OUR+THEME+2+-+Poetry


 * For this theme, you will need to __explicate two poems__ from __two different poets__. Compare and contrast the way that the two poems discuss one of the themes below.**

1. __Spirituality__: Although only Donne and Herbert write explicitly about God, religious language finds it way into many of the poems we’ve read this unit. How do these poems treat religion and spirituality? Do they play with or subvert religious conventions at all? Analyze what strikes you as interesting or important about spirituality in these poems. 2. __Love__: Several of the poems we’ve read have to do with relationships, whether physical or emotional. Analyze the differing ways these poets address or describe the objects of their affection. Note: It might be useful here to think of the conventions of the Petrarchan love sonnet, in which a male lover addresses his idealized but painfully inaccessible lover. Do the Renaissance poets adhere to those conventions or manipulate them? 3. __Time__: Many of these poems make reference to the ravages of time or the inevitability of death. Analyze these poets’ portrayal of time. What function does it serve in these poems?

Remember that to **explicate** means to fully explain how the **meaning** of the poem is reinforced by the **form** of the poem. You need to examine these poems with the intensity and focus of a magnifying glass.
 * EXPLICATION**

__Tips__: · You cannot merely summarize or describe. Don’t just tell me what the poem says; look closely at //how// the poem gets its meaning across. · You must **analyze**: dig deeply; go beyond the surface level of meaning. · Remember that I’m looking for //your// insights here; you need to come up with an original, interesting, and insightful argument.


 * Suggested elements of poetry to consider in your explication:**
 * 1) sound (alliteration, assonance, repetition)
 * 2) diction (abstract or concrete word choice)
 * 3) imagery (does the poet use visual, aural, or tactile imagery?)
 * 4) rhyme (what is the rhyme scheme; how does the rhyme scheme affect the poem?)
 * 5) rhythm (rhythm is created through meter—iambic, trochaic, dactylic, anapestic; through punctuation; through caesuras, or pauses in a line; through the length of a line; through run-on or end-stopped lines)
 * 6) persona (the speaker of the poem; you may also consider who is being spoken to)
 * 7) figurative language (metaphor, simile, personification, onomatopoeia, etc.)
 * 8) allusions (references to other literary, historical, religious works)


 * Citations**: Remember the rules for parenthetical citations and for quoting poetry (Divide each line with a slash; block quotations for four or more lines of poetry).

Your Works Cited page should look like this:

Works Cited Lastname, Firstname. “Title of Poem.” //The Norton Anthology of English Literature.// Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: Norton, 1990. page#(s). Lastname, Firstname. “Title of Poem.” //The Norton Anthology of English Literature.// Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: Norton, 1990. page#(s).

Alphabetize by author’s last name. Also, __this time you will need to cite any other sources you quote__.