Analysis Section: TABLE of CONTENTS 1 Figures of Speech (Terminology)

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1 Analysis Section: TABLE of CONTENTS 1 Figures of Speech (Terminology) 1 Literary Analysis Outline 3 Nature of Language 4 Using Evidence (Writing About Literature) 5 Ontological Questions 6 DIDLS Breakdown 11 Perspective of a Hero 12 The Hero s Journey 13 Kholberg s Stages of Moral Development 15 One Pager (General) 24 Writing About THEME 17 Theme Organizer 21 What AP Readers Long to See

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3 Literary Analysis in Sentence Outline Form Write the analysis of as a sentence outline, using the framework below. (Remember, Theme is what the Author says about Life and Thesis is what you say about how the author conveys his idea) 1. Major Assertion (Thesis): In, the author uses plot and character, to express the theme that... [This statement is true because:] 2. Minor Assertion (Point or Reason): (Note: This should be your statement about the author's technique the use of plot or character. It should not be a statement about the characters or story; these are the evidence.) 2. [This reason is valid because of the following evidence from the work:] 2A. Evidence from Text: Use short exemplary quotes, with page numbers) 2a. [The evidence supports or proves the minor assertion by...] 2B. Application Supply a sentence (or two) showing how the evidence or example supports the minor assertion and therefore proves the major assertion. 2b. 3. Minor Assertion (Point or Reason): (Note: This should be a statement about the author's technique. It should not be a statement about the characters or story; these are the evidence.) 3. [This reason is valid because of the following evidence from the work] 1

4 3A. Evidence from Text: Use short exemplary quotes, with page numbers) 3a. [The evidence supports or proves the minor assertion by...] 3B. Application Supply a sentence (or two) showing how the evidence or example supports the minor assertion and therefore proves the major assertion. 3b. 4. Minor Assertion (Point or Reason): (Note: This should be a statement about the author's technique. It should not be a statement about the characters or story; these are the evidence.) 4. [This reason is valid because of the following evidence from the work] 4A. Evidence from Text: Use short exemplary quotes, with page numbers) 4a. [The evidence supports or proves the minor assertion by...] 4B. Application Supply a sentence (or two) showing how the evidence or example supports the minor assertion and therefore proves the major assertion. 4b. Conclusion 2

5 NATURE OF LANGUAGE The characteristic of language that permits us to use it either literally, to say exactly what we mean, or non-literally, to say something other than, or more than, what we mean, or both literally and non-literally, is the characteristic of language that is most useful to authors. This range of language from Literal meaning to Non-literal meaning may be plotted on a continuum of characteristics. Literal Literal/Non-literal Non-literal > <> < Denotative Allusion Connotative Literal (Connects Present to Figurative Past works, etc.) Identify Clarify Designate Amplify Reference Comparison Word play Analogy Homonym Simile Pun Metaphor Allegory Personification Metonymy Figurative Language is built on a literal base; it can produce irony, satire, paradox: metamorphosis in meaning. Symbolism is a metamorphosis of meaning of things and ideas as figurative language is a metamorphosis of the meaning of words. When dealing with an author's diction, use a good dictionary: look up his words, write down what you find, including the possible, not just the obvious. Make sure you consider the full derivation (history of the word) as well as the definitions. 3

6 USE OF EVIDENCE IN WRITING ABOUT LITERATURE Kinds of evidence in writing about fiction: Character appearance general appearance details of appearance diction author uses in describing appearance action dialogue content diction of dialogue opinions of other characters content diction in which characters express opinions author's direct or narrative statement explicit - content implicit - diction Action event general events details of event diction author uses in conveying events conflict plot-events [cause/effect-related events that advance the conflict toward resolution] author's direct or narrative statement explicit - content implicit - diction Setting general environment of work explicit - descriptive details of setting implicit - diction author uses to convey setting character's statement about setting Point of View Author's narrative stance (1st person, third person, omniscient, etc.) persona [narrating voice] viewpoint - persona's relation to or attitude toward events focus of narration Style syntax - sentence structures, complexity, etc. diction author uses to tell story literal language imagery figurative language symbolism allusion selection of detail organization [chronological, non-chronological, spatial, etc.] narrative structure 4

7 The Overwhelming Question(s) addressed by authors Ontological (of or relating to essence or the nature of being) Questions What is the meaning of life? How should I live? How can I accept the idea that someday my life will end? What does it mean to be a good person? What is truth? Am I brave, or a coward? Does courage matter? Do the rewards of life balance or outweigh its pain? Is man a creature of the earth or of the sky?... a child of God or a beast crawling in the mud? How should people treat each other? What do women/men want? How can the sexes coexist harmoniously? How can man live in the ugliness of modern world without despair? Why do evil and suffering exist? How can we tell the false from the genuine? Does my existence matter? (Do I dare disturb the universe?) How can dreams affect one s life? Is following the rules of society (morality) more important than survival as an individual? Can one s insecurities be destructive? Does one s ethical standard outweigh the moral standard of society? Is it right to resist or oppose authority? How can one find meaning in life? What is the responsibility of parent to child or creator to creation? Can one recapture or relive the past? What is the result of attempting to avoid the consequences of one s actions? How can one learn his identity? How can one prevail against the pressure of his society? Since Life always ends in death, how can it have meaning? 5

8 DIDLS Breakdown DIDLS Diction, Imagery, Details, Language, Syntax TONE Author s attitude toward the subject, toward himself, or toward the audience. DICTION Adjectives, nouns, verbs, adverbs, negative words, positive words, synonyms, contrast. Look at the words that jump out at you evaluate only those words to find tone. Also Look At: Colloquial (slang) Informal (conversational) Connotative (suggestive meaning) Concrete (specific) Euphonious (pleasant sounding) Monosyllabic (one syllable) Old-Fashioned Formal (literary) Denotative (exact meaning) Abstract (general or conceptual) Cacophonous (harsh sounding) Polysyllabic (more than one syllable) Describe diction (choice of words) by considering the following: 1. Words can be monosyllabic (one syllable in length) or polysyllabic (more than one syllable in length). The higher the ratio of polysyllabic words, the more difficult the content. 2. Words can be mainly colloquial (slang), informal (conversational), formal (literary), or old-fashioned. 3. Words can be mainly denotative (containing an exact meaning, e.g., dress) or connotative (containing suggested meaning, e.g., gown). 4. Words can be concrete (specific) or abstract (general or conceptual). 5. Words can be euphonious (pleasant sounding, e.g., languid, murmur) or cacophonous (harsh sounding, e.g., raucous, croak). Courtesy of Jerry W. Brown 6

9 IMAGERY Creates a vivid picture and appeals to the senses. Alliteration repetition of consonant sounds at the start of a word The giggling girl gave gum. Assonance repetition of vowel sounds in the middle of a word Moths cough and drop wings. Consonance repetition of consonant sounds in the middle of a word The man has kin in Spain. Onomatopoeia writing sounds as words The clock went tick tock. Simile a direct comparison of unlike things using like or as Her hair is like a rat s nest. Metaphor a direct comparison of unlike things The man s suit is a rainbow. Hyperbole a deliberate exaggeration for effect I d die for a piece of candy. Understatement represents something as less than it is A million dollars is okay. Personification attributing human qualities to inhuman objects The teapot cried for water. Metonymy word exchanged for another closely associated with it Uncle Sam wants you! Pun play on words Uses words with multiple meanings Shoes menders mend soles. Symbol something that represents/stands for something else The American Flag Analogy comparing two things that have something in common A similar thing happened Oxymoron Use or words seemingly in contradiction to each other bittersweet chocolate DETAILS The specifics the author includes about facts (his opinion). LANGUAGE Words that describe the entire body of words in a text. (Not isolated to diction.) Artificial false Literal apparent, word for word Bombastic pompous, ostentatious Moralistic puritanical, righteous Colloquial vernacular Obscure unclear Concrete actual, specific, particular Obtuse dull-witted, undiscerning Courtesy of Jerry W. Brown 7

10 Connotative alludes to; suggestive Ordinary everyday, common Cultured cultivated, refined, finished Pedantic didactic, scholastic, bookish Detached cut-off, removed, separated Plain clear, obvious Emotional expressive of emotions Poetic lyric, melodious, romantic Esoteric understood by a chosen few Precise exact, accurate, decisive Euphemistic insincere, affected Pretentious pompous, gaudy, inflated Exact verbatim, precise Provincial rural, rustic, unpolished Figurative serving as illustration Scholarly intellectual, academic Formal academic, conventional Sensuous passionate, luscious Grotesque hideous, deformed Simple clear, intelligible Homespun folksy, homey, native, rustic Slang lingo, colloquialism Idiomatic Peculiar, vernacular Symbolic representative, metaphorical Insipid uninteresting, tame, dull Trite common, banal, stereotyped Jargon vocabulary for a profession Informal casual, relaxed, unofficial Learned educated, experienced Vulgar coarse, indecent, tasteless Rhetorical Devices: The use of language that creates a literary effect (enhance and support). Rhetorical Question Euphemism Aphorism Repetition Restatement Irony Allusion Paradox Food for thought; create satire/sarcasm; pose dilemma Substituting a milder or less offensive sounding word (or words) Universal comments, sayings, proverbs (convey a major point) Called a refrain in poetry; repeated word, sentence, or phrase throughout Main point said in another way Either verbal or situational (good for revealing attitude) Refers to something universally known A statement that can be true and false at the same time Courtesy of Jerry W. Brown 8

11 SYNTAX Consider the following patterns and structures: Does the sentence length fit the subject matter? Why is the sentence length effective? Is there a variety of sentence lengths present? If so, why? Sentence beginnings is there a variety or a pattern? Consider arrangement of ideas in sentences. Arrangement of ideas in paragraph is there a pattern? Construction of sentences to convey attitude. Declarative assertive (a statement) Imperative authoritative (a command) Interrogative asks a question Simple Sentence one subject and one verb Loose Sentence details after the subject and verb (happening now) Periodic Sentence details before the subject and verb (reflection on a past event) Juxtaposition normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases placed together Parallelism shows equal ideas; for emphasis; for rhythm Repetition words, sounds, ideas used more than once (rhythm, emphasis) Rhetorical Question a question that expects no answer Punctuation is included in Syntax Ellipsis Dash Semicolon Colon Italics Capitalization Exclamation Point a trailing off; equal to etc. ; going off into a dreamlike state interruption of a thought; an interjection of a thought into another thought parallel ideas; equal ideas; a piling up of detail a list; a definition or explanation; a result for emphasis for emphasis for emphasis; for emotion SHIFTS IN TONE Attitude change about a topic; attitude about the topic is different that the attitude toward the subject Key Words (but, nevertheless, however, although) Changes in line length Paragraph Divisions Punctuation (dashes, periods, colons) Sharp contrasts in diction Courtesy of Jerry W. Brown 9

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13 If the Hero is He is Mode is Genre is Northrop Frye: Perspective of the Hero Superior in KIND to other men and the natural environment Divine Myth Myth Superior in DEGREE to other men and to the environment Superior in degree to other men, but not to the environment Superior neither to other men or to the environment; one of us Inferior in power or intelligence to ourselves Marvelously Human Romance Legend or Folktale A leader High Mimetic Epic or Tragedy Normal Human Absurd Human Low Mimetic Comedy Ironic Irony 11

14 Stages of the Hero s Journey The Ordinary World Most stories take the hero out of the ordinary, mundane world into a Special World, new and alien. The Call to Adventure The hero is presented with a problem, challenge, or adventure to undertake. Once presented with a call to adventure, she can no longer remain indefinitely in the comfort of the ordinary world. Refusal of the Call (The Reluctant Hero) This one is about fear. The hero balks at the threshold of adventure. Mentor (The Wise Old Man or Woman) The relationship between hero and Mentor is one of the most common themes in mythology, one of the most symbolic. It stands for the bond between parent and child, teacher and student, doctor and patient, god and man. Crossing the First Threshold The hero finally commits to the adventure and fully enters the Special World of the story for the first time. Tests, Allies and Enemies The hero naturally encounters new challenges and tests, makes allies and enemies, and begins to learn the rules of the Special World. Approach to the Inmost Cave The hero comes at last to the edge of a dangerous place, sometimes deep underground, where the object of the quest is hidden. The Supreme Ordeal Here the fortunes of the hero hit bottom in a direct confrontation with his greatest fear. The hero, like Jonah, is in the belly of the beast. Reward (Seizing the Sword) The hero now takes possession of the treasure she has come seeking, her reward. Sometimes the sword is knowledge and experience that leads to greater understanding and reconciliation with hostile forces. The hero may also be reconciled with the opposite sex. In many stories the loved one is the treasure the hero has come to win or rescue. The Road Back This stage marks the decision to return to the Ordinary World. Resurrection Death and darkness get in one last, desperate shot before being finally defeated. It s a final exam for the hero, who must be tested once more to see if he has really learned the lessons of the Supreme Ordeal. Return with the Elixir The hero returns to the Ordinary World, but the journey is meaningless unless she brings back some Elixir, treasure, or lesson from the Special World. The Elixir is a magic potion with the power to heal. Unless something is brought back from the ordeal in the Inmost Cave, the hero is doomed to repeat the adventure. Many comedies use this ending, as the foolish character refuses to learn his lesson and embarks on the same folly that got him in trouble in the first place. 12

15 KHOLBERG'S STAGES OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT PRE-CONVENTIONAL MORAL DEVELOPMENT Stage 0 - Pre-Moral Pleasure-pain (exciting-fearful) determine behavior Whatever pleases the individual/ no sense of guilt Take what is pleasant; avoid what is unpleasant Person is guided only by what he can and wants to do Stage One - Simple Authority Orientation Obedience and punishment orientation Physical consequences determine good/bad Authority figure determines standards Only in terms of right and wrong/fear of authority Stage Two - Instrumental Relativist Eye for an eye, same for all, treat all the same You scratch my back; I'll scratch yours (not from concern or loyalty, but because it's fair.) Equal sharing: exchange, fairness, tit for tat CONVENTIONAL MORAL DEVELOPMENT Stage Three - Interpersonal Concordance - good boy/nice girl orientation Being nice, approval, pleasing a limited group are important I'll do it because you said you would give me something Not wish to offend anyone who is our friend. Stereotypes of right behavior of majority Intentions ("he means well") become important Giving in to external pressure Stage Four - Law and Order Maintain the given social order for its own sake Doing one's duty Respect for authority and majority rule Laws exist - therefore are good. We should abide by them. They are fixed - cannot be changed. 13

16 KHOLBERG'S STAGES OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT POST-CONVENTIONAL MORAL DEVELOPMENT Stage Five - Social Contract Standards critically examined and socially agreed upon Laws for our benefit. Constitutional and democratic Legalistic but law can be changed for benefit of society Individual rights respected except when contrary to constitutionally agreed rights. Moral values are defined in terms of individual rights and standards agreed upon by society. Consensus rather than majority Official morality of United States Stage Six - Ethical Principle Orientation to principles above social rules Principles above the law Principles appeal to logical universality and consistency Justice - It is right not just here but under other circumstances Justice with individual dignity Obedience or disobedience to law based on moral respect for justice Conscience guided by self-chosen principle 14

17 The One Pager How do I know what I think until I see what I say? E.M. Forster 1. A ONE PAGER is a single-page response to your reading. It is a way of making your patter of your unique understanding. It is a way to be creative and experimental. It is a way to respond imaginatively and honestly. It is a way to be brief and concise. 2. The purpose of a ONE PAGER is to own what you are reading. We learn best when we can create our own patterns. 3. A ONE PAGER connects the verbal and the visual; it connects the ideas in what you read to your thoughts. It connects words and images. The ONE PAGER becomes a metaphor for the reading you have done. 4. When you do a ONE PAGER, do any or all of these: a. Pull out a quotation or two, using them to explore one of your own ideas, and write them on the page (perhaps using a different color or font). b. Use visual images, either drawn, cut from magazines, or printed from the Internet (always cite sources), to create a visual focus. c. Cluster around a dominant impression, feeling, or thought you have while reading. d. Make a personal statement about what you have read. e. Ask a question or two and answer it/them. f. Create the ONE PAGER so that your audience will understand something about the reading from what you do. g. Feel free to use colors, markers, colored pencils. You may create your ONE PAGER digitally or by hand. 5. What NOT to do: a. Don t merely summarize. b. Don t be restricted by the lines on notebook paper. Use unlined paper. c. Don t think a half page will do make it rich with quotes and images. 15

18 Jane Eyre One Pager on SETTING DIRECTIONS: 1. Use ONE sheet of paper (8 ½ x 11) 2. Carefully place the following on ONE side of the paper: a. Name of the setting b. At least 2 significant (and complete) quotations from the novel with chapter and page numbers in parentheses following them c. The prominent season associated with the setting (illustrate or words) d. The prominent color(s) associated with the setting (illustrate or words) e. A list of the major characters Jane meets at this place f. An illustration/picture/symbol that reflects something significant about the setting g. A statement of the setting s influence on Jane Eyre 16

19 Theme For students, it seems particularly hard to make the leap from comprehension to analysis when it comes to literature, which deals with so many abstractions. There is a certain reluctance involved, too. It seems as if it is leaping away from pure enjoyment. When introducing literary analysis, it is useful, rather than presenting a list of unrelated literary terms with definitions and examples, to arrange them this way [for fiction, of course. Poetry needs a different arrangement and different terms]: A writer creates some people (CHARACTERS), puts them in a time and place (SETTING), has things happen to and between them (PLOT), may have them talk (DIALOG), creates someone to tell the story (NARRATOR) from a position (POINT OF VIEW) using language (DICTION, TONE), with particular devices (FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE, IMAGERY, SYMBOLISM, etc.).... so that the reader makes meaning (THEME). Hence, theme is not just another term but the frame, the purpose of the whole thing: to convey meaning. Once these terms are identified in a selection, the next questions then emerge naturally: What is it giving me meaning? What does it say to me about that topic (theme)? Which of these terms do most to give me the meaning I get? And how do they do it? Of course, that is analysis, and once that leap is made, it is made forever. "Man's mind, once stretched to a new idea, never returns to its former dimension." "Theme" in literature does not always equate to "a moral or a lesson." What moral or lesson is the theme of Waiting for Godot or Heart of Darkness or The Stranger or Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead or any other existentialist or Theatre of the Absurd work of literature? Theme is sometimes a moral, but it is always a statement about the human condition. Sometimes that statement translates as "Life is meaningless" or as Estragon says at the very beginning of Waiting for Godot, "Nothing to be done." Of Mice and Men, for example, excludes the murder (a.k.a. "giving up an important friendship") of one of the central characters by his best friend; the gratuitous brutal treatment of the only nameless character; the shabby treatment of the stable buck; and the physical destruction of a would-be prize fighter. Each of these characters (as well as Lennie and George) has a dream that has no hope of realization. The theme may be closer to "the American Dream Courtesy of Jane Schaffer 17

20 is really a nightmare from which we try unsuccessfully to wake." Lennie and George have no choice but to work. When they work, Lennie always gets in trouble. They can't have their dream unless they work for it. Lennie will always get them in trouble before they get enough money. Lennie and George have no choice but to work, etc. Life seems to be a vicious cycle with no hope of escape. The only real friendship ends in homicide. To help students extract theme the following framework is certainly helpful. 1. Give students this sentence frame: is a story about. 2. The first blank is the title of the piece of literature. The second blank is a single word that says what the piece is *really* about. 3. No plot summary in the second blank we don't want this: The Scarlet Letter is a story about a woman who has a baby out of wedlock. 4. Instead, we model this kind of thinking: The Scarlet Letter is a story about hypocrisy. 5. Then we tell the kids to fill in the blank as many times as they have thoughts. We make a master list on the board that might look like this: The Scarlet Letter is a story about hypocrisy sin redemption revenge penance love jealousy Courtesy of Jane Schaffer 18

21 6. When they understand how the sentence frame works, and when we have the list on the board, we tell them they just discovered theme. (When I was in high school, there was only one allowable theme per book, and it was on a multiple-choice test at the end of the unit. Most stories, however, can have many themes.) At this point, we can make phrases out of these abstract nouns: the desire for revenge the scourge of jealousy 7. Some of us take these nouns/phrases and complete a sentence with one of them to work toward a thesis sentence. 8. Then the analysis should move from "What it is ABOUT" (topic) to WHAT does it SAY about the TOPIC? If Animal Farm is about "the abuse of power, what does it SAY about the abuse of power? Answer that, and you have an analysis of theme. If, for example, a student says, "The Scarlet Letter is about adultery" (and most students do say that), or even "about the consequences of adultery," to get to theme we have to ask, What does it SAY about adultery?" or What does it SAY about the consequences of adultery?" Courtesy of Jane Schaffer 19

22 English IV AP Name: CENTRAL IDEA/THEME: (what does the author say about the human condition?) English Professor Sheila Booth from the Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, Mass. instructs her student writers that "a theme statement is a single sentence that attempts to explain the story's truth (what the story worries about)." ELEMENT How does the author use these elements to develop the central idea? Give examples and page numbers to support your assertion. You will be writing about the author s technique and using text to support your assertion. EXAMPLE: The author uses character development to express (convey, articulate, etc.) the theme (state the theme) by (type of technique). This can be seen on page (#), where (example from the text). CHARACTER SETTING PLOT/CONFLICT POINT OF VIEW STYLE 20

23 What AP Readers Long to See This list of suggestions for AP students writing the AP exam was compiled during the 2007 AP English reading at the Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Although its participants read essays that answered only question number one, their suggestions apply to other parts of the exam as well. The prompt, which generated the essays being scored, was from the 2007 AP English Literature exam, as follows: In the following two poems (A Barred Owl by Richard Wilbur & The History Teacher by Billy Collins not reprinted here), adults provide explanations for children. Read the poems carefully. Then write an essay in which you compare and contrast the two poems, analyzing how each poet uses literary devices to make his point. I ve done my best to encapsulate, synthesize and categorize comments there were over 40 pages from which to work. I also know that there are contradictions here; that s just the way it is. However, the similarities far outweigh the differences. We do all seem to be on the same page, so to speak. Structure & Composition 1. Fully develop your essays; try to write at least 2 pages. It s a shame to read the first page of what promises to be an 8 or 9 essay and then have the writer not fully develop their ideas and quit after one page. However, a longer essay is not necessarily a better essay. 2. Integrate your quotations gracefully (1) into your analysis of literary devices (2) with an interpretation of meaning (3). Thoroughly explain the relevance of the quote to the prompt and your analysis. Don t assume that your understanding of a quote is the same as the readers understanding; you have to interpret its significance to the work, your thesis and the prompt. Show, don t tell. 3. Spend time planning your essay (10 minutes), and find some angle, within the context of the prompt, that you feel passionate about, whether emotionally, intellectually or philosophically (passion moves readers). If the prompt refers to literary devices or any other technical aspects of the work, ignore the reference and ask first, What does the poem mean? THEN, ask, What message does the author have for you? THEN, ask, How is that message delivered? At this point, the devices should suggest themselves in a context in which the technicalities of the work will be seen to create its effectiveness rather than obscuring its power. a. One reader suggested leaving some space at the beginning and write your introduction last, once you know what you ve actually written. 4. Don t just jump from thought to thought; transition quickly but effectively. 21

24 5. Make sure your essay has a clear ARGUABLE thesis statement which clearly reflects what you intend to discuss. Make sure your thesis is an EXACT reflection of what the prompt is asking WITHOUT simply restating the prompt. A good formula is The text shows X in order to show/highlight/accomplish Y. Connect the literary device back to the author s point. 6. Spend more time thinking and analyzing the ENTIRE text rather than paraphrasing the text in your response. Many writers miss or ignore subtle shades of meaning which show contrasts or similarities. Look for ambiguities and ambivalence in the selection. 7. Make sure that all your claims/analyses have effective support AND that the support you choose is the best the text has to offer. When considering what support to use, reflect on the following: a. Are they all equal? b. Do they grow or diminish in importance or scale? c. Are there different aspects of one thing or varieties? 8. The conclusion should be a separate paragraph, even if you only have time for one sentence. Don t just stop after your last argument, and avoid simply repeating your introduction in your conclusion. A good conclusion could restate the thesis, emphasize salient aspects of the essay and end with a provocative clincher. 9. While avoiding the formula of the five-paragraph essay, it would also be helpful to see more than one or two GIGANTIC paragraphs. Because readers read through only once and quickly, not having those cues to where ideas begin and end contributes to the incoherency of an essay. Structure is part of essay writing, and students need to show that they can command the language and their thoughts into a structured essay. 10. Don t use plot summary in your response. Summary is death! 11. Evidence, evidence, evidence! 12. Avoid formulaic writing, especially in the opening of your essay. If you use a formula to get the pen moving, then do, but if 10 or 15 seconds thought will help you craft something more creative or original or efficient, that that s 10 seconds well spent. Readers will read hundreds and hundreds of essays, 90% of which start the same way (think refrigerator word magnets simply rearranged a thousand different ways), and if you can create something memorable (but not wacky), it may bring more attention to your work. 13. Don t use line numbers, but briefly quote instead. Line numbers never substitute for the actual quote when supporting a point, AND most readers will not go back to the poem or text to see which lines you are referring to. Finally, when quoting, don t simply give the first and last words with an ellipsis in between. Use the exact words that are most important in demonstrating your point. 14. Take some time to consider point of view and audience before digging in. Many essays confuse the actual purpose of the text by not thinking about or ignoring the proposed audience or point of view. 22

25 15. Teachers should remind students that they can write on any work OF LITERARY MERIT which is a PLAY or a NOVEL. Some students wrote notes that they hadn't read any of the suggested works so they were giving up. In addition, the reading slowed down as readers searched the table for someone who might even recognize titles that none of us had heard of. Style 1. Avoid long, flowery (purple prose), showy, catchy, etc, introductions; stick to a few sentences and get to the point (aka your thesis). 2. Don t moralize or comment on the quality of the work I liked the poem, etc; focus on literary analysis as a means to convey your opinions not on how you personally felt about the selection. And, don t comment on the author, either: Such and such was a great 20 th century author who. Or Milton does a great job of 3. Try not to be too controversial, politically speaking. 4. Avoid affective fallacy, which argues that the reader's response to a poem is the ultimate indication of its value. 5. Creative writing is not academic writing. 6. Take some risks. Be aware of your strengths as a writer and show them off. Be critical and analytical. 7. Develop your essay well, but be thinking about being concise, too. Less can be more. 8. Don t repeat yourself. Find new ways to say the same thing if you must reiterate a point. 9. Write as legibly and neatly as possible; WRITE USING LARGE LETTERS. Readers will always do their best to read every word, but stumbling through an essay which is illegible, too small or too big does impact our understanding of the response. 10. It s not necessary to write titles for your responses; in fact, many readers do not like them at all. 11. Don t confuse the characters in a poem or text with the audience or the speaker of the piece. Don t confuse the speaker with the author, either. 12. Avoid lists: The writer uses words such as to show 13. Complex ideas require complex or multiple sentences. Don t oversimplify. 14. Do not use little hearts, stars or circles to dot your i s. It makes your essay harder to read and takes away valuable time from your analysis. 15. Use a black pen. 16. Use an active voice, simple present tense (literary tense) and strong verbs. 17. Be yourself! Strut your stuff! Use your own voice in the essay. BUT, don t show off or act smart either. Patronizing or pretentious essays often don t make the cut because the author is more interested in himself or herself than in taking care of business (aka answering the prompt). 23

26 18. We don t care about your love life, your opinions on Iraq or the US government, your exboyfriend or girlfriend, how you re having a bad hair day, your unreasonable parents, or your lousy AP teacher (at least for the purposes set before us) write about the literature. 19. Avoid fluff. 20. When editing your writing, try not to make changes within the sentence; simply cross out the whole sentence and start over. 21. Don t apologize in your essay for a lack of understanding, learning, etc. Show what you can do; don t apologize for what you can t do. Focus aka THE PROMPT 1. Respond to the prompt and the prompt ONLY (AP = Address the Prompt accurately, completely and specifically). Make sure you have a clear understanding of what the prompt asks before beginning, and don t twist it into what you really want to write about. We readers need to know what and how you understood the text and its relationship to the prompt. This came up many, many times and is probably the most important part of your task. Too many great essays go down in flames because the student simply did not respond to the prompt. 2. Be as specific as possible with your analysis as it refers to the prompt. Don t over-generalize. Generalizations don t make good evidence to support assertions. 3. Don t simply restate the prompt in your introduction. Using language from the prompt is fine when and if it is combined with an interpretation which you plan on pursuing in the essay. 4. Some literary devices are genre specific; know the difference. There is some overlap, of course, but certain distinctions are worth noting. 5. Don t simply list devices; focus on a few and show how AND WHY they are used what the device adds to the meaning of the text. Literary devices are not important in and of themselves, and truly excellent writers don t just observe devices, they discuss their consequences. Literary devices are tools the author uses to create meaning. Ask yourself So what? If there s a rhyme scheme, so what? What purpose does it serve? 6. Especially when responding to poetry, explain how form relates to content. Form and content are mutually constitutive; any discussion of one should include the other. 7. Literary terms should be used correctly and appropriately. If you re not sure what a term means or refers to, don t use it in your essay, and don t make up devices. Finally, don t take time to define literary terms. We re English teachers; we already know them. Instead, focus on explaining how the literary device is being used effectively. 8. When you analyze a work, assess the whole work from start to finish as an organic whole. Don t carve your analysis into paragraphs for each device; evaluate how the work builds to its conclusion and creates its tone and effects. 9. Don t forget what are often the most important parts of a text, especially a poem: THE TITLE AND THE ENDING. 24

27 10. When asked to compare and contrast, remember that simply because one text uses devices X, Y and Z does not mean that the second text uses the same devices and, therefore, must be part of your analysis. You should be looking at overall meaning and how the author achieves that meaning regardless of the devices involved for each text. 11. Don t write about ANYTHING which can t be related back to the theme and the prompt. Also, don t show off by alluding to other works that you have read or studied, not even in the conclusion. Doing so almost always diminishes your other observations. 12. Take some time to review your essay and make sure it relates back to the prompt. Many essays start our well focused and end up digressing. 13. Many readers responded that you should try to discuss rhyme, structure, etc when working with poetry BUT ONLY if you know what you are talking about. The same is true when dealing with structural attributes of prose passages. BUT, don t ONLY discuss structure, and don t assume that structure is the end all or be all of the analysis. 14. If you don t have much to discuss, do it quickly. 15. If you think a selection is too simple or easy, look again! 16. Don t force symbolism into your analysis. Everything is not symbolic. It is better to miss symbolism that only might exist than to distort the meaning of the work by creating symbols that are simply not there. Vocabulary & Word Choice 1. The term diction in analysis does not simply mean word choice. That s how you learn the term as a beginning student, but as a Senior AP student you should be developing a much deeper understanding of diction. It refers more specifically to the formality (or lack thereof) of the writer s language. Looking closely at the writer s selection of words and phrases, along with his or her use of sentence construction and syntax, all lead to determining the diction of a selection. 2. When comparing and contrasting, don t write that the texts are similar and different or that they are the same and different. This comment was made MANY times. 3. Avoid the use of clichés. 4. Put your time into answering the prompt understatement is fine instead of litotes, for example. 5. Do not inflate your essay with jargon. Readers know big words, too. They may know more of them than you. Instead, use words effectively and in context. Simple, clear, and direct diction is preferable to high-toned literary bafflegab (pretentious and obscure talk full of technical terminology or circumlocutions). 6. Do not misspell the names of poets, authors, poems, books, terms from the prompt, etc. It looks sloppy. Plus, poems are not plays or novels; plays are not poems or novels; and novels are not poems or plays. 25

28 7. Know the differences analyzing, explaining, paraphrasing, summarizing, describing, etc. 8. Simplistic doesn t mean simple. 9. Mastery of grammar and mechanical skills is important and strengthens the essay. 10. Writers don t use diction or tone, nor do they use literary terms in their writing. ALL sentences have diction and syntax. The questions is, therefore, what kind of diction and syntax is being used AND why. Don t write that, The author uses diction (or syntax or whatever) to show his or her meaning. 11. A rhyme scheme and/or metrical pattern do not mean the poem is sing songy or childlike. 12. Avoid the word flow ; it means nothing. 13. Poems and stories are not journeys. 14. Don t talk about the effect something has on the reader s feelings or emotions. In fact, avoid the word feel altogether. Example: to make the reader feel ; a story-like feel versus a rhythmic feel... ; As one reads, it will make the reader flow through the poem and feel like he is there. 15. Authors don t use devices to make something interesting, more accessible or more complicated to read or understand. 16. Avoid using the diminutive or augmentative forms of words simply to highlight what may be more subtle differences in meaning. 17. Don t create new words (or neologisms) in your essays. 18. Avoid empty words: unique, different, similar, negative, etc make your own weak word list. 19. Rhyme does not mean the poem is simple. 20. Poetry is written in stanzas not paragraphs. 21. Avoid in today s society and paints a picture. 22. Words are not a poetic device. 23. Mood and tone are not the same thing. One teacher ed me to put a plug in for his work AP Guide for Teachers (Jamieson Spencer and Dr. Kathleen Puhr), that goes in a set with Bob DiYanni's Literature text (McGraw Hill). There is a small chapter that includes further suggestions for students on writing AP essays. 26