Essay # 2: Poetry
Choose any poem from your anthology.
Identify the poem’s speaker, addressee, tone, and theme in your introduction.
Then explicate the poem and use at least five poetry terms in your analysis.
Be sure to identify at least one metaphor (tenor and vehicle).
See pp. 1289-1303, “Writing About Poems” in your textbook.
Pay attention to the guidelines in the rubric below and submit your best work!
Poetry Essay Rubric
Identify and compare each poem’s speaker, addressee, tone, and theme in the introduction. 20
Explicate the poem 20
Use at least five poetry terms in your analysis 20
Be sure to identify at least one metaphor (tenor and vehicle) 10
Spelling & grammar 10
Topic sentences & paragraph organization 10
Citations & Formatting 10
Poems to choose from
Christopher Marlowe, “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love”
William Blake, “The Lamb” & “The Tyger”
Langston Hughes, “Harlem” & “Theme for English B”
Elizabeth Bishop, “One Art”
Dylan Thomas, “Do not go gentle into that good night”
Anne Sexton, “Cinderella”
Seamus Heaney, “Digging”
Cornelius Eady, “I’m a Fool to Love You”
Sherman Alexie, “Postcards to Columbus”
