ENGL 4623/5653: Emily Dickinson                                                                                          Mercer

 

 Guidelines for Writing about Dickinson’s Poetry

 

  1. IDENTIFICATION OF POEM:  For my ease in finding the poem, please identify each poem by its number in Johnson’s Complete Poems and by its first line (in quotation marks).

 

  1. SPELLING OF “DICKINSON”:  Please spell Dickinson’s last name correctly!  She is not related to Charles Dickens.

 

  1. VERB TENSE: Remember to use present-tense verbs when you write about the poem in your own words.  (In a paraphrase, however, use the same tense as in the poem.)  When you quote from the poem, leave the verb tense as it is in the poem.

 

  1. LENGTH OF WEEKLY WRITINGS: Except when I tell you otherwise, make each weekly writing at least one full typed, double-spaced page in length.   In most cases, it will take two pages to write a superior paper.  (The three paraphrases for Weekly Writing 2, however, may not require a full page.)

 

  1. LINE NUMBERS: Avoid using line numbers to introduce quotations from the poem.  Rather, document the line number(s) in parenthesis after each quotation.

 

  1. INTERPRETATION:  Approach each poem as a work of art. Do not make unwarranted assumptions or speculations about the connection between the poem and the life of Emily Dickinson.  Also, try not to impose your own beliefs on the poem.

 

  1. INTRODUCTION AND CONCLUSION:  Because of their brevity, most weekly writings do not need a formal introduction or conclusion.  Rather, begin with a thesis statement in a paragraph by itself, and end with the last body paragraph or, if you wish, a restatement of the thesis in different words in a separate paragraph.  Devote your time and space to developing the body of the paper.  (The paraphrases you write for Weekly Writing 2 will not have thesis statements.)

 

Guidelines for Manuscript Form

 

  1. FONT:  Please use Times New Roman 12 or a similar font in size 12. 

 

  1. HEADING: According to the MLA Handbook, the heading in the upper left of the first page of your paper should include the following four (4) items double-spaced in this order:
    1. Your first and last names
    2. The instructor’s title and last name
    3. The course prefix and number
    4. The date the assignment is due

 

  1. HEADER: According to the MLA Handbook, a “header” in the upper right of each page of your paper, including the first page, should give your last name followed by one space and the page number.

 

  1. MARGINS:  Use one-inch margins on all four sides of each page.  Default margins in Microsoft Word are wider than this, so you will need to change them.

 

  1. PLACEMENT OF OTHER PUNCTUATION WITH QUOTATION MARKS:  In American usage, commas and periods always go inside closing quotation marks.

 

 

Key to Correction Symbols

 

Near the top of my Web site’s home page (not the Web page for this class), please print the document “Key to Correction Symbols,” and bring it to class with you each week.