For this paper, you’ll need to write an essay discussing the cultural context of a poem and analyzing the poem, using this knowledge as a background.
You’ll need to choose one of the sets of poems and articles listed below.
Any papers which are not on the articles and poems listed here will fail.
To begin, read and take notes on the cultural context the article gives you, as well as on the poem. Then, think about which parts of these events the poem focuses on. Which parts does it leave out? What message does this poet want us to have about this particular event?
You may also use our discussions on the poems as a background for this paper. However, no other outside sources will be allowed.
Papers which use any sources other than the poem and the listed article will fail.
Remember to read the right article for this assignment. It is NOT on the essays of cultural context we have already read and taken quizzes on, so do not use those. Instead, use the journal article listed below. You can find them in Unit 1 in Content.
You will need to give a full analysis of the poem. DO NOT simply give a summary of the events of the poem, the cultural context, or just string together quotations. You are using the cultural contexts to help strengthen your interpretation and analysis of the poem.
You should use quotes from the articles listed and the poems, as well as your analysis of them, to help make your point.
Be sure to give MLA-style (parenthetical) citations for any information you get from your sources, even if you put it in your own words.
You will also want to give a full works cited page for your two sources (the poem and the article; you shouldn’t be using any other sources).
Be sure to do all the PAs leading up to this paper. See syllabus for information on PAs.
Format:
You’ll want to begin with your analysis of the essay first and then bring it back to the poem. There are two ways of doing this:
Use the first half of your paper to analyze the essay and the ideas in it which you will need to know to fully analyze the poem. In the second half of your paper, analyze the poem from this new perspective. How does using this new knowledge help you to better interpret the poem?
OR
In every body paragraph of your paper, discuss one aspect of the cultural context the article gives you and then, in that same paragraph, link in your analysis of how this helps you to better interpret the poem’s meaning. Repeat this method for each body paragraph. (If these body paragraphs get too long, you can always split them into two separate paragraphs, as well.)
Be sure you have a clear introductory paragraph (with a clear thesis as your last sentence of it), separate body paragraphs (with a clear topic sentence at the beginning of each one and only one, clear topic apiece), and a clear conclusion paragraph at the end.
Also remember that you do not have to discuss the poem in order. If it fits into your organization better, feel free to skip between lines and come back to earlier ones later–just so long as your organization is clear.
Where to Find Articles:
All articles and poems are on our D2L course content page. Look in Unit 1 in “Learning Content” in D2L Content. There will be a module listed as “Major Writing Assignment #1 (MWA 1).” You’ll find all the poems and journal articles there, along with another copy of these instructions.
Requirements:
Paper should be 3 – 5 pages in length.
Paper should follow the format given in the syllabus (see “Papers”).
Paper should be in MLA format.
Direct quotes should be in quotation marks.
Paraphrased information (information from a source which you put in your own words) should not be in quotation marks.
Paraphrased information should not too closely mimic the original phrasing of your source.
Paraphrased information should have correct, MLA-style internal citations.
Information on correctly using quotations can be found on the “How to Use Quotations” document in “Handouts and Other Course Materials” in D2L Content.
Rough drafts must be turned in. This can either be done by turning in PA #4 or (if you don’t do that) including it along with the final draft of the paper. If you turn it in with the final draft, be sure to clearly mark which is the rough and which the final draft.
You need to do new work for this course. Turning in papers written for other courses counts as plagiarism; such papers will receive zeroes and will not be available for revision.
Analyze Mary Jo Salter’s poem, “Welcome to Hiroshima,” using the information in Aiko Sawada, Julia Chaitin, and Dan Bar-On’s journal article, “Surviving Hiroshima and Nagasaki–Experiences and Psychosocial Meanings.”
