Select one of the topics listed below, and write a 3-5 page essay. Your essay should have an introduction with a concise thesis statement. Use the text of the poem to make your argument, noting line references in the text of your essay.
1. How does the speaker in "Shall I compare thee?" play with his comparison of his mistress to a summer day?
2. What is the emotion experienced when reading "Spring and Fall"? Explain
3. How is the passage of time measured in "What lips my lips have kissed"?
4. The speaker in "I, being born a Woman" is a woman. Why would her view of sexuality been shocking in 1923?
5. Write an essay that analyzes the tone of the speaker in "I, being born a woman and distressed". Makes sure you analyze any shifts in tone. How does rhythm, meter, and word choice create the argument?
6. What is the speaker's attitude toward death in "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night? What is his frame of mind as he speaks?
7. Hopkins "Spring and Fall" is a meditation on grief. How does he use nature imagery to move the reader from the adult perspective to the child's perspective on grief?
8. How does the setting in Arnold's "Dover Beach" set the tone for his meditation?
9. How does Whitman's "I celebrate myself, and sing myself" embody the national character of nineteenth century America?
10. An agent is responsible for negotiating the deal between Ferrara and the father of the new duchess. Write an essay from his point of view.
11. Write your own question.