Poetry Assignment
Text Information
This assignment requires you to buy a copy of Claudia Rankines Citizen is An American Lyric. You can buy this text for just a few dollars on Amazon; here is the book order information: Citizen: An American Lyric, Rankine, Grey Wolf Press, ISBN # 978-1-55597-690-3.
Assignment Instructions
The subtitle of Claudia Rankines Citizen is An American Lyric. The basic dictionary definition of lyric is a poem, verse, or song that expresses the writer emotions in recognizable poetic form. Rankine certainly intends her text to be viewed and read as a poem though it may not look or sound like the poems with which we are most familiar. Do you see this text as a poem? If so, what is Rankines main theme? What poetic devices do you see at work in this poem? What do you make of the unique and different aspects of her work? What does she do to communicate her main idea?
The paper should have a clear introduction with a thesis statement stating your answer to this question: Do you see this text as a poem? The body should support your thesis with a discussion the literary devices used as they relate to your thesis. These should be well developed assertions which rely on solid analysis and examples from the text. The conclusion should sum up your interpretations and how all of the devices come together to create an interesting poem and theme.
Your paper will be approximately THREE PAGES, DOUBLE SPACED, MLA FORMAT WITH PARENTHETICAL CITATIONS AND A WORKS CITED PAGE (citing at least the text from which your poem is quoted).
