Assignments
English 4446/5446 Modern Poetry, Spring 2015
TR 3:30-4:45PM, Arts & Sciences 368
In Class Activities
1. Mapping Bishop's North & South
In class, we've done close readings of "The Map" (5), "The Gentleman of Shalott" (11), and "The Fish" (43), discussing how the first deconstructs the objectivity and subjectivity of maps, the second recursively complicates Tennyson's original message of being in the world, and the third ironizes the relationship between humanity and the natural world. Today, we're going to map the issues and themes of the entire book by breaking into small groups, discussing the assigned collection ofpoems' recurring ideas, and reporting those conclusions to class.
Here are the groups and their topics:
- poems about water and boats: "The Imaginary Iceberg" (6), "The Colder the Air", "Seascape" (41), "Little Exercise" (42)
- poems about places: "Wading at Wellfleet" (9), "Large Bad Picture" (13), "From the Country to the City" (15), "Quai d'Orléans" (29), "Cirque d'Hiver" (32), "Florida" (33), "Jerónimo's House" (35)
- poems about sleeping and morning: "Love Lies Sleeping" (18), "A Miracle for Breakfast" (20), "The Unbeliever" (24), "Paris, 7 A.M." (28), "Sleeping on the Ceiling" (30), "Sleeping Standing Up" (31), "Roosters" (36)
- poems about dusk, dreaming, and death: "The Weed" (22), "Late Air" (45), "Cootchie" (46), "Songs for a Colored Singer" (47)
- poems about poetry, art, and creativity: "Casabianca" (7), "The Man-Moth" (16), "The Monument" (25)
Here are the discussion questions:
- What idea(s) and theme(s) recur through the collection of your group's assigned poems?
- What poem best represents the recurring theme of this collection and why?
- How might "The Map" (5) and "Anaphora" (52) function as bookends, i.e., an introduction and conclusion to the idea(s) and theme(s) of your collection of poems as well as the book North & South?
2. Maximus at a Minimum
On our first day of discussion, we took a broad view of Charles Olson's The Maximus Poems, discussing projective verse, history and allusions. Today, let's break into groups to do close (but not too close) readings of significant passages and then share our interpretations with the rest of the class. Here are the groups:
- 14, 17, 21-2
- 30, 32, 47-8
- 51, 66
- 75, 77
- 91-2, 118
3. A Coney Island of The Green Wall
The contrast between Tuesday's book (Lawrence Ferlinghetti's A Coney Island of the Mind) and Thursday's book (James Wright's The Green Wall) is so severe, we must comment upon it. We'll use that discussion to transition into Wright's affect, poetics, and world view. Additionally, we'll use this an opportunity to hear more voices in the class and practice the kind of analysis expected in the undergraduate exam. Break into four groups, discuss the group's assigned topic, and have the secretary report back to the class.
- Group 1 (Secretary: Sarah S. or Razi): Contrast how Ferlinghetti's 26 [The 'sensual phosphorescence] (41) makes you feel with how Wright's "Morning Hymn to a Dark Girl" (30-1) makes you feel; be sure to analayze why the poems make you feel the way they do.
- Group 2 (Secretary: Dylan or Greta): Contrast Ferlinghetti's poetics (style, line, diction, rhythm, meter, etc.) in 15 [Constantly risking absurdity] (30) with Wright's poetics in "The Horse" (9-10)
- Group 3 (Secretary: Stevie or Sarah B.): Contrast Ferlinghetti's world view (his attitude toward the world combined with his belief system) in 8 [In Golden Gate Park that day] (20-1) with Wright's world view in "To a Fugitive" (26-7).
- Group 4 (graduate students, no secretary, no reporting, talk amongst yourselves): Contrast your affective response to Ferlinghetti's 11 [The world is a beautiful place] (88-9) and Wright's "A Little Girl on Her Way to School" (44-5) as well as the two poems' diverging poetics and world views.
Presentation Schedule
Undergraduate students sign up for two slots: 1) a discussion board response due on the Sunday before the date the poet is scheduled to be discussed and informally presented and 2) a close reading paper and presentation cowritten with a partner both due on the scheduled date.
Graduate students sign up for one slot: 1) an in class presentation and accompanying annotated bibliography both due on the scheduled date.
Written Date | Presentation Date | Assignment | Student |
---|---|---|---|
Olson Response |
R1 Shelby Smith | ||
Olson Close Reading |
C1 | ||
C1 | |||
Olson Presentation |
P1 | ||
Lowell Response |
R2 Alexandra Campos | ||
Lowell Close Reading |
C2 | ||
C2 | |||
Lowell Presentation |
P2 | ||
Ferlinghetti Response |
R3 | ||
Ferlinghetti Close Reading |
C3 | ||
C3 | |||
Ferlinghetti Presentation |
P3 | ||
Wright Response |
R4 Leslie Peterson | ||
Wright Close Reading |
C4 Marykate Malena | ||
C4 Connor Tolbert | |||
Wright Presentation |
P4 | ||
Ginsberg Response |
R5 Greta Pritchett | ||
Ginsberg Close Reading |
C5 Sarah Sisson | ||
C5 Dylan Sartain | |||
Ginsberg Presentation |
P5 | ||
Sexton Response |
R6 Marley Brasher | ||
Sexton Close Reading |
C6 Kalae White | ||
C6 Cassandra Alligood | |||
Sexton Presentation |
P6 Tess Lyle | ||
Kinnell Response |
R7 Tina Ng | ||
Kinnell Close Reading |
C7 Marley Brasher | ||
C7 Alexendra Campos | |||
Kinnell Presentation |
P7 | ||
Harper Response |
R8 Cassandra Alligood | ||
R9 Kalae White | |||
Bukowski Response |
R10 Stevie Jacobson / Sarah Sisson | ||
Bukowski Close Reading |
C8 Razi Shadmehry | ||
C8 Tina Ng | |||
Bukowski Presentation |
P8 Catherine Bowlin | ||
Dorn Response |
R11 Razi Shadmehry | ||
Dorn Close Reading |
C9 Stevie Jacobson | ||
C9 Greta Pritchett | |||
Dorn Presentation |
P9 Kalae White (Response) | ||
Rich Response |
R12 Dylan Sartain | ||
Rich Close Reading |
C10 Leslie Peterson | ||
C10 Shelby Smith | |||
Rich Presentation |
P10 Emily Mixon | ||
Sanchez Response |
R13 Connor Tolbert | ||
Sanchez Response |
R13 Marykate Malena |
Response
In the 3-4 page response paper, you will react to a poet in general and then focus on one poem in particular. What issues do the poet and poem raise, and what do you think about those ideas? What is the poem saying to you, and what do you reply? What questions do you have for and about the poet and the poem?
In class, you will informally present your response paper (without simply reading it), read the poem aloud in class, and broach questions for class discussion.
Sign up here. Please confer with your classmates doing the close reading paper in order to select different poems.
Parameters
- Length: 3-4 pages for the response, 3-5 minutes for the informal presentation
- Format: MLA style in Word or RTF format (I suggest using this template)
- Due Dates:
- The written response is due in two places in GeorgiaVIEW on the Sunday before we are scheduled to discuss the text in class
- GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Discussions > Discussion Board Responses
- GeorgiaVIEW > Dropbox > Responses
- The informal presentation is due on the day we are scheduled to discuss the text in class.
- If you fail to submit the summary to GeorgiaVIEW Discussions by the day before scheduled class discussion of the work, you will not be allowed to present and you will fail the assignment. It is your responsibility to note the schedule; you will not receive reminders.
- The written response is due in two places in GeorgiaVIEW on the Sunday before we are scheduled to discuss the text in class
- Grades: You will be graded on your ability to summarize the main ideas of the poet and poem as well as informally present those ideas to the class. Retrieve your graded assignment in GeorgiaVIEW > Dropbox > Responses approximately one week after you present to the class. Due to GeorgiaVIEW limitations, I cannot return your graded paper unless and until you upload it to the Dropbox. Here's how to calculate your course grade.
Close Reading Paper and Presentation
You will collaborate with a classmate to to analyze a poem (or brief section of a long poem) in a formal 5-6 page paper and formal 5-7 minute presentation not including reading the passage aloud. Your essay and presentation should 1) do a line-by-line examination, interpreting its (for example, but not limited to) figurative language, diction, connotation, and symbol, and 2) arguing the poem's centrality to understanding the core conflicts and overall theme of the book of poetry from which it comes. Your essay should be driven by a thesis that argues the poem's theme and logically organized by close reading of the text: unpack the tension and conflict, connotation and diction, idea and theme. Your well-organized presentation should clearly convey your ideas to the class, and each member should speak during the presentation.
Sign up here. Please confer with your classmates doing the response paper in order to select different poems.
Parameters
- Length: paper 5-6 pages, presentation 7-10 minutes
- Format: MLA style in Word or RTF format (I suggest using this template)
- Due: The paper is due in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Close Reading and Presentation on the presentation date.
- Group Policy: Each group member is responsible for staying connected with the group, attending meetings, actively participating in meetings, doing her delegated work, i.e., contributing her fair share to the project. In order to hold singular members accountable in a team project, each group member should individually compose and submit to GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Close Reading and Presentation - Individual Evaluation a paragraph that assesses their own performance and their peer's service to the assignment. If it becomes apparent that a group member did not participate (skipped meetings, didn't complete her assigned work, etc.), that member will be assessed individually rather than receive the group grade.
- Grade: Your assignment will be assessed in terms of understanding of the poem's literary elements, analysis of the poem's core conflict and overall theme, and presentation skills; your project will be graded approximately one week after submission in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Close Reading and Presentation. Due to GeorgiaVIEW limitations, I cannot return your graded paper unless you upload it to the Dropbox. Here's how to calculate your course grade.
Exam
Undergraduates will take an in-class exam composed of 2 comparison/contrast essays selected from a set of 4-6 questions. We will generate topics as a class on Tuesday, February 17 and I will create 4-6 questions from those topics for the exam on Thursday, February 26.
Poets and Book
Elizabeth Bishop, North & South (1946)
Charles Olson, The Maximus Poems, Part I (1956)
Robert Lowell, Life Studies (1959)
Lawrence Ferlinghetti, A Coney Island of the Mind (1958)
James Wright, The Green Wall (1957)
Allen Ginsberg, Reality Sandwiches (1963) / Reality Sandwiches: Europe! Europe! (1957-1959)
Topics
- the poet's world view
- the relationship between poetic form and poetic content
- cultural criticism (for example, American ideal vs American reality)
- use of nature in poetry
- romantic relationships in poetry
- the poet's use of symbols and allusions (for example, secular vs religious references)
- poetic movements (for example, Confessionalism and Beat Writing)
Parameters
You may bring clean print outs or photocopies of two poems from each poet's book. Do not use a poet's work in more than one essay. Not all poets' works are appropriate for all essays. Choose works which afford adequate material to address the question at hand. Have a controlling idea, an interpretation, a thesis that bridges the works. Organize essays by argument and analysis. Make connections and distinctions among the poets and their poems; compare and contrast the works' key ideas. Support your points with textual evidence; avoid plot summary. You will be graded on your interpretive understanding of the poetry as well as your ability to compare and contrast meanings and issues.
Wild Card
While the close reading paper and presentation compels undergraduate students to collaborate on a line-by-line explication of a particular poem, and while the annotated bibliography and presentation obliges graduate students to research and teach a poet, the wild card paper affords all students a variety of interpretive options. Choose one of the alternative assignments below, keeping in mind that your poet must be included on the syllabus before March 12 and you can not repeat your poet selection in the research paper.
- book: Interpret the theme of a book of poetry.
- modern influence: Analyze how a modernist poet (subject to professor approval) influences a postwar poet in terms of poetic style and/or theme.
- contemporary influence: Analyze how a postwar poet influences a contemporary poet (subject to professor approval) in terms of poetic style and/or theme.
- response: Without repeating an exam essay, examine how two postwar poets respond to each other in terms of poetic style and/or theme.
Parameters
- Length: Undergraduate Students: 6-8 pages
- Graduate Students: 8-10 pages
- Format: MLA style in Word or RTF format (I suggest using this template)
- Due: The paper is due in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Wild Card Paper on Thursday, March 26.
- Grade: Your paper will be assessed in terms of its thesis, analysis of poetic issues and/or styles, and comparative understanding of poems and/or poets and returned to you approximately one week after submission in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Wild Card Paper.
Research Paper
While the wild card paper allowed you to pursue poetic themes, influences, or responses through close attention to the text itself, the research paper merges analysis with research. Investigate a poem, poet, or poetic issue or problem in postwar American poetry selected by you (but not one you did your close reading or wild card paper on) and approved by the professor by April 21, and then compose an essay that proves your focused and studied interpretation through both poetic analysis and scholarly research. For instance, if focusing on a poem, you could study The Maximus Poems and write an essay on Gloucester's (and America's) epic history; if focusing on a poet, you could study Charle Olson's projectectivist verse and vision as reflected in selected poetry; if a poetic issue, you could study the problem of portraying social and historical place in Olson's work. Whatever your topic, make sure it's narrow and researchable. Your thesis-driven paper should employ textual analysis and support its interpretation with scholarly criticism
Undergraduate Students
In order to outline the paper's interpretation, undergraduate students will share a 250 word informative abstract of their paper in class on Tuesday, April 28 and submit an 8-10 page research paper, which incorporates at least 5 secondary sources including both scholarly journal articles and books on Tuesday, May 5. Failure to share the abstract on Tuesday, April 28 will result in a one-third letter grade deduction on the final paper.
Graduate Students
In order to prepare for participating in academic conferences, graduate students will submit an abstract proposal and then share their work with the class as if they were presenting at a conference. Graduate students will submit a 250 word informative abstract of their paper on April 23. They will share, and answer questions about, 8-10 pages (about 15 minutes of oral delivery) of their paper in class on April 30 in a mock conference presentation. Finally, they will submit the full 12-15 page research paper, incorporating at least 5 secondary sources including both scholarly journal articles and books. Failure to submit the abstract will result in a one-third letter grade deduction; failure to share the paper in progress will result in a two-thirds letter grade deduction.
Parameters
- Length: Undergraduate Students: 8-10 pages
- Graduate Students: 12-15 pages
- Format: MLA Style in Word or RTF format (I suggest using this template)
- Due: The undergraduate student abstract is due in class on Tuesday, April 28; the undergraduate paper is due on Tuesday, May 5 in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Research Paper.
- The graduate student abstract is due on Thursday, April 23 in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Research Paper; the graduate student conference paper is due in class on Thursday, April 30; the graduate student paper is due on Tuesday, May 5 in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Research Paper.
- Grade: Your paper will be assessed in terms of your interpretive claim, your literary analysis, and your practical research. You can access your final grade in the course via PAWS on Wednesday, May 13. In order to read and assess all the exams and papers in my four classes by the final grade deadline, I will not be giving feedback on final projects this semester. I am glad to put your paper grade in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Research Paper if you ask me to do so on your paper. I am happy to provide feedback at the beginning of fall semester if you email me to set up a conference. Here's how to calculate your course grade.
Annotated Bibliography and Presentation
Graduates students will research a poet, compose an annotated bibliography of at least 10 scholarly sources interpreting the work, and teach one of the articles on the work to the class. The citations in the annotated bibliography should be formatted to MLA style, each annotation should be approximately 100 words long, and the bibliography should conclude with a one page long explanation and evaluation of why the source was selected to be taught to the class. Sign up here.
Parameters
- Length: 10 100-word annotated bibliographies, a 1-page explanation of the teaching selection, a 30-45 minute teaching presentation
- Format: MLA Style in Word or RTF format (I suggest using this template)
- Due: The written component is due in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Annotated Bibliography and Presentation on the scheduled presentation date.
- Grades: You will be graded on the quality of your research, the quality of your annotations, and your presentational/teaching ability. You can retrieve your graded assignment approximately one week after your presentation in GeorgiaVIEW > Dropbox > Course Work > Annotated Bibliography and Presentation. Due to GeorgiaVIEW limitations, I cannot return your graded paper unless and until you upload it to the Dropbox. Here's how to calculate your course grade.
Book Review
While the annotated bibliography and presentation required you to research, evaluate, and teach a work of scholarly criticism on a postwar literary work, the book review compels you to read and evaluate an entire book of postwar American literary criticism. After consulting with the professor on a suitable book (for instance a book from which our class is reading an excerpt, or another of your choosing), write a 8-10 page essay that summarizes the book's overall theoretical/critical claim and then evaluates the thesis and methodology. Your essay should both appreciate and interrogate the book. The GeorgiaVIEW course packet contains book reviews by Diggory, Gorick, and Lee; and you can find more examples using GALILEO.
Parameters
- Length: 8-10 pages
- Format: MLA Style in Word or RTF format (I suggest using this template)
- Due: The written component is due in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Book Review on Thursday, February 26.
- Grades: Your assignment will be graded on its appreciative, summary understanding of the theory as well as its ability to evaluate and interrogate the book. You can retrieve your graded assignment approximately one week after submission in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Dropbox > Book Review. Due to GeorgiaVIEW limitations, I cannot return your graded paper unless and until you upload it to the Dropbox. Here's how to calculate your course grade.