English Composition 2

Diagnostic Paragraph: Robert Frost's "Mending Wall" (not in the textbook)

Due Date

Friday, January 14: submitted in Blackboard by the end of the day.

The minimum required length for this assignment is 250 words.

You will need to read Robert Frost's poem "Mending Wall" for this assignment. You can access the poem by clicking one of the links to it on this page.  

The Assignment

In Robert Frost's "Mending Wall," the speaker shares his thoughts concerning a wall that stands between his property and his neighbor's property.

In one paragraph of at least 250 words, support and develop an interpretation that the speaker of Robert Frost's "Mending Wall"

• prefers that the wall remain between his property and his neighbor's property, or
• prefers that a wall not remain between his property and his neighbor's property, or
• seems unsure of how he feels about the wall between his property and his neighbor's property.

You can assume that your audience has already read "Mending Wall" but has not analyzed or studied it, so you should not just summarize the poem. Instead, focus on proving one of the claims above with specific evidence from the poem.

The Diagnostic Paragraph: Purpose and Expectations

The diagnostic paragraph allows me to offer you some feedback on your writing at the beginning of the course. The paragraph will not receive a grade and does not count toward your final course grade, but I will collect and evaluate your paragraph just as I will evaluate the essays you submit for the course, giving you suggestions that you can apply to your essays.

When I read and evaluate the Diagnostic Paragraph, I will be looking for the basics:

• a clear topic sentence at the beginning of the paragraph that identifies the subject and presents the main claim to be supported and developed in the rest of the paragraph,
• a paragraph well focused on proving just one main claim,
• ideas developed and supported with plenty of specific details,
• a clear presentation of ideas,
• sentences free or almost free from errors,
• quotations logically and grammatically integrated into sentences, and
• at least 250 words.

Don't worry if these expectations sound intimidating; just do the best job you can.

Organizing and Developing Your Paragraph

You should begin the paragraph with a topic sentence that identifies your subject (Robert Frost's "Mending Wall") and that clearly states the main claim that you are going to argue in the paragraph. In the rest of the paragraph, you should stay focused on supporting and developing the claim presented in the topic sentence. Make sure to use specific evidence from the poem, including quotations, to support and develop your interpretation.

"Diagnostic Paragraph Tips (PowerPoint)" provides information about the basic format for the paragraph that should work well in helping you organize and develop your ideas effectively.

Using Quotations

You will need to use quotations from the poem in your paragraph. Each quotation needs to be integrated into one of your own sentences. In other words, no quotation should be standing by itself. Instead, each quotation needs to be a part of one of your own sentences.

All quotations should be copied accurately, and you should avoid the use of long quotations. Instead, use short, well-integrated quotations. When you present quoted words, you should cite the author's last name at the end of the sentence in which the quotation appears, "like this" (Frost). If a quotation spans more than one line of the poem, you should indicate the line break with a slash, "like / this" (Frost).

Referring to the Speaker, not the Poet

When you refer to the person who is speaking the words of a poem, you should refer to "the speaker," not to the poet. Robert Frost created the speaker to speak the lines of "Mending Wall," and it is a mistake to assume that the speaker and the poet are the same person.

Using a Formal Writing Voice

You should use a formal writing voice for the diagnostic paragraph, as well as for all essay assignments in the course. Among other things, this means that you should avoid first-person references (the use of "I," "me," "my," etc.), so you should not use phrases such as "I think that," "I believe that," or "in my opinion." Readers will know that the ideas you present in your paragraph are your own because you are the writer of the paragraph, so, as you write and revise your paragraph, you should delete any first-person references.

Following Instructions

The diagnostic paragraph not only provides an indication of your writing skills at the beginning of the semester but also indicates how well you are able to follow instructions.

Before you turn in your Diagnostic Paragraph, please check the following:

• Is there only one paragraph?
• Is the paragraph at least the minimum length of 250 words?
• Does the paragraph refer to the speaker, not to the poet, as the person speaking the words of the poem?
• Are there no first-person references in the paragraph?
• Are quoted words copied from the poem correctly?
• Is each quotation integrated into one of your own sentences, with no quotations standing alone in the paragraph?
• Is the paragraph double spaced?

Preparing and Turning In Your Paragraph

Your paragraph should be word processed and double spaced, with 12-point Times New Roman fonts. Type your name, the instructor's name, your class, and the date in the upper left corner of the first page. You do not need to give your paragraph a title.

When you are finished, please submit your paragraph in Blackboard as a Word file.