md3 disc. 1

Eng. 102-W Paper Guidelines
I have been reading, studying, and writing about poetry for a
long time. I have learned that sometimes good poets have lots of
good things to say to us about poetry. Robert Frost, arguably
the most well-known and widely read American poet of the
twentieth century, once wrote, “A poem begins as a lump in the
throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness.” It
seems to me that he is right, and I often think about this quote
when I sit down to read a poem.
The assignment:
Choose any poem (except for “The Road Not Taken,” I will blind
myself if I read another essay on that poem) that you have been
assigned (or that is in our book) and explicate it, demonstrating
for your reader the ways the poem fulfills/satisfies Frost’s
observation. In other words, use Frost’s assertion as a
springboard into your discussion.
Please do not read or introduce any secondary sources into your
paper or do any research online. I want this to be YOUR original
reaction and analysis of the poem.
I would recommend that you read the passage “Explication” (pages
876-879 in your text) and perhaps the sample explication (page
884 in your text).
Guidelines:
Essays must
§ be between 2-3 pages (this means at least two full pages of
text).
§ be typed, double spaced, and formatted using MLA format.
• Be written in the third person point of view (no I, you,
your)
§ use the primary text to support your discussion. This
means you must quote relevant passages from the poem that
support the points you are making. Make certain you
integrate these passages smoothly into your own prose and
document them using MLA format.
§ include a works cited page.
§ be submitted via Blackboard.
Finally:
§ Essays that do not meet the minimum guidelines or ignore
the assignment are not read and will receive a 50/F.
§ Essays will be scored using the Language and Literature
Department’s Grading Policy.
§ If you have questions regarding the paper, please post them
to the discussion board, and I will answer them there.
Due date: See the calendar – on or before the deadline for the
Poetry Learning Module.