For this assignment, please read the author introduction to Walt Whitman ( https://viva.pressbooks.pub/amlit1/chapter/author-introduction-walt-whitman/ )
and then Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” sections 1-10. (https://www.bartleby.com/142/14.html)
(For line numbers, see this option: “Song of Myself” with line numbers (https://www.bartleby.com/142/14.html).
Then, please watch the following video Walt Whitman “Song of Myself” Analysis by Dr. Ray Wachter Sr. Instructor U of Alabama (https://youtu.be/xzp4D-RTrE8.)
(The section of analysis begins at roughly 18 minutes, so you can begin there. The first seventeen minutes are biography and foregrounding, which is great, but if you feel satisfied with the author introduction, then skip ahead.)
Also, for this assignment, please complete the discussion board first. The information about analyzing poetry, writing a paper, and transcendentalism, will be important here, as you will need to include part of my lecture in your analysis.
Paper Requirements and Scope
Length 1250-1500 words (4-5pages) (The works cited page does not count toward the total length.)
Format: MLA
Mechanical Requirements: Times New Roman 12-point font
Overview: This paper affords you the opportunity to more deeply consider ideas associated with the American Renaissance. For this assignment, you will provide a literary analysis. That will include a clear thesis that argues for a particular interpretation of the text you select from the options below.
Options
Compose a paper that examines
Whitman’s “Song of Myself.”
For this paper, you may select a thesis that answers ONE of the following questions:
1) How does the persona in “Song of Myself” reflect the basic tenets of American Transcendentalism? (Refer to my lecture on transcendentalism somewhere in your paper and include a reference to Dr. Wachter and his observations as well.)
2) What is the significance of “loafing” in the poem as a mode of being?
3) How does Whitman figure the idea of the soul in his work? (What are its qualities and how do you see them as reflecting a unique vision?)
General Paper Requirements:
1) Papers must advance a thesis of interpretation, not of summary.
2) Papers must include specific references to the poem. This can include paraphrases, but it should also include key quoted lines for interpretation.
3) All material MUST be cited in-text using MLA format. (ALL quotations, paraphrases and summaries must be cited.) Further the paper must include a citations page. Failure to properly cite is plagiarism and the penalty is a zero on the paper. (Please see the syllabus for details.)
4) No quotation may exceed four lines of text in the paper. If a quotation exceeds four lines, then a one-letter grade deduction will be imposed for each line over that length.
5) The paper must contain a significant amount of the student’s analysis, not just summary, paraphrase, and quotation. (As a good standard, at least 50% of the paper should be analysis of the work.)
6) The paper must be original. This needs to be the student’s argument, supported by the primary texts and framed by the secondary sources. Papers may not simply parrot what someone else has said. Being informed by an argument from a secondary source is great. The paper should not be led by it. If you consult a secondary source, be sure to cite it.
7) Papers need to present the argument in the manner discussed in class: claim, evidence, and analysis in each paragraph. Each claim needs adequate support.
8) The paper will need to use Dr. Wachter’s lecture on Whitman and my lecture on Transcendentalism as outside sources cited in the text. Be sure to paraphrase or summarize some of the material from those lectures and include it to justify your argument, or feel free to dispute the argument. (For information on how to properly cite a lecture please follow this link: How to Cite an Online Lecture) (Links to an external site.)
9) The paper needs to use proper in-text citation and must include a works cited page.
I have included an example of a paper in form, though it is short of the word count. I figured you just needed to see how one was developed: Major Paper Example.pdf
Last Completed Projects
| topic title | academic level | Writer | delivered |
|---|