nstructions:

1. Read Hayden’s poem, “Those Winter Sundays,” that is found on pp. 35-36 in RL&WA. After carefully reading the poem, argue your own critical perspectives based on your claim (thesis statement) and your evidence (support) in response to the writing prompt below. Review the sections in Chapter 2 in RL&WA that deal with the rhetorical appeals and focusing an argument with a strong claim supported by evidence.

2. Your essay should be a minimum of three pages of written text plus a Works Cited page. You are expected to make at least five direct citations to lines in the poem to support your claim. Observe the MLA requirements for essay formats, in-text citations, and Works Cited page. Purdue OWL has several excellent web pages dealing with MLA requirements (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/).

2. Argue your viewpoint to the following statement based on Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays.” Your viewpoint does not necessarily have to defend or oppose the statement. However, you should support your own claim with cited quotations to lines in the poem to support your critical viewpoint.

“Those Winter Sundays” guides the reader to participate in the simple truths of life. The poem’s narrator reminisces through simple images and metaphors that capture an ironic, yet revealing, portrayal of family life. What are these truths? How and in what ways does the narrator convey the simple truths of life to the reader? Are these truths hopeful? Are these truths sad? What aspects about life do these poetic truths reveal to the reader?

3. Be certain to focus your essay with a strong thesis statement that asserts an effective claim. Take a stand in your critique and support it! Be sure to link your support paragraphs’ topic sentences to your thesis statement. Use transitions. Conclude your essay with an effective summary and conclusory statement.

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