Crossing the Swamp Essay

Overall, I was very impressed with your essays. I loved what I saw. Remember, make your point in the topic sentence, and provide details to support, and explain those details.

Nearly all of you were very intuned to the imagery in the poem, and the poet's use of imagery to both illustrate the danger and difficulty lurking in the swamp, as well as the possibility of hope. It is complex in that way.

Some of you noticed the poem's structure. The back and forth nature of the lines looks like someone struggling. A good many of you noticed the turning point or shift in the end, and explained how it helped solidify the poet's theme.

Many of you also commented on the sound of the poem. The author's repetition of similar sounding words in some lines ("pathless" "seamless" "peerless") both emphasizes an idea (the swamp if difficult to pass through)and a sound, which emphasizes an idea (these words produce immediate closure at the end. You have to stop after each word. This mirrors getting stuck in the mud).

A Few Notes to Remember
- Your job is not only to explain what the author is saying (summary), but, more importantly, how the author is saying it (analysis through literary devices).
- Three body paragraphs is gold, Jerry. Gold.