Paper Assignment #3
Due: December 8, 2000

Please note: while I have been accepting late papers throughout the semester, with late papers losing one full grade for each week that they are late, late papers WILL NOT be accepted for this assignment. All papers not turned in by the end of class on December 8 will receive a grade of 0. If you cannot come to class, turn in your paper early, or send it with a classmate.

Length: 5 pages, double-spaced, not including cover sheet
Reminders: use 1" margins all around, and a standard font; double-space; attach a title page to the front of your paper with your name and a title for your paper; do not put your name anywhere inside the body of your paper; use only one staple to keep your pages together; include an introduction and a conclusion; proofread!

This paper asks you to analyze and write about two of Pat Parker's poems from her book, Movement in Black. The easiest way to deal with this is to have two separate parts to your paper—title each section separately, noting which poem you are analyzing in each. You may also take some time to compare the two poems to each other, perhaps in your conclusion, but this is not a requirement.

What follows is a list of questions designed to help you analyze and interpret the first poem that you will be writing about, Goat Child, on pages 49-60. You are free to choose the other Parker poem that you will work with from among the other poems in the book. I strongly suggest that you complete your analysis of Goat Child before choosing and analyzing the second poem, as the questions I give you here are meant to guide you in the art of poetry interpretation. You do not have to answer all of these questions, nor do you have to answer them in the order in which they are given. These questions are merely meant to help you dig in to the poem, to help you in noticing some of the nuances of Parker's poetry, and to "get your feet wet" in working with poetry.

• what is the symbolism of the goat?
• connect the images of goats in the poem
• discuss the shepherd metaphor—who/what are the shepherds? their significance?
• how does the narrator feel about the shepherds?
• how do the images of the goats and the shepherds interrelate?
• consider why Parker does not capitalize the word "i"
• discuss the war imagery and how it relates with the other content of the poem
• consider why the narrator's sister does not help the narrator, and how the narrator feels about this
• what gender-role socialization is apparent in the poem?

Make sure that you have read the poem numerous times, on different days— you will be amazed at how you can keep finding new things that you did not notice before. As you answer the questions, and as you notice other images and important things in the poem, write down all the possible meanings that there may be.

When you have finished this preliminary part, look back at everything you have written. Take some time to collect all of your thoughts, then organize them into a coherent, sustained analysis of the poem. Some suggestions:

• poems are not necesasrily autobiographical—the narrator of the poem is not necessarily the author of the poem, so do not discuss the poem presuming that Parker is writing about herself. While she may be, there is no way for you to back up this claim. If you were writing a longer paper, you would do some outside background research on the author, but this is NOT necessary for this paper, so please do not bother to do so
• similarly, it is impossible to analyze poetry with certainty—there is no way to know exactly what Parker meant. All you can do is figure out what you THINK she MAY have meant, and write about that. Usually, you will come up with one dominant interpretation, and sometimes you will also have one or two slightly less plausible but nevertheless interesting ideas for alternative interpretations. It is completely okay to write your paper including these alternative possibilities. Just make sure that you are not presuming to know the truth, because you cannot

Remember that this is a 5 page paper, and you have 2 poems to write about. I'm guessing that 3 pages will be sufficient for Goat Child, leaving you with 2 pages for your other poem.

Remember to take your time with this assignment, and to have fun with it! Poetry is often more fun when discussed out loud, so drag your family, friends and roommates into the process—bounce your ideas off of them, and see what they have to say. They just may point out something to you that you missed. And, as always, please e-mail me with questions, or if you want to bounce an idea off of me.

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