Connotation, denotation, tone and mood.

Assignment Prompts

1. In this course, you learned about a variety of literary characteristics including connotation, denotation, tone and mood. Choose one or more poems from your course reading list and explain how at least one of these characteristics is employed and how it contributes to the overall message of the poem. Use examples from the poems you've chosen to support your claims.
2. Oftentimes it's assumed that the main character of a work of fiction is meant to represent the author, though authors frequently deny that this is the case. Which character that you've 'met' in this course best represents you? How did the author of that work use literary techniques like inference, context and other literary techniques covered in this course to make this character so relatable? Use examples from the work you've chosen to support your claims.

Grading Rubric
Your essay will be graded based on the following rubric:

Category Unacceptable (0-1) Needs Improvement (2-3) Good (4) Excellent (5) Total Possible Points
Structure (x3) Structure is illogical or significantly hinders understanding Arguments are difficult to identify; ideas are disjointed Evidence is provided & is relevant to the thesis, but transitions and connections are lacking Arguments are well integrated; ideas flow logically; main points are identifiable 15
Analysis (x3) No examples are used to support arguments; analysis is missing or incorrect Few or weak examples are given to support main points Examples are given to support most points, but not all; analysis lacks originality All main points are supported with evidence and include original analysis 15
Thesis (x2) Thesis is missing Thesis lacks clarity or is not well-developed Thesis adequately states the student's argument Thesis clearly & logically states the student's argument 10
Mechanics (x2) Incorrect spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and use of standard English grammar hinders understanding Several instances of incorrect spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and usage of standard English grammar Few instances of incorrect spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and usage of standard English grammar No or very few instances of incorrect spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and usage of standard English grammar 10

Sources
As evidence for your analyses, please provide quotations from the course and any outside research. Cite all sources and quotations using MLA format.
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Before You Submit
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