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Poetry Research & Analysis Project

PreAP English I

Library Conduct & Expectations

Two students per table maximum…spread out!

Research independently…you are all researching different poets, so there is no reason to work together or talk to each other

No socializing or “mixing” with students from other classes.

No phones…use an iPad or computer to conduct research electronically

-5 points from your daily grade each time Mrs. Rammos has to say something to you!

Library Day 1 – Begin Research!

Find at least two sources to use in the biographical section of your research project – you will show Mrs. Rammos your notes at the end of class for a daily grade

Save articles, links, etc. to your Google drive or flashdrive; make sure you can access the information off-campus

In the biographical section, you will do a combination of summarizing, paraphrasing and quoting material from your sources.

Summarizing, Paraphrasing, Quoting

Summarizing – Condensing the author's words or ideas without altering the meaning or providing interpretation—you use your own words for this. Basically, presenting the original information in a nutshell. Always cite it.

Paraphrasing – Restating, in your own words, the author's words or ideas without altering the meaning or providing interpretation. Paraphrases are about the same length as the original. Always cite it.

Quoting - Using the author's exact words. Always cite it and use "quotation marks."

Library Day 2 – Continue Research for the Biographical Section & Find Two Poems

Today you will continue your research over biographical information for your poet. In this section, you must have information from 3 different sources; therefore, your objective today is to complete research your research.

Make sure you gather NEW information from the other two sources, not information you already have on your poet or decide what information you are going to use from one source and what information you are going to from the others.

Also, you need to explore your poet’s work and select two poems with some type of connection that you will analyze by answering one of the two questions on the assignment guidelines. Don’t forget to record citations for both poems!

Example of Biographical Section(The following example is to show you how you will use the biographical

research to write the biographical section of the paper. This should help guide you in your research today.)

David Henry Thoreau was born on July 12, 1817 in Concord, Massachusetts (Magill 1942). Twenty years after he was born in his grandmother’s farmhouse, Thoreau chose to reverse his given names, to become Henry David, even though this was not legally approved (Miller 12). Thoreau, who then went to Harvard, thought the library “was the finest resource the college had to offer" (Miller 16). Stunned by the amount of knowledge the college had to offer, Thoreau took advantage of it and soon was employed as a teacher, pencil maker, historian, tutor, philosopher and a handyman (Miller 2). Henry David Thoreau and his brother John Thoreau reopened the school they attended as children, The Concord Academy, at which they did a great deal of tutoring (Magill 1944). However, his brother passed away as a result of tuberculosis, and the Concord Academy closed. Later, Thoreau contracted tuberculosis after his social experiment in the woods that is famously known as “At Walden Pond.” This transcendentalist masterpiece “[consists] of his reflections on nature during his daily walks and comments on his readings” (Magill 1951).

Other than writing journals, Thoreau fought for the rights of all men. Being an abolitionist, he refused to pay his poll tax in protest of slavery. Therefore, he was jailed for one day, but someone paid his back taxes and Thoreau was released. This experience prompted him to write “Civil Disobedience” where he states “If a law is such nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice…then, I say, break the law” (“Henry David Thoreau”). His work inspired leaders like Ghandi and Martin Luther King, Jr. Thoreau eventually succumbed to tuberculosis and died in 1862. He not only left behind two published works but a very influential journal (Magill 1954). Post-mortem, his reputation was very strong and his work so rich that he is called “A man for all seasons” (Miller 20).

Things to remember for today:

Make sure you are recording page numbers and keeping up with what you paraphrase, quote, or summarize

Recommended Databases:

Top 4 Databases for Poet Biographies are…

Gale - Literature Resource Center - look at the tabs on the results page for biographies

Gale - Literature Resources from Gale - look at the tabs on the results page for biographies

Facts on File - Bloom's Literary Reference - look at the tabs on the results page for biographies

Gale - LitFinder - checkmark only biography when entering subjects

Get Ready…

Get out your poet’s biographical information

RANDOM FACT OF THE DAY:

On average, people fear spiders more than they do death.

Two Poems

Find the two poems you will analyze in the analysis section of your paper – You will need hardcopies of your poems for the

appendix of your paper. You will also need to cite where you got your

poems on the Works Cited page

You may find your poems in Books, Research Databases, or online sources…look at Ms. Brem’s suggestions on the research guide.

Remember…

Your poems need to have a thematic or stylistic connection!!

You will answer one of the two questions in your analytical paragraph: What message do you think the speakers in both poems are

trying to convey? Do you think the use of [literary/poetic device] enhances the

meaning of the poems? Why or why not?

For Example

If my poet were Edgar Allan Poe and I chose to analyze “To Helen” and “Annabel Lee”, I would analyze how Poe romanticizes the idea of women through allusions borrowed from mythology, fairytales, and folklore.

I am answering the first question!

For Example

If my poet were Edgar Allan Poe and I chose to analyze “To Helen” and “Annabel Lee”, I could conclude that Poe uses images of the sea as a means to travel back in time and return to his idea of peace and comfort in both pieces.

I am answering question #2!

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Works Cited Page

Works Cited Page: What is MLA?

Modern Language Association

Collegiate expectation for documentation of borrowed sources in writings relating to literature, humanities, and language.

Visit the following website: http://www.mla.org/style

Works Cited Page

What is a Works Cited Page?

It is a page that displays all of your sources with correct citations according to MLA format.

The Modern Language Association continuously updates the format. Make sure you use the guidelines for the 2009 MLA Format for all citations (it is the most recent).

Format

The Works Cited page must: be typed in 12 pt. Times New Roman font be double-spaced with no extra space between citations have the title, Works Cited – centered, not underlined, bolded, bigger

font, etc. – just like the rest of the text! includes a list of all sources used to create the actual text of the

research paper (poems too!) have citations in alphabetical order by the first word of each citation use a “hanging indent” if the citation goes to a second or subsequent

line italicize book titles and use “quotation marks” around article titles use correct punctuation…every period, colon, comma counts!! not include URLs in citations include Web for website citations

Works Cited Page Example # 1

Works Cited

“Croatia.” The New Encyclopedia Britannica: Micropedia. New York: Penguin, 1991. 2:192-

195. Print.

Eco, Umberto. Foucault’s Pendulum. San Diego: Harcourt, 1989. Print.

Franklin, Benjamin. The Autobiography and Other Writings. Ed. Kenneth Silverman. New

York: Penguin, 1986. Print.

Harrison, Patricia. Personal Interview. 19 Feb. 1993.

Kermode, Frank. “Criticism Without Machinery.” Literary Reflections, by R.W.B. Lewis. New

York Times Book Review, 11 July 1993. Print.

Leland, John. “The Impolitic: Fashion and its Critics Sell the Same Stereotypes.” Newsweek,

16 June 1996. Print.

“The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)”. Web. 12 Feb. 2008.

Notice the citations without authors – they are still in alphabetical order

Notice the date format above

Notice if you go to a second line in your citation, you should indent the second line

Remember the new MLA updates – make sure you type Web or Print, italicize book titles, and do not include URLs

What if I need additional help?

To see a list of criteria for an MLA Works Cited page visit:

Works Cited Page Notes Link

Or

The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)

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Look at your sample…

What do you notice?

Grading Guide for Works Cited Page

Your grade for the Works Cited Page will be based off of the following criteria:

1. MLA Formatting and Guidelines for a Works Cited Page – Did you follow instructions? Do you have any formatting errors? Is your paper formatted according to MLA guidelines?

2. Minimum of 5 Sources (this includes the citations for your two poems and the required sources)

Creating Parenthetical Citations (In Text)

When you are citing your sources WITHIN your writing, you must use parenthetical citations at the end of “borrowed” information

Whether you quote, paraphrase or summarize, you MUST include an in-text citation

Your in-text citatiosn

Basic rules for proper parenthetical source citation:

1.   The first word that should appear in the source citation should correspond to the first word of

the corresponding entry as it is on your Works Cited Page. 

2.    A page number is required when the corresponding source has page numbers (all books

and reference books).  An interview, research database, or web information, for example

will not require a page number.

3.    If the first word of the source citation corresponds to the first word of two or more entries on

the works cited page, then additional clarifying information is needed.  You might include

the first word of the book title…For example (“Edgar Allan Poe”; American) ; “Edgar

Allan Poe”; Modern).

4. If you use a direct quotation, the parenthetical citation must go immediately after the

closing quotation marks, even if it lands in the middle of the sentence. If you are

summarizing or paraphrasing, the parenthetical citation goes at the end of the sentence.

 

Citing Sources – Parenthetical Citations

Remember that you completed research and all of your information and ideas came from your research; therefore, even though you combine your own writing with your research notes, you still have to give credit within your paper

To cite a source within your paper, you must use a PARENTHETICAL CITATION: an abbreviated reference to the complete citation on your Works Cited page in parentheses at the end of the information in the paragraph

What do you do if there is no author name in your citation?

If your citation does not have an author, you will include the first few (usually two) words of your citation from your Works Cited Page.

Example Below:

These are just a couple of examples of critics who view “The Lottery” as a “wake up call” to our society, but there are still several different views of the short story (“The Wisher”).

* Notice this source does not have an author; therefore, the student cited the first two words. The student also put the title in quotation marks since it was a short story title/article title.

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Biographical Section

Biographical Paragraphs

Biographical Section:

Your biographical section should be no more than one - two paragraphs.

This section must include information from at least three different sources.

Biographical Section Continued

Can I include interesting quotes that my source included? Yes, please do!

Can I include facts that I found interesting? Yes, you are the writer – you make the choices!

Do I use “I believe”, “I concluded” and add my own opinion? Avoid phrases with personal pronouns; however, you can add your own opinion without using personal pronouns – yes, draw conclusions about your author and add your own commentary, but remember it is a formal academic paper, not a personal encounter with the author. Do not refer to your author by their first name – he/she is not your BFF!

Biographical Section – Credit to sources

Even if you paraphrase or summarize a source, you must give credit or it is considered plagiarism!

If you copied notes from a source and wrote them word for word, make sure you put quotation marks around them and give credit at the end of the sentence – they are not your words!