For your first of two essay assignments, you will be writing an essay based on two to three poems in Organs of Little Importance. If you have your own idea for an essay you’d like to write, feel free to message me—I’d be happy to consider it. Otherwise, please choose from one of the following prompts:
Analyze how Chung uses different techniques or forms to address the same topics. For example, you could write about her use of the ghazal, sonnet, and free verse to write about one of the book’s common themes.
Analyze how Chung addresses mental health and/or generational trauma.
Analyze how Chung addresses romantic love and/or sexuality.
Analyze how Chung uses figurative language in her poems.
Analyze how Chung uses sound in her poems. You can use elements of your discussion post if you do this one.
Though your essay will focus on one of these themes, you are still encouraged to use creative-writing and poetic concepts from our course—if you aren’t already focusing on them as your topic—like image, metaphor, sound, and voice. Though you will be a critic in this essay, remember that you’re also a writer in this course, so as you write your essay, remember that you are thinking of how Adrienne Chung makes her choices as a fellow writer.
A good essay will quote from the two or three poems that you’re analyzing. However, quotes should not dominate your essay—they might make up 10-15% of your words. Quotes are simply the icing on a cake; they are helpful and necessary in supporting your analysis, but your own words and thoughts should be the highlight and largest part of your text.
I’m not worried about MLA formatting. There’s no need to put the author’s last name in parentheses at the end of a quote because we’re only using one author. However, in your parentheses, rather than using a page number, use the line numbers of the poem. If I were quoting the last two lines of a poem called “Garden of Eden†from a different book, I’d write, “The known sun setting / On the dawning century†(24-5). Note that I’ve used a forward slash to show the line-break. If there is a stanza break, where one stanza ends and the next begins, use two forward slashes together: //.
Your essay should be in a multi-paragraph essay format with a functional thesis. You will be graded on organization, depth of analysis, the inclusion of course concepts, and—not to be overlooked!—readability (grammar, spelling). Your essay should be 700-900 words, double-spaced. This assignment is worth 100 points.
Sample student essay
Word Document
Alternative formats
Here is a sample A essay on a different book by a former student to give you an idea of what I’m looking for.
I inserted pictures of the poems I chose.