The two poems that I would like the essay on are, “Harlem” and “Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes. The requirements on the essay are below.

Writing Assignmnet#3 Poetry Essay (20%)

Length: 2 pages plus a Works Cited page in MLA format. Use one primary source (1-2 the poems) and one secondary source (about poem/s).

Primary and secondary sources: In this essay, you will write about one of the poems we read and discussed in class. You can also compare and contrast two of the poems in your essay. They can be two poems by two poets or two poems by the same poet. However, I think it is easier to stick to one poem by one poet since it is a short essay. Make sure you choose a poem/poems from among the poems we read and discussed in the course from the coursebook as your primary source. Plus, use one secondary source such as a critique or literary analysis about the poem that you find on Google Scholar, JStore, or CCM Library Online Databases. Make sure your sources are credible. ***Avoid such websites as cliffnotes.com, shmoop.com, sparknotes.com, enotes.com, litchart.com, … that come up in Google search! ***

In your introduction: Mention the title of the poem and the name of the poet. Provide a context or background for your essay. Provide a thesis statement and or pose a question. Provide a plan of ideas. 

In body paragraphs: Develop every idea per one paragraph. In every paragraph, you should have a topic sentence that introduces the main idea of the paragraph. You need to use quotations from the poem/s as evidence for your argument. You should provide an interpretation for every quotation, and support it with extra details and examples. You should have an in-text citation for every quote and also give the full citation at the end of the paper on the Works Cited page. Remember, you should have citations even for your indirect quotes or paraphrases when you quote somebody else’s ideas in your own words. 

In your conclusion: You can use one or more of the conclusion techniques: rephrase your thesis statement, summarize your essay, look into the future, make some recommendations, etc.

Avoid biographical information about the poet. Avoid summarizing what the poem is about.

***Avoid quoting from such websites as cliffnotes.com, shmoop.com, sparknotes.com, enotes.com, litchart.com, Wikipedia.com, … that come up in Google search! ***

Check: 2 “Sample Student Essay[s]” in Literature (Kennedy & Gioia 489-491 and 536 )

  “Writing about a Poem” in Literature (Kennedy & Gioia 1340-1361)

   Quotation and In-Text Citation for Poetry (not prose)

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_quotations.html

B Y L A N G S T O N H U G H E S

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

B Y L A N G S T O N H U G H E S

Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
So boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the steps

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/langston-hughes

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/langston-hughes

’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now—
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

Source: Hughes, Langston. “Langston Hughes .” Literature: an Introduction to Fiction, Poetry,

Drama, and Writing, by X.J Kennedy and Dana Gioia, 8th ed., pp. 738 743.

Harlem
Mother to Son