your paper will be on one of the four poetry sections which covered the poems of Emily Dickinson, Sylvia Plath, T.S. Eliot, and John Donne respectively. It will be due on Friday, 4/16 at the latest.
The topic of the paper is metaphor (or simile) so your introductory paragraph should begin with a good working definition of metaphor: for example, According to Michael Meyer, “A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things, without using the words like or as.” Next introduce your poem or poems and, finally, state the thesis of your paper. The thesis statement is should be a clear statement of how metaphor is used in the poem which can be backed up with specific examples.
Connect your theory of metaphor to at least one other concept introduced in the videos or written material.
Some possible topics are 1) Metaphor and Symbol in Dickinson; 2) Extended Metaphor in Dickinson; 3) Historical Allusion and Metaphor in Plath; 4) Biographical Criticism and Metaphor in Plath; 5) Synecdoche and Metaphor in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”; 6) Literary Allusion and Metaphor in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”; 7) Metaphysical Conceit and Metaphor in Donne; 8) Allusions to Ptolemy and Metaphor in Donne.
You are also free to devise your own topic as long as it includes the concept of metaphor.
Once again, the thesis statement is perhaps the most important sentence in the essay. According to Meyer, the thesis statement “establishes your interpretation of a text in clear, unambiguous language. It is more than a statement of your topic: it also involves your approach to that topic, the interpretation that emerges from that approach, and the conclusion to your argument” (Meyer 1102).
Topic and thesis both narrow the focus of your paper. Some details will be relevant to your argument, some not.
In the body paragraphs, focus on specific lines that can be analyzed into tenor and vehicle. Introduce these lines with topic sentences that develop your thesis. Use topic sentences to divide your topic into sub-topics. Use topic sentences to create transitions between your paragraphs.
Demonstrate a sound understanding of your concepts and a thorough familiarity with the poem(s) under discussion.
Your paper should be three to five pages, double spaced, with one inch margins, divided into paragraphs (don’t skip between paragraphs: indent).
Plagiarism will result in failure for the assignment and, possibly, the class. You may use material from the module but do not cut and paste or paraphrase anything from the internet. Copying down anything from cheat sites like Spark-notes, e-notes, Shmoop, etc.
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