The term literary critical theory refers to philosophical approaches that seeks to confront the social, historical, and ideological forces and structures that produce and constrain literature and interpretations of literature. Literary critical theory consists of various schools of thought, each focusing on differing though often overlapping elements of literature in relation to culture and cultural issues. There are major critical theories focusing on topics such as gender roles and gender performance, socioeconomic class divisions and inequality, racial identity and ideology, postcolonial and historical influences, and psychological impulses, just to name a few. While there are vastly differing approaches to analyzing literature, what all these theoretical approaches have in common is their concern with the relationship between the individual and the culture at large and the way this relationship is represented in works of literature. With these ideas in mind, choose a critical theory from chapter 9, such as Feminist, Marxist, Postcolonial, or Psychoanalytic criticism (see Literature 170-83), and choose two poems from our assigned readings in which you find a strong basis for comparison to write about. Using the critical theory of your choice as a guiding principle of your analysis, write an analytical essay interpreting your comparison of the poems you choose, explaining what the poems teach us about human beings as individuals or as a society. By analyzing the relevant elements of poetry, such as speaker and listener, point of view, character, style, imagery, symbolism, tone, and theme, show how the poems address human nature and the human condition. Explain what the poems together say about life in the real world. First, be sure there is a strong basis for comparison between your poems and your critical theory is relevant to your purpose, and then, in an in a formal introduction, develop a well-defined central argument articulated in a clear, comprehensive thesis statement reinforced by all your supporting paragraphs and summed up in your conclusion paragraph.

Requirements:

• • Finish 5 to 6 pages, not counting works cited page.

• • Give your essay a creative, relevant title and a formal introduction paragraph that situates your reader, generates interest in your topic, and clearly states your thesis.

• • Provide sufficient supporting paragraphs unified by your thesis and followed by a conclusion paragraph that gives your analysis a sense of completion.

• • Support your thesis by quoting passages from the poems as evidence and examples of your argument. All your points should be founded in the texts themselves, and you should quote enough to make that clear.

• • Assume your reader is familiar with the poems and only needs reminding of the specific elements that have bearing on the point you’re making. Explicate but summarize no more than necessary.
  • Use at least four peer-reviewed articles as secondary sources, quoting relevant passages from each source to effectively reinforce your argument. You can access peer-reviewed articles through the Pierce College Library’s online databases, such as Academic Search Complete, Artemis, and JSTOR.
  • Format your essay according to current MLA guidelines (8th edition). See Literature page 53, and use the official website for guidance: .
  • Cite all referenced material according to current MLA guidelines, including parenthetical documentation and a list of works cited (see Literature 135-69).