Poetry Explication Assignment: Fall 2016
The following regulations apply:
· Select any poem of your choosing that has not been discussed
in class or assigned as homework. Even if you use a poem that
is in our anthology, please attach a copy to your work as you
will need to annotate it. It must be at least 14 lines long.
· Read the discussion about responding to literature included in
Chapter 27 (684-718). Since this is NOT a research assignment,
we will be using the model papers in that chapter as guides for
how to select a topic and also create a thesis about a poem. You
are being asked to use the critical skills you are learning to
create your own interpretation of a poem.
· Annotate the poem (see sample). Underscore and define
unfamiliar vocabulary, note formal elements, identify the
speaker, situation, etc.
· Answer the questions labeled “Formalist Questions.”
· Also answer any other set of questions listed in two
categories. Select one category of analysis and answer all the
questions in that category; repeat the process for another
category.
· Begin drafting your paper, going slowly, so that it conforms to
the requirements mentioned on page 704 regarding a “coherent
reading.” Your essay must comment on each line of the poem
and it must include an introductory paragraph that provides an
overview and thesis statement.
· Your draft should be 2-3 pages long and make many textual
references.
· Please include a “Works Cited” page. While you are not
required to do additional research, be sure to cite any other
sources that you use in your paper.

· Rehearse reading the poem aloud, noting the time that it takes
you to recite it. Be sure that you look up unfamiliar vocabulary
and proper names so that you can recite them correctly.
· Prepare a short lecture about the poem based on the work that
you have done and any share other relevant remarks about it
with your peers. It must be 3-5 minutes in length.
I will not accept any late work. Anyone who is missing from
class on peer review day will not be given credit for this
assignment. Incomplete drafts will be downgraded significantly.
RESEARCH-BASED POSITION PAPER
Essay Topic: Contemporary (current) Global Issue
For the group presentation all groups did their research on a
global issue that threatens the world as
a whole. For this essay assignment you can either work on the
same issue and conduct more
research, or you can pick an entirely new topic to write a well-
researched paper that meets the
requirements listed below.
This is not a group assignment. All students are required to
complete this assignment individually.
Assignment Overview
Write a well-developed argumentative research paper on a
contemporary (current) global issue. The

paper should be a work of critical analysis, meaning that it
should formulate an original and
compelling argument about the subject matter and should
support that argument with relevant
evidence and sound reasoning. The central argument of the
paper should correspond clearly to one
of the five argument types described in Chapters 8-12 of the
textbook: Everything’s an argument –
Argument of Facts, Argument of Definition, Evaluation
Argument, Causal Argument, and Proposal
Argument.
Some topic ideas you can consider are:
and low-wage labor
Source Requirements:
You are required to use minimum six sources to support your
paper. At least four of these sources
should be academic, peer reviewed articles from the University
databases.

The paper must demonstrate effective summary, paraphrase, and
quotation using signal phrases and
parenthetical citations for attribution.
The paper must include a properly formatted reference list.
Rhetorical Situation: You are writing to scholars within a
particular field of study of your own
choosing. Your goal is to make an original and compelling
contribution to the discussion of a
particular issue within that field of study. The argument that
you formulate should be situated in
relation to arguments put forth by other scholars within the
field.
Assignment Outcomes
ecific global issue that is relevant
and compelling for a specific audience
of academic readers.
-constructed thesis statement that responds to
the issue and corresponds to one
of the five argument types described in Chapters 8-12 of the
textbook.
expectations of the academic audience for
the paper.
paper’s argument.

material.
-academic sources and
use different types of sources in
appropriate ways.
signal phrases (attributive tags)
and parenthetical in-text citations (APA format).
guidelines.
Paper Structure:
I. Introduction: Your introduction should consist of a
substantial paragraph that adequately defines
the issue, establishes the importance of the issue, and set up the
thesis statement. The thesis
statement should give your reader a clear sense of what your
argument will be.
II. Body: The body paragraphs should develop supporting
claims that build off of each other in
ways that contribute to the development of the paper’s larger
argument. Within the body of the
paper, you should demonstrate the ability to use sources
effectively, respond to opposing
viewpoints, and use relevant evidence to support your
arguments.
III. Conclusion: Your conclusion should consist of a substantial
paragraph that explain the paper’s

fully developed argument and reflect on the implications of that
argument for the paper’s audience:
scholars within a particular field of study.
Style and Tone: This paper requires you to work closely with
multiple sources, which means that
you will need to use signal phrases and in-text citation
consistently and properly (accordingly to APA
guidelines) in order to effectively manage your source material
without allowing it to overpower your
own voice. In describing and responding critically to your
source material, you will need to maintain
a scholarly tone (objective and respectful) and avoid
unintentional plagiarism.
Write your paper in third person. Avoid using first and second
person speech.
Essay#3 is due in two separate locations:
Through Turnitin by Nov. 30th – Wednesday morning before
6:00 am
And through Taskstream by Nov. 30th – Wednesday morning
before 6:00 am
In-order to receive full credit for the submission, it is required
that you submit essay # 3 (same file)
through both turnitin and through taskstream. Links will be
made available on eCourses.
Length Requirement: The paper should be at least 2,000 words
and should not exceed 2,600
words. (One double-spaced page of 12-point Times New Roman
font is about 300 words.) The

paper must be formatted according to APA guidelines and
include a references page (but no
abstract).
Accessing Library Databases:
Go to the PVAMU University homepage
Click on Library – or use the following link:
http://www.pvamu.edu/library/
Then choose: A-Z Database List | By Subjects (located in the
middle of the page). Here you can
choose a database you would like to explore.
Always check the full text box.
List of commonly used Databases:
JSTOR
LEXIS NEXIS: Full-text database (covering current events).
ProQuest
Britannica Online
CQ Researcher
EBSCOhost: Includes citations and abstracts from journals in
most disciplines
ERIC
GailNet
Academic search complete
Once in the database, just like any other search engine, you will
be able to search for articles and
information of your interest.

Another non University database option is Google Scholar:
https://scholar.google.com/
http://www.pvamu.edu/library/
https://scholar.google.com/
As Time Passes
© Jenni-fiere M. Bivens
Published on February 2006
As the seconds pass...
We look back...
Of what our lives have held...
As the minutes pass...
We see what fell through the cracks...
Parts of our lives we withheld...
As the hours pass...
We think of what we learned...
What we have taught...
What we have forgot...
As the days pass...
We wish a lot could be returned...
We wish we would of never fought...
You hope they forget-me not...
As years pass...
You stand alone...
They have all grown...
Married and gone...
Or on their own...
As your life passes...
You stand proud...
Looking how well they raise their own...
You did well...
Live on...

Source: http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/as-time-
passes