First Essay Assignment

Choose one of the following poems (all are in the course reader):

1	Cohen, Leonard	“Hallelujah”	January 31
2	cummings, e. e.	“anyone lived in a pretty how town”	February 7
3	Bishop, Elizabeth	“Filling Station”	February 14

Write an essay on the one poem you choose, focussing on the content of the poem (that is, what it is saying), the language of the poem (that is, how it says it), and the formal features of the poem (what makes the poem a poem). You may ask yourself: What does the poem say? What are the most interesting images in the poem and how are they being used? What are the most interesting words in the poem, and how are they being used, especially in light of what the poem says? What words does the poem use in an interesting or novel way? How do rhyme words, rhythms, line lengths, stanzaic breaks, or other features contribute to the content of the poem? (You do not have to answer directly all or even any of these questions in your essay: they are provided here to help guide your thinking as you prepare to write your essay.)

Your essay should have a thesis, a theory or statement you want to prove or defend in the essay. The thesis should be stated clearly in the introductory paragraph. The whole essay should contribute to proving or supporting the thesis.

The essay should be between two full pages and three full pages: do not submit an essay that is shorter than two full pages, and do not submit an essay that is longer than three full pages. Use a 12-point Times New Roman font. Use double-spaced lineation. Do not add extra lines between paragraphs (other than the one blank line). Use one-inch margins on all four sides of the page. (Caution to Microsoft Word users: make sure the margins are correct.) Use left-alignment justification only (no full justification). Do not include a separate title page. Follow the MLA essay presentation and citation guidelines.

Document your sources properly in a Works Cited page (which does not count as part of the length of the essay). For this assignment, you should not use any source other than the course reader and the Oxford English Dictionary (online). If for some reason you use another source, clearly document your use of that source.

Include your seminar instructor’s name at the top of the first page (where you put your teacher’s name), along with your section number.

The due date of the essay depends on which poem you have chosen. The three due dates are listed above. Late essays will be penalized according to the lateness policy included on the course syllabus.

Essays need to be submitted to TurnItIn.com prior to being submitted to the instructors. We do not need the receipt from the web site.