Interpret this poem.. 700-800 words
700-800 words.
roughly 2.5-3 pages, typed, double-spaced
Pick one poem out of the four poems.
Please read attached document
The poems are:
“The changeling” by Judith Ortiz Cofer
“Ballad of the Landlord” by langston hughes
“Cream of wheat” by Lucille Clifton
“Women” by May Swenson
Your close reading paper will be
a short paper (roughly 2.5-3 pages, typed, double-spaced).
In it, you will close-read a poem from the selected poems. You don’t need to do any reading
outside of the packet to write this paper. Remember, it’s your job in the close reading paper to
analyze the mechanics of the poems you choose, but do so in order to make a larger argument
about the poet’s goals. Ask, “What is this poet trying to do, trying to say, with his/her poetry and
how does craft guide, reinforce, enhance that?” Needless to say, it’s helpful to write about a
poem whose overall project is something you feel you “get.” If there’s a problem students have
with this type of paper, it’s achieving focus. I suggest you choose only one or two craft elements
to focus on (craft elements that seem central to the poem’s work). Overall, your goal in a close
reading paper is to write perceptively and precisely about a poem that is important to you. Enjoy
the process. Make it work for you!

