Emotional Responsivity

Write a full two-page reading response to a poem/verse/lyric explication presentation by a classmate.  This assignment is essentially a ‘first-response’ paper.  As you know, these papers mean to elicit a ‘gut’ response from you which focuses on a central meaning or theme.  With an initial response, unlike your formal essays, you will not be required to write in the 3rd-person voice/tone, where the emphasis is a passable objective discussion of the subject rather than with a 1st-person impression. Formatting Requirements:  MLA format (double-spacing; 1” margins; Times New Roman 12-pt. font; label upper-left corner of 1st page:  name, class, my name, assignment, date; upper-right corner of all other pages use a header with last name then page number). NOTE:  Response paper must be at least 2 FULL pages to avoid an automatic 20% deduction.  Label in upper-left corner does not count toward pages. Your response may explore questions stemming from your readings in poetry: What are some feelings evoked by your reading/listening to the poem/verse/lyric?  What are some feelings evoked by your reading/listening to your classmate’s presentation?  What is the significance of your emotional response to the presentation or the poetic work itself? What significant point(s) is the poem’s author making through the theme(s)? How do various elements of the poem—diction, word order, denotation/connotation, figures of speech, tone, images, symbol, as well as of the sound (if a song) influenced by rhyme, rhythm, instrument(s), voice(s), and/or ‘found’ noises—reinforce its meanings? How are the elements related to the whole (that is, its theme)?