Research Paper on Famous Poets
Worth:


Quiz grade for final
Classwork grade for evidence of the research process
Due dates:



Odd: Monday, November 24, 2008
Even: Tuesday, November 25, 2008
No papers will be accepted after Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Assignment:
Write a two-page research paper on a famous poet. Your paper must use MLA format and
adhere to the following requirements:




Include only basic information about their personal history – this is not a biography! No
more than one paragraph on their birth date, hometown, childhood, etc.
Focus on their challenges, their body of work (including the recurring themes in their
poetry, their style, and their inspiration), and their honors and awards.
Include one example of their poetry that is at least five lines in length and correctly
formatted as a block quote.
Use at least three sources. You must have three correctly-written citations in your text
and three entries in your Works Cited page. You must also have at least 25 note cards.
You may not:








Write more than one paragraph on the poet’s personal life.
Turn in a paper without giving any evidence of the research process
o Prewriting = at least 3 source cards and at least 25 note cards
o Graphic organizer = outline only! No four-squares!
o Rough draft = handwritten in pen or pencil with evidence of having been edited
Hand write your final copy.
Email me your paper.
Hand in your paper on a jump drive.
Expect me to print your paper for you.
Turn in a paper after November 26.
Use any format other than MLA, which means no cover sheet, no fancy fonts, and no
colors!
Research Paper on Famous Poets
Poet List
Shel Silverstein
Maya Angelou
Ani Difranco
Gwendolyn Brooks
Carl Sandburg
Seikou Sundiata
Allen Ginsberg
Lewis Carroll
T.S. Eliot
ee cummings
Wole Soyinka
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Audre Lord
Robert Frost
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Edgar Allen Poe
Anais Nin
William Shakespeare
Or do some research and choose one not on this
list! Any poet not on this list must be approved by
Ms. Lynn first!
Walt Whitman
William Butler Yeates
Nikki Giovanni
Emily Dickenson
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Alfred Lord Tennyson
Henry David Thoreau
Paul Lawrence Dunbar
Bob Dylan
Janis Joplin
Langston Hughes
Countee Cullen
Ezra Pound
Ogden Nash
Pablo Neruda
Stephen Crane
http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets.html is
a good place to go if you need a bigger list of
poets from which to choose.