Activity 3, pg. 94

I'm analyzing the midterm paper I wrote for my British Literature class last year. The topic/question was to juxtapose two or more pieces that we read and discuss similarities and differences of the themes. I wrote about John Donne's poem, "The Flea" and Andrew Marvel's poem, "To His Coy Mistress."

I interpreted these pieces as love poems, but more so with the theme of seduction and sexual mischief. Throughout the paper, I quoted numerous direct quotations from the texts such as stanzas, lines and phrases from the Norton Anthology overview that preceded the works. I also used indirect quotations from the authors in what I interpreted their poetry to mean.

For six pages, I would analyze the similar ties of the poems and use the following paragraphs to discuss the differences. Personally, I found it challenging to organize my paper in a constructive manner, yet continuing to be analytical about the texts. However, it turned out to flow rather nicely and during the editing process it was easier to move things around to make it read more synthetically.

My teacher agreed and remarked about the structure of the paper, as well as the thought I put into evaluating both pieces. He was impressed at the way I organized my thoughts to allow my interpretation to be followed easily by a reader. Also, with the extensive use of intertextual techniques, my teacher thought that I did a great job with portraying the poets' work while providing my opinion.