Guillermoroughpoetrydraft x1020Rubric xPoetryessayguidelines x
Please see my attached Rough draft, the rubric, and also the guidelines. The essay is on ″My papa′s Waltz″ by Theodore Roethke
Guillermo1
Mateo Guillermo
Professor Joanna Grisham
English 1020
30 January 2020
Poetry Analysis of “ My Papa’s Waltz
A child’s love for their parents is undeniable. Growing up my father made many mistakes yet regardless of what he did my love for him always remained the same. Theodore Roethke’s proves this in his poem “My Papa’s Waltz”. Roethke’s poem is a quatrain, meaning the stanzas each have four lines. Roethke writes about a small boy’s memory of loving his father. This poem has plenty room for interpretation and those who have dealt with a not so loving parent may think differently.
In the first stanza Roethke writes “The whiskey on your breath/ Could make a small boy dizzy;/ But I hung on like death:/ Such waltzing was not easy”. While the words whiskey, dizzy, and death have negative connotations, the tone could suggest otherwise. This young boy’s father is intoxicated and more than likely reeks of alcohol. Even so his son does not mind dancing with his father. The man is drunk so his coordination will be off, and his movements will be rough. The fact that the boy chooses to hang on to his father and continue to dance already begins to show me his love for him.
In the Second stanza Roethke writes “We romped until the pans/ Slid from the kitchen shelf;/ My mother’s countenance/ Could not unfrown itself”. This stanza strengthens my idea of this child’s love. Google gives the definition “especially of a child or animal, play roughly and energetically” for the word romping. A child who is having so much fun dancing around until pans fall is obviously enjoying himself. A father who even though is drunk is willing to play around with his son is an act of love. The mother is simply mad at the mess being made.
Roethke writes in the third “The hand that held my wrist/ Was battered on one knuckle;/ At every step you missed/ My right ear scraped a buckle”. Notice that Roethke uses the word “held” this implies he is not hurting the child. The fact that the father has a battered knuckle on one hand leads me to think he is a working man. Line 11 and 12 further strengthen my idea of the poem being about love. The child is so short he only comes up to his father’s waist. When his father steps wrong it causes his buckle to scrape the boy. Even though this must be slightly painful for the boy he’s still willing to dance with his father.
Finally, Roethke finishes with “You beat time on my head/ With a palm caked hard by dirt, / Then waltzed me off to bed/ Still clinging to your shirt.” The fathers hit his son on his head to finally let him know it is time for bed. As the father walks his son to bed the boy clings to him. The boy wants nothing more than to continue dancing with his father. Therefore, he clings to him because he does not want the fun to end. All these examples show me nothing but love between these two.
Work Cited
“My Papa’s Waltz.” The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke, by Theodore Roethke, 1961.
“Theodore Roethke.” Poets.org, Academy of American Poets, poets.org/poet/theodore-roethke.
English 1020 Grading Rubric – Essays 1 and 2
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A (90-100) |
B (80-89) |
C (70-79) |
D (60-69) |
F (59 and below) |
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Content (25%) |
Critical thesis; demonstrates considerable use of brainstorming and prewriting; hooks reader; maintains clear, obvious purpose; focuses clearly on one significant idea/topic throughout; meets length requirement; demonstrates superior knowledge of resource(s); demonstrates thorough consideration of audience |
Thesis stated in 1st paragraph; hooks reader; strong demonstration of brainstorming and prewriting; clear purpose; above average presentation of ideas; meets length requirement; above average knowledge of resource(s); demonstrates consideration of audience |
Thesis is directly stated; reflects use of brainstorming and prewriting; contains purpose, but not consistently clear or obvious; presents one main idea or topic but the significance is less clear; meets length requirement; average explanation of resource(s); audience consideration is minimal |
Thesis is unclear and/or does not appear in 1st or 2nd paragraph; presents purpose that is confused, general, or vague; presents a main idea but does not state it precisely or clearly; work comes close but does not meet length requirement; arbitrary use of resource(s); lacks audience consideration |
No thesis; does not present a unified purpose; presents main idea but not precisely or clearly; does not meet length requirements; resource(s) not used or misused; lacks audience consideration |
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Structure (25%) |
Responds directly to subject in first paragraph; maintains clear and obvious organization; demonstrates effective paragraphing; uses appropriate transitions with emphasis on conveying the relationship between ideas |
Responds to subject in first paragraph; organizational pattern is used, though transitions may be repetitive; above average paragraphing with few transitional errors |
Uses suitable organizational pattern/plan; contains adequate paragraphing with some transitions that attempt to convey relationships between ideas |
Inadequate paragraphing with few transitions; unclear or jumbled sentences; jumbled paragraphs; paragraphs are not balanced in amount of development and support |
Uses no organizational pattern/plan; paragraphs are unclear and contain no transitions; unclear sentences; paragraphs are incomplete |
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Style/Language (25%) |
Exceptional use of correct an varied sentences with few, if any, errors in mechanics, grammar, syntax, or spelling; reader clearly understands each sentence |
Sentences are usually correct but sometimes awkward; some errors in mechanics, grammar, syntax, or spelling, but reader’s understanding is not affected |
Average use of correct sentences with few errors in mechanics, grammar, syntax, or spelling; reader’s understanding is slightly affected |
Writing exhibits some difficulties with fragments, person shifts, comma splices pronoun errors, subject-verb agreement, punctuation, spelling errors, or other distracting features of usage |
Multiple difficulties with fragments, shifts in person, comma splices, pronouns, spelling errors, and other distracting features of usage |
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Format (25%) |
Mastery of MLA documentation style, which is used consistently and correctly throughout the work; directions followed exactly |
Competency with MLA documentation style, which may include occasional inconsistent use but is generally free of major errors; most directions followed |
Some competency with MLA documentation style, which may include sporadic errors in use; some directions followed |
Sporadic use of MLA documentation style; major errors in use; few directions followed |
No MLA documentation style or several major errors in use; very few directions followed |
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MASTERFUL |
SKILLED |
ABLE |
DEVELOPING |
NOVICE |
Score: _____________ (Score should reflect the average of the scores in each of the four rubric areas.)
*Assignments that contain plagiarized content may be given a 0 and/or submitted to the administration for further action.
English 1020 – Essay 1 Assignment Guidelines (Writing about Poetry)
When composing this essay, you have two options. You may either explicate OR analyze one of the poems we read for class (*see definition of terms below). Your essay should be approximately two to three pages long and should be typed in 12-point, Times New Roman font and double-spaced. Follow MLA 8th edition rules for formatting your final draft. Include textual support in your essay; incorporate quoted lines and words from the poem to back up your ideas. You do not need to include any outside research in this essay. You may include a limited amount of outside material (definitions of words to illustrate meaning, for example) but you SHOULD NOT include a great amount of scholarly support for this assignment. This essay comes from your own, personal perspective. All sources – including the poem – must be cited in-text and on a works cited page. You must write in third person (avoid first and second person pronouns). You must write in present tense. Follow the rules of formal writing and grammar.
This essay is worth 20% of your grade.
Choose ONE of the following options to guide you as you compose your essay:
Option 1: Poetry Explication Essay
If you choose to explicate one of these poems, you will analyze the poem line by line, closely examining how each line – each word – whether obviously or subtly contributes to the whole. Pay attention to each detail as it unfolds in the poem, and look at the individual words, images, rhymes, repetitions, syllables within lines, etc.; every aspect of the poem should be scrutinized. The goal of an explication is to show how the pieces of the poem work together to create meaning in the poem. You’ll find an example of a poetry explication essay in the module for your convenience. Use that explication essay titled “An Unfolding of Robert Frost’s “Design”’ as a model.
Option 2: Poetry Analysis Essay
If you choose to analyze one of these poems, you’ll focus on how a single element of the poem contributes to the meaning of the whole. For example, you might look at how the different connotations within the poem reinforce a complex theme. Another approach would be to look at the role of symbolism in a specific poem. Analysis is a little more open than explication, since you don’t have to weed through a poem line by line. Instead, you can focus on specific parts of the poem (rhymes, similes, symbols, etc.) and ignore the parts that don’t connect to your essay goals. You might write about the subject of a poem and how that subject is exemplified with similes or auditory imagery or binaries. For instance, you could look at how the word choice of a poem contributes to the theme of darkness. The options for an analysis essay are rather limitless. For a good poetry analysis example, see the example in the module. It’s called “Faded Beauty: Bishop’s Use of Imagery in ‘The Fish.’” Use that essay as a model.
Both example essays are found in the same file called Poetry Explication and Analysis Essay Examples. To view this file in the best possible quality, download it and open it as a PDF.
Regardless of the approach you take, your essay should include some examples of the poetry terms we reviewed in class (see the full list of terms on D2L). It might be a good idea to work through that list alongside your chosen poem as you do the prewriting for this essay.
Start your process by annotating your poem. Take it apart. Write all over it. Circle, underline, highlight. Make notes about what you notice. Read your notes from class.
Make sure you have a clearly stated thesis statement. Consider the thesis statements and organizational patterns used in the example essays in your textbook and on D2L. This will not be a standard five-
paragraph essay. Your thesis should indicate your major goal for the paper. It should be clearly stated and easily identifiable by your readers.
Before you write your paper, make sure you fully understand the prompt and the difference between Options 1 and 2. Read the model essays and review the grading rubric on D2L. Before you submit your essay ask a few people to proofread it. You should also read your essay out loud (or have someone read it to you). You’ll be surprised about what you will notice when you read your paper aloud (a better exercise is to listen to someone else read your paper to you).
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