narrative poem analysis
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Choose
one of the narrative poems below.
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oral
report
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Give a brief synopsis of the poem (summarize the plot)
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Discuss the structure of the poem: divisions, stanza, meter, rhyme
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Discuss the narrative stance of the poem: who is the narrator? is there more than one narrator? to whom does the narrator address the poem?
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Read a brief section of the poem (50-100 lines) that you find particularly moving or important to the impact of the poem. Discuss the techniques the author uses to make the section moving and/or the reasons why the section is particularly important to the poem.
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Discuss what you believe the author's purpose and/or theme is in the poem
analytical essay
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The essay should address the entire work. If the poem is VERY long (i.e. The Faerie Queene length), you may address one section of the poem -- but clear that with me first.
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The essay must include at citations from least 3 authoritative secondary sources -- literary criticism, book reviews, biographies, etc.* The Works Cited list must contain the poem and the secondary sources used. If you have questions about MLA documentation, see TOOLS FOR WRITING and ASK me!
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Write a 1000-1500 (4-6 pages) essay analyzing one of the following elements of the poem:
use of figurative language
historical context and interpretation
social issues and contexts
symbolism
use of myth and archetype
innovative use of poetic narrative techniques
* A note on Wikipedia: while Wikipedia is a treasure trove of information -- I use it myself all the time -- it is NOT considered an authoritative academic source -- nor is any other general encyclopedia. By all means use encyclopedias, including Wikipedia, for background information and to find other more authoritative sources, but cite academic sources in your papers.
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long
narrative poems in English
in chronological order
( books
with LC#s are available in one or both of the MCC Libraries:
Book Catalog Online )
Sir Gawain and the
Green Knight, 14th c., Middle English romance, PR1203
.G35
Chaucer, Geoffrey, Troilus and Crisyede, 14th c., Middle English romance,
PR1851 .R6 in Works
Spenser, Edmund, The Faerie Queene,
romance, 1590-1609, PR 2352 .M3 and PR2351 .D6
Milton, John, Paradise Lost,
Biblical epic, 1667-74, PR3551 .B87 and PR3552 .H74
in Works
Wigglesworth, Michael,
Day
of Doom or A Description of the Great and Last Judgement, 1673, poetic rendering of Calvinist doctrine
-- first
American bestseller, online
Byron, George Gordon, Lord Childe Harold’s
Pilgrimage, 1816-18, romantic pilgrimage,
LINCC
eBooks in Poems of ...
_____, Don
Juan, 1819-24, satiric erotic epic, PR4359
.A1
Wordsworth, William The
Prelude, 1805-1850, philosophic autobiography, PR5864
.W55
Longfellow, William Wadsworth Evangeline,
1847, Acadian romance, PS2252 .G74, online
____, The
Song of Hiawatha,
1855, Native American epic, PS2250 .E93 in Works,
LINCC
eBooks, online
Tennyson, Alfred, Lord, The
Princess: A Medley, 1847, online
____, Idylls
of the King, 1859-85, Arthurian romance, PR5558.A3
B6, online
Clough, Arthur Hugh, Amours
de Voyage, 1858, epistolary novel set against Italian civil wars
of 1848-49, LINCCebooks,
online
Browning, Elizabeth Barrett, Aurora
Leigh, 1864, künstlerroman (the development of an artist), PR4185
.A1, online
Browning, Robert, The Ring
and the Book, 1868-69, historic dramatic murder, PR4200
.F17 in Complete Works,
online
Whitman, Albery, The
Rape of Florida or Twasinta’s Seminoles, 1884,
epic of the Seminole
Wars, PS3187.W2
R3, online
Jeffers, Robinson, Tamar, 1923, PS3519.E27 A6
in Selected..., and PS3519.E27 R6
_____, Roan Stallion, 1925, PS3519.E27 A6 in Selected...,
and PS3519.E27 R6
_____, The Women at Point Sur, 1926, PS3519.E27 A6
in Selected...
Robinson, Edwin
Arlington, The
Man Who Died Twice, 1924, life of a musician, PS3535.O25
M33 ,
Benet, Stephen Vincent, John Brown’s
Body, 1928, Civil War epic, PS3503.E5325 J6
MacLeish, Archibald, Conquistador,
1932, Spanish conquest of Mexico
Jones, David,
In Parenthesis, 1937, WWI epic,
PR6019.O53 I6 2003
Doolittle, Hilda [H.D.], Helen in Egypt, 1961, retold classical myth, PS3507.O726 H37 1974
Keithley, George, The
Donner Party, 1972, American
pioneer adventure,
PS3561.E378 D6
Gardner, John, Jason
and Medeia, 1973, retold classical myth, PS3557.A712
J3
Warren, Robert Penn, Brother
to Dragons, rev.ed. 1979, murder of a slave by Thomas Jefferson's nephew, PS3545.A748 B7
Seth, Vikram, The
Golden Gate, 1986, a novel in 690 sonnets,
PR9499.3.S38 G65 1991
Jarman, Mark. Iris
, 1992, woman's struggle to find meaning in her life
Walcott, Derek, Omeros,
1992, epic Caribbean/American poem evoking Homer, PR9272.9.W3 O44
McDowell, Robert, The Diviners, 1995, American family saga in the late
20th c
Mason, David. The Country I Remember,
1996. Civil War saga
Raine, History:
The Home Movie, 1996, family history,
PR6068.A313 H57 1996
Burgess, Byrne,
1997, British picaresque novel about a musician and his offspring
Porter, Dorothy, The
Monkey’s Mask, 1997, Australian detective novel,
PR9619.3.P558 M65
1997
D’Aguiar, Fred, Bill
of Rights, 1998, Jonestown massacre
______, Bloodlines,
2000, slaves escape to Canada
Bricuth, John, Just
Let Me Say This About That , 1998, a press conference at the end of the
20th c.,
PS3552.R454 J87 1998
______, As
Long As It's Big,
2005, dialogues during a divorce hearing
Galvin, Brendan, Hotel
Malabar, 1998, American imperialism
Carson, Anne, Autobiography
of Red, 1999, retold classical myth,
PS3553.A7667 A94 1999
______, The
Beauty of the Husband: A Fictional Essay in 29 Tangos, 2001,
PS3553.A7667 B43
2002
Murray, Les A., Fredy Neptune, 2000, picaresque WWII novel,
PR9619.3.M83 F74 1999
Maxwell, The
Sugar Mile, 2005, from WWII London to 9-11 NYC,
PR6063.A869 S84 2005
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More Young Adult Novels Written in Verse
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