Compose an essay of 500-600 words analyzing the way the two poems address the issue, and what each author is suggesting in his or her work. Your analysis should establish a clear connection between the two texts, beyond merely “they both discuss women” or “both refer to war.” Rather, your thesis must make an explicit assertion about the connection between the two, a substantial, significant claim;
For example, Randall Jarrell’s “Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” and Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death” both feature first-person narrators who recount the circumstances of their own deaths; however, while the former poem presents an image of death as violent and pointless, the latter suggests that death may actually be a welcome end to the struggles and obligations of life.
You should address not just the content, or what the poem says or is about, but also the poetic elements: allusions, imagery, figurative language, symbols, sound effects (rhyme, rhythm, repetition, long and short vowel sounds, combinations of consonants, onomatopoeia, et cetera) and structure (meter and rhyme scheme, or the lack of them, and stanzaic and line arrangements).
Be sure to focus carefully on the topic: formulate a clear, strong, explicit, assertive, objectively worded thesis (underlined), and avoid plot summary. Remember that these are formal essays: they must have an appropriate, original title; contain an introduction, multiple body paragraphs, and conclusion; avoid the use of “I” or “you” throughout; and be grammatically correct, free of errors in mechanics, grammar, usage, spelling, and documentation.
Your essays must contain quotations from or other references to the poems, and remember to incorporate sources correctly: use signal phrases and document with parenthetical citations and a Works Cited reference at the end of the essay. However, these are not research projects: no secondary sources are required, nor should any sources be used other than the works themselves.
THE TWO POEMS FOR THE ESSAY:
Sex Without Love by Sharon Olds
http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/sharon_olds/poems/19521
My Mouth Hovers Across Your Breasts
