Comp II Poetry Reading Project

The written component: you will write a paper that includes the following information. The paper must include an introduction with a solid thesis statement and may not be a five paragraph paper. (Do not write a five paragraph paper in college. Ever). There is only one paper per group. Typically, these papers are approximately 5 to 6 pages long and are submitted to Canvas. Your paper must contain the following elements – these are not in any order, just listed.

1. Provide a unifying title for this project followed by a few sentences that support the message, argument, or theme that you see emerge from these readings as a whole. Think of this as a statement that is true for each of the poems. You will find that this becomes your thesis statement for the paper.

2. Gut Reactions to the works: This section is not about facts, objective analysis or even interpreting the abstract. This is all about the first impression and gut reactions you specifically had upon the first reading of the works. Did you maintain that first impression after you spent time with the work and re-read again?

3. Connection: What connects the works? This is important!! YOU MUST COME TO AN AGREEMENT ABOUT THE CONNECTIONS. As a group, you will have to explore:

a. Content: common denominators that link the works together? There is no instructor’s key here regarding what you “should” find. Be open to the idea that these works may not have ever been explored together in this way.

b. Writing styles of the authors and stylistic qualities (hint: formalist analysis)

c. This is the MEAT of the grade of the written component. It also forms the basis of your digital presentation.

4. What ideas emerge in the texts of in their comparisons? This asks you discuss the abstract components – the theme and ideas of the works. Your job is to use inferences and examples to make a case for the existence of the abstract ideas that you see in the works. Each work contains some abstract components – identify it, discuss it at length, interpret it and argue against or for what the author is suggesting in this ideological, philosophical, political or spiritual assertions.

5. What did you find profound, difficult to accept, ironic, shocking, or generally challenging about the works? This can be about content or form. What surprised you?

6. What do these readings remind you of? Which movies? Visual art? Music? Other literary works? What do you associate with these readings? What else have you personally read, seen or heard that relates to these readings? Be selective – think outside the box here.

7. Which of the readings was best – and WHY? If your classmates could find the time to read one of these works, which one? And Why? Why should college students in general read it?

No research is allowed for this paper.

Writing hint: Do not organize your paper by poem. Do not organize your paper by the seven issues listed above. Either of these structures will result in a failing grade on the paper. Organize your paper by the issues and connections between the poems. If you need help with this, please let me know. More groups fail the paper because they do not pay attention to this paragraph.

Comp II Digital Poetry Reading Poem Groups

Group One:

· Matthew Arnold “Dover Beach”

· Elizabeth Bishop “The Fish”

· Langston Hughes “Theme for English B”

· Yusef Komunyakaa “Blackberries”

· e.e. cummings “somewhere i have never travelled”