Reading Responses to a Poem Use Wild Geese by Mary Oliver; then identify at least three elements in the poem that you found interesting or engaging (e.g., form, language, content, and/or other literary elements). Then, assess how these elements affected your response to the poem, in its entirety. (e.g., Did these elements affect your opinions on (or reaction to) the content of the poem? Did they cause you to focus on one aspect of the poem over others?) Assignment Requirements Length : Your paper should be two to four double-spaced pages in length (excluding title and reference page) Sources : Support your reflections with textual details and analysis from at least two scholarly sources. APA : Your draft must be formatted to APA (6th edition) style. Separate Title Page : Must include an original title Separate Reference Page Proper Citations : All sources must be properly cited, both within the text and in a separate reference page. Elements of Academic Writing : All academic papers should include these elements. Introduction with a thesis statement Supporting paragraphs Conclusion The paper must be two to four pages in length (excluding the title and reference page), and formatted according to APA style. You must use at least two scholarly resources Wild Geese Mary Oliver (1986) You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers. Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again. Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting— over and over announcing your place in the family of things. "Wild Geese" from Dream Work by Mary Oliver. Copyright © 1986 by Mary Oliver. Used by permission of Grove/Atlantic, Inc. Any third party use of this material, outside of this publication, is prohibited .