Choose a poet. Why does their poetry matter? Why should people in 2025 read this poet’s work? Create an argument that includes analysis of 2 to 3 poems and how the poet’s choices contribute to this relevance. Be sure to include key historical, socio/cultural, and biographical context to support your argument throughout.
Choose any poet from this list (except "Anonymous").
The hyperlinked poems are a good place to start
You can email Mrs. Jonson (jjonson@jeffcoschools.us) if you'd like a poem to be scanned. Please allow a few days for turnaround time.
Select 2-3 poems by the poet & do some research to build a better picture of why the poem was written and what it's themes, quality, or style make it relevant today. Consider things like:
historical context
social/cultural influences
authors life (biographical details relevant to their writing)
poem's themes, quality, style
You need at least 2 Research-Quality Sources (Database Sources)
To Research a Poem
Search the Literature Database for the name of a poem. Wait for it to populate in the search options & click on that result. Click on the "Topic & Work Overviews Tab.
Look in Poetry for Students (an actual book!). Use this list to find the right volume. Take pics or get free copies
Poetry for Students, edited by Sara Constantakis and David Kelly, vol. (insert#), Gale, (insert date year), pp. (insert pages).
Finished example
Poetry for Students, edited by Sara Constantakis and David Kelly, vol. 1, Gale, 1997, pp. 145-155.
To Research a Poet (Author)
Search the Biography Database. Search by your poet's name & scan the many source options.
Ralston Valley HS Generic Library Card Numbers for Databases
User Name - RVHS1 (we have RVHS 1 through RVHS 30)
Pin- 1234
In addition to those we have
Card Number - 290734144
Pin - 1234
Card Number: 293459542
Pin - 1234
Card Number: 293459524
Pin - 1234