"With a phone and a typewriter, you can change the world" - the literary renaissance motto
Question 3
(Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.)
2026 Many works of literature depict a conflict between the old and the new: Old worlds, old ways, or old
values clash with newer ones.
Either from your own reading or from the following list, choose a work of fiction in which there is
marked tension between the old and the new. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze how the tension between
the old and the new contributes to an interpretation of the work as a whole.
In your response you should do the following:
• Respond to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible interpretation.
• Provide evidence to support your line of reasoning.
• Explain how the evidence supports your line of reasoning.
• Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating your argument.
AP RUBRICS
AP Question 3 from the beginning of Time
AP Literature and Composition
Course Syllabus: 2026-2027
Instructor: Kent Fielding
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The overall goal of the AP Literature and Composition class is to engage
students in careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative
literature and to prepare the students to take the AP Test in May. As
this is a college level course, students are expected to work more
independently than in a typical high school course and to participate in
classroom discussion. Be warned that the class is very small and
therefore it will be noticed by both the teacher and the other students
if you haven’t done your reading and writing homework (and if this is
the case I may ask you to stop by after school for a talk). You, the
student, are responsible for your own learning. In college, no-one will
ask—they will expect.
FOCUS (restated): A.P. is designed to be a challenging, engaging
exploration of literature as ART. Through critical reading, discussion,
and written analysis of novels, plays, and poetry from various periods
and perspectives, students will develop the reading, thinking and
composition skills necessary for success in a college literature class.
Students carry considerable intellectual responsibility for course
preparation. This is a joint venture between teacher and students not a
“teacher-driven” monologue. Therefore there will be times when
students will direct the class and lead, and times when students will
actually teach the class activities.
Student progress will be evaluated in many ways including essays (both
in class and out of class), short answer tests, homework assignments,
timed-impromptu writing, dialectical journals, and quizzes.
SOME GOALS:
• To
analyze literature by explaining how writers use the techniques of their
art (craft) such as structure, style, theme, figurative language to
communicate ideas
• To look at the social and historical values displayed in the literature we read
• To
develop effective written and oral arguments by looking at logical
organization, use of details, generalizations, sentence structure and
vocabulary
• To develop effective research skills
• To think about how people live ethical and moral lives and how this is reflected in literature
• To
explore and apply different theories of literary criticism. Some
theories we will investigate include: Historical, Moral-Philosophical,
Mimetic, Formalist, Psychological, Symbolical or Mythological, Feminist,
Reader-Response, Structuralism and Deconstruction, and New Criticism.
TEXTS:
We might be reading from any of the following texts, in part and whole:
Arp, Thomas R. and Greg Johnson, Editors. Perrine’s Literature, Structure, Sound,
and Sense, 8th Edition. Boston: Heinle & Heinle, 2002.
Hamlet or King Lear, Shakespeare
Anna Karenina, Tolstoy
The Aeneid, Virgil
Beloved, Morrison
Bleak House, Dickens
Their Eyes Where Watching God, Hurston
The Sun Also Rises, Hemingway
The Inferno, Dante
Moby-Dick, Melville
Middlemarch, Eliot
Selections from Paradise Lost
Selected poetry from various periods
Selected
short stories by writers such as Joyce, Orwell, Hawthorne, Baldwin,
Fitzgerald, Twain, Faulkner, including: “The Dead”, “Sonny’s Blues”,
“Babylon Revisited”, “The Hanging”, "Big Two Hearted River"
The English Patient, Ondaatje
Jane Eyre, Bronte
No No Boy by John Okara
Pride or Prejudice by Jane Austin
The Vegetarian by Han Kang
Writing: 4-6 In-Class essays (40 minutes) per semester to give practice
to the constraint of the AP test. Other writing assignments will focus
on critical analysis and writing in different literary theories,
including an analytical-expository essay explaining how textual details
(theme, tone, symbolism, structure) create meaning and an argumentative
essay relating textual evidence to social or cultural values. Students
are expected to participate in peer response (both in small groups and
as a class), rewriting and 1-on-1 teacher-student conferences. Teacher
conferences will be prearranged and students are expected to have one
per unit. Conferences will focus on structure, organization, use of
details to back up arguments, and sentence structure.
You will keep a daily log reading. This log will act as
dialectical journal (see handout on dialectical journals) and your
writing should include notes, quotations and comments on the text –
things that you see such as stylistic devices, motifs, symbols,
character quirks and insights– as well as questions the text brings up.
This blog will be visible to other students, as a reference, but no two
blogs should be alike. Beware – this blog is part of daily grade.
Discussion: According to the College Board (the people who oversee AP
courses), “Reading should be accompanied by thoughtful discussion…in the
company of one’s fellow students.” Discussions are activities intended
to aid the understanding of a work. Students must interact
intellectually with their peers. Translation: You must come to class
prepared to talk about what you read. This means take notes at home.
Vocabulary and Literary Terms: Over the year, students
are expected to learn literary terms, look up and post a
definition with an example from their current reading.
Resources: Students will be creating and compiling a list of on-line
resources on texts and criticism that will help other students and
future AP classes. This will be a part of a final grade.
SEMESTER I
We will start with a reading of The Great Gatsby as an intro and then move onto poetry.
Poetry, Exploration of Themes, and Literary Theories
Unit 1: Introduction to Poetry (4 weeks)
All pages refer to Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense
Week 1: Literary Terms Specific to Poetry
Imagery: Pages 771-774, “After Apple-Picking” – Questions & Journal
Symbol/Allegory: 807-817, “The Road Not Taken” – Questions, Journal
Paradox, Irony, Satire: 829-839, “My Last Duchess” – Journal
Tone: 880-885, “The Man He Killed” – Questions and Journal
Alliteration, Assonance, Consonance: 899-907, various poems
Week 2: Forms of Poetry
Sonnet, Stanza, Ballad, Haiku, Villanelle, Pantoum, Blues, Blank Verse,
Quatrain, Couplet, Ode, Blank Verse, Dramatic Monologue, Prose Poem,
Epic Poem
In Journals – students will need to explain how each form works and how form = idea
Week 3: Great Poets (focus on Modernism)
Theme: The Individual’s Place in Society
Frost – “Death of the Hired-Man”, “Home Burial”
Eliot – “Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, “Wastelands”
Brooke- “The Dead”
Wilfred Owen – “Dulce et Decorum Est”
Hughes – “Theme for English B”
Bishop – “The Fish”
Jarrell – “Death of Ball-Turret Gunner”
Forche – “The Colonel”
Clifton – “Good Times”
Plath – “Mad Girl’s Love Song”
And perhaps Berryman and Dylan Thomas.
Week 4: In-Class essay, student’s poetry, poetry projects
Students will practice their hand at writing their own poems and
exploring literary devices and poetic form. These will be read out
loud.
Students will also choose one poem from “Poems for Further Reading” and
teach what the poem means and how it creates meaning by discussing form,
literary devices and perhaps social context
1st In-class essay.
Personal or Exploratory Essay 2-3 pages.
Unit 2: “The Search for Identity” –Prose: Creative Non-fiction, Short Story, Novel. – Six Weeks
The English Patient - Michael Ondaatje
Beloved - Toni Morrison
The Sun Also Rises – Hemingway
“Big Two-Hearted River” – Hemingway, “Babylon Revisited” – Fitzgerald,
“The Yellow Wallpaper” – Perkins, “The Only Traffic Signal on the
Reservation Doesn’t Flash Red Anymore” – Alexie
During this unit we will review the structure of the novel particularly looking at plot, character, theme,
tone, symbolism, motif, imagery, allusion, types of irony. These books
and stories are classics of American Literature and we will reflect upon
the experience of the narrator or protagonist (vs. what the author
wants the reader to take away) and discuss how the experience
exemplifies an idea of American Culture. We will also compare and
contrast the experiences presented in these stories.
Assignments:
Blogs/Journals – daily entries
In-Class Essays – 1 per book or novel
Literary Analysis Novel Project - see below
Unit 3: Literary Theory (one of the following) Moby-Dick, Anna Karenina,
Tom Jones, Bleak House or Middlemarch, Pride or Prejudice, Jane Eyre (7 weeks plus Christmas Break)
We will look at different theories
of literary criticism and how they might apply, or can be applied, to
the novel. Different theories have been listed above under “Some
Goals”.
Assignments:
Journals – Daily exploring lit devices, characters and different crit theories.
In-Class Essays – 2.
Every two weeks students will choose a theory and write a 2-3-page essay
trying to utilize the guiding principal of the theory to explore the
meaning of novel. The student will meet 1-1 with the instructor and the
best of the three essays will be revised and expanded (5-10 pages) for a
final grade.
SEMESTER II
Drama, Classical Literature, the social and historical world of Dickens or Austen or Tolstoy, the AP Test
Unit 4: Classical Literature and the Tragic Hero (7 weeks)
One of the following:
The Inferno (Dante)
The Aeneid (Vergil) and Paradise Lost (Milton).
During this unit we will explore the meaning of the tragic hero in both
drama, prose and poetry. We will look at the origins of tragedy and why
tragedy was such an important art form.
Assignments:
Journal: Daily entries
In-class essays: 3
Unit 5: No-No Boy or The Vegetarian or ?
Assignments:
Blog/Journal – Daily
In-Class Essays – 3
Argumentative Essay – students will write an essay exploring the textual
details of No No Boy and make an argument about what the author was
trying to say about the social life and culture of the time.
Unit 6: Poetry and Literary Movements
Unit 7: AP Test
We will spend 2-3 weeks reviewing strategies for the test – both the essay and multiple-choice selections.
AP TEST:
Final Notes:
Plagiarism: Please do not copy or directly quote without giving proper
citation (or acknowledgement) someone else writing. This is
intellectual theft and writers and critics take this seriously. This
also means do not copy from each other. This classroom cannot be a
“group mind” but must be a group of individual minds working to support
each other’s ideas. A plagiarized assignment will receive a zero with
no chance for make-up. Repeated offenses will result in conferences with
parents and administration and a probable “F” in the course. It is
okay to check sites like sparknotes.com but don’t let these sites do
your thinking. For one thing, the sites are too general, for success in
AP you need to analysis beyond sparknotes and further I sometimes check
these sites before I read your assignments. I expect assignments to be
free of these sites just as I don’t expect to see anyone referencing
wikipedia in an argumentative essay.
GRADES:
Test: 20% of total grade
Essays: 50% of total grade
Homework, class work 10% of total grade
Journals 20% of total grade
Scale:
100- 93 = A
92.49- 90 = A-
89.49- 87 = B+
86.49-83.00 = B
82.49- 80.00 = B-
79.49-77.00 = C+
76.49- 73 = C
72.49-70.00 = C-
69.49-67.00 = D+
66.49- 63.00 = D
62.49- 60 = D-
Below 60 = F
LATE WORK: This is a college course therefore no late work will be accepted without talking with the instructor beforehand.
RULES
--Be in your seat when the bell rings
--Remain on task for the entire period (we need to cover a lot of ground in one short year)
--Read what you are suppose to read on time
--Meet the spirit of the assignment and course not just the letter grade
--Ask lots of questions about our readings and writings
--Turn in all work on time
--Remember everything you write in class is public and may be shared
with the class at anytime (this means be prepared to read your own work
out loud—no excuses)
--Think creatively, critically, and analytically
--Come to class passionate about literature
--Remember basic school rules: respect others at all times, no ipods in
this class, get out computers only when needed (being on email or chats
during class is not only not allowed but is disrespectful and will earn
you detention with Mr. Fielding and an extra timed-essay to write during
this detention.
--SMILE—this is a fun class
Literary Devices
AP English
Every discipline employs a special vocabulary; literary criticism is no
exception. Literary criticism is based in part on the assumption that
writing is a purposeful activity and that excellent literature – work of
literary merit -- is not merely a happy accident. During the year I
will be encouraging you to familiarize yourself with some of the
terminology that is used in literary criticism. To that end, you will be
creating a glossary of literary devices that you encounter in your
reading. Below I have included a list of a few of the many devices you
will encounter while reading; you are in no way constrained to this
list, it’s just there for your information – to give you a small
sampling of the wonderful world of literary devices. There are hundreds
of devices that writers employ; you will no doubt find a few that I have
not heard of before.
allegory
alliteration
allusion
ambiguity
antagonist
analogy
apostrophe
archetype
aside
assonance
aubade
ballad
blank verse
cacophony
caesura
catharsis
character / flat, round
complication
conceit
connotation
colloquial diction
comedy
connotation
controlling metaphors
cosmic irony
denotation
dramatic irony
dramatic monologue
echo
elegy
epigram
existential character
extended metaphor
farce
flashback
formal diction
free verse
heroic couplet
hyperbole
imagery
informal diction
initiation story
metaphor
motif
myth
narrative structure
onomatopoeia
overstatement
oxymoron
parable
paradox
parody
pastoral
personification
point of view
protagonist
psychological realism
realism
rhythm
rite of passage
sarcasm
satire
simile
soliloquy
sonnet
style
symbol
syntax
theme
tone
tragedy
verbal irony
Over the course of the semester you’ll be asked to complete a number of
literary device entries. Generally speaking, you’ll be able
to select the device that you wish to use; on rare occasions I’ll tell
you which device you need to discuss. Your examples may come from books
we read in class, novels you read for your outside reading, or novels of
literary merit that you have read on your own. Texts from your other
English classes are not acceptable.
POETRY TEST:
Elements: Know both definitions and examples
Imagery, denotation, connotation, irony – verbal, situational, dramatic,
sarcasm, metaphor, personification, metonymy, apostrophe, synecdoche,
symbol, allegory, paradox, overstatement, understatement, allusion,
tone, alliteration, assonance, consonance, internal rime, slant rime,
end rime, approximate rime, refrain, meter, iamb, trochee, anapest,
dactyl, spondee, monosyllabic foot, line, stanza, cacophony, caesura,
enjambment, onomatopoeia
Forms:
Structure, line breaks, how the poem looks, rhyme and rhythm and how it is created
Blues, Sestina, Villanelle, Pantoum, Sonnet (English, Italian,
Spenserian, and hybrid), haiku, quatrain, tercets, couplets, litany,
ballad.
Poems:
“Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” “Home Burial” “Heights of Machu
Picchu” “The Flea” “My Last Duchess” “The Wastelands” “To His Coy
Mistress”, “The Waste Lands” “Nani” “The Colonel” “One Art” “Fern Hill”
“The Waking” “My Mistress’ Eyes” “The Second Coming”
The Dialectical Journal
Effective students have a habit of taking notes as they read. This
note-taking can several forms: annotation, post it notes, character
lists, idea clusters, and many others. One of the most effective
strategies is called a dialectical journal. The word “dialectical” has
numerous meanings, but the one most pertinent is the “art of critical
examination into the truth of an opinion.” As you read, you are forming
an opinion about what you are reading (or at least you are SUPPOSED to
be forming an opinion). That opinion, however, needs to be based on the
text – not just a feeling. This is not Touchy-Feeling English, it is AP
English. Therefore, all of your opinions need to begin with a text. To
that end, you will need to create a dialectical journal as you read your
outside reading novel. You will then use this journal to help you write
your outside reading paper, and I will use it to gauge just how
interactive you are with your novel. This journal will be included as a
significant part of your paper – in fact, you will be unable to get
anything higher than a low “B” without completing the journal, so take
it seriously.
The procedure is as follows:
1. As you read, pay close attention to the text.
2. Whenever you encounter something of interest (this could be anything
from an interesting turn of phrase to a character note), write down the
word/phrase making sure that you NOTE THE PAGE NUMBER. If the phrase is
especially long just write the first few words, use an ellipsis, then
write the last few words.
3. Then WRITE YOUR OBSEVRATIONS ABOUT THE TEXT you noted or quoted.
Please separate this two things by a little space. You need to interact
in detail with the text. Make sure that your observations are THOROUGH,
INSIGHTFUL, and FOCUSED CLEARLY ON THE TEXT.
That is all there is to it. This way, once you have read your text you
will already have a great set of notes on which to draw when you write
your paper. You also should have gained a great deal of insight about
your particular text.
Note: After you do your nightly blog entry you’ll need to list or pose a
set of questions – five –ten that you’d like to discuss in class.
On some nights I will have you focused on a particularly idea, scene, or literary element.
Beloved or The English Patient - ASSIGNMENT
(This assignment should equal about 20 pages)
This particular writing project requires you to read and write
an in depth style analysis of a challenging work of literary merit. Due
to the independent nature of the project, you will need to be vigilant
in completing all of the tasks required because I will not be reminding
you every week to work on this. There are two parts to this assignment.
First, there is a dialectical journal you must keep while reading your
novel (the guidelines for that journal will be provided separately) .
Second, you must complete all of the sections detailed in this document.
For this project, you need to write about each of the areas
below. For the sake of clarity and organization, please make sure that
each of your sections has the proper heading, and that the sections are
dealt with in the order in which they are listed on this assignment
sheet. Due to the nature of this research paper you do not need to
provide transitions between the different sections, you merely need to
provide the heading. This assignment must be typed, with a standard 12
point Times New Roman font, and 1.5 spaced. The cover sheet should
contain your name, class period, and date submitted. All of the
standards for proper conventions are expected. A paper that has a
distracting number of errors will only be eligible to receive a “C” or
lower.
Each section has a series of questions that are meant to
stimulate your thinking and writing. They are not intended to be
answered in order, but instead are intended merely to act as a guide for
your analysis.
One last important note: FOR EACH SECTION, make
sure that you connect your commentary both to DIRECT TEXT EXAMPLES
(always cited with the correct page number!) as well as to the NOVEL AS A
WHOLE. Only papers that accomplish this will receive an “A” grade.
1.
THE AUTHOR AND HER/HIS TIMES: Biographical and historical information
pertinent to the novel. What important family, community, national, and
world events helped inform this material? Do not provide an exhaustive
biography; merely provide those details that can be directly linked to
the novel in a manner that is convincing. This is one of the few
sections that will require some outside research, so please remember to
cite your source(s).
2. FORM/STRUCTURE, PLOT: How is the novel
organized and what techniques are used? Discuss techniques such as
sequencing, multiple, complex, or simple plot, foreshadowing, chapter
choices. Then, provide a BRIEF outline of the events of the plot (no
more than 200 words). For some modern novels, the plot may be difficult
to describe succinctly – but try to do it anyway. When you discuss
structure, remember that you need to discuss the effect of the
intentional internal arrangement of parts.
3. POINT OF VIEW/
PERSPECTIVE: From what vantage point does the reader receive the
information? Is the perspective reliable, or is it highly subjective?
How are important ideas received? Is there an agenda that the narrator
seems to have, either consciously or subconsciously? Does the
perspective shift, and if so, to what end? Are characters explicit in
their dialog, or does on omniscient narrator fill the reader in
concerning the larger issues? Why is the perspective used particularly
effective for this novel?
4. CHARACTER: Are each of the
characters highly developed, or is most of the writing devoted to one
character? Do you learn about them through what is not included in the
text? How is character revealed for the most part? Is through what they
say? What they do? What they wear? What they think? The people with
whom they associate? What the narrator says about them? How complex are
the people that you meet? Describe the central characters including
what you find out about their names, ages, physical descriptions,
personalities, functions in the novel – in other words, the responses to
the questions asked in the preceding sentence. Also include one short
quotation that reveals their character, and explain why the quote
reveals character.
5. SETTING: Where and when does the novel
occur? How many locations are described? Are there connections between
the setting(s) and character(s)? How is the atmosphere described? Are
there any important settings that contrast or parallel each other? Why
is this setting so effective in supporting the ideas in the novel as a
whole? Conversely, if the setting is ambiguous, what details seem most
important and what is the effect of the ambiguity? Why is this story
best told in this setting? When discussing setting, remember that it
does not only mean the geographical location (topography, scenery) but
also the cultural backdrop, social context, and the artificial
environment (rooms, buildings, cities, towns) as well.
6. THEME:
Identify one major theme (a central or controlling idea) and explicate
the theme using specific moments from the text, either paraphrased or
directly quoted. What is the abstract concept being addressed and what
is the evaluation of that concept through the text? Are there any
“universal” truths are revealed, supported, or challenged by this theme?
Be aware that a theme cannot be expressed in a single word, and with
complex works of literary merit the elucidation of a theme requires a
full paragraph or more. Also note that the theme is rarely stated
explicitly, but rather is implicit. Remember that a theme has TWO (2)
PARTS: An abstract concept AND the author’s commentary on or evaluation
of that concept through the text.
7. CRITICAL REVIEW: Find one
critical review (not a Cliffs Notes or similar source) of you novel and
offer your opinion of the critic’s analysis in two or three paragraphs.
Attach a copy of the critical review to your paper, and cite it
directly. When expressing your response to the review, be specific in
your discussion. If you agree, then explain why and carry the argument
beyond what the critic pointed out. If you disagree, provide support for
your position from the text.
8. DICTION: Analyze the novelist’s
word choice. Is the language high or formal, neutral, informal? Does
the novelist employ slang(faddish words)? Colloquialisms (nonstandard
regional ways of using language(like someone from Boston asking where
you “paah-ked yeh caaah”)? Jargon (language associated with a particular
trade)? Dialect (think Tom Sawyer)? Is the language plain? Flowery?
Concise? Vulgar? Dense? Elevated? Select a passage that illustrates
your observations and discuss this passage directly.
10. TONE:
What is the author’s attitude towards the subject of the novel? Discuss
how the author creates the tone you identified through a variety of
vehicles including plot, characterization, setting, and anything else
that contributes to tone. Use specific text examples to support your
findings.
11. TITLE: Why is this title so appropriate for the
novel? Does it have literal or symbolic significance? Does it actually
appear in the novel, and if so, what is the situation? Is the title an
allusion, and if so, why would the title include this allusion? Does the
title implicitly connect to the theme of the work?
12. MEMORABLE
QUOTE: Choose and type out one quotation that you believe to be
significant or noteworthy. Please explain your choice. Is it an
especially moving moment? Is it especially well-written? Why does this
quote stand out for you?
13. PERSONAL RESPONSE: What did you
enjoy about the novel and why? What did you not enjoy about the novel
and why? Are you eager to read another novel by this author? Would you
recommend this novel to a friend? Make a case for either adding the
novel to the AP curriculum, or give reasons why it should not be a part
of this course.
SAMPLE TEST:
AP Open Question – SUN ALSO RISES Test
Today we are going to look at the open question for AP literature.
You will get one of these questions as a test for THE SUN ALSO RISES.
In some works of literature, a character who appears briefly, or does
not appear at all, is a significant presence. Choose a novel or play of
literary merit and write an essay in which you show how such a character
functions in the work. You may wish to discuss how the character
affects action, theme, or the development of other characters. Avoid
plot summary.
Select a moment or scene in a novel, epic poem, or play that you find
especially memorable. Write an essay in which you identify the line or
the passage, explain its relationship to the work in which it is found,
and analyze the reasons for its effectiveness.
Choose a complex and important character in a novel or a play of
recognized literary merit who might on the basis of the character's
actions alone be considered evil or immoral. In a well-organized essay,
explain both how and why the full presentation of the character in the
work makes us react more sympathetically than we otherwise might. Avoid
plot summary.
An effective literary work does not merely stop or cease; it concludes.
In the view of some critics, a work that does not provide the pleasure
of significant closure has terminated with an artistic fault. A
satisfactory ending is not, however, always conclusive in every sense;
significant closure may require the reader to abide with or adjust to
ambiguity and uncertainty. In an essay, discuss the ending of a novel or
play of acknowledged literary merit. Explain precisely how and why the
ending appropriately or inappropriately concludes the work. Do not
merely summarize the plot.
Morally ambiguous characters -- characters whose behavior discourages
readers from identifying them as purely evil or purely good -- are at
the heart of many works of literature. Choose a novel or play in which a
morally ambiguous character plays a pivotal role. Then write an essay
in which you explain how the character can be viewed as morally
ambiguous and why his or her moral ambiguity is significant to the work
as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.
Novels and plays often include scenes of weddings, funerals, parties,
and other social occasions. Such scenes may reveal the values of the
characters and the society in which they live. Select a novel or play
that includes such a scene and, in a focused essay, discuss the
contribution the scene makes to the meaning of the work as a whole. You
may choose a work from the list below or another novel or play of
literary merit.
Examples of Homework:
Read chapters 12 -13
Pick out two things in each chapter that you find significant to the overall meaning of the novel. List and comment on them.
You should think about the open response questions before you begin reading.
Outside Reading Assignment:
Due: Tuesday – December 17th
Objective: To present a 5-10 speech in which you illuminate some aspect
of an outside novel. You may choose to illuminate the audience on the
relationship of characters to the times and or society or discuss the
function of a character or characters to overall meaning. You can look
at novel structure and how the structure reinforces the main idea. You
can discuss literary devices (symbols, irony, allusions, etc), diction,
syntax, or vocabulary and how their reinforce meaning.
Avoid mere plot summary.
Your speech will be giving without notes and should include the following:
Organization (25 points)
1) Hook
2) Thesis statement
3) Order of development
4) Body
5) Conclusion
Analysis (25 points)
You explore your thesis by giving examples from the novel and commenting
on what those examples mean and how they backup and reinforce your
thesis.
You should have at least 2 points (though try for 3) and you should have 2-3 examples for each point.
Your conclusion should be more than just a recap of your 1st paragraph.
It should leave the audience thinking and suggest other areas to
explore.
In-class essays will be graded using the AP essay scale.
