Importance of Citing Poetry
Citing poetry is essential to any essay when one is quoting or referencing lines of poetry. It is important to adhere to the specified format in order to avoid any plagiarism charges or loss of credibility. Citing poetry correctly can also protect the writer’s work in terms of intellectual property, as it allows them to highlight the origin of the quote and be properly credited for any referencing done. It prevents the person from being accused of plagiarism and denotes that all the work was conducted properly and with due diligence.
Format for Citing Poetry Essays
Most essay formats require a specific style of citation. The Modern Language Association (MLA) is the most commonly used format for citing poetry in essays which requires the name of the author, the title of the quoted poem, the volume and the publisher of the poem, and the line numbers for the lines of poetry quoted. When citing poetry in the MLA format, it is important to include a parenthetical reference at the location where the poem lines are used in the essay. Generally, the format used to include the poet’s name, the title of the poem in quotation marks, the line number and the page number in parenthesis.
Examples of Citing Poetry
When citing a line of poetry, the line should be placed in quotation marks, followed by the author’s name and the number of the line. For example, if a line of poetry is taken from William Wordsworth’s poem, ‘The World is Too Much With Us’, the introduction of the quote in the essay might be written as follows:
William Wordsworth’s poem, ‘The World is Too Much With Us’ takes a melancholic look at the way in which humans “have given our hearts too much of the world” (“The World is Too Much With Us,” line 6).
The reference for the MLA format for the same example would result in the following (Wordsworth 6).
Quotes from Long Poems
When citing from a long poem, such as the one mentioned above, it is best to use the act, scene, and line numbers of the poem if they’re available. This applies when citing from a play as well. For example, in the same poem by Wordsworth, the quote could be referenced using the act, scene and line numbers as follows (Wordsworth Act 2, Scene 3, line 6).
References
When citing a line of poetry, it is essential to include a reference or a Works Cited page. This page is included at the end of the essay to credit the sources which have been referenced. It is important to include the full list of references which were used, including books, poems and essays, in order to properly credit the authors and protect the writer from getting in trouble for plagiarism.
Citing Verse Quotations
When quoting poetry it is important to use the original line breaks. It is also important to make sure that the punctuation used in the quote is consistent with any punctuation used in the sentence which is quoting the poem. For example, if the sentence introduces the poem with a comma then the ending punctuation should be a comma and not a period, question mark or exclamation point.
Quoting Poetry Shorter Than Four Lines
When quoting poetry which is shorter than four lines then it is important to include the poem in a single line without any line breaks. This should be done while adhering to correct MLA format. For example, when quoting the following line by Wordsworth, the reference in the MLA format can be written as follows – “The world is too much with us; late and soon” (Wordsworth 1).
Quoting Poetry Longer than Four Lines
When quoting poetry which is longer than four lines then it is important to include the poem with line breaks and to include quotation marks at the beginning and end of the quote. It is important to include indentations when the lines are longer than four so as to be able to read the poem easily. For example, the following quote from Wordsworth’s poem can be cited as follows:
Wordsworth talks of the plight of mankind in this majestic piece –
“The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!” (Wordsworth 1-4)
Conclusion
In conclusion, citing poetry is a crucial part of any essay referencing lines of poetry. It is important to adhere to the specified format and to make sure that the poet is given due credit for their work. It is also essential to make sure that the quotes used in an essay are short and easy to read in order for the reader to understand the quote and its implications. Last but not least, it is important to remember to include a reference or a Works Cited page at the end of the essay in order to protect oneself from plagiarism and to encourage further research.
