Eng 104, E Poetry Presentation Directions, Assignments, & Dates

Each student will work with a number of other classmates to prepare and give a presentation about a
poet and his or her poetry derived from—even if quite loosely—our attention given to the topic of dreams
this semester. The presentation can emerge from any of the related themes, characters, settings, etc.
addressed via Lathe of Heaven and/or A Dream Play, which it to say the topic need not be about dreams,
specifically. For example, death, hopelessness, reality, duty, perseverance, and control are all topics that
surfaced from our work on the novel and play, in addition to many others. And the group topic does not
have to “exist” in both works, but it must derive from at least one of them.
The following list, then, constitutes the specific content, organization, and procedures by which, both,
the group and individual evaluation will be determined:

The introduction should:

State the topic of analysis and from where/how it emerged.

Briefly explain why the poet under inquiry was selected in relation to the group’s topic.

Provide a brief preview of the presentation’s content and organization.

The body should, by way of credible & scholarly sources:

Offer biographical and bibliographical information about the poet.

By way of research, trace the importance of the poet and his or her work within and since the time
of his or her artistic production & literary grouping, and explain why the poet is grouped within a
certain literary grouping and/or movement.

Analyze three poems by the selected poet, again, speaking to the group topic via at least two
elements of poetry (these can be the same for all of the poems analyzed or they can change from
poem to poem) and explain how each analysis “speaks” to the group topic. Also, make sure to
clearly define and describe the elements of poetry used for analysis.

The conclusion should:

Summarize the development and organization of the presentation.

Offer some sort of cumulative final statement(s), position(s), question(s), etc. regarding the poet’s
handling of the topic in light of the research and analysis.

Other requirements:
Submit to me a thorough outline of the entire presentation that cites in MLA format where
research was used, including a works cited page, on 12/02. Also, each student must use a
purposeful audio/visual/etc. aid to, well, aid the talk! And feel free to be creative with these aids.

Deliver extemporaneously: Do not read the presentation to us; talk to the class in a
conversational manner with sustained eye contact fostered from a brief, keyword outline.

Present as a group, which is to say I don’t want to listen to three asymmetrical talks. There
should be coherence between all speaker’s content (which requires group rehearsal[s]), and each
group member should speak for close to an equal amount of time (about 5-7 minutes apiece to
foster a 20-30 minute presentation, approximately, depending on the number of group members).
It is up to the group to determine how the presentation will flow, but please do make it flow
 smoothly. Remember, 40 % of the evaluation for this assignment is determined by the group’s
performance as a whole.

Tentative Groupings and Presentation Schedule (Final groupings will be determined on 11/18):
12/07
Group # 1: Leo, Matt H., Alyssa

Group # 2: Christian, Kelly O., Hanna

12/09
Group # 3: Matt. M, Kelly G., Ian, Kathleen

Group # 4: Alex, Ben, Kattie, Dana