Poetry Explication Paper
Overview
On this assignment, write a formal essay that performs an explication of one of the short poems we read and discussed in class between weeks 6 and 7. Length: 2 to 3 pages. NOTE: The set
of poems you can write about for Paper 2 does not include two longer poems: Coleridge’s “Rime”
and Wordsworth’s “Tintern Abbey.” You can write about either of these longer poems on Paper 3, to be completed after the midterm.
Assignment Due Date
Your completed essay in Microsoft Word format must be submitted to Blackboard by or before
9:00 a.m. on Friday, October 14, the morning of the midterm exam.
What’s an Explication?
Also known as a “close reading,” an explication explains and interprets details and meanings in a work of literature. Reread Gardner’s explanation of this type of writing assignment on pages 26-27 in our course poetry packet. A passage from her explanation to note here: “The job of an explication is twofold: to point out particular, salient elements of style and to explain the purpose and effect of these elements within the text” (26).
Example Essays
See the example student explication essays in our poetry packet, pages 28-29 and 53-56.
Needed Sections of This Essay
Three main sections. NOTE: Do not label the sections or use subheadings in your essay text.
The section names below are only for explanatory purposes on this assignment sheet.
Section A. Interpretive Introduction
• Write an opening interpretive statement on the significance of the poem in your own words.
• Write a brief paraphrase of the poem in prose .
NOTE: Paraphrase main passages of the poem, not every single part of every line.
• Your paraphrase needs to clarify the occasion of the poem, the poem’s speaker(s), and the statement the poem makes about its occasion.
