Introduction to Poetry
ENG 200, section 001
Spring 2016 / TR 12:30-1:45 PM / Simpkins 14
Dr. Magdelyn Hammond Helwig
127 Simpkins Hall / 298-2136
MH-Helwig@wiu.edu
Office Hours: M and W 1-3; Th 2-3; and by appointment
“Poetry is language at its most distilled and most powerful.” –Rita Dove
Ink runs from the corners of my mouth.
There is no happiness like mine.
I have been eating poetry.
from “Eating Poetry” by Mark Strand
In Introduction to Poetry, we shall not just read and listen to poetry...we shall eat it, devour it,
with abandon. Our banquet table will be set with poetry from around the world and across time
periods, and as we dig into each poem, we will consider both form and content. This class is
designed to introduce you to the range of poetic forms in use today as well as provide a more
in- depth look at specific poetic movements and individual poets.
Catalog description: 200 Introduction to Poetry. (3) (General Education/ Humanities)
Reading and discussion of poetry from around the world, introducing students to selected
traditions, questions of social justice, and methods of interpretation. IAI: H3 903.
Required Texts
Meyer, Michael. Thinking and Writing About Poetry. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2016.
Plath, Sylvia. Ariel: The Restored Edition. New York: HarperCollins, 2004.
Course Policies
1. Attendance/Class Participation:
1a. Although I will provide background and context for our reading at the start of each class
period, the course will rely upon your active participation and your own exploration of our texts.
Because we will be doing a good deal of writing in class and because our class discussions
depend upon everyone's thoughtful contributions, it is essential that you maintain regular
attendance and that you come prepared to discuss the reading material each day. You are
permitted 5 (five) absences over the semester for this course: for each absence beyond 5, your
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final grade will be lowered one full letter grade. I do not distinguish between excused and
unexcused absences, so please plan accordingly. Students who have 9 (nine) or more total
absences will receive an automatic F for the course. Tardiness (defined as arriving more than five
minutes late to class) will negatively affect your class participation grade, so please arrive
promptly to class. Four tardies will count as one absence. If you arrive more than fifteen minutes
late to class, you will be counted absent. Leaving class early will also count as a tardy; leaving
class more than fifteen minutes early will count as an absence.
1b. As per university policy, students missing class for observation of a religious holiday must
notify me at least 5 calendar days prior to the absence so that I can arrange accommodations.
Student athletes must meet with me at the beginning of the semester to review sports-related
absences and develop an accommodation plan. Students with military obligations should contact
me as soon as they know about those obligations so that we can develop an accommodation plan.
1c. Your class participation grade is worth 10% of your final grade. You are expected to be a
willing and thoughtful contributor to class discussion. As you do your reading for class, you
should prepare questions and comments about the reading. In class you should be prepared to
answer questions, pose new questions, and solicit conversation from your peers. A healthy
classroom environment is one in which each person feels comfortable expressing his or her
opinion. I will not tolerate rude, disruptive, or inconsiderate behavior, which includes texting.
Please put cell phones on vibrate and stash them away during class. Your class participation
grade will be lowered if your participation is disruptive to the classroom climate as well as if you
do not participate at all. When assessing your class participation during the semester, I will
consider both the regularity and the quality of your participation. Please note that chronic
tardiness, excessive absences, and/or disruptive classroom behavior of any kind will affect your
class participation grade negatively. While class participation grades will reflect subtle
gradations according to our +/- grading system at WIU, below are the general attributes of class
participation for whole letter grades. A: Student contributes daily and significantly to class
discussion by answering questions, posing questions, making analytical comments, and always
actively focusing on class discussion. B: Student contributes regularly to class discussion by
answering questions, posing questions, making analytical comments, and always actively
focusing on class discussion. C: Student contributes sporadically to class discussion by
answering questions, posing questions, making analytical comments, and/or always actively
focusing on class discussion. D: Student contributes rarely and/or frequently does not stay
actively focused on the discussion. F: Student does not contribute and does not stay actively
focused on the discussion.
2. Quizzes and Freewrites: In order to ensure that all assignments are read, I will begin most
classes with quizzes or freewrites. Quizzes and freewrites are not designed to trick you—if you
read and digest the assignment you will do fine. Quizzes and freewrites will be graded from 1-5,
corresponding to F-A. Quizzes and freewrites are worth 10% of your final grade. If you are
absent you may not make up a quiz or freewrite.
3. Reading Commentaries: Over the semester you will submit 4 one-page reading commentaries
in response to specific prompts. These commentaries are meant to help you prepare for writing
the two formal papers and will be submitted electronically on Western Online.
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4. Papers:
4a. Over the course of the semester, you will write two papers in response to specific prompts.
Paper 1, 3-4 pages, will be worth 15% of your final grade. Paper 2, 5-6 pages, will be worth 20%
of your final grade. With each paper assignment, I will hand out a format sheet to follow, which
will detail the guidelines for that particular paper. Deviation from the guidelines will cause your
grade to be lowered. Unless you make arrangements with me at least forty-eight hours in
advance, late papers will be marked down 1 letter grade for each day late; essays more than 7
days late will receive a “0.” I will not discuss paper grades over email. You must make an
appointment with me to discuss a paper grade.
4b. Papers will be submitted electronically on Western Online. Each format sheet will review
how to submit the paper. If you are unsure about how to submit your paper, please speak with me
well before the due date. Because you will submit papers electronically, you should make sure to
save your work in several formats (on a hard drive, on a flash drive, on the P drive, on Dropbox,
etc.). Technology problems are not an excuse for submitting a paper late. You will submit your
papers as Word files (.doc or .docx); papers submitted in any other file format or corrupted files
will be returned to you and considered late until re-submitted as a Word file.
4c. You will have the opportunity to revise Paper 1. Only if you have significantly revised your
paper (i.e. the thesis has been improved, examples and analysis have been improved and
extended, paragraphs have been extended or reorganized, stylistic concerns have been addressed,
etc.), keeping in mind my margin and end comments, can you expect to receive a higher grade on
your paper. Revisions will also be accompanied by a paragraph explaining what revisions were
made and why. If you were penalized for lateness on the original paper, that penalty will stand
for the revised paper. The grade on your revised paper, whether it is higher or lower than the
original, will replace the grade on the original paper. Under no circumstances will I accept a late
revision.
4d. The paper assignments do not permit the use of external research because I am interested in
your own ideas and interpretations of our texts using the critical methods we are learning in
class. If you plan to consult any secondary sources, you must receive permission in advance of
turning in your paper. Academic integrity is an important part of our community at WIU;
therefore, acts of plagiarism and cheating will result in failure for the course and referral for
academic discipline: http://www.wiu.edu/policies/acintegrity.php
4e. The University Writing Center (UWC) offers students at any academic level collaborative,
one-on-one consultation on writing projects from any discipline at any point in the writing
process. People often mistakenly think of writing centers as places for people in trouble—places
where "experts" tell them everything that is wrong with their writing. That is not the case here.
We believe that writing is a social act and that talk about writing is essential to revision, no
matter the skill level of the writer. See the UWC website for more information on locations and
appointments:
http://www.wiu.edu/cas/english/university_writing_center/locations_hours_pages/locations_hour
s_spring.php. Please note that a visit to the UWC should be a supplement—rather than a
replacement—for talking about your paper with me.
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5. Exams: There will be a midterm exam and a cumulative final exam for this course. Exam
formats will be discussed prior to each exam. Needless to say, the best ways to ensure good
performance on exams are to read and take notes during class. The midterm exam will be worth
15% of your final grade, and the final exam will be worth 20% of your final grade.
6. Office Hours: My regular office hours are listed above. At those times I will be in my office
available to meet with you to discuss any aspect of the course. Please do not hesitate to drop by
my office or to contact me to make an appointment to meet if you cannot meet during my regular
office hours.
7. Conference: Before Paper 2 you will be required to attend a conference with me to discuss
your paper. You will need to bring a complete, typed draft to the conference. Failure to attend
this conference will be considered two absences. During the rest of the semester, you are
welcome to drop by during my office hours or schedule a conference.
8. Email: The best way to get in touch with me outside of class is by email. Over email you can
make appointments to meet with me, and you can ask questions related to the assignments.
Please bear in mind that I will need at least a day to reply to emails. You are also responsible for
checking your WIU email and Western Online accounts on a regular basis, since they will be my
primary methods of communication with you outside of class.
9. Disability Resource Center: In accordance with University policy and the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA), academic accommodations may be made for any student who notifies
the instructor of the need for an accommodation. For the instructor to provide the proper
accommodation(s) you must obtain documentation of the need for an accommodation through
the Disability Resource Center and provide it to the instructor. It is imperative that you take the
initiative to bring such needs to the instructor's attention, as he/she is not legally permitted to
inquire about such particular needs of students. Students who may require special assistance in
emergency evacuations (i.e. fire, tornado, etc.) should contact the instructor as to the most
appropriate procedures to follow in such an emergency. Contact Disability Resource Center at
298-2512 for additional services or see the DRC website:
http://www.wiu.edu/student_services/disability_resource_center/.
Please review your “Student Rights and Responsibilities” at
http://www.wiu.edu/provost/students and see me if you have any questions.
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Grading
Participation: 10%
Quizzes and Freewrites: 10%
Reading Commentaries: 10%
Paper 1: 15%
Paper 2: 20%
Midterm: 15%
Final: 20%
Final Grade Breakdown
93-100=A; 90-92=A-; 88-89=B+; 83-87=B; 80-82=B-; 78-79=C+; 73-77=C; 70-72=C-;
68-69=D+; 63-67=D; 60-62=D-; <60=F
This schedule is subject to change. You are responsible for any changes made in class,
sent over email, or posted on Western Online (WO).
Readings from Thinking and Writing About Poetry will be labeled Poetry; readings from
Ariel: The Restored Edition will be labeled Ariel.
Bring Poetry to all class meetings. Bring Ariel to the class meetings for which it is
assigned.
Course Schedule
Date
Tues., Jan. 19
Thurs., Jan. 21
(Mon, Jan. 25 is last
day of open
registration)
Topic
Introduction to Course
Reading Poetry
Tues., Jan. 26
Word Order, Diction, and Tone
Thurs., Jan. 28
(Mon., Feb. 1 is last
day of restricted reg.
& drop w/t a “W”)
Tues., Feb. 2
Images
Thurs., Feb. 4
Figures of Speech: Similes and
Metaphors
Writing About Poetry
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Read and Due
Read: Poetry 1-6; 9-17; 26-28
(focus on “Those Winter
Sundays”)
Due: Student Survey (on WO by
11:59 pm)
Read: Poetry 52-70; 77 (focus on
“To His Coy Mistress,” “Marvell
Noir,” and “We Real Cool”)
Read: Poetry 82-100 (focus on
“Dulce et Decorum Est”)
Read: Poetry 44-51; Paper 1
Assignment Sheet (on WO)
Due: Bring to class reading notes
on “The Fish” (available on WO)
Read: Poetry 101-106
Tues., Feb. 9
Figures of Speech: Metaphors
Read: Poetry 304-307; Metaphor
Module on WO
Due: Reading Commentary 1
(on WO by 11:59 pm)
Read: Poetry 106-119
Thurs., Feb. 11
Figures of Speech
Tues., Feb. 16
Sounds
Thurs., Feb. 18
Rhyme
Tues., Feb. 23
Thinking About Poems
Thurs., Feb. 25
Writing About Poems
Tues., Mar. 1
Enjoying Poems
Thurs., Mar. 3
Class Cancelled
Tues., Mar. 8
Ekphrasis
Thurs., Mar. 10
Midterm Exam
Mar. 14-18
Tues., Mar. 22
No Class—Spring Break
Rhythm
Thurs., Mar. 24
Stanza Forms
Read: Poetry 192-195; Stanza
Module on WO
Tues., Mar. 29
The Sonnet
Read: Poetry 195-203
Thurs., Mar. 31
(Sun., Apr. 3 is last
day to drop w/ a “W”)
Tues., Apr. 5
Other Forms
Open Form
Read: Poetry 203-218
Due: Reading Commentary 3
(on WO by 11:59 pm)
Read: Poetry 219-236
Thurs., Apr. 7
Symbol, Allegory, and Irony
Read: Poetry 120-144
Tues., Apr. 12
Putting It All Together
Read: Poetry 237-246
Read: Poetry 145-151;
“Persimmons” (on WO)
Due: Reading Commentary 2
(on WO by 11:59 pm)
Read: Poetry 152-158; “This Be
the Verse” and “A narrow fellow
(1096)” (on WO)
Read: Poetry 327-346
Read: Poetry 347-370
Due in Class: Draft of Paper 1
Read: TBA
Work on revising draft for Paper
1; consider visiting the University
Writing Center
Read: Ekphrasis Module on WO
Due: Paper 1 (on WO by 11:59
pm)
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Read: Poetry 172-191
Thurs., Apr. 14
Comparing Poems
Tues., Apr. 19
Ariel
Thurs., Apr. 21
Ariel
Tues., Apr. 26
Class Cancelled for Conferences
Thurs., Apr. 28
Class Cancelled for Conferences
Sun., May 1
Tues., May 3
Ariel and Poetry in Translation
Thurs., May 5
Final Exam Review
Tues., May 10, 1-3
PM
Final Exam
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Read: Poetry 371-377;
Comparison Module on WO;
Paper 2 Assignment Sheet
Read: Ariel Foreword; 5-48 (and
corresponding facsimiles)
Due: Reading Commentary 4
(on WO by 11:59 pm)
Read: Ariel 49-90 (and
corresponding facsimiles)
Due: Bring complete, printed draft
of Paper 2 to conference
Due: Bring complete, printed draft
of Paper 2 to conference
Due: Paper 2 (on WO by 11:59
pm)
Read: Ariel 175-194; Poetry in
Translation Module on WO
Read: Poetry 314; 398-402
Review: Poetry 403-421