Your first essay is to be an argumentative and interpretative. For this paper, you may take one of two paths: the first is that you focus on a single theme in Ms. Dickinson's work and choose two-to-three poems that reflect what you believe is her attitude toward that theme. A second approach is that you focus on one poem and analyze it thoroughly. Whichever approach you choose, be sure that we have not discussed in class the poem or poems about which you write.
In the introduction of your essay, let the reader know what poems you are writing about and who the poet is. Indicate the title of a poem by putting it in quotation marks. Use the first line of Ms. Dickinson's poem as its title; don't use the number. In a sentence or two then, tell the reader about the topic of the work. After these preliminaries, create a thesis that reflects your interpretation of how Ms. Dickinson responds to that topic. Remember that your thesis statement is the most important sentence in the essay. Be sure that it reflects what you believe Ms. Dickinson is saying about the topic you've chosen. However, be careful about writing a thesis that is so obvious that the reader says, "Sure, I know that. Everybody knows that." Look deeply into the poem, and create a thesis that isn't so self-evident that one wonders why you are wasting time explaining the obvious. Whatever you choose, just make sure that you can support your interpretation with evidence from the poem.
For the remainder of the essay, choose key lines and images that support your thesis. If there is a central metaphor in the poem that the meaning hinges on, point out that metaphor, and explain its relevance to the theme you have chosen. Draw our attention to other figurative language--and how it relates to the theme you have chosen. Poetry, of course, requires that readers draw inferences from what appears in the text. Because of their brevity--this is particularly true of Emily Dickinson's poems because they are like elliptical telegrams--they force the reader to draw conclusions from the few lines and images she provides. Sometimes the meaning of her poetry turns on a paradox. Dickinson also teases us with the masks she assumes in her verse--and with her penchant for irony. As a result, you will have to read and re-read the poem until you know it better than she did. Often you will find that one Dickinson poem will reflect a particular attitude toward death or love, while the next poem will reflect a different attitude. Be careful. Miss Dickinson is like a bead of mercury rolling in the palm of your hand. When you think you've grasped her, she will squirt out from under you, fragmenting in your fingers.
When you have supported your interpretation, then discuss Dickinson's style. Be careful here. I don't want a shopping list of the literary language and figures of speech she uses in the poem. Rather, I want you to relate the style of the poem to the meaning you have derived from it. That is, show how the style actually enhances the meaning.
The final section of your essay should focus on your evaluation of Ms. Dickinson's handling of the poem. Let me know what you like about the poem and what you do not like and why. Do not hesitate to say "I think." When you are quoting the lines of a poem, be sure to illustrate the ending of one line and the beginning of another by placing a slash / (actually it's called a virgule) between the two words where the break occurs. Leave a space before and after the virgule: "The thought beneath so slight a film-- / Is more distinctly seen" (1-2). At the end of the quotation, put in parenthesis the line numbers you have quoted. If you are quoting up to three lines, run them into the text, and use quotation marks, as the example above illustrates. If you are quoting four or more lines from the text, set your quotation off ten spaces from the left margin only, and do not use quotation marks.
Requirements for Writing this Essay
- Express your interpretation in a firm thesis, but do not dwell on the obvious.
- Support that interpretation with evidence from the poem.
- Think creatively.
- Do not merely paraphrase the poem, line-by-line. That approach creates an incredibly boring essay. Rather, draw inferences from the content, language, and tone the poet uses, and show how those inferences relate to your interpretation.
- No more than 15 % of your text should be directly quoted.
- I want you to use three outside sources to support your views. This means critics of Ms. Dickinson's work.
- DO NOT discuss Ms. Dickinson's biography. We want an analysis of the poetry, not a summary of her life.
- The manuscript should be approximately twelve hundred words. I do not equate quantity with quality, but there may be a close relationship between quantity and development.
- Be thorough in stating and supporting your ideas. Remember that this course is based on the honor code, and be sure to read my link on plagiarism.
- PROOFREAD YOUR ESSAY THOROUGHLY.
Format of Manuscript and Deadline
- The manuscript must be typed. Double-space everything, and use the normal one-inch margins. Remember my poor eyes, and use a 12 pitch font.
- Create an imaginative title for the essay that ties in with your thesis statement. Don't use the first line of Ms. Dickinson's poem as your title.
- Remember to use the standard MLA format that we discussed in class.
- Check the syllabus for the due date for the essay.
- Good Luck!