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Summary

In this educational video, students are guided on writing a poetry essay focused on a poem not listed among the '100 Best.' The instructor emphasizes selecting a poem, such as 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,' and persuading readers of its merits. The essay should be organized in MLA format, with a catchy title, and cover three pages discussing three elements of poetry: theme, rhyme, and tone. The instructor provides a detailed breakdown of how to analyze these elements, using quotes from the poem and personal anecdotes to illustrate points. The goal is to persuade the reader of the poem's significance, potentially using historical references like President Kennedy's use of Frost's poetry. The deadline for the essay is set for the first of March.

Takeaways

• 📝 The lecture focuses on writing a poetry essay, emphasizing the importance of selecting a poem not on a provided list of 100 to analyze.
• 🎨 The students are tasked with persuading the reader why their chosen poem is exceptional and should be considered among the best.
• 🌐 Contemporary poems and those by renowned poets like Seamus Heaney or ee cummings are suggested for selection, encouraging a broad exploration of poetry.
• 📜 The essay should be organized into a three-page MLA format with a catchy title, double-spaced, and in 12-point font.
• 📝 The essay must include a thesis that names the poem and identifies three elements of poetry that will be discussed.
• 📖 The instructor uses 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' by Robert Frost as an example, highlighting theme, rhyme, and tone as key elements.
• 🔍 The theme of the poem is explored through the lens of personal commitments and societal connections, using quotes and personal anecdotes to illustrate the message.
• 🎶 The rhyme scheme of the poem is analyzed, noting how it foreshadows and structures the poem's progression.
• 🎭 The tone of the poem is discussed, emphasizing the feeling of larger commitments beyond the individual's immediate experience.
• ✍️ The lecture provides a detailed checklist for essay writing, including an attention-getter, thesis, topic sentences, quotes, and a conclusion that broadens the focus.
• 📆 The assignment is due by the first of March, giving students ample time to research, select a poem, and craft a compelling essay.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the lecture?

The main focus of the lecture is on guiding students to write a poetry essay, persuading why a poem not on a provided list of 100 is better.

What are some examples of poems students can choose for their essay?

Students can choose poems such as 'Lady Lazarus', 'Haiku', a sonnet by Shakespeare, or more contemporary poems like 'Digging' by Seamus Heaney or works by ee cummings.

What are the three elements of poetry students should use to persuade in their essay?

Students should use three different elements of poetry to persuade in their essay, such as theme, rhyme, and tone.

What is the significance of the poem 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' in the lecture?

The poem 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' is used as an example to demonstrate how to write the essay, despite it being on the list of 100, to show how it could be argued as the best.

What is the role of theme in the poem 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' according to the lecture?

The theme of the poem 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' is about the importance of keeping promises and the realization that we have commitments to others beyond our own desires.

How does the rhyme scheme in 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' contribute to its effectiveness, as explained in the lecture?

The rhyme scheme in the poem contributes to its effectiveness by creating a predictable pattern that is broken at the end, drawing attention to the concluding lines and reinforcing the poem's message.

What is the purpose of quoting the poem throughout the essay?

Quoting the poem throughout the essay serves to support the arguments made about the poem's elements and to provide evidence for the claims being made in the essay.

Why is it important to include a catchy title in a poetry essay?

A catchy title in a poetry essay is important because it grabs the reader's attention and sets the tone for the analysis that follows.

What is the significance of the repeated line 'miles to go before I sleep' in the poem?

The repeated line 'miles to go before I sleep' signifies the poet's awareness of the responsibilities and commitments that await him, even as he enjoys the peaceful scene before him.

What is the deadline for submitting the poetry essay as mentioned in the lecture?

The deadline for submitting the poetry essay is mentioned to be by the first of March, before midnight.

What additional advice does the lecturer give for writing the poetry essay?

The lecturer advises students to find a good poem, use quotes effectively, explain the quotes, and not over-quote. They also suggest organizing the essay with an attention-getter, thesis, topic sentences, body paragraphs with quotes, and a conclusion that restates the thesis and broadens the focus.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Writing a Poetry Essay

The speaker introduces the topic of writing a poetry essay, emphasizing the need to select a poem not on a provided list of one hundred. The goal is to persuade the reader why the chosen poem is exceptional. Suggestions are made to consider various types of poems, such as 'Lady Lazarus' or a sonnet by Shakespeare. The essay should be organized into three pages, following MLA format with a catchy title. The speaker proposes to use 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' as an example, focusing on three elements of poetry: theme, rhyme, and tone. The importance of quoting the poem throughout the essay is highlighted, and the speaker begins to discuss the theme of the example poem, which revolves around the idea of keeping promises and the responsibilities we have to others.

05:03

🎨 Analyzing Poetic Elements

The speaker continues the discussion by delving into the specific elements of poetry that will be analyzed in the essay: theme, rhyme, and tone. For the theme, personal examples are used to illustrate the message of commitment and responsibility. The rhyme scheme of the poem is explored, noting how it foreshadows the content of the following stanza and how the change in the number of beats at the end of the poem draws attention to the conclusion. The speaker also touches on the tone of the poem, which conveys a sense of larger commitments beyond the individual's immediate experience. The importance of using quotes from the poem to support the analysis is emphasized, and the speaker provides a method for incorporating these quotes effectively into the essay.

10:04

📝 Essay Structure and Conclusion

The final paragraph outlines the structure of the poetry essay, including the use of an attention-getter, a clear thesis statement, and topic sentences for each of the three elements being analyzed. The speaker advises on the inclusion of quotes within the body paragraphs and the importance of explaining these quotes to support the analysis. The conclusion of the essay should restate the thesis, summarize the main points, and broaden the focus, possibly by relating the poem to broader cultural or historical contexts. The speaker provides a deadline for the essay submission and encourages students to find a poem that resonates with them, suggesting that classic American poets like Robert Frost and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow should be read and remembered.

Keywords

💡Poetry Essay

A poetry essay is a form of academic writing that focuses on the analysis and interpretation of a poem. In the context of the video, the poetry essay is a central theme as the speaker instructs students on how to write one. The essay should be persuasive, convincing the reader why a particular poem, not on a predefined list, is significant. The video provides guidance on selecting a poem and organizing the essay in MLA format, emphasizing the importance of a catchy title and a well-structured argument.

💡Persuasion

Persuasion in the video refers to the act of convincing the reader of the merits of a chosen poem. The speaker emphasizes that students must persuade the reader as to why their selected poem, not on the provided list, is better or more noteworthy. This involves using elements of poetry to support the argument, showcasing the poem's strengths and why it deserves recognition.

💡MLA Format

MLA (Modern Language Association) format is a set of guidelines for formatting academic papers and citations. The video mentions that the poetry essay should be organized in complete pages following MLA format, which includes double-spacing, 12-point font, and proper citation of sources. This standardization ensures academic rigor and clarity in the presentation of the essay.

💡Catchy Title

A catchy title is a phrase that grabs the reader's attention and entices them to read further. The video stresses the importance of having a catchy title for the poetry essay, as it sets the tone and piques interest in the subject matter. The title should be reflective of the poem's theme and the essay's argument, making it a crucial component of the essay's introduction.

💡Theme

In poetry, the theme refers to the central idea or message that the poet conveys. The video uses 'theme' as one of the three elements students must analyze in their chosen poem. The speaker gives an example from Robert Frost's 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,' discussing how the theme of keeping promises is woven throughout the poem, illustrating the importance of commitments beyond personal desires.

💡Rhyme

Rhyme is a literary device where the ending words of two or more lines in a poem sound similar. The video explains that students should analyze the rhyme scheme of their chosen poem as part of their essay. The speaker uses 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' to demonstrate how the rhyme scheme contributes to the poem's structure and how the final stanza's change in rhyme and syllable count emphasizes the poem's conclusion.

💡Tone

Tone in literature refers to the attitude or emotion that a writer conveys through their work. The video instructs students to discuss the tone of their chosen poem, explaining how it contributes to the overall impact of the poem. In the example provided, the tone of 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' is described as contemplative and reflective, reinforcing the poem's message about the broader responsibilities of life.

💡Quotation

Quotation in an essay involves citing lines or phrases from the poem to support the analysis. The video emphasizes the importance of quoting the poem throughout the essay to provide textual evidence for the arguments made. The speaker suggests that students should not over-quote but use relevant lines to illustrate their points effectively.

💡Introduction

The introduction of an essay serves as the opening statement that presents the topic and the essay's purpose. In the video, the speaker advises students to start their poetry essay with an introduction that includes an attention-getter, such as a quote or proverb, followed by a thesis statement outlining the poem's title and the three elements to be discussed.

💡Conclusion

A conclusion in an essay summarizes the main points and provides a final perspective on the topic. The video instructs students to end their poetry essay with a conclusion that restates the thesis, summarizes the points made about the poem's theme, rhyme, and tone, and broadens the focus to a larger context or offers a call to action, such as the importance of remembering and reading classic American poets.

Highlights

Introduction to writing a poetry essay, focusing on selecting a poem not on the provided list of a hundred.

The task is to persuade why a chosen poem is better than those on the list.

Suggestions to pick poems like 'Lady Lazarus', 'Haiku', or a sonnet by Shakespeare not on the list.

Emphasis on choosing a poem that is more contemporary or aligns with themes like English B.

Guidelines for organizing the essay in MLA format, with a catchy title and three complete pages.

Instructions to include the poem's name and three elements of poetry in the thesis statement.

Example given: Using 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' by Robert Frost as a case study.

Explanation of how to use three elements of poetry: theme, rhyme, and tone.

Discussion on the importance of quoting the poem throughout the essay.

Advice on how to write the introduction, including a hook and thesis statement.

Detail on constructing body paragraphs around the chosen elements, starting with theme.

Example of how to incorporate personal anecdotes to illustrate the theme of commitments.

Analysis of the poem's rhyme scheme and its impact on the reader.

Discussion on the change in line beats near the poem's conclusion and its significance.

Explanation of the poem's tone and how it reinforces the message.

Checklist provided for essay structure, including an attention-getter, thesis, topic sentences, quotes, and conclusion.

Advice on restating the thesis, summarizing points, and broadening the focus in the conclusion.

Assignment deadline mentioned, giving students ample time to complete the essay.

Transcripts

hi students we're going to be talking

about

writing a poetry essay for the next 10

12 minutes

and i got a few things on the board to

explain

so basically

um instead of just picking up home and

writing about it i'm going to make you

pick a poem not on the list of a hundred

that i that i gave you earlier in the

week or last week

and you need to persuade us

why

that poem not on the list is better so

think you could go to lady lazarus you

could go to haiku

you could go to a sonnet by shakespeare

that's not on there

there are a lot of different poems that

are not on their theme for english b

there's just a ton of poems that didn't

make the hundred best so you could pick

something more contemporary

digging by seamus heaney

um

something by ee cummings who never

capitalized stuff so he was kind of

the beginning of that we're not using

capitalization

so find a poem and then of course

you need to organize an essay three

pages so let me present the board now a

little bit

um

poetry essay

three complete pages mla format course

double space 12 point font a title

catchy okay so choose a poem not on the

list of a hundred to write about so

again they're a lot you can go to

poetry.com there's a whole list there

for you to look at which poem not on the

list is the best in your opinion okay

so think of a different one i'm going to

write i'm actually going to speak about

one of my favorites of all time stopping

by woods at a snowy evening now it is on

the list but i'm still going to go

through and say well i think it's the

best poem

as much as you can compare them so we're

kind of exaggerating things a bit it's a

bit um

you know prefabricated in a way because

would you normally say

it's gonna depend on the poem and

um the type of poem it is is it a love

poem is it a hopeful poem is it a

contemplative poem etc

uh persuade us using three elements of

poetry so you gotta use three different

ones so let me explain the ones i would

use here

so make sure in your thesis you give us

the name of the poem and the three

elements so i'm going to say theme

rhyme

and tone

and in robert frost's walking by

stopping by woods in a snowy evening

they all end up working together

okay so quote poem throughout so i'll do

that

i don't actually have a copy of it

pulled up

but um

i can remember some lines since i had to

memorize the poem in in poetry or

english 102. okay

so um

so i'm going to be writing about

stopping by woods on a snowy evening

i'm going to start with the message so

that would be

you know after i come up with a quote

write an introduction have my thesis

that first body paragraph will be about

and you follow the order that you put it

in in your thesis so theme so i'm going

to talk basically a message

so message it all works together

so at the end um

he's talking about promises to keep and

miles to go before i sleep and miles to

go before i sleep and he that's repeated

twice i didn't just say it

not realizing that okay

um

so first again message

so it's about

promises it's about keeping our promises

and

even though personally

you know you're there

you're looking at a great view of the

snow

and it's peaceful

and

you're resting you're freeing your mind

um

you know that can only last so long

before we realize well we're connected

to other people our families

you know parents brothers sisters

children

spouse

friends all those kinds of things

colleagues that are really

really important bonds too okay so

i'm going to start with a uh

a topic sentence that has it so i'll say

um

the theme of the poem reinforces the

idea that

um

we have other commitments and not just

um we have other we have commenced to

others and we can't just worry about

ourselves okay

and then for that paragraph i'm going to

get a quote

you know promises to keep and promises

to keep you know miles to go before i

sleep miles to go before sleep so i'm

going to use a quote in there then i

might give other examples it could be

from your work your family

you know for example you know my parents

are rather elderly my dad's 91 he's got

now he's got he had coveted but he

survived

and now he's got swelling in his legs

and something maybe wrong with his

kidneys and heart so i have to be ready

to get on the airplane at any time and

go to seattle to see him

you know

and i just

so that's part of the commitments you

know i have my family here my kids my

wife i still have to go

i'd still have promises to keep with my

parents after all they did for me

right

um so that's the kind of the theme you

can give examples you could come up with

other examples

then um

i would see if there were any other

quotes that would fit that fit in that

paragraph

and

i'm not thinking of any so i'm going to

go on so now i'm going to go to rhyme

and then i'm going to start my second

body paragraph and i'm going to say

um

another element that makes this poem so

great is

the rhyme schemes

and then i'm going to show how you

remember in that poem

the third line of the stanza

is what the rhyme scheme is going to be

in the next stanza okay

so there's one the third line doesn't

match

with the other three lines and that

stanza but it it's kind of

foreboding it's kind of predicting

um

uh what's gonna happen in the next

stanza so then that's the rhyme scheme

so what that does

is until you get down to the very end

then

also

the number

of beats on the line changes the last

two lines so that makes the last two

lines you know miles to go before i

sleep miles to go before i sleep is a

different

number of beats it's shorter so it gets

your attention so it leads you to the

point of the poem here

okay

so then i would make sure i have those

quotes in there

i explained the rhyme scheme and how

the last stanza of frost poem has

um

fewer syllables okay

and so it kind of cuts it's kind of

short you notice it after the

predictability

of the first three stanzas where

it's the same number of beats and sounds

and then at the end so it kind of gets

your attention and that's exactly what

the speaker and of course the poet frost

wants us to do and then finally i would

get to tone

the feeling that he gives that feeling

that there are things bigger than than

individuals

you know the individual's sitting there

with his horse and the sleigh

and

you know the horse

wants to leave basically because it's

you know it likes to exercise it's cold

so it's you know the shortest day of the

year things like that

and so tone you want to get that and you

get that all at the end and it's all

reinforced by the fact that

there are fewer beats or fewer syllables

in the last two lines you know miles to

go before i sleep and miles to go before

i sleep and it's repeated

so again make sure you're using

quotes from the poem

you could put the line number in

parentheses

and be sure to explain your quotes

and

um probably don't over quote but make

sure you've got a quote or two in each

each of the body paragraphs now over on

this side

if you can see it very well

um we have the checklist so here you go

so attention getter quote or proverb

okay

so i might actually start with quoting

president kennedy when on the on the

campaign trail he would quote frost poem

and save miles to go before i sleep in

miles to go before i sleep to say he's

got to move on to the next stop you know

so that kind of reinforces again the

whole idea

and then i would have my thesis

here are the three elements that make

this poem so great and definitely

deserves to be on the top 10 list

probably

my opinion and then topic sentences i

talked about that

you're going to have a topic sentence

about theme a topic sentence about rhyme

in a topic sentence about

tone tone remembers the feeling that the

poem gives

quotes in the body paragraph finally

conclusion

um remember

so you need to restate your thesis in

other words

this is the poem these are the three

elements i wrote about

summarize the points that you made

and then finally broaden your focus

i could go back again to

you know president kennedy

quoting that poem on the campaign trail

and

um

that i could maybe talk a lot about why

he liked it so much and after all robert

frost is the one that read at his

inauguration in 1960 61 i think okay

um you can offer a solution you can talk

about the future call to action

so i think in a way we need a return to

some american poets like frost and

longfellow it's kind of been

forgotten

and they're definitely good and should

be

read and remembered you know in a class

like this

and in addition to a lot of other poems

so again get out there find a good poem

and um

i had a long list of suggestions i might

put that

on a note

so this is what you need to do you're

gonna have till

um

i think the

the first

of march to get this turned in

before midnight okay

okay that's all i have good luck and

good night