ENGL 104

Essay 1: Comparative Analysis of Two Lyric Poems

In a 4-5 page essay, compare two poems from the options below, analyzing their distinctive features.

Option 1: Robert Herrick, “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” (211-2)

and Edmund Waller, “Go, lovely rose!” (231-2)

Option 2: Emily Dickinson, “I would not paint” (635) and Frank O’Hara,

“Why I Am Not a Painter” (970-1)

Option 3: Robert Hayden, “Those Winter Sundays” 878 and Stephen Shu-Ning

Liu, “My Father’s Martial Art” (photocopy)

Before beginning to draft this essay, work closely with each poem, analyzing its situation, form, sound, voice and imagery. On the basis of this work, develop a thesis that comments on how the two poems achieve their meaning or effect, and demonstrate that thesis through close analysis of the poems’ most significant features.

Apart from a dictionary, do not consult sources outside the class texts. I want your reading of the poems, not critics’ views. You may, of course, refer to the literary and biographical information in The Norton Anthology and Glossary of Literary Terms.

Cite lines parenthetically by number, observing line breaks as indicated in The Everyday Writer or another college writing handbook.

Due dates:

Draft due for in-class editing on Tues. 9/21

Final essay due at the beginning of class on Tues. 9/28

ENGL 104

Essay 1 Editing Guide: Comparison of Two Lyric Poems

Writer ______________________________ Editor _____________________________

1. Locate and underline the thesis: the statement in the paper that presents the writer’s central point about the two poems. Does the thesis make a claim about how the two poems achieve their meaning or effect? How interesting and specific is this claim?

2. Does the writer’s introduction gain your interest and establish a basis of comparison for the two poems? Explain what makes the intro. effective or ineffective.

3. Use a check mark ( ) on the draft to indicate observations on the poems you found most interesting and persuasive. Explain here what makes these observations particularly effective.

4. Use a question mark on the draft to indicate statements you found unclear or unpersuasive. Explain here what puzzled you or what you found unconvincing.

5. How effectively has the writer quoted and analyzed specific language from the poems? Indicate places where the writer needs to quote more selectively or explain or interpret a quote more.

6. How effectively has the writer organized the essay and indicated points of comparison? Identify places the writer may need to reorganize points, refocus a paragraph, or make a stronger transition between paragraphs.

7. Does the conclusion place the writer’s interpretation of the two poems in a broader context, or offer some final reflection on the poems?

8. If you see recurring problems in mechanics or style (i.e., incorrect format in quoting/ citing poetry, run-on sentences, fragments), identify the problems here and mark one or two examples.