Almost all major poetry is posted and analyzed at various Internet websites, as I�m sure you know. However, the quality of these sites

varies widely as to their reliability.

Choose one of the 6 poems we have read and discussed for WEEK 5, Sons and Lovers –

“My Papa’s Waltz”
“Those Winter Sundays”
“Dover Beach”
“To His Coy Mistress”
“Bitch”
“The Man Under the Bed”

Using the evaluation criteria below, choose 2 sites — a reliable site and an unreliable site � to report on.

When you choose your �good site� really look at the interpretations closely according to the criteria below. Also look at the “credentials”

of the writer. Even a so-called expert in literature may not be very reliable if his/her interpretation is a pronouncement rather than an

analysis.

Criteria for Evaluation:

1. First of all, ask yourself: Just who is this writer? What can you find out about him or her? What is the purpose of the website on

which you find the information?

To find out about the writer, google him or her. Or work backward on the website: for instance, say you have the address

usc.edu/smith/english233/poetry. Eliminate the “english233/poetry” section of the URL: you might find yourself at Professor Smith’s site

where you can find out more about her.

2. Does the writer supply enough examples to support his or her conclusions? (In fact, what are his/her conclusions?)

3. Does the writer acknowledge and refute the most obvious arguments against his or her position? (What are these arguments?)

4. Does the writer ignore any information in the text that might call his or her conclusions into question? (What is that information?)

You should present this project to me in the form of a report entitled Research Project: and the name and author of the poem.

Click HERE for more information on site evaluation. HERE for information on quoting poetry.

You should use the following headings in your report:

A. Site #1: a reliable interpretation. Name of site and URL.

�Description of the site, its author, his or her credentials, and how you found out the information about the author.
�Summary of what is said about the poem.
�Evaluation of the interpretation of the poem considering the criteria listed above. You should quote correctly from the site to illustrate

your points.
�Note: Be careful to use quotation marks to distinguish your words from the exact words at the site or in the poem.
B. Site #2: an unreliable interpretation: Name of site and URL.

�Description of the site, its author, his or her credentials, and how you found out the information about the author.
�Summary of what is said about the poem.
�Evaluation of the interpretation of the poem considering the criteria listed above. You should quote correctly from the site to illustrate

your points.
�Note: Be careful to use quotation marks to distinguish your words from the exact words at the site or in the poem.
C. Conclusion: How are the two analyses different?

Here’s how I’ll grade you:

Criteria
Possible points
Your points

Topic: The report is on the designated topic.

-50

Organization: The report is organized according to instructions.

10

Clarity: I can understand what you are saying.

10

Careful Reading of the Text: You show that you have read carefully and are correct about the factual details of the analyses. You do not

distort the analyses or the poems in order to prove your point.

10

Handling of Evidence: You refer to the sites and poem by direct quotation in order to back up your assertions. You incorporate quotations

gracefully into the paper, cite them appropriately, and comment on their significance.

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/2/

10

Editing: Your report has a title and you have followed formatting instructions. The report has been spell-checked and carefully proofread.

You demonstrate a reasonable command of the conventions of academic writing. You include a Works Cited list in MLA format.

10

Use of Sources Other Than the Texts: You do not need to use additional sources other than the poem and the websites you are discussing,

but if you did, you acknowledged them in the text of your paper and in an attached Works Consulted list. Even paraphrases of other ideas

must be acknowledged parenthetically in your text.

-50

Total

50