Discuss Experience, Interpretation and Evaluate a poem/song. Discuss literary elements and devices used.

• Write a Reader-Response essay on one of the assigned Casebook works.
• Length:1000 words. 
• Title essay to hint at central idea.
• Paste the poem or song after the title and number the lines, so you can refer to the lines
• Include 5 short quotes (one word to a short stanza) in the body paragraphs. 
• Name two or more poetry devices (repetition, metaphor, etc.) in your discussion. These can be stated in your thesis or in the body of the essay.
• All three approaches do not have to appear in each topic sentence or paragraph.
• include Additional materials with your submission.

• Shorter quotes of poetry three lines or less are integrated into the flow of the general writing.
• Quotes that take up more than 4 lines in your essay are indented 10 spaces. Unless used in the quote itself, leave out quotation marks.
• Double-space the entire essay.
• Do not use a quote in the essay’s introduction or in topic sentence.
• A central idea gives the essay its focus; the thesis gives the essay its structure.
  • See the samples on how to formulate these connections. 
• To experience means to focus on which images and words in the poem or song stir up your emotions, ideas or memories. 
• To interpret mean to find meaning in the poem or song.
• to evaluate  means to rate the value of the poem or song in some way.

• Format your essay in MLA style
• Not sure how to format an essay MLA style form beginning to end? See the guidelines and sample first page: How to format essay.Links to an external site.
• Elements or devices: tone diction, personification, metaphors, symbols, similes, repetition, alliteration, irony, assonance, rhyme, rhythm. etc. See literary terms for complete list.

Optional

Check out the worksheet and test yourself. (Feel free to contact me if you need help)

Need more examples? 

If viewing a completed essay helps you organize your essay for content and format, see the following essay:

• Sample Reader-Response essay
• Download Sample Reader-Response essayby student in previous class who received an A.
• There are also more sample writings through the Reader-Response link under Instructions above.

Central Idea and Thesis

Your essay must have a clearly linked central idea, its thesis and their topic sentences.

• Topic Sentences

• Each paragraph should have its own topic sentence that combines the central idea and one reason or topic stated in your thesis in some way. 
• Make the first or second sentence of each body paragraph your topic sentence and underline it. Each topic sentence should be one sentence long.

What Should You know Before You Start? 

• The difference between experiencing, interpreting and evaluating a poem or song.
• How to write about your experience, interpretation and evaluation of a poem or song.
• How to formulate a central idea, its thesis and their topic sentences.
• What elements/devices are within the work and how they determine or enhance the meaning you’ve given the poem or song.

• I’ll look for how your central idea, its thesis and their topic sentences are linked together.
•  I’ll look at how clearly you develop your ideas.
• I’ll look at each body paragraph for its unity (about one thing) and coherence (sentences logically follow one another). 
• I’ll be check your MLA formatting, your grammar, your punctuation and your mechanics,