annotation Assignments:
Annotations are papers or essays where you write with yourself (and me) in mind only. You write from the writer's perspective. You about a "craft" issue. Remember, craft is what makes us like a poem we like. Often we use literary terms to describe craft in a poem (alliteration, parallel structure, concreteness, tone-metaphor, simile, extended metaphor. . .). Or you can look at more writerly things. Things like Concreteness. Or you can look at issues you have as a writer, such as what does it mean for you-this "bottom dropping out" thing? Or, why do you struggle with having others look at your work (is there a history there-a bad experience?). In other words, you take up either a "craft" issue or a more personal issue as a writer and try to understand it by writing your paper. It is not to prove anything to me or a wider audience. It is to understand something-for you, perhaps by looking at one poem, a stanza in a poem (yours or one from the book or another student's . . .). You thoroughly take this thing up, such as how metaphors are used in a particular poem-to understand how metaphors are used to convey meaning, tone, etc., in this particular poem, AS A WRITER. That's your goal. To discover something for yourself. It is not to prove how, say, metaphors are used Always. By looking closely, you will learn. If you decide to do something more narrative, about yourself as a writer-your struggles with writers block, say, etc., you will learn also. The point is to be thorough, illustrate, give examples. Exhaust yourself trying to know. You will also know when you are done. I would suggest one page or less, single-spaced. You may get to your answer in a good, huge, meaty paragraph. But be careful. You want to really get there, to really show yourself something, to really discover. Or you may exhaust yourself and end with more questions. That's okay too. Turn your annotations in by Sun., midnight. Make sure your name and address are on the annotation-the actual paper, not outside the file so I don't mix them up when I print them out to write on them with my responses and mail them to you.
Here is the rubric for the annotations:
Annotation Rubric
The Rubric or way I will grade this paper will be the way we naturally read and I always grade every paper for every class. First, I look for a focus. If the paper has one and not more than one and it has its true beginnings of collegiate-level development (examples, details, etc., to show the focus), the paper is at least in the C range. If, then, the paper is really developed, staying with that main focus, with lots of coherent and good to excellent examples, etc., and is coherently organized-one point leading to the next so it's understandable--it pushes the paper up into the B range. Finally, if the paper has all that I've discussed plus the writer's voice consistently comes through and maintains a style-that of the writer's, such as formal or casual, etc., so that the writer clearly speaks to herself and me (in this case, the audience of the paper) in order to learn, then the paper moves into the A range. Grammar, punctuation issues, as long as they don't totally impede the process of reading the paper, can just knock the paper down a rung, such as going from an A to an A-. If I can't read the paper because of them, then we talk about what to do since I won't be able to grade the paper, such as settling on a D or you revising the paper, etc. Being in the D range also means you haven't found a focus, your paper is way underdeveloped, etc. An F is an F, you didn't do the paper. Also, you can revise any paper you'd like, for a better grade (except that last week of class). The best grade of your revisions is the grade you get for the paper.