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Essay Instructions: The assignment is to interpret song lyrics. Here is a copy of my first draft.

~Free is a word used to symbolize m any things. In Destiny Child?s Destiny Fulfilled, this is the title of one powerful song. Free is used to describe a woman?s choice to leave her ungrateful man. The woman?s need of being ?Free? is illustrated through her emotions conveyed by her words.
?Ain?t Feeling like Being Free? is the first line of the chorus. This line demonstrates how the woman feels about getting of her relationship. From the lyrics, one can gain the feeling the woman is tired of being misused by her man. In fact, within the lyrics the woman (Destiny?s Child) states, ? I?m tired of this happening?.
Anger is shown throughout the song. The woman states she might scream if she doesn?t express how she feels about her relationship with her man. Within the song, she states she doesn?t care anymore. At this point of the song, her anger has climaxed and she has to let go of her relationship.
The woman?s final yet extremely important emotion is the relief she gains from leaving her unsuccessful relationship. ?I?m like an eagle set free? is one of the most appealing lines of the song. The woman choice to compare herself to such an important animal illustrates how important getting out of that relationship is to her.~

Here is a copy of the song lyrics.


Artist: Destiny's Child
Album: Destiny Fulfilled
Title: Free




[Verse 1- Beyonce]

Wait a minute, wait a minute
I think I got to take some time and clear my mind cause if I don't I might (scream)
Scream out loud in a little bit
I'm a tell you what I'm talking about Ladies (Ladies, ladies)
If you know what I mean
When you in love you give your everything
(I'm tired of that happening)
This time is for you and me
You been doing you
I'm goin' do me
Ladies help me sing it

[Pre-chorus]
You steady telling lies
I stayed and pacified
While I kept denying the truth
You always here and there
Finally I don't care
I'm going to keep it real with you

[Chorus]
Ain't no feeling like being free
When your mind's made up
And your hearts in the right place, yeah
Ain't no feeling like being free
When you've done all you could
But what's misunderstood
(It's all good, it's all good)
Ain't no feeling like being free
I'm like an eagle set free
And finally I'm looking out for me
Ain't no feeling like being free
Cause my minds amde up
And my heart is in the right place, yeah

[Verse 2- Beyonce]
Hold 'em up, wait a second
I got to get something off my chest
My happiness was our happiness, I lived and (breathed)
You and all your needs
Let me speak, it's best I do what's best for me
Now ladies, (ladies)
I got my mind back
I been there and done that (no looking back no)
Oh, this time is for me
If you been doing you
I'm going to do me
I'm free

[Pre-chorus 2]
Time is of the essence
And it's much too short to waste another minute on you
While you steady trying to hide
I'm packing saying bye
Thought you were my dream come true

[Repeat Chorus]
[Bridge (Kelly)]
No it ain't easy being left out (no)
Or being forgotten about (being forgotten about)
You don't deserve my love (my love)
I've had enough set me free (free)

[Repeat Chorus]

[Verse 3- (Michelle)]
Can I get some loving (mmm)
Can I get some time (mmm)
Loving in the morning (Yeah)
And in the midnight hour (baby,baby)
I gave you everyting you wanted (wanted)
I gave you everything you needed (mmm)
But you just didn't do right (no,no)
So baby I'm leaving
It feels good to be free

[Chorus Out]

If you can do some research about the group, Destiny's Child. That will be very helpful in interpret the song. You can stray away from what i already have as much as you want. I write terrible essays. Thank you.

Essay Instructions: For the poetry essay, you must choose a poem not already assigned for class discussion. Also, you may not use the same poem for both this paper and your oral poetry presentation, so please be thoughtful with your selections. I’d like you to think about poetry in rather broad terms; thus you may choose to write about song lyrics, rap lyrics, anonymous poems, and so forth. You are welcome to use more than one poem per essay. If you decide to write on a poem not found in our textbook, you must provide me with a copy of the work when you submit your essay. Your assignment is to compose a detailed, documented argumentative essay based on a poem or poems of your own choosing. Please remember that you must support your thesis statement with examples and details. You are expected to come up with original, relevant, revealing ideas about the poem. You may feel free to write about the poem as a whole, or you can concentrate your efforts on one part of the poem, e.g., the meaning of the structure, how literary devices aid theme development, the role of the speaker, etc. You should be aware that merely explaining the meaning of a poem when it is readily apparent to all readers is the equivalent of providing plot summary in the fiction essay. It might be slightly helpful on rare occasions, but it must not be the focus of your essay. You should, as always, feel free to “bounce” ideas off of me, the e-tutors available through Smarthinking, or the tutors in the Writing Center. In order to understand and write about a poem, you must necessarily “live” with it for a while. That is, you should read and re-read it many times over the course of several days. Think about what the work means to you. Look up any words that may have multiple meanings. Read the poem aloud, paying particular attention to how it sounds. Talk with others about what you have learned. Research how critics interpret the work.

Essay Instructions: Choose a single song from lyrics handouts 1a or 1b. Using the readings from the first three weeks of class, write a 3 page paper in which you examine how these lyrics reflect broader historical events and cultural themes (You may bring in other sources if you would like but I do not expect or require you to do this).

Along with the paper, turn in an outline of your paper. This outline should be in the following format and should at least inclulde the following:
I. Thesis
II. Point 1
Supporting evidence
III. Point 2
Supporting evidence
IV. Point 3
Supporting evidence

Some general reminders/tips:
- You should have a thesis statement in which you make an argument about what the lyrics reveal. Your thesis statement should also provide a clear outline for how this argument will unfold.

- Make sure each paragraph is devoted to a single aspect of your argument. Each paragraph should being with a topic sentence that clearly states what portion of the argument you will be making in the paragraph. All evidence in a paragraph should support this part of your argument.

-Make sure you cite all quotations used as evidence. See the writing resources handout for a link to the Chicago style of reference.

-Make sure to explain any and all quotations you use from the readings. These are pieces of evidence that you have to explicitly fit into your argument. For every sentence you quote, you should have at least another sentence in which you explain the quotation.

-Think about lyrics as more than just words on a page. Who would be singing these lyrics? Who would they be singing them to? Where would they be performed? How might people be able to give voice to concerns or ideas through song that they might not be able to in other forms of expression?

There are faxes for this order.

Essay Instructions: Description: Students will write a 3-5 page research essay which examines an artist, period, genre or movement through a well-defined critical strategy (or strategies) using a combination of close textual analysis of lyrics and MLA style documented research. The paper must be thesis-driven and/or draw some analytical conclusion based on an examination of lyrics and their relevant musical, biographical, cultural or historical contexts. Works cited should include at least two primary sources (lyrics) and three secondary sources (criticism).
Planning Your Paper: Choose any artist, period, genre or movement and write researched literary analysis of the subject. Your analysis should support a thesis which not only asserts an interpretation of the works under consideration but also evaluates the works or artists according to a well-defined critical strategy, for example: Formalist, Comparative Lit, Psychoanalytic, Feminist, or Socio-Economic.
• In a Comparative Lit Analysis you might explore the influence of Eastern mysticism on the psychedelic music of the 60's, or more specifically, the influence of specific Buddhist texts or teachings on specific songs by The Beatles and how that music influenced the popular culture of the late 60's.

• For a Socio-Economic Analysis, you might examine how social and economic circumstances of a certain period or place are reflected by its music, for example, the blues of the American South in the 1920's and 30's, or the folk/protest music of the early 60's, or the emergence of rap from urban areas during the 1980's and 90's. You would then support your thesis with direct references to the lyrics of specific artists and to any relevant criticism, commentary or historical evidence your research reveals.

Requirements:
Your essay should cite all quotes in MLA format and contain at least two quotes from
the works you are analyzing, as well as quotes or references from at least two
secondary sources relevant to the work or author/s you are considering. Be sure to
include a works cited, double space, and title your essay (don't just use the author's!).
Your essay should be 3-5 pages in length (not counting Works Cited).

Literary Thesis/ Outline Worksheet & Peer Critique

1. What is the subject (text/s) of the thesis? Are both the title/s and author/s mentioned?

2. What is the central claim of the thesis?

3. Is the claim of the thesis too broad or too narrow? Is it located in the text under consideration? That is, can it be argued or proven primarily by an analysis of the text itself (as opposed to a broader social or historical critique)? Explain.


4. What critical strategy is the author using for his or her analysis: Formalist, Postmodern, a combination?


5. How is this critical strategy expressed or identified in the thesis? Does the author “narrate” or “announce” the strategy in an intrusive or awkward manner? Or does the author clearly imply the strategy through the nature of his or her central claim? Explain.


6. Is this critical strategy appropriate for the text/s under consideration? Explain.


7. What literary elements are addressed by the thesis?


8. What is this thesis statement’s greatest strength?


9. What part of this thesis would you clarify or revise?


10. Do the subtopics in the student/author’s outline clearly support his or her thesis? Explain.
Formalist/Comparative Postmodern Analysis Critique Use the following questions as guidelines to help the author better see his or her work through the eyes of the reader. As a critic, try to be as specific as you can about the essay's strengths and weaknesses in order to help the author effectively revise.
Work
What literary work/s is the author analyzing?
Does the student-author refer to both the author and title of the work/s?
Is the work's title properly formatted?
Synopsis
Does the student-author offer a clear synopsis of the work in question?
Would you add anything to it?
Where in the essay does it appear? How is this effective or ineffective?
Thesis
What is the central question that the student-author asks of this work?
What critical strategy does the thesis employ: Formalist, Postmodern, a combination?
Does this strategy seem relevant to the work? Explain.
Beyond addressing the work from one a critical perspectives, what claim does the thesis make about the work?
What literary elements does the student-author address through his or her thesis, if any?
Organization
What method or methods of organization does the student-author use to support his or her thesis? For example, does he or she use Illustration by Example, Comparison and Contrast?
How is this effective?
Write a brief outline of the student-author's essay. Is it organized logically? Explain.
Support/Research
Does the student-author support each general assertion that he or she makes about the work with specific references to the text?
Are any direct quotes used? Are they properly formatted and documented according to MLA?
Is there enough commentary by the student-author to justify the use of each quote? What research has the student-author done to support his or her claims about the work? How does it reinforce the critical strategy through which the student-author has chosen to view the work? Is there enough commentary by the student-author to justify the use of these quotes? Does the student-author seem to rely too much on the ideas of others? Explain.
Is there an MLA works cited page? Are the sources scholarly? Explain.
Development
Does the student-author offer enough evidence to support his or her thesis? Explain.
Are there any points that could use further development?
Does each point seem relevant? That is, are they unified?
Does each paragraph flow to the next? In other words, are they coherent?
Does the student-author effectively conclude his or her essay? Explain.
Proofing, Editing and Overall Effectiveness
Are there any grammar or spelling errors which mar the essay's content? If so, mark them.
Are there any awkward or unclear sentences? If so, underline them.
Are there any vague or inaccurate uses of language? If so, mark them.
What is this essay's greatest strength? If you were to revise this essay, what would you focus on?