1. December 17, 2014

2.   See the “forest”  What is the “big picture”?  (With poetry, it is often an extended metaphor.)  Include this in your introduction.  Hannah: In “Crossing the Swamp,” Mary Oliver communicates how the nature of a swamp is representative of her experience as a human being. She uses the form and shape of the poem to illustrate unpredictable and universal nature, and uses aspects of sound (alliteration, internal rhyme, and euphony) to communicate her feelings about struggle and redemption. “Crossing the Swamp”

3.   Calvin: In Mary Oliver’s “Crossing the Swamp,” she utilizes imagery and extended metaphor to convey the situation that humanity is in. Humans are but a “bough” at the “whims” of “earthsoup.” But there is still a chance for us to flourish if we and the world decide it should be so. “Crossing the Swamp”

4.   Do not praise the writer.  Avoid “parroting” the prompt.  Parroting: Mary Oliver uses techniques to develop the relationship between the speaker and the swamp.  Semi-Colons (;) work exactly like periods. They are used to show the close connection between the ideas in two independent clauses. Other tips

5.   Assume (unless it’s clearly otherwise) that the speaker shares the author’s gender.  Avoid “he or she” or “they” to refer to a singular speaker  Citing line numbers is unnecessary.  Remember the “vehicle” and “tenor.” If you refer to a metaphor, make sure you know what the vehicle & tenor are. (If it’s unclear, it’s probably not a metaphor!) Other tips