Respond to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible interpretation. Select and use evidence to support your line of reasoning. Explain how the evidence supports your line of reasoning.

“Shaving” by Richard Blanco

Question 1

In Richard Blanco’s poem “Shaving,” published in 1998, the speaker writes about the act of shaving.

Read the poem carefully. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze how Blanco uses literary elements and techniques to develop the speaker’s complex associations with the ritual of shaving. In your response you should do the following:

• Respond to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible interpretation.

• Select and use evidence to support your line of reasoning.

• Explain how the evidence supports your line of reasoning.

• Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating your argument.