STYLE ANALYSIS WRITING FOR THE AP LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION EXAM

IMPORTANT DATES  Test on AP vocabulary today  Typed annotated bibliography for Macbeth due today.  AP Lit test Wednesday, May 6  Typed annotated bibliography for independent reading book due Friday, May 15.

TODAY’S AGENDA Group with others who read the poem you read. Reread poem Talk about what you noticed about stylistic devices the author uses to help communicate meaning. Turn in your completed explication today.

TODAY’S AGENDA: SAMPLE AP ESSAYS  Read the prompt for the poetry analysis. Annotate.  Read the poem “The Mystery of the Caves.”  Reread the poem annotating for images and symbols.  Include in your annotations thoughts about the link asked for in the prompt.

EVALUATION OF SAMPLE AP ESSAYS  Review the rubric on the back of the prompt.  Read the 3 sample responses.  Complete the Ratings Sheet for each.  Discuss and defend your ratings.

TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL AP LITERATURE & COMPOSITION TIMED WRITINGS If you’re struggling, just keep writing. The odds are in your favor that your writing will move from summary to analysis. Have confidence in your analysis and writing ability! Avoid hesitation or conditional phrasing. “This probably signifies…” or “This could mean…” Be assertive! Have an authoritative voice.

WHAT THE LIT AND COMP TEST LOOKS LIKE 3 hours long with two parts multiple choice questions 45% of your grade 3 free response questions 55% of your grade

MULTIPLE CHOICE SECTION 1 hour long 4-5 passages from poetry, drama, fiction, and, occasionally, nonfiction each piece followed by questions

FREE RESPONSE SECTION 2 hours long 3 essays (40 minutes each)  2 on a specific passage or poem that is provided  1 is open-ended and allows you to select the work of literature and write to a designated prompt

SAMPLE FREE RESPONSE QUESTION Where passage is provided: This is a selection from the Preface of an early British novel. Read the passage carefully. In a well- organized essay discuss how the author’s calculating style attempts to manipulate the reader’s curiosity in order to lure him or her into reading the book itself. Pay particular attention to such stylistic devices as diction, imagery, and inference.

SAMPLE FREE RESPONSE QUESTIONS Where passage is not provided 1. The meaning of some literary works is often enhanced by sustained allusion to myths, the Bible, or other works of literature. Select a literary work that makes use of such a sustained reference. Then write a well-organized essay in which you explain the allusion that predominates in the work and analyze how it enhances the work’s meaning. 2.“In many plays a character has a misconception of himself or his world. Destroying or perpetuating this illusion contributes to a central theme of the play.” Choose a play with a major character to whom this statement applies, and write an essay in which you consider the following: (a) What the character’s illusion is and how it differs from reality as presented in the play. (b) How the destruction or perpetuation of the illusion develops a theme of the play.

WHAT IT ALL COMES DOWN TO IS... Learning to think like a writer as you analyze the author’s craft (writing style).

PARTS OF A WHOLE Analysis requires dividing the whole into parts to better understand the whole. A mechanic has to understand how individual parts of a car work so he/she can understand how they contribute to the overall performance of the car. A writer has to understand how an author uses individual rhetorical devices so he/she can understand how the author develops meaning.

THE KEY WORD IS PARTS This is a selection from the Preface of an early British novel. Read the passage carefully. In a well- organized essay discuss how the author’s calculating style attempts to manipulate the reader’s curiosity in order to lure him or her into reading the book itself. Pay particular attention to such stylistic devices as diction, imagery, and inference. Think small units in analysis With each small unit ask “What’s important about that unit?” At the end put it all back together for the meaning of the work

1.Tone 2.Diction (word choice) 3.Figurative language 4.Detail 5.Imagery 6.Point-of-view 7.Organization (of paragraphs, sentences, stanzas, etc.) 8.Irony 9.Syntax (sentence structure) 10.Mood 1.Create a mnemonic device (memory tool) 2.Write the sentence down 3 times 3.Draw a picture that helps you visualize your sentence 4.Recite your sentence to a neighbor 10 GO-TO RHETORICAL DEVICES Too many fuzzy details don’t shape our instantly intelligent plan. Mnemonic Device

DICTION One of the most powerful elements of style because it creates tone. All words have denotations (dictionary definitions) Many words also have connotations (implied or suggested meaning; the emotional tag that accompanies a word)

DENOTATION VS CONNOTATION PLUMPOBESE Denotation – overweight Connotation – plump – pleasantly fat, almost cutely overweight Obese – often used by medical personnel, more technical or scientific

ANALYZING DICTION Copy the following sentence. Underline words that have strong connotative meaning. The boy surveyed the class, congratulating himself for snatching the highest grade on the test.

ANALYZING DICTION The boy surveyed the class, congratulating himself for snatching the highest grade on the test. Once you identify an author’s diction, you must analyze it. Your analysis shows the reaction the reader has to the word choice and the emotional response it brings out in the reader. Example: The use of the word surveyed suggests the boy is looking around as if he were a king looking down on lowly subjects or a god on Mt. Olympus, sitting with other gods and looking down on lesser mortals. Write a sentence of analysis for the word snatching. You try it!

THE RATTLER Read “The Rattler” aloud. Circle, highlight, or underline any examples of diction or figurative language that have a strong connotative effect on you. After reading, create a list of connotative words from the passage and their suggested meanings.

ANALYZING DICTION Word from “The Rattler” Denotative MeaningConnotative Meaning SavoryPleasantMouthwatering, intense smell Synesthesia – mixing of the senses; combination of sensations Examples: describing colors as “loud” or smells as “savory” Copy this literary term

ANALYZING DICTION Compare your connotative interpretations with other’s interpretations. Choose 1 of the words and write a sentence that embeds 1-2 pieces of evidence from the test and one sentence of analysis about that evidence. Speak about the word(s) in the context of what’s happening in the text. Example: The “savory odors” of the desert’s vegetation have helped establish a scene of tranquility as the evening “light is thinning” and the air is cooling. The author’s use of synesthesia to describe a smell that is so sweet it is mouthwatering, creates a sharp contrast to the abrupt intrusion he/she is about to encounter. Notice how the quote from the text is embedded or incorporated in your original sentence. It doesn’t stand alone and it doesn’t include the phrase “the following quote means... “

CREATING A “CHUNK” OF EVIDENCE AND ANALYSIS Evidence: The “savory odors” of the desert’s vegetation have helped establish a scene of tranquility as the evening “light is thinning” and the air is cooling. Analysis: The author’s use of synesthesia to describe a smell that is so sweet it is mouthwatering, creates a sharp contrast to the abrupt intrusion the narrator is about to encounter. Analysis: A second contrast can be found in the image of the thinning light, as the dying day contrasts with the “blazing hours” of daylight in the desert. Write a 2 nd sentence of analysis about this evidence

STRUCTURE FOR BODY PARAGRAPHS IN A LITERARY ANALYSIS  Sentence 1: claim statement  Sentence 2: 1 st piece of evidence – sentence that incorporates 2-3 words/ phrases from the passage  Sentence 3: 1 st piece of analysis for sentence 2  Sentence 4: 2 nd piece of analysis for sentence 2  Sentence 5: 2 nd piece of evidence – another sentence that incorporates 2-3 different words/phrases from the passage  Sentence 6: 1 st piece of analysis for sentence 5  Sentence 7: 2 nd piece of analysis for sentence 5  Sentence 8: Concluding sentence

Claim statement 1 st piece of evidence that uses 2-3 words/phrases from text 1 st piece of analysis 2 nd piece of analysis 2 nd piece of evidence that uses 2-3 words/phrases from text 1 st piece of analysis 2 nd piece of analysis Concluding sentence Structure for Body Paragraphs in a Literary Analysis

ANALYZING DICTION  Write a 2 nd sentence of evidence that incorporates 2-3 quotes from the passage “The Rattler.”  Write 2 sentences of analysis that discuss the reader’s response to this evidence. This is your 2 nd evidence/analysis “chunk”

TOPPING IT OFF AND WRAPPING IT UP You now have 6 sentences of evidence and analysis  Add a claim statement  Add a concluding sentence You will have an 8-sentence body paragraph that analyzes diction!

SAMPLE STARTER AND CLOSER SENTENCES Sample claim statement for a paragraph that analyzes diction: The author’s diction heightens the power and force behind the snake as it responds to the man and the man’s reluctance to take the life of the snake. Sample concluding sentence for a paragraph that analyzes diction: All involved recognize the strength of both the man and the almost-human snake, but know that responsibility and duty to others make the killing necessary.