English 2500
Krantz
POETRY EXPLICATION
Note: If you received a B or better on the midterm and the long paper, and
you have done most of your journals, this assignment is optional. If you have
omitted more than 3 journals and have a B grade aside from that, you may count
this towards some journals if it receives at least a B grade.
Due: Draft for workshop: Mon. April 29. Failure
to attend the draft workshop will result in a B- paper at best.
Final copy with one
draft worked on at the workshop: Fri. May 3.
Failure to include a substantially revised draft will result in a C- at best.
Length: 2-3 pages (minimum 500 words). The word count is the minimum
amount of text.
Explicating means looking at a poem line-by-line and explaining each line, leading ultimately to an explanation of the theme of the poem. You are to explicate one of the poems in our book Each of you will do a different poem, so beginning today at 12:30 you may sign up for the poem you wish to do. I will also be in my office on Monday, except for my classes at 8 & your class at 11.
In examining the poem, first pick out and look up words with which you are unfamiliar or familiar words that do not make sense in the context of the poem. Then ask yourself questions such as: Who is the speaker? Who is being addressed? What are the major images and what do they mean? Use as a guide the questions on pp 555-556 in your book. Attach to your final draft the questions you asked yourself when you prepared to write this essay.
Hints: In considering word meanings, you might find useful the Oxford or New English Dictionary (OED or NED), found in the reference section of the library. Once you have asked yourself questions on the poet's techniques and have consulted thedictionaries, you will be ready for a line-by-line analysis which will lead to an overall understanding of the poem. This understanding should be summed up in your conclusion.
Consult the sample explication linked to my web page. Your book tends to assign analysis, but it explicates to a certain extent, Whitman's poem on p 616 and Stafford's poem on p. 618. Look to see how the book approaches words and images, but model your explication on the sample.
Format: Papers must be wordprocessed on clean, white, letter-sized paper. You may submit a clean photocopy if you wish, but a rough draft (typed or handwritten but legible) must accompany an essay. Also, please keep an extra copy of the paper that you submit. If you work on a computer, save often to an external disk; computer problems are not acceptable as excuses for late papers. Please use 1-inch margins, double space (or on the MAC 1.5 spaces), and do not leave extra space between paragraphs. Put my name, the class, and the date at the top of the first page. Next, center the title. Then left justify again and begin. Put your name on the reverse side of the last page of both copies (this can be in ink). Staple all pages of each copy together and paper-clip the copies together.