English 102.

Essay 2—Poetry

The first draft of this assignment will be due no later than October 25th at 11:59 PM.

Peer corrections are due no later than Sunday, October 29th at 11:59 PM.

https://discoverpoetry.com/poems/100-most-famous-poems/Links to an external site.

Example of Explication: Eng 102- Poetry Explication Paper.docxDownload Eng 102- Poetry Explication Paper.docx

Choose two poems from the link above and write 2 two-page explications. You will need to email me the title before you begin.

You will be graded on both the analytical quality of addressing the questions here with specific details of your poems, along with the quality of your writing.

Remember you are using quotes from the poems, meaning you must create a works cited page. To review how to cite poems, refresh here:

Owl guide to creating works cited pageLinks to an external site.

How to cite poetry.Links to an external site.

A poetry explication is a relatively short analysis that describes the possible meanings and relationships of the words, images, and other small units that make up a poem. Writing an explication is an effective way for a reader to connect a poem’s plot and conflicts with its structural features.

Some things to cover in your paper:

Determine the basic design of the poems by considering the who, what, when, where, and why of the dramatic situation.

What is being dramatized? What conflicts or themes does the poem present, address, or question?

Who is the speaker? Define and describe the speaker and his/her voice. What does the speaker say? Who is the audience? Are other characters involved?

What happens in the poem? Consider the plot or basic design of the action. How are the dramatized conflicts or themes introduced, sustained, resolved, etc.?

When does the action occur? What is the date and/or time of day?

Where is the speaker? Describe the physical location of the dramatic moment.

Why does the speaker feel compelled to speak at this moment? What is his/her motivation?

Finally, spend some time online and research both the poem and its author to see if this will yield some important additional information. Be sure to list the sources of any additional information you uncover in case your readers are interested in pursuing your leads. MLA style

Things to Consider In the Explication

Consider the poem as a dramatic situation in which a speaker addresses an audience or another character. In this way, begin your analysis by identifying and describing the speaking voice or voices, the conflicts or ideas, and the language used in the poem.

In the middle paragraphs mention such devices as attention to the plot, narrative, conflict, images, symbols, metaphors, and controlling ideas.

Writing the Explication

The explication should follow the same format as the preparation: begin with the large issues and basic design of the poems and work through each line to the more specific details and patterns.

The First Paragraph

The first paragraph should present the large issues; it should inform the reader which conflicts are dramatized and should describe the dramatic situation of the speaker. The explication does not require a formal introductory paragraph; the writer should simply start explicating immediately. According to UNC ‘s Professor William Harmon, the foolproof way to begin any explication is with the following sentence: “This poem dramatizes the conflict between …” Such a beginning ensures that you will introduce the major conflict or theme in the poem and organize your explication accordingly.

An undergraduate recently began an explication of Wordsworth’s “Composed upon Westminster Bridge” in the following way:

This poem dramatizes the conflict between appearance and reality, particularly as this conflict relates to what the speaker seems to say and what he really says. From Westminster Bridge, the speaker looks at London at sunrise, and he explains that all people should be struck by such a beautiful scene. The speaker notes that the city is silent, and he points to several specific objects, naming them only in general terms: “Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples” (6). After describing the “glittering” aspect of these objects, he asserts that these city places are just as beautiful in the morning as country places like “valley, rock, or hill” (8,10). Finally, after describing his deep feeling of calmness, the speaker notes how the “houses seem asleep” and that “all that mighty heart is lying still” (13, 14). In this way, the speaker seems to say simply that London looks beautiful in the morning.

The Next Paragraphs

The next paragraphs should expand the discussion of the conflict by focusing on details of form, rhetoric, syntax, and vocabulary. In these paragraphs, the writer should explain the poem line by line in terms of these details, and he or she should incorporate important elements of rhyme, rhythm, and meter during this discussion.

The undergraduate continues with a topic sentence that directs the discussion of the first five lines:

However, the poem begins with several oddities that suggest the speaker is saying more than what he seems to say initially. For example, the poem is an Italian sonnet and follows the abbaabbacdcdcd rhyme scheme. The fact that the poet chooses to write a sonnet about London in an Italian form suggests that what he says may not be actually praising the city. Also, the rhetoric of the first two lines seems awkward compared to a normal speaking voice: “Earth has not anything to show more fair. / Dull would he be of soul who could pass by” (1-2). The odd syntax continues when the poet personifies the city: “This City now doth, like a garment, wear / The beauty of the morning” (4-5). Here, the city wears the morning’s beauty, so it is not the city but the morning that is beautiful …

The Conclusion

The explication has no formal concluding paragraph; do not simply restate the main points of the introduction! The end of the explication should focus on sound effects or visual patterns as the final element of asserting an explanation. Or, as does the undergraduate here, the writer may choose simply to stop writing when he or she reaches the end of the poem:

The poem ends with a vague statement: “And all that mighty heart is lying still!” In this line, the city’s heart could be dead, or it could be simply deceiving the one observing the scene. In this way, the poet reinforces the conflict between the appearance of the city in the morning and what such a scene and his words actually reveal.

Tips to keep in mind

Refer to the speaking voice in the poem as “the speaker” or “the poet.” For example, do not write, “In this poem, Wordsworth says that London is beautiful in the morning.” However, you can write, “In this poem, Wordsworth presents a speaker who…” We cannot absolutely identify Wordsworth with the speaker of the poem, so it is more accurate to talk about “the speaker” or “the poet” in an explication.

Use the present tense when writing the explication. The poem, as a work of literature, continues to exist!

To avoid unnecessary uses of the verb ‘to be’ in your compositions, the following list suggests some verbs you can use when writing the explication:

Explication Verbs

dramatizes presents illustrates characterizes underlines	asserts posits enacts connects portrays	contrasts juxtaposes suggests implies shows	addresses emphasizes stresses accentuate