Choose one of the following pairs of poems and songs: “The Lady of Shalott” by Alfred Tennyson; song “The Lady of Shalott” by Loreena McKennitt
“Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson; song “Because I Could not Stop” by Natalie Merchant
“Promises Like Pie-Crust” by Christina Rossetti; song “Promises Like Pie-Crust” by Carla Bruni
“The Two Trees” by William Butler Yeats; song “The Two Trees” by Loreena McKennitt
Plan to read the text version of the poem and listen to the song version a few times to get a good feel for the rhythm of each of the two versions. Then, think about how it contributes to the feeling and meaning of the poem in both situations.

Write a short essay (200–400 words) comparing the two versions of the poem, considering the following questions:

How does the meter of the poem change, if at all, when it is presented in song form?
Does the original poem have a meter that lends itself well to song lyrics?
How, if at all, is the poem changed or presented differently as a song?
Why might the artist have made changes to the poem?
Does the poem take on a different meaning in song form than in poetic form?
Structure your essay into an introduction, body, and conclusion. Make sure your essay focuses on a main idea, includes precise language to clarify ideas, and is written in a formal style. Use textual evidence, including scansion, to support your ideas.

(20 points) passage: this year will be a record-breaking year for storms 1it looks like 2012 will be a year for the record books. thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes have increased across the country. the storms' high winds and heavy rains are making history. early tornado and hurricane seasons 2in march, not usually a busy month for tornadoes, the south and midwest had a large number of twisters. warm weather made conditions ripe for the creation of tornadoes. on some days, twisters dropped from the sky by the dozen. 3hurricane season also came early. two tropical storms hit the southeast in may. two more strong storms followed in june. severe thunderstorms 4many states that have escaped tornadoes and hurricanes have had severe thunderstorms. these giant storms dumped several inches of rain and caused flooding across the northeast and midwest. 5the end of hurricane season is months away, and this year's storm count and rainfall amounts could leave 2011 in the dust. forecasters say the wet, windy weather might stick around until fall. labor day parade rained out 6there is no joy in green town, where the annual labor day parade was called off because of heavy rain. the town's mayor says the parade hasn't been rained out in fifty years. 7a strong band of thunderstorms hit green town on sunday. more than two inches of rain fell each hour. by monday morning, main street looked more like a creek than a parade route. mayor nora bell said she had to call off the parade. "the heavy rains have created a serious safety issue in green town," she said. 8the loss of the labor day parade is green town's second disappointment this summer. in may, the memorial day parade was also called off because of rain. "this must be one of the wettest summers in history," mayor bell said. 9according to the national weather service, mayor bell is right. this summer will break rainfall records in green town and across the country. question: who would obtain the most useful information from the passage? a) someone planning a holiday picnic. b) someone interested in documenting annual meteorological patterns. c) an advocate for the green town labor day parade. d) someone who wishes to do research on the alleged truth of the "global warming" phenomenon.