Select a passage that you think contains an important aspect of the meaning of the entire text, and explain why in 1 or 2 pages. Explicate one entire poem from the handout. The class will be structured as a workshop. Class participation will be taken very seriously in the determination of your final grade. You are expected to do all the reading carefully and to make arguments on the basis of it in class and in your assignments.
Good papers start with good preparation.
Too often instructors spend a great deal of time attempting to correct problems in student papers without considering what went into them. Often when we read books for a class or project, we do not know exactly what we are looking for, what to underline, or what to take notes on. In this class, we will work specifically on those skills by keeping journals that will be collected periodically and evaluated. You should take notes on the reading and class discussion in the journal. The journal will also be a place for daily assignments.