answered: Please look over the selected passage from the poem “The Wan

  

Please look over the selected passage from the poem “The Wanderer” below, then follow instruction on how to write the essay. The full poem is attached as a PDF. The essay is to be double spaced an at least 2 1/2 pages in length.
The wise man must realize how ghastly it will be
when all the wealth of this world stands waste,
as now here and there throughout this
middle-earth
walls stand blasted by wind, beaten by frost,
the buildings crumbling. The wine halls topple,
their rulers lie deprived of all joys;
the proud old troops all fell by the wall.
War carried off some,
sent them on the way,
one a bird carried off
over the high seas,
one the gray wolf shared with death—
and one a sad-faced man covered in an earthen grave.
The Creator
of men thus destroyed this walled city,
until the old works of giants
stood empty,
without the sounds of their former citizens.
He who deeply considers,
with wise thoughts,
this foundation and this dark life, 90 old in spirit,
often remembers so many ancient slaughters, and says these words:
‘Where has the horse gone? where is the rider? where is the giver of gold?
Where are the seats of the feast? where are the joys of the hall?
O the bright cup! O the brave warrior!
O the glory of princes!
How the time passed away,
slipped into nightfall as if it had never been!
There still stands in the path
of the dear warriors
a wall wondrously high, with serpentine stains.
A storm of spears took away the warriors,
bloodthirsty weapons, wyrd the mighty,
and storms batter these stone walls,
frost falling binds up the earth, the howl of winter,
when blackness comes, night’s shadow looms,
sends down from the north
harsh hailstones in hatred of men.
All is toilsome in the earthly kingdom,
the working of wyrd changes the world under heaven.
Here wealth is fleeting, here friends are fleeting,
here man is fleeting, here woman is fleeting,
all the framework of this earth will stand empty.”
So said the wise one in his mind
meditation.
He is good who keeps his word,
never too quickly
Select one main point about the passage’s meaning that you would like to develop in your project. Write an essay or record a video explaining that point. Your essay or video should first identify the text and passage you analyze. Then provide a clear thesis statement that argues for a specific reason why your passage is important or noteworthy. Use quotations to support your claims and explain the meaning of all quotations. Toward the end of your essay briefly consider your passage’s place and meaning within the work as a whole.
BELOW are some tips for analyzing each line of the passage of the poem for the essay:
– Examine the text’s language and diction (word choice). Try to substitute similar words or phrases and think about the difference. Look up any words that seem unclear or significant in a dictionary (I recommend the Oxford English Dictionary). How does the text make use of different connotations of its words? Puns? Do you notice any repeated words or phrases?
-What metaphors, similes, personifications, or other figures of speech does the text use? What images strike you? Any repeated or contrasting images? Explore the possible meanings behind these elements.
-Pay attention to structure, form, and rhythm. Is the passage in blank verse, rhymed verse, or prose? Are lines or sentences long or choppy? Varied or consistent? How does the text use punctuation, line breaks, or sound effects such as alliteration or assonance to place emphasis? How does the text’s form suit its theme and subject?
-Who is speaking? What are characters’ motivations, goals, and perspectives?
How would you describe the text’s tone? Sarcastic or earnest? Sorrowful or elated?
Consider the context. If it is part of a longer work, where does it appear and why? What is the significance of the passage in relation to the text as a whole?
-How does this passage add meaning to the text? What is its function? What does it teach us (about a character, the plot, themes, the world of the text, etc.)?
-When you make observations, be sure to explore their possible significance. In simplified terms, approach a new text by asking “What do I notice?” and then “So what?”