Be prepared to read your assigned poem to the class (practice first!) and 
make a few intelligent comments about the poem, including what characterizes it as a Cavalier or Metaphysical poem and what formal elements the poet uses: rhyme, rhythm, imagery, figures of speech, allusions, etc.

Your essay should be a detailed analysis of the poem (at least 750 words), including the above elements, as well as a discussion of the author's purpose in the poem and its biographical, political or religious venue.  At least two scholarly secondary sources must be cited in the essay, which will, of course, follow MLA Documentation Guidelines. The use of proper MLA format will constitute 20% of your grade.

Metaphysical Poetry
Metaphysics: the branch of philosophy that systematically investigates the nature of first principles and the problems of ultimate reality: it includes the study of being (ontology) and the study of the structure of the universe (cosmology).
See extended definition in Harmon and Holman's Handbook to Literature.
Metaphysical Poets from Luminarium

Chief characteristics of Metaphysical poetry:

• Startling rhythm and diction

• Variety of tone

• Poets speak in their own persona or create dramatically different characters: self-dramatization more than self-expression, internal dramatic conflict

• Meter and stanzas are used to enact emotion -- emphasis on action, tension, conflict

• Use of argumentation, logic, dialectical expression

• Original and startling metaphors and similes, often extended into metaphysical conceits

• Content is often religious

• Sensuousness, directness, immediacy

• Graceful, melodious, polished diction and meter

• Elegant display of Latin classical influences

• Sometimes licentious and cynical

• Often epigrammatic and witty 

• Carpe diem a frequent theme

• Persona often in guise of military swashbuckler or aristocratic courtier

• Poems are often occasional -- i.e. written for a particular occasion