Essay Focus: Compare Elements of Poetry A poetry analysis is a literary essay th

Essay Focus: Compare Elements of Poetry
A poetry analysis is a literary essay that focuses on the reader’s understanding of a poem. Elements of poetry, including theme, structure and writing style, should be included in the discussion. A poetry analysis is organized as any other literary essay to include an introduction with thesis, body paragraphs with evidence and a conclusion. To develop a thesis and find evidence, read the poem multiple times, determine its subject, examine the writer’s style and identify its structure.
Please develop a literary analysis essay (1000-1200 words) responding to the works assigned. Formatting should be in MLA 8 format- Times New Roman, 12 pt. font, and double spaced.
Your goal is to write (in an organized manner) your thoughts about a text, the ideas it contains, and the literary elements that develop these ideas. Think of it as a way of unpacking the text, just as you have done in your reading responses and in class.
Walt Whitman is often referred to as the father of free verse. He wrote “I Hear America Singing” in 1855. Langston Hughes was a prominent figure during the Harlem Renaissance which saw a surge of African American art in the 1920s.
Essay Outline:
I. Introduction: Background information about Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes. General information about the poems. Finish the introduction with a thesis statement that illustrates the theme(s) that will be the focus of the essay.
II. Body 1: Analysis of “I Hear America Singing”. What literary terms and poetic devices are used to support the theme? Start the paragraph with a topic sentence telling the reader the main point(s) you are discussing. Use examples from the poems to make your points stronger. Use transitional phrases to help the reader comprehend the flow of ideas. Some transitional devices include: like, similar to, also, unlike, similarly, in the same way, compared to, likewise, again, on the contrary, however, although, yet and conversely.
III. Body 2: Analysis of “I, Too”. What literary terms and poetic devices are used to support the theme? Start the paragraph with a topic sentence telling the reader the main point(s) you are discussing. Use examples from the poems to make your points stronger. Use transitional phrases to help the reader comprehend the flow of ideas. Some transitional devices include: like, similar to, also, unlike, similarly, in the same way, compared to, likewise, again, on the contrary, however, although, yet and conversely.
IV. Body 3: How do the two poems relate to one another? At first these poems appear to be very different. How can you synthesize them? How does the Hughes poem bring race into the Whitman poem? Can the poems be compared in terms of both form and content? How do the poems connect? How do they not connect?
V. Conclusion: Conclude the essay with a brief summary of the main idea or ideas. Make a conclusion based on the two poems’ similarities and differences. End with a restatement of the thesis and a final thought on the essay that leaves readers thinking long after they finish reading.
Your essay MUST include the ways at least three literary devices are used in the texts.