Compose an academic essay between 750 and 1000 words, using MLA format.  
The goals for this assignment are to:
demonstrate your understanding of the elements of the thesis-driven academic essay
analyze a contemporary (and not well known) poem of your own choosing, using several of the appropriate terms and devices for poetry
create an original argument for meaning
Directions:  Using the techniques and tools we have discussed—but selecting which ever are appropriate and useful to your poem—interpret the selected poem to expose what you think to be its central idea or argument.
Note: I am NOT asking you to summarize the poem. I am asking you to offer YOUR interpretation of its message through analysis and close reading of lines and elements. 
Formulate your thesis with a claim and rationale in response to this PROMPT:  
What is the deeper and most significant message or argument in this work (your chosen poem)? How does the poet use poetic devices or techniques to convey this deeper meaning?
The path to understanding a poem comes through close reading, the line by line or stanza by stanza analysis. Your purpose as a writer is to show your reader what you understand. Your analysis aims to illuminate the poem’s particular or subtle meanings–what is not perfectly obvious–in order to propose an argument for its essential or deeper meaning. Your argument is your interpretation, yet it is based on or supported by what you discover in the work itself. 
Remember, in a poem, the deeper message is rarely obvious on the first reading, and it lies beneath the surface of a summary of its lines. The reader and writer must look at all of the elements of a poem, attempt to understand how they work together, and draw a meaningful conclusion from this investigation. Another reader might discover a different message. Your argument for meaning will be valid so long as you support it with strong, well analyzed and explained evidence in the work.
To support an interpretation, aim to show how and why the poem expresses its special message. If you get a bit stuck, return to the questions:  How does the poem express the message? Why does the poem or poet express this idea?  What might be the purpose or intention of the poem?  Even if you feel a bit tentative, as if you are “guessing,” it’s OK.  Interpretations are thoughtful guesses that become more certain as we find “proof” for our theories.
In your essay, you should:
explain the significance of literary figures (image, metaphor, simile, symbol, etc.) if they occur.
analyze the poem’s logical structure (i.e., how the ideas develop and conclude, or how the images relate to one another).
evaluate the poem’s diction (look up any key words that resonate with connotation).
Organization:  Create a strong, well-focused introduction and conclusion, as well as a specific, original title. Briefly summarize or paraphrase the poem in the introduction, then set up and assert your thesis statement.  Remember:  the thesis is always the last sentence of the introduction. After the introductory paragraph, you need not summarize, but instead should analyze the particulars of the work. These three elements—title, introductory paragraph, thesis statement, and conclusion paragraph–work together to create structure and closure in an essay by narrowing its focus and purpose.
Body paragraphs should be well built, also. The body paragraphs help you prove, demonstrate, and develop your thesis. This is the substance of your argument. These paragraphs move you along a compelling trajectory from your introduction to your conclusion.
What goes into a strong body paragraph?
Every paragraph must have a topic sentence, usually the first sentence. The topic sentence states the main idea of the body paragraph. All of the sentences in the paragraph connect to it. Keep in mind that main ideas are:
like signposts. They appear in the first sentence of the paragraph and tell your reader what’s inside the paragraph.
arguable. They’re not statements of fact; they’re debatable points that you prove with evidence. They are clearly reflections of your thesis statement. They are in a sense sub thesis statements or facets of the thesis.
focused. Each paragraph has a unique main idea to demonstrate and prove. If you make a list of the main ideas of each body paragraph in a paper, you would clearly see that they are related to yet different from one another, and that they all reflect your thesis statement
Audience:  Who are your readers? Direct your interpretations to your classmates. They have not read this poem. Your goal is to enlighten these readers, to reveal what they do not yet see or understand. This means that you should fully develop your arguments and base them on direct references to significant words and lines in the poem. Teach your readers how to analyze and understand this poem.
MLA Format:  Use MLA format for your document and in-text citation (with poetry we cite by line rather than page number). In the Work Cited section of your essay, cite the web site or book in which you found your poem.
Important Note:  Include the poem at the end of your document.
HERE IS THE POEM!!!!  https://poets.org/poem/heartbeats
Heartbeats by Melvin Dixon
*I HAVE AN OUTLINE THAT I ALSO HAVE TO SUBMIT WITH SEPERATE INSTRUCTIONS DUE JULY 8TH IF YOUR OPEN TO DOING THAT AS WELL”  the instructions for that are “Now that you have a good sense of your thesis, create an outline for the paper.  It is so important to plan and build your essay.  When you think and plan before you write, you are less likely to get off track or experience writer’s block (frustration, distractions, etc.).  The more we plan, the better the paper.  
The easiest and most effective way to do this is to:
Start with your claim and rationale.
Create topics sentences for at least 4 body paragraphs that directly support your claim and rationale in different ways.
Include brief notes on the specific evidence and analysis for each of these claim-driven paragraphs (quotation, imagery, poetic element, definitions, connections, implications, and so on.  Use the explication process for inspiration).
Big takeaway.  Draft the key points for your conclusion.  Remember, you want to save your best ideas for last.  How do the body paragraphs lead us to this big takeaway or conclusion?”