“The Windhover,” Gerard Manley Hopkins poem 3 pages double spaced

PAPER 1 ASSIGNMENT:

Poetry Explication
DUE: Friday, September 25 by 5 p.m. (on MOLE)

An explication takes what is implicit or subtle in a text and makes it explicit and clear. However, an explication
is not a mere summary of what the poem says; you need to explicate the poem’s meaning. Remember,
meaning is the “Why” of a text; the author’s opinion about the text’s themes or ideas; what the text is trying to
communicate to us, its readers.

Select one of the poems we’ve read from those listed below and write a 3-4 page essay in which you create
and support a unique argument (thesis) about that poem’s meaning.

1. Your introductory paragraph will 1) clearly name the poem and poet to be discussed, 2) provide the
   focus and structure of your paper, and 3) clearly provide your thesis statement, in which you present
   your argument on the poem’s meaning and answer the “so what?” by discussing the significance of
   your interpretation.

2. Eachofyourbodyparagraphswillproveyourargument/thesisbyprovidingdetailedevidence
   (quotations from the poem) that support your meaning. Every body paragraphs should relate back to
   your thesis.

3. Inyourbody/evidenceparagraphs,youshouldtrytoidentify2-3specificliterarydevicesthatprove
   your thesis. According to the attached “Writing About Poetry” handout, “good explications go line
   by line [or stanza by stanza], picking out every detail in the poem that supports your
   argument.” 

DO NOT: DO:

• Be too general with your evidence—you
  need SPECIFIC examples to back-up your
  thesis. For example, don’t just say the
  poem uses diction. All poems use diction.
  SHOW me—with quotes—what kind of
  diction the poet uses and why these word
  choices support your argument.

• Simply translate or restate the poem—you
  need to think about how and why the
  poem creates meaning, not just what it
  says.

• Assume that your quotations will prove
  your point without explanation—you need
  to explain WHY your quotes are important.

• Rely on the poet’s biography to create an
  interpretation of the poem—you should
  analyze only what the POEM ITSELF tells
  you.

• Restate ideas mentioned in class or readily
  available online. I want to see your ideas
  and fresh, unique meanings; I don’t want to
  see my own ideas (or ideas from strangers
  on the Internet) regurgitated back to me.

• Use secondary sources. The poem should
  be the only source on your Works Cited
  page.

• Use MLA format for your paper, including
a Works Cited page and in-text
parenthetical citations (citing line or stanza
number).

• Use the present tense (the “literary
present”) to discuss the poem.

• Use backslashes to indicate line breaks in
your quotations (e.g., “I felt a Funeral, in
my Brain, / And Mourners to and fro”).

• Put poem titles in quotations (poem and
short story titles go in quotations while
titles of whole books should be in italics).

• Give your paper a title.• Go to the Writing Center for additional

feedback on analyzing your poem and/or

writing your paper.• Visit my office hours to discuss the poem

one-on-one and talk about possible theses.

In grading your papers, I will be looking for:

1. aclearlydefined,unique,andwell-arguedthesis;

2. well-chosen,specificquotationsfromthepoemusedtoprovethatthesis;

3. theaccurateidentificationanddiscussionofatleast2-3literarydevices;

4. clarityofwriting(i.e.,yourwritingpresentsyourideasinaCLEARandCONCISEway,andthatany

   grammatical errors do not hinder your meaning);

5. MLAformat,includingaWorksCitedpageandin-textcitations(seetheMLAStyleGuideonMoodle

   for help with this).