How to Approach AP Lit. Essays

How to
Approach AP
Lit. Essays
Prose/ Poetry
Essay
•
Work the prompt: be sure you clearly
understand what the prompt is asking
you to do
•
Take 5-10 minutes to read and annotate
the poem. Annotations should help
establish patterns and point out literary
elements/techniques and poetic devices
Poetry Essay
•
Develop a thematic statement that gets at the
heart of the poem’s message.
•
Consider: What techniques/elements does
the poet use to convey this message?
THESIS (i.e.: Robert Frost’s use of
imagery, symbolism, and tone illustrate man’s
simultaneous fear and acceptance of death.)
Prose/Poetry
Essay
•
Remember: You must use quotes as
supporting evidence!
•
Structure for integrating quotes: I-Q-E
•
Introduce the quote with background,
context, your own assertion.
•
Quote the poem directly.
•
Explain the quote’s significance in relation to
your thesis
Essay 3: Free-Response
•
Based on a literary work of your choice (you do not have to
use the suggested works in the list).
•
Carefully read the prompt! It may ask you to analyze
techniques or it may be “TOPICAL.”
•
Example of a topical prompt:”A recurring theme in literature is
the classic war between passion and responsibility. For
instance, a personal cause, a love, a desire for revenge, a
determination to redress a wrong, or some other emotion
may conflict with moral duty. Choose a literary work in which
a character confronts the demands of a private passion that
conflicts with his or her responsibilities. In a well-written
essay show clearly the nature of the conflict, its effects
upon the character, and its significance to the work.
Essay 3: Free-Response
•
Begin with a thematic
statement that is clearly
related to the prompt but is not
a simple restatement. Get
right into the “meat” of your
argument.
Essay 3: Free-Response
•
•
If the prompt is topical,
organize by topics indicated
within the prompt.
If the prompt asks you to
analyze elements or
techniques, organize
accordingly.
Write a working thesis/thematic
statement
What will you prove in your essay?
Avoid simply restating the prompt.
Instead, attempt a thematic statement
that gets at the heart of what the work
is saying.
Put the prompt into your own
words
Ask yourself: “What this prompt is
asking you to do/analyze?” Underline
key words or separate questions or
tasks within this prompt if it is multifold.
Rewrite your answer to this question
next to the prompt in your own words.
Avoid using words that are in the
original prompt unless it is absolutely
necessary.
Developing a few thematic
statements
3 x 3 exercise:
Summarize your story in THREE
sentences!
Rather than stating events, focus on
the universal truths the author seems
to be unveiling through the actions of
the story
DON’T
•Minnie kills husband.
•Men seek evidence.
•Women hide evidence.
This summary follows the correct
structure of a 3x3 literary
summary, but it fails to get at the
deeper issues of a text. It states
the beginning, the middle, and the
end of the story “A Jury of Her
Peers.”
DO
•Apathy strangles devotion.
•Tidiness uncovers truth.
•Sympathy chokes justice.
OR
•Unpredicted fate evolves.
•Curiosity unearths reality.
•Empathy conceals truth.
OR
•Guilt consumes women.
•Curiosity unveils evidence.
•Lost heart’s saved.
This summary not only follows
the correct structure, but it unveils
the thematic truths that the story
conveys.
Write your 3x3 literary analysis
Will Use
complete sentences
effective word order
strong words, especially
verbs and adjectives
May Use
abstract nouns
contractions using “is”
Will NOT Use
proper nouns/names
repeated words
“to be” verbs
pronouns (It, he, she)..
clichés
a, an, the
Some things to remember when
writing a thematic statement
Topic vs Theme: A topic is a subject of a work (love, war,
race, innocence, violence); A theme is what the author has
to say about that topic.
What is the major topic illuminated/illustrated in your work
of literature?
What is the author trying to say about this topic?
You can follow the steps on how to write a thematic
statement from the handout we used during our poetry unit.
How will you prove your thematic/thesis
statement is true?
Brainstorm proof!
Consider how the author utilizes literary elements or
techniques to illustrate his/her beliefs. You may need to
consider the direction of the prompt here (some prompts say
to focus on a symbol, character, etc.)
Consider the interrelatedness of some of these literary
elements or techniques. (An author’s tone/attitude is often
revealed through diction, character choices or motivations,
etc.)
Shift your language in how you discuss literary elements
Critical Lens
Through William Golding’s use of
characterization, he shows his belief
that mankind is inherently evil.
AP Style
Golding conveys his cynical,
pessimistic belief of mankind’s
inherent evil through his
characterization of Jack, a jealous,
blood-thirsty young boy.
Characterization (Who: tell me
right away!)
Characterization (Jack: jealous,
Tone (attitude /“his belief”: briefly
blood-thirsty young boy)
describe in an adjective or two)
Tone (Golding’s cynical, pessimistic
Theme (nature of man: clearly
belief)
stated)
Theme (nature of man)
Decide which elements/techniques
BEST support your thematic
statement(s)
Characterization
Conflict
Tone
Setting
Diction
Syntax
Structure
Point of View
Foreshadowing/Flashback
Symbolism
Figurative Language
Etc...
Support
Once you’ve decided which elements or
techniques you will analyze in your
essay, you will gather and organize your
supporting evidence.
You should organize your body
paragraphs by topic (literary elements;
supporting claims in relation to thematic
statement or prompt; etc)
Within each body paragraph: Orientation,
Claims, Evidence, Commentary
Start with a topic sentence that previews what will come in this paragraph.
Offer the reader an orientation to your idea: who is speaking (it may be the
narrator), to whom, what is the context?
Make an insightful claim about something in the text that fits the prompt.
Present the evidence from the text—often you will need more than one piece to
support your claim. Shoot for three:
Your evidence may be a phrase;
It may be a passage;
It may be purposeful summary.
Follow each piece of evidence with a minimum of two sentences of your own
commentary and analysis of how the evidence supports your claim and the
question you are answering.
Basic Organizational
Structure
Introduction:
Thematic/Thesis Statement, Preview
Supporting Arguments
Do not make broad generalizations
about the nature of literature or how
literary elements “ADD DEPTH”
Say much in few words. Five to six
sentences should suffice.
Basic Organizational
Structure
Body Paragraphs: Start with a topic
sentence (introduce the key idea of that
paragraph)
Orient the reader by providing context
Claim-Support-Analysis
Provide a balance of YOUR IDEAS and
supporting textual evidence
Use transitions
Conclusion
FIRST: Summary Statement: look at your thesis statement again and
rework it in a new way. Avoid repeating key words and phrases from the
thesis statement because you don't want the summary statement to sound
boring or repetitive. Using a thesaurus is a good way to find new, interesting
words.
LAST: Clincher Statement: also referred to as the closer, is your last
opportunity to connect with the reader. One way to make the most of this
moment is to return to the technique you used for your grabber. Click on
each type to read examples.
Anecdote.
Make a prediction or recommendation based on the analysis you’ve
offered
Ask a final rhetorical question.
Use a new (but relevant) quotation or refer back to the opening prompt.
Continue the original description of a character, setting, or object, but in a
way that gives a sense of finality or encourages the reader to continue
thinking about the subject.
General Tips
Mention the Title (full length=underlined, short
works=quotation marks) and Author in the Intro
Use strong action verbs; avoid forms of “To Be” (is, are, will
be, was, were has been, etc)
Use strong adjectives but avoid adverbs (what is the
difference between a character who is deceptive and one
who is EXTREMELY deceptive or VERY deceptive? Does it
matter?) This will help reduce wordiness.
Transition between and within paragraphs. Use a variety of
transition types (chronological indicators, repeating word
order, jumping off a previous idea, etc)
Be concise. Say as much as you can in as few words as you
can.
Aim for clarity in your writing. Taking 10 minutes to prewrite will help give your essay a clear focus.
Use any leftover time to edit! Put one line through anything
you do not want to be read. Avoid scribble .