Poetry Research &
Analysis Project
PreAP English I
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Library Conduct &
Expectations
S Two students per table maximum…spread out!
S Research independently…you are all researching
different poets, so there is no reason to work together or
talk to each other
S No socializing or “mixing” with students from other
classes.
S No phones…use an iPad or computer to conduct
research electronically
S -5 points from your daily grade each time Mrs. Rammos
has to say something to you!
Library Day 1 – Begin Research!
S Find at least two sources to use in the biographical
section of your research project – you will show Mrs.
Rammos your notes at the end of class for a daily grade
S Save articles, links, etc. to your Google drive or
flashdrive; make sure you can access the information offcampus
S In the biographical section, you will do a combination of
summarizing, paraphrasing and quoting material from
your sources.
Summarizing, Paraphrasing, Quoting
S Summarizing – Condensing the author's words or ideas
without altering the meaning or providing interpretation—you
use your own words for this. Basically, presenting the original
information in a nutshell. Always cite it.
S Paraphrasing – Restating, in your own words, the author's
words or ideas without altering the meaning or providing
interpretation. Paraphrases are about the same length as the
original. Always cite it.
S Quoting - Using the author's exact words. Always cite it and
use "quotation marks."
Library Day 2 – Continue Research for the
Biographical Section & Find Two Poems
S Today you will continue your research over biographical
information for your poet. In this section, you must have
information from 3 different sources; therefore, your
objective today is to complete research your research.
S Make sure you gather NEW information from the other two
sources, not information you already have on your poet or
decide what information you are going to use from one source
and what information you are going to from the others.
S Also, you need to explore your poet’s work and select two
poems with some type of connection that you will analyze by
answering one of the two questions on the assignment
guidelines. Don’t forget to record citations for both poems!
Example of Biographical Section
(The following example is to show you how you will use the biographical
research to write the biographical section of the paper. This should help guide
you in your research today.)
David Henry Thoreau was born on July 12, 1817 in Concord, Massachusetts (Magill
1942). Twenty years after he was born in his grandmother’s farmhouse, Thoreau chose to
reverse his given names, to become Henry David, even though this was not legally
approved (Miller 12). Thoreau, who then went to Harvard, thought the library “was the
finest resource the college had to offer" (Miller 16). Stunned by the amount of knowledge
the college had to offer, Thoreau took advantage of it and soon was employed as a
teacher, pencil maker, historian, tutor, philosopher and a handyman (Miller 2). Henry David
Thoreau and his brother John Thoreau reopened the school they attended as children, The
Concord Academy, at which they did a great deal of tutoring (Magill 1944). However, his
brother passed away as a result of tuberculosis, and the Concord Academy closed. Later,
Thoreau contracted tuberculosis after his social experiment in the woods that is famously
known as “At Walden Pond.” This transcendentalist masterpiece “[consists] of his
reflections on nature during his daily walks and comments on his readings” (Magill 1951).
Other than writing journals, Thoreau fought for the rights of all men. Being an
abolitionist, he refused to pay his poll tax in protest of slavery. Therefore, he was jailed for
one day, but someone paid his back taxes and Thoreau was released. This experience
prompted him to write “Civil Disobedience” where he states “If a law is such nature that
it requires you to be the agent of injustice…then, I say, break the law” (“Henry David
Thoreau”). His work inspired leaders like Ghandi and Martin Luther King, Jr. Thoreau
eventually succumbed to tuberculosis and died in 1862. He not only left behind two
published works but a very influential journal (Magill 1954). Post-mortem, his reputation
was very strong and his work so rich that he is called “A man for all seasons” (Miller 20).
Things to remember for today:
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Make sure you are recording page numbers and keeping up with what you
paraphrase, quote, or summarize
S
Recommended Databases:
Top 4 Databases for Poet Biographies are…
Gale - Literature Resource Center - look at the tabs on the results page for
biographies
Gale - Literature Resources from Gale - look at the tabs on the results page
for biographies
Facts on File - Bloom's Literary Reference - look at the tabs on the results
page for biographies
Gale - LitFinder - checkmark only biography when entering subjects
Get Ready…
S Get out your poet’s biographical information
RANDOM FACT OF THE DAY:
On average, people fear spiders more than they do death.
Two Poems
S Find the two poems you will analyze in the
analysis section of your paper –
S You will need hardcopies of your poems for the
appendix of your paper.
S You will also need to cite where you got your
poems on the Works Cited page
S You may find your poems in Books, Research
Databases, or online sources…look at Ms.
Brem’s suggestions on the research guide.
Remember…
S Your poems need to have a thematic or stylistic
connection!!
S You will answer one of the two questions in your
analytical paragraph:
S What message do you think the speakers in both poems are
trying to convey?
S Do you think the use of [literary/poetic device] enhances the
meaning of the poems? Why or why not?
For Example
S If my poet were Edgar Allan Poe and I chose
to analyze “To Helen” and “Annabel Lee”, I
would analyze how Poe romanticizes the
idea of women through allusions borrowed
from mythology, fairytales, and folklore.
S I am answering the first question!
For Example
S If my poet were Edgar Allan Poe and I chose to
analyze “To Helen” and “Annabel Lee”, I could
conclude that Poe uses images of the sea as a
means to travel back in time and return to his idea of
peace and comfort in both pieces.
S I am answering question #2!
Works Cited Page
S
Works Cited Page: What is
MLA?
S Modern Language Association
S Collegiate expectation for documentation of borrowed
sources in writings relating to literature, humanities, and
language.
S Visit the following website: http://www.mla.org/style
Works Cited Page
What is a Works Cited Page?
S It is a page that displays all of your sources with correct
citations according to MLA format.
S The Modern Language Association continuously updates
the format. Make sure you use the guidelines for the 2009
MLA Format for all citations (it is the most recent).
Format
S The Works Cited page must:
S be typed in 12 pt. Times New Roman font
S be double-spaced with no extra space between citations
S have the title, Works Cited – centered, not underlined, bolded, bigger
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font, etc. – just like the rest of the text!
includes a list of all sources used to create the actual text of the research
paper (poems too!)
have citations in alphabetical order by the first word of each citation
use a “hanging indent” if the citation goes to a second or subsequent line
italicize book titles and use “quotation marks” around article titles
use correct punctuation…every period, colon, comma counts!!
not include URLs in citations
include Web for website citations
Works Cited Page Example # 1
Works Cited
Notice the citations without authors
– they are still in alphabetical order
“Croatia.” The New Encyclopedia Britannica: Micropedia. New York: Penguin, 1991. 2:192-
Notice if you go to a second
line in your citation, you
should indent the second line
195. Print.
Eco, Umberto. Foucault’s Pendulum. San Diego: Harcourt, 1989. Print.
Franklin, Benjamin. The Autobiography and Other Writings. Ed. Kenneth Silverman. New
York: Penguin, 1986. Print.
Harrison, Patricia. Personal Interview. 19 Feb. 1993.
Remember the new MLA updates –
make sure you type Web or Print,
italicize book titles, and do not
include URLs
Kermode, Frank. “Criticism Without Machinery.” Literary Reflections, by R.W.B. Lewis. New
York Times Book Review, 11 July 1993. Print.
Notice the date format above
Leland, John. “The Impolitic: Fashion and its Critics Sell the Same Stereotypes.” Newsweek,
What if I need additional help?
To see a list of criteria for an MLA Works Cited page visit:
Works Cited Page Notes Link
Or
The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)
Look at your sample…
What do you notice?
S
Grading Guide for Works Cited
Page
Your grade for the Works Cited Page will be based off
of the following criteria:
1.
MLA Formatting and Guidelines for a Works Cited
Page – Did you follow instructions? Do you have any
formatting errors? Is your paper formatted according
to MLA guidelines?
2.
Minimum of 5 Sources (this includes the citations for
your two poems and the required sources)
Creating Parenthetical Citations
(In Text)
S When you are citing your sources WITHIN your writing,
you must use parenthetical citations at the end of
“borrowed” information
S Whether you quote, paraphrase or summarize, you MUST
include an in-text citation
S Your in-text citatiosn
Basic rules for proper parenthetical source
citation:
1. The first word that should appear in the source citation should correspond to the first
word of the corresponding entry as it is on your Works Cited Page.
2.
A page number is required when the corresponding source has page numbers (all
books and reference books). An interview, research database, or web information,
for example will not require a page number.
3.
If the first word of the source citation corresponds to the first word of two or more
entries on the works cited page, then additional clarifying information is
needed. You might include the first word of the book title…For example (“Edgar
Allan Poe”; American) ; “Edgar Allan Poe”; Modern).
4.
If you use a direct quotation, the parenthetical citation must go immediately after the
closing quotation marks, even if it lands in the middle of the sentence. If you are
summarizing or paraphrasing, the parenthetical citation goes at the end of the
sentence.
Citing Sources – Parenthetical Citations
S Remember that you completed research and all of your
information and ideas came from your research; therefore,
even though you combine your own writing with your
research notes, you still have to give credit within your
paper
S To cite a source within your paper, you must use a
PARENTHETICAL CITATION: an abbreviated reference
to the complete citation on your Works Cited page in
parentheses at the end of the information in the paragraph
What do you do if there is no author name
in your citation?
S If your citation does not have an author, you will include the first
few (usually two) words of your citation from your Works Cited
Page.
S Example Below:
These are just a couple of examples of critics who view “The
Lottery” as a “wake up call” to our society, but there are still
several different views of the short story (“The Wisher”).
* Notice this source does not have an author; therefore, the student
cited the first two words. The student also put the title in
quotation marks since it was a short story title/article title.
Biographical Section
S
Biographical Paragraphs
Biographical Section:
S Your biographical section should be no more
than one - two paragraphs.
S This section must include information from at
least three different sources.
Biographical Section Continued
S Can I include interesting quotes that my source included? Yes,
please do!
S Can I include facts that I found interesting? Yes, you are the writer
– you make the choices!
S Do I use “I believe”, “I concluded” and add my own opinion?
Avoid phrases with personal pronouns; however, you can add
your own opinion without using personal pronouns – yes, draw
conclusions about your author and add your own commentary,
but remember it is a formal academic paper, not a personal
encounter with the author. Do not refer to your author by their
first name – he/she is not your BFF!
Biographical Section – Credit to sources
S Even if you paraphrase or summarize a source, you must
give credit or it is considered plagiarism!
S If you copied notes from a source and wrote them word for
word, make sure you put quotation marks around them and
give credit at the end of the sentence – they are not your
words!