Martin Espada’s poem “Alabanza” is ostensibly about all who were affected by the attacks on 9/11, but upon closer inspection it is possible to see this poem as being directed to an imagined group of workers who may have been less visible than others who perished in this terrible tragedy. Above is a picture of the Windows on the World restaurant. As you can see, it really does look like an aquarium. It is your job as a literary analyste to offer an an interpretation of “Alabanza” in a three-page double-spaced essay (font = Times New Roman; point size =12). And, to echo some of the information found in the “Literary Analysis” lecture notes, your interpretation will be built from a series of smaller moments from the poem, some of which you probably already worked through in your discussion forum with your group. To help you along with this first essay, here is some additional information that you may find helpful: ESSAY STRUCTURE: A word of caution…. This is not a five-paragraph essay with three reasons. Instead, you are building a theory and using it to analyze a poem. So you will have an introduction and conclusion, complete with topic sentences and evidence and multiple paragraphs; however, you should not limit yourself to the boundaries of the five-paragraph format. AUTHOR VS. NARRATOR: Espada is the author and not the narrator. Incorrect: Espada writes/says “Alabanza” (Line 1). Correct: The unnamed narrator begins by saying, “Alabanza” (Line 1), which suggest that… LITERARY DEVICES Make sure to consult your list of lit devices (symbols, metaphors, imagery, among others) to help you analyze a moment. While you were taught how to paraphrase and to quote directly in WRT 101, you may want to depend on direct quotes for your lit analysis because it is easier to use literary devices when you are referring to the actual language of the poem.
