EDGAR ALLAN POE IN-CLASS ESSAY

Pick ONE (1) of the following questions and write a 5-paragraph essay that answers the question fully using textual examples. I expect the following from every essay:

• An introduction that identifies the writer and the title of the poem (properly marked), a clear subject, a clear thesis, a plan of development that indicates the three major points you plan to make, and a springboard statement into the essay.
• Body paragraphs that have one clear point, that use quotations (with signal phrases, analyses, and parenthetical citations referencing the line numbers of the poem), and offers an insight that supports the essay's main thesis.
• Quotes must follow the special rules for poetry for both short and long quotes.
• A conclusion that ties the three major points together with the thesis of the essay.
• No works cited is required.

To assist you, you may prepare an outline (not the essay itself) in MS Word. You may use one page at 12-point Times New Roman font to write an outline, but each entry must be a phrase, not a complete sentence. You may write a formal outline (with Roman numerals, letters, etc.) or a point outline, and you can refer to line numbers from "The Raven" but not write out the quotes. You will need to post your outline as part of your exam. Writing out the essay on the outline is not allowed.

Please select ONE of the following questions for your essay topic:

1. "The Raven" features several references to forgetting. Track this image through the poem and indicate if the narrator of the poem is sincerely trying to forget or not.

2. How do the details of the first three stanzas of "The Raven" establish the narrator's specific mental and emotional condition? Pointing to at least three specific details, explain what the narrator's mental/emotional condition is as the poem opens and why it establishes a believable basis for the subsequent "conversation" with the raven.

3. The narrator of the poem claims to be engaged in a dialogue with an actual raven, but to what degree is he in control of both the questions and the raven's response? Given the last stanza, how much has this conversation helped the narrator to resolve his distress? Give specific examples to support your claims.

Your written essay will be graded out of 50 points. Your exam card will be graded out of five points.

Quick rules about quoting poetry:

A. Quotes of three lines or less are in quotation marks with forward slashes between lines: "Roses are red/Violets are blue"

B. The citation is to the line numbers, not the page: "Roses are red/Violets are blue" (Smith 1-2).

C. If the quote is longer than three lines, use a block quote, double-spaced, indented 0.5" from the left. Attempt to recreate any odd indentations. Drop the quotation marks since it's a block quote.