Hope everyone is in the midst of a great spring break! When you have a spare moment, I would encourage you to read some of your chosen poet’s poetry. As a reminder, here are the details for the poet study, your PBA for this class:

Looking ahead to your Poetry PBA Portfolio, start thinking about your main opinion, or thesis, about your poet’s work. Read a significant body of work by your poet (20-30 poems). Ultimately, you will focus your study on 10 poems. Some good questions to ask yourself as you read:

• What themes do you notice in your poet’s work?
• Where and how do these themes appear?
• Which poems you’ve read most clearly show these themes?
• What techniques (poetic devices, style, language, etc.) does this poet use most often, and how do they affect the poems?
• What effect do they have? In other words, how do they shape and change your reading of the poems?
• What tone, or mood do you get from these poems? How do they make you feel?
• Take some notes on your answers to these questions, and start coming up with an opinion about your poet’s work.

Your PBA will include (in this order):

• Cover Sheet
• A 1-2 page mini-bio of your poet.
• A 5-7 page essay that introduces and analyzes the work of your poet, including a strong claim (a thesis) about your poet and his/her work. In this analysis you should demonstrate great control of your poet’s work. Finally, your discussion must be complemented by 3 primary or secondary sources (critical/analytical in nature).
• The 10 poems (untouched) chosen for this project.
• Two original poems mirroring your poet’s style.
• As an appendix: Annotated copies of the ten poems chosen for this project.

Your PBA will include (in this order):

• Cover Sheet
• A 1-2 page mini-bio of your poet.
• A 5-7 page essay that introduces and analyzes the work of your poet, including a strong claim (a thesis) about your poet and his/her work. In this analysis you should demonstrate great control of your poet’s work. Finally, your discussion must be complemented by 3 primary or secondary sources (critical/analytical in nature).
• The 10 poems (untouched) chosen for this project.
• Two original poems mirroring your poet’s style.
• As an appendix: Annotated copies of the ten poems chosen for this project.

Reminder: BE SURE TO TURN IN ESSENCE POEMS TOMORROW IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO.

1. Poet Study–Complete first draft is due tomorrow.  Be sure to follow the essay guidelines. This stage of the writing process will be graded.

General Requirements:

• 5-7 pages
• 3 sources

General Formatting:

• Double-spaced; size 12 font; Times New Roman or similar
• .75 margins on both left and right sides
• All pages beyond the first page should be numbered. Page numbers should be placed at the bottom right of each page.
• No Cover Page. Include name, Class Band, and Date
• Be sure TITLE reflects the theme of the essay
• Include Title, Author, and General Theme of work in first paragraph of essay…
• Follow MLA guidelines

Order of Arrangement:

• Final Draft on top. Staple or fasten with a paperclip.
• 1^st Draft—with significant corrections made + name and signature of reader

Avoid the Following:

• Avoid Pronouns: I, it, you, me, we, us
• Avoid Troublesome language. DO NOT USE ANY of the following words: it, these, this, those, kind of, almost, seems, maybe, like, then, later, eventually, basically, so, many, a lot, things, due to the fact (or any variations of the fact that), in reality, very, really, forms of the verb “to be”
• In the intro, nix all book-review commentary—i.e. “is fascinating, interesting…”
• Be extremely careful with your use of all words…yet, for these words in particular, don’t think they are cheap: Truth, Beauty, Love, Nature, Reality
• Avoid gross existential generalizations; remember, we learned early on that to come to a set definition of existentialism would be difficult if not impossible. Remember, the various existential schools of thought—those whom we’ve covered (i.e. Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer, Sartre, Dostoyevsky) and those whom we have had briefly touched on in précis presentations (i.e. Jaspers, de Beauvoir, Heidegger, Camus, etc.). These individuals help to define our context, so once again, avoid the generalizations.

Keys to Good Writing:

• Cohesion—Every sentence fits together; paragraphs flow smoothly. Ensure that the entire discussion comes together as one unified discussion of your text and its context.
• Concision—Less is more. Use fewer words to explain yourself. Begin fusing sentences by merging ideas into tightly knit phrases.
• Precision—Accuracy. Use words that accurately capture what you mean. Don’t settle for words or expressions that come close.
• Coherence—Does your essay make sense? Are your ideas organized in a logical sequence? Do you prove your thesis? Do the parts contain the essence of the whole?

1. Poet Study–Please bring in (at least) five poems by your poet subject. After shares, you will have time in class to work toward your final.

You must either leave your complete PBA packet in my mailbox or leave it in my classroom. It must be dropped off by 3:15 on Monday. REMEMBER: EITHER EMAIL OR HAND DELIVER A COPY OF YOUR ANALYSIS TO YOUR PBA PARTNER BY MONDAY.

MLA Guidelines for Quoting Poetry

1. Your PBA will include (in this order):

• A 1-2 page mini-bio of your poet.
• A 5-7 page foreword that introduces and analyzes the work of your poet. In this analysis you should demonstrate great control of your poet’s work.
• The 6 poems (untouched) chosen for this project.
• Two original poems mirroring your poet’s style.

General Formatting:

• Double-spaced; size 12 font; Times New Roman or similar
• All pages beyond the first page should be numbered.  Page numbers should be placed at the bottom right of each page. Page numbering starts with the mini-bio and goes through the two original poems.
• No Cover Page.  Include name, class, and date (Single space the heading)
• Be sure TITLE reflects the theme of the essay

Due the day of your presentation:

• Index cards or notes showing that you have prepared for your opening 2 minute presentation. During this time you will tell us a little about your poet focusing on his/her life where relevant and style/techniques/themes.
• Copy of your essay for YOU to refer to during the presentation.
• Your partner’s essay with your notes/questions written on the essay. Remember, you are to engage your partner in a discussion about his/her poet.

Failure to have any of the above means you are not prepared for your presentation.