Peer Edit

Poetry & Song Paper

I.  Taking Care of Basics

Check your printer for ink when you get home. If the printer is out of ink and you can’t get to the store, no problem. Simply email me a copy to the school address. If you tell me that your computer crashed the night before the assignment is due, I can come to one of two conclusions. One, you are lying (99% probability); or two, you are one of those unfortunate souls that things like this happen to in life (1% probability).

Does the paper meet minimum requirements? This is a MUST DO.

Is the paper correctly formatted? Ignorance does not excuse you from meeting this obligation.

A rough draft is mandatory. No rough draft = 0 formative + 20 point deduction on summative

Did you provide a copy/transcription of the lyrics? This will cause me a major pain in the backside if you don’t!

II.  Answering the Question

You have been asked to analyze the lyrics of a favorite song, but that is not all.

Did you discuss what the words alone provide?

Did you discuss what the words lack in recreating the total power of the song?

Did you examine what parts of the song’s power come solely from the words?

Did you examine what parts of the song’s power come from the music or performance?

III.  Stylistic Concerns

This is what separates the Alpha paper from the rest. Some people happen to be better writers than others, but you can help yourself.

MAKE A POINT! Amazing how many times this is forgotten.

Have an editor check it for clarity. Remember Strunk and White: “Clarity, clarity, clarity!”

Mechanical correctness falls under the umbrella of Taking Care of Business, but we will address it here. Correct EVERY error in the paper. The problem with this directive is that while it is possible to succeed in terms of spelling, grammar, and punctuation; when it comes to style, you have entered into the world of the art form.

So what is aesthetically pleasing writing? Let’s break it down to basics:

We don’t have to read the sentences twice to understand what was said (Remember – “Clarity . . .).

The sentences are too simplistic or choppy. We are thinking adults now. Let’s move beyond “See Spot run” sentence structures.

Make smooth transitions from one idea to the next beyond, “First . . .”, “Second . . .”, “Finally . . .” etc.. Embed your transitions.

See The Little, Brown Handbook regarding mechanical questions