• Review the title page for errors and missing elements.
  • In the running head, give a short version of the title (not the whole thing), and give the page number.
  • Do not use bold font.
  • Double space.
  • For the title of the poem mentioned in the essay, use quotation marks.
  • The introduction should have an opening sentence that engages the reader and introduces the general topic.
  • The last sentence of the introduction should be your thesis statement (or main point) for writing the essay. The thesis statement is your opinion about some literary element in the poem (such as imagery, theme, or symbolism) and why the author used it or what the author accomplished with it. The thesis cannot be a fact because it is a statement of opinion.
  • Expand the essay to five paragraphs. Support the main point with short quotations and examples as evidence. Analyze the poem by looking deeply at words and phrases. Do not generalize and talk about people and society; talk about the poem’s language.
  • You must give in-text citations for every quotation. Give the author, date, and line number in parentheses.
  • Left align the reference. Use a hanging indent. Fix errors in the end reference.

2. You immediately had me hooked with your introduction speaking about secrecy of the human life. I really enjoyed when you tied the introduction to the modern world and your poem. The more connections throughout the poem the better. I like the direction of your poem and your explanation of symbolism. I would remember the APA citations and cite the quotations from the poem.

3. You chose a good poem! I do think your introduction needs to be stronger. I would have liked to see a more eye opening introduction as I didn’t really know the meaning of the poem based off the title alone. I was looking forward to an interesting explanation that would grab my attention. Also be careful with grammar and spelling. Use spell check as often as needed. The title needs to be in title case throughout the essay, making sure to include quotations around the title