Essay 1 Strategy
Where to start, how
to get organized and
how to write your
paper
Step 1 – Deciding on your poem
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As you choose your poem, make sure you pick
one where there is a strong speaker.
Oftentimes, it is easier to identify speaker in a
poem with a strong “I” presence.
Step 2 – Reading and Notetaking
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Mark parts of the poem that are important with
a highlighter or jot down notes in the margin as
you read the poem.
Notes areas where the same types of symbols
are being used (such as the references to
kingship or royalty in “Richard Cory”)
Your notes in your text will help you when you
begin writing your essay.
Step 3 – More Reading
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Don’t be satisfied with one reading of the
poem. Read it again and again.
Spend some time away from the poem
Read it again.
Step 4 – Breaking it down
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This essay is an analysis, which comes from
the Greek “breaking up.” How do the elements
of the poem help to reveal the speaker?
Use the questions in the text to help you when
analyzing the elements of the poem.
Step 5 – Deciding on a thesis
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Sum up your controlling idea, your thesis, in
one sentence. Usually, this sentence will be
placed at the end of the introduction.
Don’t just write down a lot of random
impressions about the poem. Give your
impressions shape and form. Make one point
strongly.
Stick to ideas that are related to your thesis.
Step 5 – Thesis
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Consider a thesis similar to the one in the
textbook for Elizabeth Bishop’s “Manners.”
–
Bishop enriches this poem about manners by
developing an implicit theme through her subtle use
of such elements of poetry as speaker, setting,
rhyme, meter, symbol and images.
Step 5 -- Thesis
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A similar thesis could be constructed for Mew’s
“The Farmer’s Bride.”
–
Mew’s farmer shows his true character through the
depiction of his relationship with his wife, figures of
speech and imagery.
Step 5 – Thesis
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Another option would be to use the thesis to
outline specific traits of the speaker.
–
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Robinson’s “Miniver Cheevy” reveals a weak man
who longs for the past and seems unable to take his
fate into his own hands.
You also could use the elements of poetry in
this thesis:
–
Robinson uses careful diction, figures of speech and
allusions to reveal a weak man who seems unable to
take his fate into his own hands.
Step 6 – Creating an outline
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Use your thesis to help you create an outline for
your essay.
Your body paragraphs might be shaped around
personality characteristics of the speaker or
elements of poetry and what that element
reveals about the speaker.
The outline you turn in should have a complete
sentence thesis and phrases for the major
headings.
Step 7 – Writing your essay
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Create an original title that either uses the
name of the poem and author or suggests what
the essay will be about. Titles should be
centered.
–
Robinson’s Misfit: “Miniver Cheevy”
Step 7 – Writing
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Mention the author and the title of the poem early in the
introduction.
–
Sometimes people are unable to accept or make the best of
what their lives have become. They wallow in their misery and
seem unable to control their own destinies. In “Miniver Cheevy,”
Edwin Arlington Robinson paints a picture of a man who is
unhappy with his life. The poem, written in 1910, is one of a
series of Robinson’s Tilbury Town poesm of disillusioned
misfits. Based on Gardiner, Maine, the town of his youth,
Tilbury Town became the mythical location for many of
Robinson’s well-known poems (Henderson 542). Robinson’s
“Miniver Cheevy” reveals a weak man who longs for the wealth
of the past and seems unable to take his fate into his own
hands.
Step 7 – Writing the essay
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Avoid using “I” in your essay. The essay comes
from you, so unless otherwise noted, the
reader assumes that the essay is your opinion.
You also should avoid using “you” in essays.
“You” is considered familiar and, therefore, has
no place in a formal essay. Formal essays
should use the third person (see Hacker).
Step 7 – Writing the essay
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Present tense is used when discussing
literature. Robinson paints or Robinson
reveals.
When discussion historical events or incidents
in the author’s life, though, use the past tense.
Step 7 – Writing the essay
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Use frequent references to the poem itself to
support your thesis and topic sentences.
Remember, though, that no more than 15
percent of any essay should be direct quotes.
Use MLA style to document where you have
used the poem.
Step 7 – Writing the essay
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Make sure your conclusion effectively wraps up
the essay. Avoid just restating your
introduction.