Project 2: Lyrical Interpretation and Analysis

Project 2: Lyrical Interpretation and Analysis

Word Count: 900-1,200 words

Due: Wednesday, 18 March 2020, by 5pm. Submit to dropbox.

Project Summary

You will be given the choice of interpreting a song or a poem for this assignment.  I will leave that decision to you. You’ll have some time to decide.

To interpret is to put something in your own words.

To analyze is to pick something apart, label the parts, and examine how they work together. Major Paper 2 will have you do both with a text that you’ll choose.

First, and in class, we will work together to interpret and analyze W. H. Auden’s lyrical poem “Song.”

Next, and largely on your own, you will choose a song of any musical genre or a poem of any literary style, and, after performing a diligent close-reading, give your own interpretation and analysis.

Your interpretation will seek to answer the following questions: what do the lyrics of your song mean?  How do the artist’s choices convey that meaning?  What impact does this meaning have on you?  In your essay, you may also describe the processes which helped lead to this understanding.

Your interpretation is your argument. Your analysis is the evidence to support your argument. Rhetoric is the art of argument. This will be the first of two essays dealing with rhetoric.

Some thoughts on what you text you might choose:

For the most part, music operates as a source of entertainment in our lives.  However, some music is intended to move, challenge, or even change the listener; a great deal of poetry works in much the same way.  When one examines traditions of folk music, hip-hop, reggae, rock n’ roll, modern country, classical music or, really, any type of music, songs of this variety prove abundant.

Poetry holds a similar power, though we may be less familiar with the various sorts of poetry available. And poetry, if explored deeply, can introduce new ways of thinking. Certain types of poetry may well make us smarter.

Again, the choice is yours. I will say that papers are more often successful when covering poems, as poems will by nature offer more to interpret and analyze. I’ve had wonderful papers interpreting song lyrics, but choosing the right song is essential. Pop songs and classic rock seldom work well, though I will provide examples using Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing,” among other works.

You might find that a song engages you more because of a personal connection you hold dear; you might find that a poem engages you more because it speaks to something profound that you’ve felt but not expressed. A poem will likely yield more fruit for analytic cultivation; a song might encourage more emotional investment, urging on a more honest exploration.  All I ask is that you consider both options carefully.

A note on sources:The lyrics of the songor the verse of the poem you choose will be your primary source.  You will include a cover page which contains the entirety of the song or poem you choose; you will quote excerpts from the song/poem as often as necessary in your essay.

Song lyrics are, obviously, “lyrics.” We refer to the text of a poem hereafter as “verse.”

You will use proper MLA documentation when citing lyrics/verse. We will cover proper citation in class; missing MLA workshops can cause big problems that might last all year.

Please include a full transcript of your song or poem as the cover page for your final draft.

Criteria for Evaluation:

• Have you delved deep into your chosen work and thus demonstrated a             complicated understanding? an understanding well beyond what an                             initiate to the work could muster?

                        This is Content.

• Is your interpretation of the poem thought provoking and well-argued? This is Organization

• Have you revised, formatted, copy-edited, and cited the text of your essay carefully?

                        This is Mechanics and MLA Usage.

Consider these questions carefully while drafting, and especially before submitting your finished draft of MP2 for evaluation.

Evaluation

This project will be graded on the U-S-E scale.  E projects will meet or exceed all of the above criteria.  For a project to earn an S, the memoir will meet or exceed most of the criteria but fail to achieve a consistent quality throughout.  Projects that merely satisfy the above criteria and projects that meet or exceed some of the criteria but fail to meet others will earn a U.  Project 2 will be eligible for revision to any student who turns in their project on time by the stated due date.