Description
For this essay, you must select:
- a recorded poem from Penn Sound, or
- a sound poem from Ubu Web Sound, or
- a performance poem from Button Poetry
and perform a detailed analysis and interpretation of the poem and its signifying strategies. Your goal is to persuade your audience (your classmates and professor) of what you feel the poet was trying to communicate with the poem and their strategic use of form– that is, verbal (meaning) vocal (sound) and visual (gestures, facial expressions, etc.). Seek to cover as many relevant aspects of the poem(s) as possible in your analysis, with attention given to aspects of sound, such as alliteration, rhyme, rhythm, meter, consonance, tonal variation, etc.
Guidelines
The final paper should be about 500-750 words long in MLA format (about 2-3 pages long, typed, double-spaced, with 1” margins, and a 12-point font). Any use of sources must be documented in impeccable MLA format—parenthetical citation (author’s last name & page number) and a works cited page for the primary works and any research you cite.
The essay is due on Thursday, October 22.
Evaluation
Your essay will be evaluated in the following areas, with areas 1-3 carrying most of the weight of the grade:
- Assignment (fulfilling requirements, quality of thesis, and depth of analysis),
- Organization (clarity of thesis, thorough paragraphing, overall organization),
- Development (relevance of claims, adequacy of support, and textual evidence),
- Sentence Structure, Word Choice, and Grammar (weaknesses will be identified in these areas, but they will not affect grade significantly unless they get in the way of understanding the essay).
An essay that satisfies all the requirements of the assignment with a clear sense of organization and adequate development earns a “C” in this class. An essay that achieves the goals at an above average level of proficiency, with only minor problems in one or two areas earns a “B.” The “A” is reserved for nearly flawless, elegant essays that excel in all the criteria described above. Essays that do not fulfill the minimum requirements for the assignment earn a “D.” Essays that are not turned in or are plagiarized earn an “F” in this class, and may result in a failing grade in the course.