Stockholm University

Engl I: Reading Literature

Department of English

READING LITERATURE
ORAL PRESENTATION GUIDELINES

The Aim:
In this presentation, you will demonstrate your ability to apply the knowledge that you have
gained so far in the course. You should prepare in groups to discuss at least ONE of the poetic
elements or features of a poem. You may choose to focus on its form and structure, its genre,
its theme, imagery, tone, or symbolism. Good presentations will also convincingly link these
poetic elements or features to the content of the poem in terms of values, arguments, agency,
or message.

The Task:
Your seminar instructor will divide you into small groups (of 3 up to 5 students). Your group
will be assigned a poem by the instructor, and within your group, you will decide what aspects
of the poem you will be presenting individually. Your individual presentation can be no longer
than 3 minutes. Each group will therefore be given a slot of maximum 10 to 15 minutes.

A few things to think of when you prepare your presentation:

CONTENT—What points do you want to make? What textual examples can you use to illustrate
these points?
STRUCTURE—How can you organize what you have to say to make the presentation interesting
and easy to follow for your listeners? What can be an interesting opening to catch the attention
of your audience, and how can you round off neatly with a conclusion that grows out of the
points you make? It is often good to begin with a strong, interesting point, and then build up an
argument through examples, supporting the major point.
DELIVERY—It is a good idea to rehearse your presentation aloud beforehand. That way you
will know whether it fits the time limit or not (shorter than THREE minutes means that you do
not have enough to say, longer than THREE that you need to cut). Also, having pronounced the
words once before, you will feel more secure in the group.
Stockholm University
Engl I: Reading Literature
Department of English

Evaluation Criteria: