Assignment
For this forum, the goal is to explicate one poem of your choice from the course textbook. To "explicate"means to closely read and analyze a poem, then explain it incrementally or even line by line, in order to best communicate the poem's possible meaning(s). Isis different from a summary or synopsis because those things provide general information about the entirety of a work, or sum up its overall meaning, whereas an explication explores a poem incrementally and builds its meaning as it goes along. Note: there are several sample close readings, annotations, student responses and/or explications located throughout the poetry section of your textbook after certain poems; please look at those for reference if necessary, but do not base your explication here on a poem that already has this kind of supplementary material attached to it in the textbook.
Instructions:
A. Each student in the class should explicate a different poem. A student can explicate any of the poems found on pages 545-1030; however, try not to repeat an explication that another student has already posted. Check the forum for what poems other students have explicated before submitting.
B. At the top of your main post, please write the title of the poem, the author's name, and the page # in which the poem appears in the textbook. This helps other students find your poem in the book and comment on it in their reply posts. You may even re-type the text of the poem in your main post if you like, above your explication.
C. When quoting words or lines of poetry, cite the line number(s), not the page number.
D. Consider the questions below as you explicate (adapted from page 581: 'Questions for Responsive Reading and Writing'- there are more questions you can consider for your post on those pages):
1. What argument, or main point, do you think the author is making? Is this theme presented directly or indirectly?
2. Does the title of the poem help inform the interpretation of the poem?
3. How does diction reveal meaning? Are any words repeated? Do any carry evocative and/or connotative meanings? Consider word choice and how a certain word may affect meaning.
4. Do any objects, persons, places, events or actions have allegorical or symbolic meanings?
Remember: All textual references (quotes, paraphrases) should be cited in MLA format (in-text citations and Works Cited).
396 words
Note from student; The poem that I choose is Mortuary Art Its on page 1029 in my textbook. The poem was written by Stefanie Wortman.