Parker; “A Certain Lady”

Your essay should focus on how a particular literary element of the poem (Speaker-Ch. 9, Word choice & Order-Ch. 12 or Imagery & Figurative Language Ch. 13) is used to argue the overall meaning/theme of the
poem. Note: Use only 1-2 literary elements to discuss the theme. Review Chapters 9, 12, and 13 in the textbook to decide what literary element will be appropriate for the poem you select. This paper is NOT an
explication/line by by line or stanza by stanza summary, though you will probably want to go through that step before tackling your essay.
Pay attention to the sample essays on Canvas as well as reading through the announcement boards and
Essay 1 Notes posted on Canvas.
The textbook has some very good ideas on how to develop Reading Notes, on pgs. 414-422 to help you understand the poem and from there to develop some ideas in order to write a thoughtful analytical essay
about the poem.
automatically receive a D or lower.
Thesis statement. This should be a statement that clearly offers an argument as to how a specific literary
element is used to argue the theme of the poem (be careful to do more than just explicate the poem). Your
thesis should come at the end of the introductory paragraph. Make sure to move beyond the “list thesis” (the
listing of topics that will be discussed) with this essay. The thesis should clearly state the theme as well as the
literary element you will use to analyze the poem.
Use specific textual evidence in the form of direct quotes and provide analysis as to why the author uses that
particular literary element to argue the theme of the poem. Focus on specific lines in the poem that you can
provide analysis of. In other words, explain “why” the author uses that particular idea (image, word choice,
symbol, etc.) to argue the theme.