Analytical Life Portrait of a Poet

• MLA Format
• 5-6 pages, double spaced, not including Works Cited page
• Works Cited page
• Proper in-text citations

Choose one of the poets that we have covered this semester. You may choose from any of the poets we have discussed this quarter. If you would like to choose a different poet, you must have the choice approved by your professor.

Next, choose 3 or 4 poems from that poet. You may choose any poems that you want, whether in our eText or from another source, but be sure to use proper citations for each of them.

In a full literary analysis, complete one of the following options:

1. A) Discuss how the poet’s life has influenced her or his poetry. You may find context from the poet’s childhood, personal experiences, etc. and link them to poems of your choice. Be careful not to give me five pages of biography!
2. B) Discuss a common thread that links multiple poems from the same author (theme, tone, imagery, etc.).
3. C) Integrate choices A and B into a fully developed thesis of your own

When referencing poems, you may quote specific lines but do not type the entire poem into your essay.

I chose the poem; hope is the thing with feathers, written by Emily Dickinson in 1890