Choose one of the poems we have read in class, and write an essay on one of the following topics:

1.  What is the tone of Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz"?  Can you explain what you believe to be the author's attitude toward the title character?  Be sure to base your essay on descriptive details to prove your point.

2.  In "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time," what reasoning does Herrick use to convince girls to "gather
rosebuds"?  Examine the imagery of the poem as part of Herrick's larger argument.

3. Why does Herbert use "The Pulley" as the title of his poem?  Providing an interpretation of the poem, explain how the movement of the pulley is central to our understanding of the speaker's viewpoint.

4.  In "Because I could not stop for death" (505), why is death described as a gentleman?  Why is there a division between "labor" and "leisure"?  What circular images are there in the poem?  How do they suggest a different perception of time?  Explore how Dickinson creates a feeling of alienation in the speaker.

5.  Choose a poem among those we have read in class and write a concise, detailed interpretation.  Examine both formal features, such as rhyme, meter, stanza form, or pattern, as well as the content.  Any paper that does not address formal features will be lowered.

Some general advice:
    Begin the paper with a concise thesis statement: what is the writer's argument?  Base your reading on an interpretation of details, rather than general discussion.  The essay should generally answer the following questions:

                    1. Do you paraphrase or explain what happens in the poem?
                    2. Who is the speaker?
                    3. What is the speaker's tone?  Which words reveal this tone?
                    4. What imagery or motifs appear in the poem?  Is there a central controlling image or metaphor?
                    5. When and where was the poem written?  Does the historical era in any way shape the author's views?