1. Essay option: Using quotation and analysis, compare and contrast the ways in which the three assigned poems narrate historical events. Your essay must discuss the poets’ use of language (figurative language like metaphors and similes, imagery, and voice — who is the speaker/who is the implied addressee, and why is that important). Focus on how the poets tell the stories they are telling, rather than what those stories are (in other words, you should know the historical background, but you do not need to summarize it in your essay). Length: 800-1000 words.
“The Venus Hottentot” by Elizabeth Alexander ( https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/52111/the-venus-hottentot )
“Alabama 9/15/63″ by Lucille Clifton
“Rosa Parks” by Nikki Giovanni ( https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/90180/rosa-parks )