1. Write an essay using one of the poems in the packet as a jumping-off
Write an essay using one of the poems as a jumping-off point for further research into a
topic the poem addressees. You’ll show how the poem offers insight into the topic, and then
you’ll present information and analysis from research that carry this insight further or that
complicate what the poems says. For example you could use “Luxury” to explore
colonization in the Philippines, the connection between colonization and travel, or people of
color in Renaissance painting. “The Men Who Stand the Highway Exits” could lead to an
exploration of homelessness among veterans or of the signs used in panhandling.
“Citizenship” could lead to an exploration of U.S.-Mexico border crossings or other border
crossings. “Bivouac on a Mountain Side” could lead to an exploration of troop movement
during the U.S. Civil War or of changes in troop movement gear and methods between the
time of the poem and now. The above are just some of the possible research topics the
poems touch on. You might think of others that would work well also. This option must also
analyze what the poem says about this issue. Consider: What does the poem say about this
topic that the facts and articles you’ve found do not? Why did the poet express this in poem
form rather than write a research paper or editorial? What does the poem do that the other
sources do not?Required sources The poem you’ve chosen from the packet.A minimum of
four additional sources, at least one of which is scholarly.You may use more sources if you
need them to help your understanding, but don’t try to add sources just to increase your
number of sources.All sources should be reliable and professional, though they may be for a
popular audience. All the sources should be relevant for the development and support of the
thesis.AudienceThe members of our class, including the instructor—people who are
familiar with these poems, but who might be interpreting them in a different way or looking
at them from a different angle. Does this paper contain your own opinion? The entire
analysis is your interpretation of the poems, and so is a product of your brain, of your
particular ways of looking. Your thesis contains an idea of your own, an idea you have
developed by analyzing and thinking about the texts. This idea is supported by evidence
from the texts, and by your analysis and discussion of this evidence. #Write #essay
#poems #packet #jumpingoff
