ENG 102
Dr. Zhanshu Liu
Essay #2 Assignment Sheet
For this essay, you are required to analyze any poem(s) we have read and discussed in
class. Since the focus of the essay is on your own understanding and interpretation of the
poems, there is no need to refer to secondary sources for comments and criticism. Like
the previous essay, you need to:
1. Demonstrate the ability to use thesis and topic sentences to structure your writing
2. Pay attention to the analysis of the poetic elements of the work you choose to write
about and use quotations to back up your comment
3. Use appropriate literary terms whenever necessary to highlight the important literary
features in your analysis
4. Make at least two references to the poem for EACH poetic element you analyze
5. Follow the MLA format in using quotations and preparing works cited list
Your paper should be based on your response to one of the following questions.
1. A sonnet is a fourteen-line poem that follows a strict rhyme scheme. A Shakespearean
sonnet, also known as the English sonnet, consists of three quatrains (four line units) and
a couplet (two line unit), following a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg. Often a
problem or conflict is raised in the first three quatrains and is resolved in the couplet.
Analyze Shakespeare’s sonnet “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day” to see how
Shakespeare uses imagery, metaphor, and the speaker’s tone to urge the reader to
reconsider beauty, mortality, and eternity through art.
2. John Donne, a Metaphysical Poet, often relies on the use of very sophisticated and
thought provoking comparisons to convey his ideas and imagination. These extended
comparisons are also known as conceits, or analogies. How does Donne use some of his
most famous conceits in “The Flea” to allow the speaker build up the argument of
seduction?
3. “Carpe diem,” or “seize the day,” is a common theme in English poetry. Discuss how
the use of hyperbole, allusions, and metaphors in Andrew Marvell’s “The Flea” helps the
speaker vividly and persuasively convey such a yearning?
4. Dramatic monologue is a type of poetry in which a speaker addresses a silent auditor in
a dramatic situation narrated by the speaker. By reading the poem, the reader participates
as a third party, who can discern the speaker’s personality, flaws, and values through
carefully reading “between the lines.” Robert Browning, a 19th century British poet,
popularized the poetic form with some memorable poems, and “My Last Duchess is one
of them. Analyze the tone, choice of words, and the setting to show how the poem
reveals the true nature of the Duke: an arrogant, jealous, and cold-blooded murderer.
5. The theme of a poem is often implied rather than stated; therefore, the interpretation
of the theme or themes of a poem often requires the reader to closely examine other
elements in the poem: the speaker’s tone, the use of figurative language (metaphors in
particular), and the situation or setting. Analyze the setting, the use of metaphors, and the
changing tone of the speaker in Maxine Kumin’s “Woodchucks” and decide what theme
the poem conveys.
Guidelines for drafting the essay:
Title (center spaced with proper capitalization)
I. Introduction
A. Opening statement: You should start your essay with an interesting statement
that is attention grabbing and relevant to the story you are about to analyze.
For example, you could start your essay on “A&P,” and “Where…Where.” by
stating, “Young people are always fascinated and lured by the mysterious and
the unknown force lurking near what’s close to home…”
B. Follow the opening statement with your thesis that clearly introduces the
author, title of the work, the claim you make about the story, and the key literary
elements to be analyzed.
Steps and templates for developing the thesis statement:
Your thesis statement is the controlling idea of your essay; it introduces the author, the
work, and the key literary elements to be analyzed. More important, your thesis should
state your claim about the work you analyze: what you have to say and to prove about the
author’s work. Try to follow the following steps and the templates in formulating your
thesis statement:
Step 1: Choose the work, e.g., “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”
Step 2: Introduce the author, e.g., Mark Twain
Step 3: Highlight the literary elements to be analyzed.
E.g., point of view, setting, and irony
Step 4: State your claim.
E.g., Mark Twain uses a tall tale, a hallmark of his colloquial realist style, to
mock at the shrewd and cunning lifestyle of the Americans settling in the West
coast in the 19th century.
Step 5: Combine all parts of thesis in one sentence using templates.
E.g., A close analysis of the point of view, setting, and irony in the story “The
Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” makes it clear to see how
Mark Twain uses a tall tale, a hallmark of his colloquial realist style, to
mock at the shred and cunning lifestyle of the Americans settling in the
West coast in the 19th century.
II-IV. Body Paragraphs
Each of the three body paragraphs should start with a topic sentence that states the claim
that you want to prove and the literary element you analyze. For example, your topic
sentence can be, “The dark forest, the setting of the story where the main action of
murdering the entire family takes place, provides the gothic backdrop for O’Connor’s
deeply unsettling story.”
Each of the body paragraphs should follow the following steps:
A. Topic sentence
B. Sentence that explains the claim made in the topic sentence
C. Sentence that introduces the first quotation
D. Sentence that comments on the first quotation
E. Sentence that introduces the second quotation
F. Sentence that comments on the second quotation
G. Sentence that reaffirms the claim made in the topic sentence
Each body paragraph should include at least two text details in the form of wellintegrated
quotations from the story. All quotations must be introduced and cited
according to the MLA format.
You should use formal, analytical language and literary terms in your discussion of the
stories. Make sure you use appropriate literary terms when necessary. Key literary terms
we’ve learned include: point of view, plot, characters, theme, setting, symbolism, irony,
protagonist, antagonist, round character, flat character, first person narrator, limited
omniscient point of view, epiphany, realism, naturalism.
V. Conclusion
Recap, not repeat the purpose of your comparison. Choose slightly different expressions
to sum up why the attention to the points of comparison supports your understanding of
the stories.
VI. Works Cited
Prepare a list of works cited at the end of your essay according to the MLA format.
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