For this CRT, we will be writing in class on Tuesday, June 11. You will be writing on Chromebooks with no internet access set up the way you will be writing your CRT for your final exam. You can (and should) bring in any hard copy resources that will help you (e.g., your poem, your notes, the CRT outline, MLA Citation Quick Guide, a rough draft of your CRT, etc.), and will have access to a dictionary and thesaurus. You must complete and print your CRT by the end of the period.
Write a critical response to text for the poem that you have chosen. You should follow the outline and MLA style formatting requirements that you’ve practiced for other CRTs, but may consider organizing your response differently. Below are suggestions for how to organize your CRT’s paragraphs (bullets do not indicate order, but rather questions/details to consider).
Here is an example (this does not mean it would have scored 100%).
Introduction:
Hook
Connection (author, title, form)
Claims or otherwise what you will explore in what order in your body paragraphs
Your thesis statement will state the speaker’s tone and the meaning/theme of the poem (what does the reader/listener learn?)
OPTION 1
Body Paragraph 1: SAY
Describe the poem’s speaker (who is s/he is, what s/he’s like—make inferences)
Who is the audience—the person/people the song/poem is directed towards (“you”=?; if not mentioned, what do you think the intended audience is?)
What is the speaker’s situation or purpose?
What is the poem literally about? What is the subject matter or, in the case of narrative poetry, the literal story?
Body Paragraphs 2-4: MEAN/WORK/MATTER
What is the underlying message the writer (not speaker) is trying to convey to the listening audience through the poem? Support your idea with evidence from the lyrics/poem (i.e., embedded quotes).
Explain the tone conveyed by the speaker toward the subject, citing specific examples (i.e., embedded quotes) from the lyrics/poem to support your opinion.
When discussing quotes, be sure to address how the poem’s form/structure, literary devices, and sound techniques contribute to meaning, tone, and mood
Be sure to tie it all back to your thesis!
OPTION 2
Body Paragraph 1, 2, 3:
Claim to support thesis
Explain the tone conveyed by the speaker toward the subject, citing specific examples (i.e., embedded quotes) from the lyrics/poem to support your opinion.
When discussing quotes, be sure to address how the poem’s form/structure, literary devices, and sound techniques contribute to meaning, tone, and mood
Be sure to tie it all back to your thesis!
OPTION 3
Body Paragraph 1:
Stanza 1 (or 2-3 stanzas with a shared focus)
Explain the tone conveyed by the speaker toward the subject, citing specific examples (i.e., embedded quotes) from the lyrics/poem to support your opinion.
When discussing quotes, be sure to address how the poem’s form/structure, literary devices, and sound techniques contribute to meaning, tone, and mood
Be sure to tie it all back to your thesis!
Body Paragraph 2, 3, etc:
Additional stanzas
Follow pattern above
Conclusion:
Briefly summarize what you’ve said in a new/interesting way and re-emphasize your thesis (what you think the lesson or takeaway of the poem is)
Does the message have relevance to today’s world? Discuss. To what life events, current events, etc. could this poem connect? Who would like this poem? Why?
Give your overall opinion about the poem’s significance.
Works Cited:
Ensure that you properly cite your poem using the MLA Citation Quick Guide for the Works Cited and in-text citations!
Submission:
Your submission must include the following components printed and stapled together in the following order:
1) CRT
2) Your annotated poem and any other hard copy notes/resources you used to complete the CRT
3) CRT Rubric