Mary Oliver Poetry Writing Assignment

Mary Oliver Poetry Writing Assignment

IB English 5-6 SL -- Smith

2016-17 40 points

For this assignment, I want you to select a poem written by Mary Oliver that we did not study as a part of our class work. This poem can be any length and it can come from any of her works. It can be similar to what we looked at in class or it can be strikingly different. I want you to select a poem that resonates with you. I will want a physical copy of the poem submitted with the rest of this assignment. You can either type out the poem, print it from the internet, or photocopy it from a book of her poetry. However, I want you to make sure to include proper source material.

Once you have selected a poem, I want you to write a 2-page maximum paper that addresses the following two topics:

1. Themes -- Discuss how the themes in the poem you selected relate to the other themes that we have looked at in our study of Oliver's other poems. You should first discuss the themes that you see developed in the poem that you selected. Then, you should discuss them in the broader context of Oliver's work. I do not care if the poems are very similar to ones we've looked at or if they are completely new and different. I just want to see a solid discussion of the ones present in your poem and how they relate to what we've studied this unit.

2. Techniques -- Similarly, discuss how the literary techniques used in the poem you selected fit with the other techniques we've seen Oliver use in her other poems we've studied. First, discuss the dominant techniques used in the poem you selected and identify the effect(s) created by those techniques or devices. Try to go even further and connect that effect to the themes and ideas in the poem. Then, discuss those techniques as they relate to her other poems. Again, I do not care if these techniques are similar to or different from the others that we've studied. I am more interested in your discussion of the connection between your poem and the others.

Details:

Your paper is limited to 2 pages! Please do not submit more than 2 pages of your writing. Focus on saying what you want to say effectively and efficiently.

Please submit an electronic copy of just your discussion of the poem to Turnitin. You do not need to submit the poem when you submit to Turnitin.

Conversely, when you submit your hard copy, you must submit a copy of your poem with proper source material.

This assignment is due Friday March 10, 2017. I will be assessing this paper in terms of the quality of the discussion of your poem, your

ability to put it into context with the other poems of hers we've studied, and the clarity and correctness of your writing.

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