AP Lit & Comp5/1 ‘18

1. AP essay tips round #1

2. Discuss “Black Walnut Tree” essay and

Belinda prose essay

3. OEQ flashcards

4. For next class: prose packet & full length M/C

AP Literature Teacher Tips• 1. 1. Always remember the author’s purpose. Retelling what happened in the

story is not an analysis. You must understand and relay WHY the author wrote it the way he/she did and what he/she is trying to tell readers! This is crucial! HEART OF THE PROMPT.

• 2. Be original. Think about the fact that the AP Test readers have been looking at essays on the same topics for three days. What will you do to be original and stand out that will surprise the reader at 4:30 pm on day three? Think about what everyone else will say before writing. Then, don’t write on those topics.

• 3. “Box the “but” because shift happens.” In poetry, box the word “but” or other prominent conjunctions. Shifts happens in poetry, and such words will usually lead to complexity in meaning.

• 4. Answer the question as it is actually asked. It’s easy to see a title or an author and jump to conclusions, and sometimes that means students are writing about what they think the question is asking instead of what the question actually is asking. In the pressure to complete three essays in 120 minutes, it’s an easy mistake to make … and a good one to avoid!

AP Literature Teacher Tips• 5. Address the whole prompt in your introductory

statement / paragraph.

• 6. Focused writing on two or three aspects of the text (characterization, use of devices, etc.) accompanied with analysis will generate a higher score than lightly touching on 5 to 7 aspects.

• 7. Always answer the question: “So What?”

• Yes, the writer used an extended metaphor, so what? Why did they choose that metaphor?

• How does that choice reflect the author’s intent?

• What effect does it create within the text and within the reader? Provide the reader with the “so what” to help drive your analysis deeper.

AP Literature Teacher Tips• 8. Don’t worry about writing a fully-developed introduction and

conclusion. Instead, use your time to focus on meaning. What important insights do you have to share? Make sure you are providing much more analysis than plot summary. Begin with aclear thesis and end with one strong concluding statement.

• 9. Mark up the prompts and the poem. Find the heart of the

prompt FIRST. Circle action verbs and underline what you need

to focus on. Create a quick outline or plan before writing. The

time spent will prevent the heartache of not addressing the

prompt.

• 10. Each essay is worth the same amount of points, but one is set

for you to shine. Know five books really well so you can rock the

free-response essay. On the exam, do it first while your mind is

still fresh.

AP Literature Teacher Tips• 11. Go online to the AP College Board test page and

check out the various student essays from prior years. What makes an essay a 9? 7? or even a 4? There are usually reader comments at the end of the essay which add further clarity to how readers score essays. Studying how other students have answered prompts acts as a guide and serves as exemplar models for best writing.

• 12. For all poetry: a. Figure out the heart of the prompt. b. determine the author’s central purpose, c. Explain the speaker’s attitude toward the subject, d. Analyze any figurative language.

• 13. Never be unacceptably brief: Even if the selection isdifficult, there will be something in it that all students cananalyze. Analyze that and then keep writing!

“The Black Walnut Tree”

OVERVIEW

THE PROMPT

Carefully read the following poem by Mary

Oliver. Then write a well-organized essay in

which you analyze how Oliver conveys the

relationship between the tree and the family

through the use of figurative language and

other poetic techniques.

of the prompt?

relationship between the tree and the family

Thesis

There are some things more important than money.

In her poem “The Black Walnut Tree,” Mary Oliver

explores the role and meaning one magnificent, but

also burdensome, tree holds for a family now

comprised of only a mother and daughter. Through

extensive figurative language and deliberate diction,

Oliver convincingly conveys the symbolic value and

sentimentality this tree possesses for the two women

and the sacrifices they will make to keep it in their

lives.

Thesis

Humans have the tendency to build relationships with

things that are not alive. These things can serve as

portals to memories, happiness, or mourning. This

relationship is complex but deeply important to those

who create it. In her poem, “The Black Walnut

Tree,” Mary Oliver explores the deep rooted

relationship between a walnut tree and the family that

cares for it. She primarily uses natural imagery and

nostalgic tone to artfully describe this deep and

complex relationship.

Thesis

In her poem “The Black Walnut Tree,” Mary Oliver

portrays a conflict between practicality and

sentimentality as a mother and daughter debate selling

a tree to pay off their mortgage. By utilizing specific

figurative language and bold diction, Oliver conveys

how while the tree is a burden to the family, it is a

representation of the family history and the fathers’

labors, and holds high sentimental value.

High level analysis & textual supportThrough the use of figurative language, Oliver takes the literal meaning

and transforms it into something much deeper. Perhaps the most

prominent form of figurative language is Oliver’s use of personification.

The family decides not to sell the tree and will suffer through the

“leaping winds” and the “whip-crack of the mortgage.” Oliver

personifies these nuisances to ultimately portray how difficult and trying

they are on the family. Despite the consequences of keeping the tree,

the family puts up with the hardships “month after month” because the

tree is meaningful. However, the trees sentimentality is not fully

revealed until Oliver utilizes metaphor. Their “own fathers’ backyard”

is a metaphor for the family’s heritage. The “storm” that “will churn

down the dark boughs” eventually “smashing the house” metaphorically

represents all of the hardships and trials in life. When the family

refuses to sell the tree, they show the importance of not only the tree,

but also their family because they are willing to face the consequences.

Apt and specific textual referencesOliver utilizes figurative language to show the complexity

between the mother and daughter and the walnut tree. Oliver’s

use of similes reveals the family’s conflicting emotions and

financial instability. The pair argues, “we could sell to the

lumberman, and pay off the mortgage,” only to then

contemplate, “something brighter than money moves through

our blood—an edge sharp and quick as a trowel.” While the

family knows that giving the tree away will financially support

them for some time, their emotion leaves them at a crossroads.

Though the “leaves get heavier every year, and the fruit harder

to gather away,” the women will “crawl with shame in the

emptiness we’d made…so the black walnut tree swings through

another year,” as the skies become darkened with the threat of

too little money and impending loss.

Apt and specific textual referencesThe speaker uses negative connotation such as “debate,” “churn,”

“harder,” and “crawl” to describe the family’s current conflict. Yet for

the past, the speaker uses more lighthearted words like “brighter,”

“generous,” and “bounding” to reference the father. This juxtaposition

allows the reader to separate the family’s current condition from their

father who has passed. Similar to this, the tree is described as a heavy

burden with the possibility of “its dark boughs smashing the house,” its

“leaves getting heavier,” and “the fruit harder to gather.” While after the

family’s realization, “brighter than money…an edge sharp and quick as a

trowel” to keep the tree, it is described with peaceful imagery. The tree

swings in “sun…leaping winds of leaves and bounding fruit.” This

strengthens the separation for the reader but also unifies the happy

relationship with the family’s father. This happy relationship, shown

through the symbolic nature of the tree, is cemented with the speaker’s

“shame in the emptiness” that would exist in their “fathers’ backyard” if

the tree were not there.

MUST DO’s

Must use the specific language of poetry: “speaker,”

“poet,” “stanza’

You MUST blend in LOTS of snippets of text for

proof and support. Without it, no higher than a 5.

Quote lines correctly: “How do I love thee / Let me

count the ways.”

SNIPPETS, SNIPPETS, SNIPPETS

Try not to say, “this quote shows.” Try this instead:

“We talk slowly, two women trying in a difficult time to

be wise,” allows the poet to further develop a serious

and contemplative tone.”

Get to deeper meaning!

Heart of the prompt = what’s the relationship and

connection between the tree and the family.

Yes, it’s important to them, but you need to discuss

specifically WHY and HOW it’s important.

What does the tree specifically mean to them?

Family heritage? Family’s history? Memories of

childhood or the father? The father himself? Family

connection? American heritage?

Ultimately, what is the poem saying about the role and

significance of family?

IMPORTANT

• You need to write at least 2 pages –the only reason

for not doing so is if you legitimately run out of time.

• However, if time is an issue for you, between now

and the exam, work on additional practice essays to

learn how to speed up.

• Essays that are only 1 page or even 1.5 pages are

normally either “superficial,” which earns a score of

5 OR “partial” which is in the 4-3 category.

• Don’t cite line numbers – the grader won’t go back

and look at the line –instead, quote the line itself.

• Poem titles always go in quotation marks only.

Belinda passage

OVERVIEW

THE PROMPTIn the following passage from Maria Edgeworth’s 1801 novel,

Belinda, the narrator provides a description of Clarence Hervey, one

of the suitors of the novel’s protagonist, Belinda Portman. Mrr.

Stanhope, Belinda’s aunt hopes to improve her niece’s social

prospects and therefore has arranged to have Belinda stay with the

fashionable Lady Delacour.

Read the passage carefully. Then write an essay in which you

analyze Clarence Hervey’s complex character as Edgeworth

develops it through such literary techniques as tone, point of view,

and language.

of the prompt?

Analyze Clarence Hervey’s complex character

The heart of the prompt

What can be said about Clarence Hervey’s complex character?

arrogant & sense of entitlement

“considerable literary talents by which he was distinguish at Oxford”

pretends to be ignorant

very concerned with what others think of him

“chameleon character” – “could be all things to all men—and to all women.

-values his own gallantry

“he had a strong sense of humor and quick feelings of humanity”

-is easily swayed by others and could become “vicious”

“vain of having it seen by the world that he was distinguished by a lady of her wit

and fashion”

-sees Belinda almost every day, and every day he saw her with increasing

admiration of her beauty…

-suspicious of Belinda’s artifice

“cursed his folly” and “drew back with sudden terror” at the idea of marrying

Belinda

The heart of the prompt

Once you’ve determined which of Clarence Hervey’s traits

you’ll focus on, decide which devices to use.

The prompt suggests tone, point of view, and language

You can use those, but you’re not required to

Diction would be a good choice

Point of view – a narrator who paints Hervey as almost

entirely unfavorable

Long, elaborate syntax mirrors the complexity of his

character

There’s also some parallel structure or anaphora

Selection of detail would also be a good choice

Example Thesis

• In the passage from Maria Edgeworth’s novel

Belinda, Clarence Hervey is revealed to be a

learned but also arrogant and self-conscious man

through the careful use of syntax and selection of

detail.

Body paragraphClarence Hervey is nothing if not a man of great

sophistication. He had been “flattered with the idea that he

was a man of genius” and had “considerable literary talents.”

By these, he was distinguished at Oxford, showing the reader

a man who is highly learned. Not only do these details reveal

his sophisticated nature, but so does the writing style. The

passage contains a plethora of long sentences which contain

semicolons and commas as opposed to short and simple

sentences, which are few and far between. One such

sentence, “As to his connection…, he would have started…;but

in her family, he said, there was…; he was vain…, and he did

not…” spans a total of eight lines. Such syntax reflects the

complicated character of Hervey who is very well educated.

Body paragraphThroughout the pasage, a comprehensive diction is utilized, showcasing the

narrator’s as well as Clarence Hervey’s educational background. Clarence is

described as “a man of genuis; and he imagined that, as such, he was entitled

to be imprudent, wild, and eccentric.” This is further examined and

presented through the notion of his “considerable literary talents” and having

been “distinguished at Oxford.” This characterization makes the utilization

and incorporation of a scholastic diction appropriate. This is emphasized

through words such as “gallantry” and “scrupulous.” This style of diction

emphasizes the strengths of Clarence’s personality and talents; however, it

also showcases his weaknesses. With each positive attribute given, Edgeworth

follows it with the repeated use of the conjunction “but.” By repeating this

framework throughout the passage, it demonstrates every strength has a

weakness. Despite Clarence being a “genuis,” he is also insecure about

“passing for a pedant” so he “{pretends} to disdain every species from

knowledge.” This concept is also prevalent in his “strong sense of humour

and quick feelings for humanity; but {he’s} easily led…by his companions.”

The diction and style of language showcases the complex nature of Clarence

as well as humanity.

Body paragraphClarence Hervey is nothing if not a man of great

sophistication. He had been “flattered with the idea that he

was a man of genius” and had “considerable literary talents.”

By these, he was distinguished at Oxford, showing the reader

a man who is highly learned. Not only do these details reveal

his sophisticated nature, but so does the writing style. The

passage contains a plethora of long sentences which contain

semicolons and commas as opposed to short and simple

sentences, which are few and far between. One such

sentence, “As to his connection…, he would have started…;but

in her family, he said, there was…; he was vain…, and he did

not…” spans a total of eight lines. Such syntax reflects the

complicated character of Hervey who is very well educated.

Example Thesis

• In the passage from Belinda, Maria Edgeworth

utilizes demeaning point of view, strategic

description, and intense language to describe the

suitor, Clarence Hervey, as a man whoe

intellectual prowess allows him to be smitten and

imprudent, ultimately revealing his resolve not to

be cast aside by those of lesser intelligence.

For next class…

• Take 60 timed minutes to complete the full-length practice M/C test. Pretend like it’s thereal thing. Use all those strategies we’ve talked about.

• Complete your OEQ flashcards.• Write a poetry essay for the 2017 prompt:

“The Myth of Music.”• 40 minutes (7-10 minutes to plan and work

the prompt)• No outside sources• Snippets, heart of the prompt, spicy verbs

• Do as much AP Lit exam prep as possible over this next week!