by Sylvan Barnet and William Cain, Pearson/Longman Press, 2012, ISBN: 0205118453”

  • Chapters 1, 2, and 3 in our Short Guide book. These chapters are an overview of the reading and writing process, with detailed checklists and samples.
  • Pages 43-50 in our Short Guide book. This section is about explication.
  • Chapter 7, “What is Interpretation” in our Short Guide book.
  • Chapter 13, “Writing about Poetry” in our Short Guide book.
  • Chapter 14, “Poems and Pictures” in our Short Guide book.
  • Chapter 16, “Style and Format” in our Short Guide book.

 

This assignment asks that you write an explication of one of the below poems:

In your paper, you need to write an explication, which is usually a line-by-line explanation of the poem. Explications make explicit what is implicit. An explication clearly explains the precise meaning of a poem, line-by-line or word-by-word or phrase-by-phrase. You will not be discussing the author; instead, you will be looking very carefully at the implication of words, the functions of rhymes, the shifts in point of view, the development of contrasts, etc. that all contribute to the meaning or interpretation of the poem. As you’re planning your paper, consider all of the possible ways you could make meaning out of your chosen poem, including aspects such as:

  • Speaker, voice, mask, or persona of the writer
  • Word choice, diction, and tone of voice (meanings as well as sounds of words)
  • Figures of speech, figurative language including simile, metaphor, personification
  • Sound effects, alliteration, rhyme, rhythm, stress, meter, onomatopoeia
  • Imagery, symbolism
  • Structure, organization, pace (repetitive structure, narrative structure, logical structure)
  • Irony, understatements, litotes, overstatements, hyperbole
  • Lengths of sentences, use of punctuation, repetitions, shifts from colloquial to formal language

Of course you will not be able to write about all of these aspects of poetry, but your explication will need to delve into many of them. There are extensive examples throughout your Short Guide book to help you, so be sure you’ve read the sections mentioned above before you get started.

 

Your Explication of Poetry paper will be graded based on the below criteria. To what extent the student . . .

  • Identifies the title of the poem and author in the first few sentences
  • Identifies, in the introduction, the theme of the poem, as well as the particular aspects of the poem that have been chosen to analyze in order to explain how the theme is developed throughout
  • Uses careful and detailed examples from the poem to illustrate how the poetic elements contribute to the theme
  • Quotes the poem, as needed, but with focus and purpose
  • Leads the reader to an interesting and unique understanding of the poem
  • Avoids all personal reaction or response to the poem (no saying “I liked this poem because. . .” or “This poem was confusing!” or “Icky! I hate poetry!”
  • Crafts a 4-5 page double-spaced paper that uses a standard academic essay format (includes an introduction, body, and conclusion)

Writes in grammatically correct prose that has been carefully proofread and edited (for a poem about the “Impotence of Proofreading,” by Taylor Mali, go here: http://taylormali.com/poems-online/the-the-impotence-of-proofreading/

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