Ella Hungerford
ENG 504 – Dr Mary Kennedy
Writing Assignment
20 November 2008
THE LARGER CONTEXT
This assignment is part of a genre study on poetry, taught in an eleventh grade
class, with a heavier focus on the form of the poems being introduced, rather than
directly on the content. In focusing on form, students are analyzing, examining, and
studying different structures, meter, syntax, rhyme schemes, and various poem
constructions such as limericks, haikus, and ballads. As we examine these things, we
have been engaging in discussions about why the poets have chosen specific devices
and structures and what these forms might be telling the reader about the poem’s
content and overall message. In this manner we are addressing both the makeup of the
poem as well as the meaning, allowing students significant exposure to the New York
State ELA Standards for critical analysis and understanding (standards 1 and 3). At the
conclusion of the genre study, students will have spent a great deal of time sharpening
and building upon these skills, and will undertake a poetry portfolio assignment of their
own, including in-depth critical peer review (fulfilling standard 4). Directly prior to this
assignment, the class will have begun examining themes in poetry – having sufficiently
studied the form that we can now start to shift more towards to content. Students will
be writing a critical essay, establishing a controlling idea regarding death, as they have
come to understand it through the poems “the suicide kid,” by Charles Bukowski, and
“Shooting Rats at the Bibb County Dump,” by David Bottoms. Both of these poems also
involve alcohol, which is why they are being used in an eleventh grade classroom, where
it is hoped that students are mature enough to handle themes such as these.
THE MORE IMMEDIATE CONTEXT
Since the theme of death is not one that is particularly uplifting or easy to deal
with, we prepare for it by free writing in our writer’s notebooks, which are private, safe
places and are not graded. Sentence starters such as “my first experience with death
was…”, “in children’s media, death…”, “one thing that really scares me about death
is…”, are offered, but the class is not required to use them. Since this can be a very
personal topic, we would not share out from our free writes, but instead begin
brainstorming as a class what comes to mind with the word “death” – students can pull
material from their free writes for this activity if they feel comfortable doing so. This
can be done on a piece of chart paper that can be hung in the classroom, or on the
chalkboard. After we have made a comprehensive class list of what we think about
death, I will introduce Bukowski and Bottoms with some brief biographical information,
as it can be helpful to know about an author’s life when trying to decode meaning from
their work.
All students will have copies of both poems and I will read “the suicide kid” aloud
myself, as students take notes in their response journals, taking care to note difficult
words, phrases that stick to their “internal Velcro,” initial questions, or any comments
they may have. After addressing these concerns, I will read the poem aloud one more
time, asking students this time to respond to the content and theme of the poem. On
the third time, I will ask a student volunteer to read it aloud and the rest of the class
simply to listen to the way to poem sounds. We will repeat this process with “Shooting
Rats at the Bibb County Dump,” and compare our notes and observations regarding the
two poems in terms of content / theme and form / structure. Students will have
completed this process in previous assignments and will be familiar with the response
procedure.
Using the poems as individual lenses, we will do another whole class brainstorm,
this time discussing how each poem presents death to the reader / audience. Again,
taking notes on chart paper or on the chalkboard and leaving these up for students is a
good idea. Students will find these notes and the notes from the earlier brainstorm
extremely useful when they go to write their critical essay. For their critical essay,
students will establish a controlling idea on the theme of death within the two poems.
They will be required to use the poems to support their ideas and to cite at least one
literary device that the poets use and to discuss how this literary device effects the
audience’s interpretation of the poem. The goal of this assignment is two-fold: first, to
offer students more practice with the Regents format of the controlling idea essay; and
second, to get them acquainted with the idea of critical literary analysis, which is a task
that will be asked of them not only further down the line in this genre study, but
certainly later in high school and in college.
THE ASSIGNMENT
YOUR TASK:
After reading “the suicide kid” and “Shooting Rats at the Bibb County Dump,” write a cohesive
essay about how these poems present the idea of death to the audience. Use examples from both
texts to establish a controlling idea and be sure to cite at least one poetic device and discuss how
poetic devices affect the audiences’ interpretation of the poem’s meaning. Support your assertions
with evidence from the poems and provide an in-depth justification of your controlling idea.
PURPOSE AND AUDIENCE:
Imagine that your essay is being read by someone who has not read the two poems that you are
writing about, and is also unfamiliar with literary and poetic terms. Be sure to write your essay in a
manner that will allow them to understand your controlling idea as well as all poetic devices you
bring in.
FORMAT:
Your essay should be no less than two pages and no more than three pages long. It should be
typed, double-spaced, in a 12-point Times New Roman font, with 1-inch margins.
CHECKLIST:
The following checklist will help you to stay organized and focused while writing and will also give
you a clearer sense of what is expected of your essay. Peer reviews will be based on this checklist,
as will your grade to some extent; see the rubric for more information.
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
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

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
Did I clearly state my controlling idea about death in the opening paragraph?
Did I include supporting evidence for each of my claims?
Did I choose quotes that make sense within the context of my essay?
Did I discuss the meaning of the quotes that I chose?
Did I discuss at least one poetic device and explain the meaning of it?
Did I completely explain my controlling idea?
Did I meet all requirements of the task?
Did I follow all of the format requirements?
Did I re-read my essay for typos, misspellings, extra / missing words, etc?
SCHEDULE:
The first draft is due on _______. There will be class time between now and then to organize your
thoughts and ask questions. If you want to schedule a one-on-one conference with me, make sure
you do it soon.
You will peer review essays in class on _______. Use the checklist as a guide in peer editing. You
will be graded on the comprehensiveness of your peer review, as well as your first draft. You will
receive your peer review comments and first draft on _______.
Your final draft is due on _______. Your edits should incorporate both suggestions from your
classmates and from me.
MINI-LESSONS AND CONCLUSION
Although the time frame for this assignment isn’t particularly long, I’d like to
spend at least a few class periods on it, so that students will have class time to not only
peer edit (during which time the teacher will introduce deep modeling on how to
develop a thoughtful and unique controlling idea and opening paragraph), but also to
give the teacher time to do a mini-lesson on color-coding, to help students better
distinguish between plot summary, supporting evidence, and analysis.
After completing their first draft, students will submit them to their classmates
for peer review and the entire class will engage in a mini-lesson involving deep
modeling. Using the overhead, I would write a sample introductory paragraph to the
essay, showing students how to develop a specific controlling idea that will be answered
and elaborated on within the body of the essay. Then, after students have watched me
model the thinking, I would work together with the class to come up with an
introductory paragraph and controlling idea (perhaps even using the same thesis that I
used in my sample, but phrasing it differently, working it into the introduction
differently, etc) that I would write out on the overhead. While I am writing, I can edit
and make suggestions, correcting what I have just demonstrated as “expert” writing.
After we have created a sample introduction as a class, we will come up with a strategy
for simplifying the process – maybe a list of tips or hints on how to make sure your
thesis is specific / broad enough, how to organize the introduction, how to strengthen
the introduction, etc. Then, students will put this strategy and any other strategies or
processes that they have learned during the modeling to work as they re-write their
own introductions. The teacher should be available while they re-write to answer any
questions, but the writing should be independent.
Color-coding is another good strategy to use, and should be used after students
have been handed back their first drafts. While I have their first drafts, I would ask a
student who has a particularly strong first draft for permission to make copies of the
essay. I would then type up a model essay of a weaker essay, so as to not embarrass
anyone by using his or her paper as the “not-so-good” example. The entire class will get
a copy of the strong essay and a copy of the weak essay, as well as 3 markers
(highlighters, colored pencils, crayons, etc) of different colors. The class should first
read both papers and then vote on which paper is better, and discuss the strengths and
weaknesses of each. I would then discuss with the students how to differentiate
between plot summary, supporting detail, and analysis in the papers in front of them.
This will essentially be a “training” session – the students will be learning how to tell
these three elements apart and will then go through the two papers and mark where
they find each. In the weaker paper, there will be more plot summary and less analysis.
This is not what they want their papers to look like – they will want it to be lots of
supporting detail for their thesis and analysis.
At the conclusion of the poetry genre study, students will be creating a poetry
portfolio and engaging in peer review, which will require them to objectively evaluate
and analyze their classmates’ poetry, much like they’re being asked to do with the
poems offered here.
Regarding the New York State ELA Standards, this assignment mainly addresses
Standards 2, 3, and 4.
“the suicide kid”
by Charles Bukowski
I went to the worst of bars
hoping to get
killed.
but all I could do was to
get drunk
again.
worse, the bar patrons even
ended up
liking me.
there I was trying to get
pushed over the dark
edge
and I ended up with
free drinks
while somewhere else
some poor
son-of-a-bitch was in a hospital
bed,
tubes sticking out all over
him
as he fought like hell
to live.
nobody would help me
die as
the drinks kept
coming,
as the next day
waited for me
with its steel clamps
its stinking
anonymity,
its incogitant
attitude.
death doesn’t always
come running
when you call
it,
not even if you
call it
from a shining
castle
or from an ocean liner
or from the best bar
on earth (or the
worst).
such impertinence
only makes the gods
hesitate and
delay.
ask me: I’m
72.
“Shooting Rats at the Bibb County Dump”
by David Bottoms
Loaded on beer and whiskey, we ride
to the dump in carloads
to turn our headlights across the wasted field,
freeze the startled eyes of rats against the mounds of rubbish.
Shot in the head, the jump only once, lie still
like dead beer cans.
Shot in the gut or rump, they writhe and try to burrow
into garbage, hide in old truck tires,
rusty oil drums, cardboard boxes scattered across the mounds,
or else drag themselves on forelegs across our beams of light
toward the darkness at the edge of the dump.
It’s the light they believe kills.
We drink and load again, let them crawl
for all they’re worth into the darkness we’re headed for.
Model Essay
The poems, “the suicide kid” by Charles Bukowski and “Shooting Rats at the Bibb
County Dump” by David Bottoms, both present the reader with a dismal but
unavoidable theme in life and literature: death. However, the two poets approach the
subject from very different angles – while Bukowski is searching for death, hoping for it,
even wishing for death, Bottoms and his carloads of companions are solemnly,
mindlessly drinking towards the darkness of it. Bukowski and Bottoms use imagery as a
poetic device that further propels the reader into the mood of their respective poems,
giving the reader a closer look at what each poems speaker may be truly thinking and
feeling.
The tone of these two poems is the most striking difference between them.
Bukowski’s is, one could almost say, light hearted – the speaker being an old man gone
to a dive bar looking for death. Instead, he finds himself befriended by the bar’s
customers, who buy him drink after drink. “[ D ]eath doesn’t always / come running /
when you call / it,” the speaker laments, “not even if you / call it / from a shining / castle
/ or from an ocean liner / or from the best bar / on earth (or the / worst).” Humorous
lines like these are good for getting a smile, while at the same time instilling sympathy in
the audience. The speaker wants death – he has gone out looking desperately for it and
cannot for the life of him (but what about for the death of him?) find it. Conversely,
Bottoms’ poem is a much deeper, more somber affair, although on the surface it
appears to be about drinking beer and whiskey and methods for shooting rats at the
county dump. The final stanza of the poem, however, hints at much more melancholy
undertones: “It’s the light they believe kills. / We drink and load again, let them crawl /
for all they’re worth into the darkness we’re headed for.” After having read the final
stanza, even the poem’s middle stanza about shooting the rats and watching them die
no longer seems somewhat good-natured – watching the rats die, the speaker and their
carloads of companions are watching themselves die, they are just waiting for their turn
to “drag themselves on forelegs… toward the darkness at the edge of the dump.”
The image of darkness is one that is frequently used in discussions with death,
and Bukowski and Bottoms’ poems are no exceptions. This is a strange recurring theme,
not just between these two poems and certainly not in poetry alone, but in literature
and all types of media. The image of death as dark and unknown is one that has
particular impact on readers and audiences. Bukowski’s speaker refers to “trying to get
/ pushed over the dark / edge,” which one can only presume means that the speaker is
trying to die – particularly since the very first line of the poem says so. Although death
is unknown for Bukowski’s speaker, it does not seem to hold any elements of fear or
hesitation for the speaker.
Bottoms’ poem contains several images of darkness,
particularly in contrast to light, but perhaps the most affecting is in the very last line of
the poem, when Bottoms’ makes reference to “the darkness we’re headed for.” The
rats in the poem rush out of the headlights when they’ve been shot, to die in the
darkness – the final words of the poem haunt the reader and make one wonder what
Bottoms meant by his version of darkness. The unknown element in this case is
twofold: death itself is unknown, and the author’s intended meaning also remains a
mystery.
Although Charles Bukowski’s poem “the suicide kid” and David Bottoms’ poem
“Shooting Rats at the Bibb County Dump” are both about death, they present very
different points of view regarding death to the audience, using darkness to portray
death. Bukowski’s speaker welcomes death, even goes looking for it, while Bottoms’
speaker seems to be unhappily resigned to his or her fate to die. These two poems
illustrate something that everyone must deal with at some point: death.
Name: ________________________________________
Rubric for Poetry Genre Study : Controlling Idea Essay : Death
6
5
4
3
MEANING
DEVELOPMENT
ORGANIZATION
LANGUAGE USE
2
1
Sophisticated
and unique
controlling idea
with thorough
analysis of both
poems;
connects
poems to C.I.;
displays indepth
understanding;
interprets
poetic device
correctly
C.I. / poem
connections are
well developed
and thoughtful,
using multiple
text citations
and refined
discussion of
poetic device
A thoughtful
controlling idea
with solid
analysis of
poems;
connects
poems to C.I.;
displays
understanding;
interprets
poetic device
correctly
Controlling idea is
present; may or
may not include
analysis; connects
poems to C.I.;
interprets poetic
device
Controlling
idea present,
but no analysis
or
understanding
of poems;
connection of
C.I. to poems is
vague or
absent;
attempts to
interprets
poetic device
Controlling idea is
not established;
minimal
understanding of
poems; little or
no analysis /
connection of
poems and C.I.;
incorrectly
interprets poetic
device, or is
absent altogether
Controlling idea is
not established; no
connections,
analysis, or
understanding
displayed; poetic
device is absent
C.I. / poem
connections are
well developed,
using text
citations and
making
relevant use of
poetic device
Thorough C.I. /
poem connections,
using some text
citations and
incorporating the
poetic device
Connections
between C.I. and
poem are vague
and unsupported;
little to no
discussion of
poetic device
Establishes no
connections between
C.I. and poem, no
discussion of poetic
device
C.I. is well
developed and
easily located;
essay flows
smoothly with
very good
transitions and
an observant
conclusion
Incorporates
high level
vocabulary
effectively;
writing shows
purpose and is
C.I. is well
developed and
easily located;
essay structure
is focused with
a nice
conclusion
C.I. is present and
locatable; essay
structure is logical;
conclusion is
included
C.I. / poem
connections
are present but
not fully
developed, not
enough textual
evidence
provided,
vague
discussion of
poetic device
C.I. is present
but difficult to
pin-point;
essay structure
is unfocused at
times;
conclusion is
minimal
C.I. is not
established;
essay structure is
confusing,
conclusion is
minimal or
missing
No C.I. established,
lacks focus and
conclusion
Incorporates
impressive
vocabulary
effectively;
writing shows
purpose and is
Incorporates grade
level vocabulary
with few or no
errors; shows
awareness of
audience and
Incorporates
grade level
vocabulary
with some
errors; shows
awareness of
Incorporates
below grade level
vocabulary with
some errors;
unclear in
audience and
Inappropriate
vocabulary,
incomplete
CONVENTIONS
audience
appropriate
No spelling,
syntax, or
punctuation
errors
audience
appropriate
Few or no
spelling, syntax,
or punctuation
errors
purpose
Some spelling,
syntax, or
punctuation errors
audience and
purpose
Spelling,
syntax, or
punctuation
errors are
sometimes
distracting
from the essay
purpose
Spelling, syntax,
or punctuation
errors make the
essay difficult to
read
Spelling, syntax, or
punctuation errors
make the essay
incomprehensible