Writing an In-class Essay

Essays on the AP English Exam: Poem(s) Prose passage Open question on a novel

What do they really want??

Typical novel question -A recurring theme in literature is “the classic war between a passion and a responsibility.” For instance, a personal cause, a love, a desire for revenge, a determination to redress a wrong or some other emotion or drive may conflict with moral duty. Choose a novel or play of literary merit and explain how such a conflict enhances the meaning of the work as a whole.

So what is it REALLY asking? When they ask “How does it enhances/relate to the meaning of the work OR how does it contribute to the EFFECTIVENESS of the work really means: How does such a conflict RELATE TO THE THEME OF THE WORK?

Same for prose questions; Same for poetry questions. They’re ALL asking the SAME thing. What is the theme of the work.

Make sure that you understand what the prompt asks you to do: The passage below is taken from the novel Tom Jones (1749). In this scene, which occurs early in the novel, Squire Allworthy discovers an infant in his bed. Read the passage carefully. Then, in a well-organized essay, analyze the techniques that Fielding employs in this scene to character Mr. Allworthy and Mrs. Deborah Wilkins. Write a well-organized essay in which you analyze the style and tone of the passage below, explaining how they help to express the author’s attitudes.

“expressing the author’s attitude” really asks what is the author trying to say? which = THEME of the work.

What is meant by style? What one says. . . How one says that something. . . If style is thought to consist of the mannerisms and methods of an individual writer, then one can refer to the pompous style of Dr. Johnson, the whimsical style of Charles Lamb, the allusive style of T. S. Eliot, the clipped style of Hemingway. Most critics agree, however, that “what one says” and “how he says it” are basic elements in style. Therefore, style may be thought of as the impress (influence) of a writer’s personality upon his subject matter.

Devices used to create style: Diction--word choice connotation of words Syntax--sentence structure Imagery Figures of speech metaphors, similes, personification, allusions, etc. Choice of detail And others. . .

What is tone? An author’s attitude toward his subject Remember that rarely will the tone remain the same from beginning to end, or will the tone be limited to a single descriptive adjective. Don’t be afraid to see opposites--the attitude is one of - - -, yet one of - - -.

Essays are scored holistically The reader reads the essay without making any marks The reader evaluates both what is said and how it is said A score is determined based upon a rubric

9-8--These essays address the prompt fully 9-8--These essays address the prompt fully. They identify techniques and then analyze how the author uses them to address the prompt. Though the essays may not be error-free, they are perceptive in their analysis and demonstrate writing that is clear and precise. 7-6--These essays offer a reasonable attempt at the prompt. Although not as convincing or as thoroughly developed as the 9-8 papers, they demonstrate the writer’s ability to express ideas with clarity, insight, and control 5--These essays tend to be simplistic in analysis of techniques. They often rely on paraphrase. There may be minor misinterpretations. These essays are not as well conceived, organized, or developed as upper-half papers. 4-3--These lower-half essays offer less than thorough understanding of the task. They demonstrate misunderstanding of some aspect of the passage. These essays tend to rely on paraphrase only. The writing often demonstrates a lack of control over the conventions of composition: inadequate development of ideas, an accumulation of errors, or a focus that is unclear.

Literary Analysis In addition to understanding the passage that you read, and writing clearly, precisely, and as correctly as possible under the circumstances, you are also expected to write good literary analysis.

The Opening Paragraph It is essential to have a strong opening paragraph. An opening does NOT restate the question; instead it answers it.

The opening paragraph must contain: A general statement Support for general statement Qualifier Thesis statement which states theme.

Support for general statement Opening paragraphs Throughout history, women have endured a conflict of conscience: how do women provide for their children without losing their identities in the process? It’s a slippery slope that all too often finds mothers losing themselves in their responsibilities of nurturing and teaching their children. General statement Support for general statement

In Euripides’ Medea, the author creates a conflict for his protagonist who is caught between her love for her children and her desire to punish her adulterous husband. By juxtaposing such a dilemma for Medea, Euripides is suggesting that it is dangerous when passion overtakes one’s reason. Qualifier Thesis Statement

The 2nd-6th paragraphs: Claim, data, analysis

Literary Analysis: Claim Data Commentary This poem uses tactile imagery to depict how blind folks affect our lives, to evoke sympathy for the blind, and to criticize mainstream America for its callousness towards the disabled. In the first three lines Kooser describes how the blind can suddenly fill an elevator “with a great white porcupine of canes.” A porcupine is noted for its prickliness; we are apprehensive when it is around and we do not want to touch it. The blind person, according to Kooser, evokes a similar reaction: their presence in a situation causes “prickliness,” and it makes us uncomfortable. Data Commentary

Pet peeves that hurt your essay Using “you” Using “I” or “I think” Too much plot Skipping around Last paragraph that restates anything Changing tense

The last paragraph Do NOT restate any portion of what you’ve already written. The entire final paragraph should be about author’s intent, author’s statement, author’s theme, author’s message, and author’s purpose for writing the work in the first place.

Be prepared to write Plan your time wisely; you will only have 40 minutes Spend some time planning your essay before you begin--organization is an important factor of good composition You must write in black ink. For this class, you can write on loose-leaf paper--you may write on the back