AP Literature and Composition February 25, 2009 Ms. Cares

Agenda: 1.Synthesis Essay: outlines and questions 2.Emily Dickinson poem: strategies and answers Homework: refine your outline and begin drafting your initial draft - DUE Tuesday, 3/2.

Emily Dickinson Poem: What interpretations did you make BEFORE you began unpacking the multiple choice questions? How did you use the questions to shape your interpretation? How did you feel about this poem, overall? Did you use the grammar of this poem to help construct meaning?

1. In the second line of the poem, the word “Were” is Make sure to read “Were” as the beginning of a complete idea (STOP/GO). “Were the universe one rock” = If the universe were one rock… (conditional verb) DO NOT FORGET POE! Answer = B

2. In line 3, the word “far” probably modifies “Were universe one rock / And far I heard his silver call…” Modifies = alters “far” is used as an adverb to describe how the speaker hears the silver call Inverted syntax Answer = C

3. The lines “I’d tunnel till my groove / Pushed sudden through to his” are an example of Use POE to get you to the happy place: between A and B “I’d tunnel till my groove” = exaggeration as any action has its limit Answer = A

4. In line 7, the word “recompense” is best understood to mean Vocabulary in context Attempt to establish meaning before looking at the answer choices Use POE Answer = E

5. Which of the following is an example of synesthetic imagery… Notice that the AP exam provides you with the definition of this literary element. “silver call” Silver = visual Call = auditory Answer = C

6. Which of the following phrases requires some adjustment according to conventional grammatical rules? What does this question ask? Which phrase uses abnormal grammar? “pushed sudden” is abnormal because adverbs (suddenly) typically end in -ly. The interchange of adverb and adjectives is commonly used in poetry written before the 20th Century. Answer = D

7. All of the following words are used to suggest the same quality EXCEPT Which one of these is not like the others? Use POE. “walls,” “rock,” “block,” and “adamant” all connote hardness. “groove” has nothing to do with being tough. Answer = D

8. Line 9 begins with “But” because Notice that “But” marks the beginning of a new sentence that spans two stanzas. In other words, it is significant. Use POE The poem turns on the word “But,” and the last two stanzas present the opposite of the finite walls and rock and connote much softer - and less negative - “walls.” Answer = A

9. All of the following words are used to suggest the Middle Ages EXCEPT Use POE “adamant” has nothing to do with the Middle Ages, specifically. Answer = A

10. All of the following words are used to suggest the same quality EXCEPT Which one of these is not like the others… Most of the words connote those things that are pliable and soft… EXCEPT limit. Answer = E

11. On which of the following do lines chiefly rely? RTFQ - CHIEFLY meaning mainly POE Paradox = situation of contradictory events or images “cobweb wove of adamant” or “battlement of straw” are paradoxical (conflicting) Answer = B

12. To fully understand the situation presented in the poem, a reader would have to know more about the specific reference of which of the following… Unpack the question - which word is most difficult to interpret based on the poem alone? “block,” “groove,” “recompense,” and “veil” are all used figuratively and can be interpreted within the poem. “law” seems to be literal; it is impossible to identify which or what type of “law” is mentioned in the poem. Answer = D