Leilani Markow
English
Mr. Quintana
February 23, 2002
Joel Barlow’s Famous Poem
(1) The story behind Joel Barlow’s famous poem “Hasty Pudding” is a unique one. (2) Following the American Revolution, Joel Barlow a lawyer and founder of a weekly political and literary newspaper called American Mercury became one of our nation’s first well-known poets. (3) A man of many interests, he traveled extensivley throughout Europe, became friends with many important political figures of the American and French Revolutions, and even served as a Diplomat for the United States. (4) He wrote a lot of political essays as well as poems praising the United States. (5) Most of his poetry was written in an epic style—serious works focusing on important political and historical topics. (6) Some of his poems took years for him to revise and complete. (7) Even then, they received little attenshun or admiration.
(8) Barlow, ironically, achieved lasting fame not for his long epic poems but for “Hasty Pudding” a poem he wrote in a very short time (Morris 58). (9) In 1793, Barlow was living in Chambery, in rural France. (10) While dining in a small French inn, feeling homesick, the one dish that Barlow thought of represented to him the United States. (11) That dish hasty pudding was a simple treat made by adding yellow cornmeal to boiling water and stirring quickly until it thickened. (12) (In some parts of the United States, it is called “mush,” and when it is made with white cornmeal, it is known as “grits.”) (13) Barlow was pleasantly surprised when the innkeeper stuck a hot bowl of the pudding on the table in front of him.
(14) Barlow immediately began to write, placing at the top of the page the title, “Hasty Pudding.” (15) Hasty pudding was more than just food; for Barlow, it symbolized the greatness of America. (16) In his poem, Barlow wrote about the fertility of the American soil, the planting of the corn, and about the performance of the square dances that followed the successful corn harvest (Perkins 34).
(17) Barlow then turned his attention to the pudding on the table in front of him. (18) He put butter on top, sprinkled the pudding with sugar, poured a small amount of milk around the sides, smiled, and began to eat. (19) It truly was an inspiring treat!
Works Cited
Morison, Samuel Eliot. The Growth of the American Republic. 7th Ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1980.
Morris, Richard B., Ed. Encyclopedia of American History. New York: Harper & Row, 1976.
Perkins, George and Barbara. The American Tradition in Literature, Vol. I. 9th Ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1999.
Read Sentence 2 from the passage.
(2) Following the American Revolution, Joel Barlow a lawyer and founder of a weekly political and literary newspaper called American Mercury became one of our nation’s first well-known poets.
What is the best way to punctuate the underlined part of the sentence?
Responses
Joel Barlow, a lawyer, and founder of a weekly political and literary newspaper called American Mercury became
Joel Barlow, a lawyer, and founder of a weekly political and literary newspaper called American Mercury became
Joel Barlow, a lawyer and founder, of a weekly political and literary newspaper called American Mercury, became
Joel Barlow, a lawyer and founder, of a weekly political and literary newspaper called American Mercury, became
Joel Barlow, a lawyer and founder of a weekly political and literary newspaper, called American Mercury, became
Joel Barlow, a lawyer and founder of a weekly political and literary newspaper, called American Mercury, became
Joel Barlow, a lawyer and founder of a weekly political and literary newspaper called American Mercury, became
5 answers
The best way to punctuate the underlined part of Sentence 2 is:
"Joel Barlow, a lawyer and founder of a weekly political and literary newspaper called American Mercury, became."
This option correctly uses commas to separate the appositive phrase (a lawyer and founder of a weekly political and literary newspaper called American Mercury) from the rest of the sentence, and it maintains the flow without unnecessary pauses.
The word that should not be capitalized is "diplomat."
In this context, "diplomat" is a common noun and does not require capitalization. The correct capitalization applies to proper nouns like "Europe" and "French Revolutions."
