Quote Notes: Poetry

Because my English 1080 students have two poetry assignments coming up, one in-class and one shorter out-of-class assignment, my discussion of quotation methods will begin with poetry.

Quotation is something that used to be taught in high school and, to some degree, in elementary school, but that seems not to be the case anymore since I rarely encounter a first-year essay that presents quotes the right way.

It’s been hard finding time to write about this topic, as there are so many issues involved with quotation. That said, here are two excellent sources to answer your questions about poetry method:

http://www.shepherd.edu/scwcweb/hndpoetry.htm

and

http://www.answerbag.com/articles/How-to-Quote-and-Cite-a-Poem-in-an-Essay-Using-MLA-Format/4d7227b7-df27-6c1b-fb0b-a658367c075a .

Please note, however, that I am not concerned that you include the line number (it's really not necessary). I am more concerned that you do the following:

1. Put quotation marks around the TITLE of the poem.

2. Put quotation marks around the direct words quoted from the poem.


3. Use a slash between lines of quoted poetry:

a) Frost’s speaker finds himself wondering, “Whose woods these are I think I know/His house is in the village though,” thereby placing emphasis on the ownership of property.

b) The speaker in Wordsworth’s poem suddenly finds comfort in nature, speaking of the flowers as if they are human: “When all at once I saw a crowd/A host of golden daffodils.”


4. If you use a long quote, indent ten spaces, but quotation marks are not necessary.

As the speaker moves on, he encounters a variety of movement in nature:
Beside the lake, beneath the trees
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze
The waves beside them danced but they
Outdid the sparkling waves with glee.
Notice that I introduce the quote using a colon, and the next line of prose following a long quotes should not be indented. Use a line or two of explanation (like this example, except Blogspot wouldn't allow me to indent the quote, so I put it in blue) and then start a new paragraph.

5. Don’t use “hanging quotes” (also called “floating quotes”). That is, don’t place the quote in the midst of your discussion, without leading into it or setting it up properly.

Here’s a hanging quote:

The speaker admires the beauty of the woods. “The woods are lovely.” Also, he sees that they are mysterious. “dark and deep”.

Here's how that quote should look:

The speaker admires the beauty of nature, saying, "The woods are lovely." He also notes their mysterious quality, adding that they are "dark and deep".

Here’s another way, a little extra analysis thrown in:

The speaker admires the beauty of the woods, thinking they are “lovely,” but he also appreciates their hidden quality, as they are “dark and deep,” perhaps impenetrable and unknowable. In this way, he remains somewhat detached from the woods as suggested by the preposition “by” in the woods. That is, rather than stopping in the woods or venturing into them where he might be able to see them up close and engage with nature, he is merely “stopping by,” perhaps because his work will only allow him a certain physical and emotional distance from the object of his affection.

Notice the placement of the quotation marks, as well the commas, which go inside the quotation marks. Notice also that I made my point without using unnecessarily long quotes, but focused instead on discussing specific word choices of the poet. I don’t just give the quote; I explain its significance.

I’ll post this much for now. It should give you an idea of what I am talking about. Most of this information is applicable also to writing about prose (fiction and novels). Use shorter quotes instead of longer ones when possible. Either way, your quote should be incorporated properly into your discussion, using quotation marks.

GC