Please answer each of the following four questions with about 250-300 words (probably two to three well-developed paragraphs). I am focused on ideas and content – no need to offer introduction/thesis/conclusion in any of the responses. Do proofread and edit carefully; cite correctly.
For each answer, use short quotes to support your argument or observation; refer to two poems by two different poets (one poem for each poet) for each answer. Cite poems in-text, but don’t create a works cited page.
You may use one poem by either Whitman, Dickinson, or Yeats once in the exam (but you don’t have to). All other poems/poets must be from the 20th century or 21st century. You may use a poet twice, but you may not use the same poemmore than once in the exam.
Try to reference a broad range of poets and poems, to show a strong understanding of modern and 20th century poetry. Feel free to access all the content of our course – all assigned poems, essays, and slide presentations are fair game.
You may want to copy the questions into your document, so you can see them as you work. Do not count them toward the word count, however.
- New experiences and insights often require new language forms. Consider two poems (by two different poets) that use language that might not have been encountered in pre-20th century writing. Referencing your knowledge about the poets and concerns of time periods from the slide presentations or assigned essays, explain how the use of language contributes to our understanding of the 20th century.
- Understanding the cultural context that produced a poem often helps us understand it. Choose two poets (referencing one poem each) that we read this semester whose poetry made more sense to you when you linked it to information in an accompanying slide presentation that was part of the module. Use poems that relied on different presentations (i.e. not two WWI poems, not two jazz/Harlem Renaissance poems). How did the images or facts in the two presentations help you make sense of the two poems? Be specific in your examples.
- While we may expect poets to reflect the experiences of modern life and model some response to those experiences, occasionally poets seem to push for social or political change, as well. Give two examples of poets (and a specific poem for each) that sought to create change. How did they try to connect with their respective audience?
- While American poetry (and American literature in general) was a field mostly accessible to white, male, affluent people far into the 1900s, the 20th century saw a proliferation of poets of different genders, cultures, races, and classes claiming their poetic voices and finding audiences. Choose two poets (they should be from two different groups) and poems we read who you feel added significantly to the diversity of voices in poetry. Explain your choices.
Final question (short answer, maybe 150 words or so = ⅓ page), worth 10 points:
What surprised you about modern poetry? You read about 100 poems this semester – is there anything that was unexpected about this class or the poems?
Rubric
The same rubric applies that I used for all writing assignments in this class (plus citations):
- Responds to the question
- Offers some context, placing the poem in a specific time/culture/set of concerns
- Uses specific poems/quotes to offer depth and development
- Uses correct writing mechanics, including punctuation; quotes and cites poems correctly.
