Writing Question

Purpose

This assignment will enable you to identify a poet’s use of poetic devices to create an original thesis that analyzes their function within the text, and develop a coordinating outline to support your work in our upcoming video essay.

Skills

This assignment requires careful explication of a poem and discussion of literary analysis on a surface level. You will practice:

Critical reading and thinking skills
Annotation and explication of a text
Identification and application of poetic devices and connection to a theme
Composition of literary analysis

*This assignment aligns with Learning Outcomes: LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO10

Task

In this assignment, you will build on your previous skills and experiences explicating and annotating a poem with the end goal of creating an effective outline including an introduction, thesis, and the first two components of each body paragraph: topic sentences and evidence. Your outline will identify specific literary devices and their connection to the theme you identify in this poem. This assignment is a continuation of the process you completed in this units previous assignments and allows you to practice building the framework for an analysis of literature.

Part 1

Choose one of the poems your instructor assigned for this unit. We strongly suggest you continue to work with the poem you have already posted about in Module 4, as this will help you develop a detailed analysis for your video essay in our next module. When working on this assignment, be sure to consider what you learned from your Module 4 Discussion and from the feedback you received.

NOTE: Do not choose any of the texts used in sample assignments or instructional videos in this course. If in doubt, check your selection with your professor before beginning this assignment.

Part 2

You will closely read (and reread) your chosen poem, considering its imagery, symbolism, patterns of figurative language, and other literary elements while annotating and explicating the text. You may go back and make additional notes in the annotation assignment in Module 4, since this portion of the assignment serves as your notes or foundation for your video essay. Be mindful to genuinely engage with the text and investigate its contents. The more you accomplish here, the easier our next module will be!

Part 3

Next, you will use your annotations and notes to discern a connection between the devices identified and a theme of the poem. Refer back to the preliminary work with this type of skill in the Module 4 Discussion to help guide your process. It is during this step that you will create your working thesis statement and select the details that best support it.

Part 4

Use this section as the framework for creating an analytical outline. Your finished outline should include the following elements, and remember, the more developed your outline, the easier the assignment in the next module will be:

First, outline an introductory paragraph that offers key background information about the poem then narrows down to your chosen focus regarding the poem. Consider using the format suggested in your Literary Criticism Assignment in Unit 1. As with any introduction, your thesis should be the final sentence. Compose a well-crafted thesis statement. This should be one sentence that identifies the theme of the text and connects it with literary device(s) you will discuss to support your analysis of this theme. Remember, your thesis must be specific and argumentative.
Next, include the main point of each your topic sentences (Main Ideas) to begin your body paragraphs. These should focus on specific ideas and elements from the poem that provide evidence and support for your overall interpretation of the poem (your thesis). Keep in mind that topic sentences are also specific and argumentative; they are essentially the thesis for that body paragraph. (Be sure to have at least three body paragraphs with three topic sentences total.)
For each topic sentence, you will provide AT LEAST one textual example (Evidence) to support your claim. Be sure to provide the MLA parenthetical citation for each example, as you would have to include citations in an essay if you were to write one using this outline. Be sure to keep the number of examples per paragraph to no more than two.
To follow each textual example, you will need to provide Analysis or explanation of how and why the examples you selected support NOT ONLY the topic sentence argument BUT ALSO the thesis for essay overall. The analysis portion of the paragraph is the longest, most in-depth portion of the body paragraph. For the outline, you will not need to fully develop your analysis; you will simply need to outline the reasoning that ties your Evidence to your topic sentence and thesis, or Main idea.
The final step of the body paragraph is the Link or transition; this signal informs your reader that this paragraph is finished and provides the segue to the next topic. Be sure to include how you plan to transition from paragraph to paragraph at the end of each body paragraph in your outline. Keep in mind that your final body paragraph will not transition to a new topic paragraph but to the conclusion; it will read a little differently than the others.
To close your outline, be sure to outline your concluding paragraph. This paragraph should echo your earlier thesis statement but not simply restate it. Your conclusion should identify the larger significance of your essay: Why is your argument or information important for others to read and consider. What should your reader do after reading your argument? So what?
Then, on a new page, add your Works Cited entry for your poem.
Once you have completed the final draft of your outline, submit it to this assignment drop box.

Helpful Tips

Ask your instructor if you have questions or need clarification; this is a learning process and we expect questions.
Leave time to submit your outline draft to eCore’s Free Tutoring at Tutor.com for review. Your tutor can help with thesis and content development, organization, grammar, and mechanics. Don’t forget that you can submit your draft to Tutor.com multiple times during the revision process.
Ensure your work is scrupulous in its citations and adheres to the standards of academic honesty. If you use any ideas, information, or words from an outside source, this must be clearly indicated using MLA in-text citations and works cited entries.
No secondary sources are needed or encouraged, and AI may not be used. If secondary sources are used, all concepts, ideas, and words must be indicated with parenthetical citations and an additional works cited entry for all sources is required.

File submissions: Please submit your file as a .DOC, .DOCX, or .PDF. You must submit a file that is compatible with our course software to earn a grade. Always re-enter the drop box after submitting to confirm that the correct file has been submitted and can be read.

Grading Criteria

Your is logical, well-supported, original, and is not merely a description or summary but “makes a claim that others might dispute.”
Your outline represents a logical, well-structured roadmap for a potential analytical paper, including well-chosen support for your thesis.
Your use of language: your writing should be clear, well-organized, and free from spelling and grammar errors.
Plagiarism, as always, will not be tolerated. Please ask if you have any questions about citation or academic honesty.
No use of AI, including grammar checkers, is permitted for this assignment.

This activity may use a different grading rubric than what was used in past activities. Be sure to check the before starting.

Requirements: n/a

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