ap literature essay tips

ap literature essay tips

Tips for Writing a Strong AP Literature Essay

1. Understanding the Prompt

Starting an AP Literature Assignment can be hard. An easy way to get the hang of how to initiate an assignment is to simply create a statement. “In this passage,” “In this poem,” “In this novel,” etc. The more familiar you get with understanding an AP prompt, the easier it will be to write a thesis with a strong foundation that includes textual evidence. You should also pay attention to why the author chose to write about there, where, and who. What message does the author want to send by talking about these important literary aspects of character, location, and diction? Then when all that is understood, you can begin the breaking of the passage, followed by a creative opening technique to fully establish a stronger thesis. All of this can be returned on using the rhetorical diamond to fully analyze the passage.

AP English Lit may seem daunting at times, but with the right tools and practice, you can tackle it head-on. The first step is understanding how to form a persuasive argument with your writing and how to properly understand and break down the wording of different prompts. To do this, there are several questions you must ask yourself before finalizing your answers for any free response. Free response questions ask themselves a prompt, which will always be asking you to analyze a text that you’ve read or write a critical thesis that includes textual evidence. Before breaking down the excerpt, two critical things you must understand is who’s speaking, and to whom is the speaker speaking to? This is a must-have in your essay and will require an inclination to pick out the diction, syntax, and style therefore, a more elaborate response.

2. Analyzing the Text

Not all of the elements that you assert as significant are going to be considered thematizations. But that is the work you have to do to write well and in depth. This type of fact-gathering becomes a vital step. It is also necessary (if you want to see the details of the text), when we solve the fourth task at the same time: detect the points of contention in the text. During this stage, when you try to detect recurring patterns (imagery, “conflicts” of a character, etc.), be sure to consider what types of recurring devices, signs, symbols, or scene-setting elements that the work has gives them a visual style of the plot of the work, so old. Such. Look for instances in exactly what ways the images or symbols appear layers of signification to the text. Don’t be quick to analyze only an isolated passage and be wrong because you haven’t compared to a wider pattern (or can) range.

Pinpoint what the text is really about. This assignment is not a competition for you to see who can derive the most weird metaphors out of student answers to “what is this about?” Instead, let’s start small. The more precise your attempts to answer this question, the more specific and detailed your analysis will be. That’s good. We want that. Here, we’re not exactly interested in understanding the meaning or significance of the text. That is, we don’t yet know or at least need to be kept in mind. No, what is turned interested to do is to have how you look at the text, what connections you make, what contrasts you perceive, etc.–depending on the nature of the exercise. There are. Here they are: Look for patterns, especially if they tell you something about the majority of the text. Is an element repeated in the work?, and if so, with what level of frequency? (structural dimension of the text). Are there metaphors in the work that are used frequently? Does the work reflect a certain scene (especially in the setting) consistently or a certain symbolic object? Keep in mind Aeschylus famous line, often quoted but rarely followed: “From the numerous emerges (From the many, the unity).” This is called “thematizing,” which is Báscoli’s term for the process in which we discover a pattern in the text on which the majority of the work depends. For a thematic point to be, it has to be a) significant (we are talking about a majority of the work, after all); b) complex enough or “deeper;” c) easy to spot. Often also, the thematic point implies two types of questions: imagistic (referring to the images of the text) and semiotic (referring to the signs, symbols of the text).

3. Developing a Thesis Statement

At their most basic, the main characteristics of a thesis statement in an AP Literature essay are that it: a) answers the prompt; b) evaluates the opening statement of the work of literature with which it has been paired; and c) generates a claim about the work of literature. These qualities all contribute to the complexity that the thesis statement asks the student to demonstrate. The thesis statement is supposed to reflect the merits of the work of literature with which it has been paired, as well as to advance the reader’s understanding of major themes, changing relationships and other concerns the invitation has delineated. (The reader does not want to be told what he or she already knows but rather wants to be offered new insights.) The thesis statement is supposed to advance a central claim about the work of literature; the statement announces a guiding idea that the sentences which follow back up. Making an assertion is supposed to preclude summaries and commentary. A thesis is supposed to be a distinctive thesis statement; that is, a thesis statement that makes a plausible claim, demonstrates a change in the treatment of a prominent human characteristic, gives insight into a thematic concern, and advances a thoughtful interpretation of a piece. Most teachers just say that a good thesis statement should “claim the moral high ground” – that’s a useful directive because it opens the door to making a claim about the course of thought, the dramatic action, the text’s construct and other essential concerns of the lecture course.

One thing that tends to unsettle AP Literature students is the idea that the thesis statement they write in the AP exam will be more important than any other thesis statement they have written before. While this is an exaggeration, the AP exam will ask the student to write two paragraphs that explore different aspects of a literary work; both paragraphs should be structured around a thesis statement that is backed up with evidence. Students are told by their teacher that they need to develop a “strong and complex thesis statement.” The all too typical rhetorical question that follows this announcement is “What the heck is a thesis statement and how do you construct one of those?”

4. Structuring Your Essay

When it comes to structuring your analysis, pay special attention to the way to present ideas in the opening and final paragraphs, and in the main body. There are several different techniques for you to do, as long as they contain the hook, clarification of the topic, appealing to sights and sound and the expansion of topic, introduction, body, conclusion, argument, thesis, an assertion, whether it is true or false and your conclusion. Almost all essays are written in the same style, some are more specific than others. Even the most well-crafted essays will fail if you do not submit to the rules and follow the paragraph essay structure.

Likewise, there are several different ways that you can structure an essay. The main idea here is not to follow a certain structure because you have to, but to learn the main methods and rules and then use the structure to make the best essay you can. The well-designed structure of the essay will help to use your creativity while discussing different ideas.

Introduction: This paragraph will tell the reader what they need to know in order to understand your argument. For example, like the topic of your essay being a strong argument that contributes to the understanding of the theme in both written and visual works will help to provide guidelines in your structure so that you are more focused and present an effective argument. Introduction: Nice and linking to predict the information presented in the way that helps to follow the main point of a good structure of the essay.

When it comes to structuring a standard essay—whether it be for an ELA, AP Literature, or any other kind of class—it’s generally best to use the classic 5-paragraph essay format. This allows the author to set forth the most important part of their essay in a more clear, easily readable way. Here is the basic structure most essays follow:

5. Crafting a Compelling Conclusion

Do not simply recap your points. You spent time crafting a thoughtful analysis so don’t treat that expensive work as a formulaic cost. Instead, bring your points together so that they seem to say something new and substantive. Consider what conclusions you can draw from these individual points. Perhaps consider your evidence as different colors of paint in an art piece and how the picture changes if you switch the position of the yellow with a blue in your picture. Discuss these new punchlines. Provide a gem that is worthy of a reader’s time. Offer an insight and give your essay new breathing room. If it fits the essay and your larger point, consider simply ending your essay with a thoughtful line or creative image. Offering a literary example is an option if it broadens the scope of your paper. Connect your essay to a greater pool of knowledge. Provide a transition back to the literature at the conclusion of the essay. Make the reader feel excited about reading the literature.

Think of your conclusion like the back covers of a book. In the back cover, you want to explain what the book did and how it did it. The hope is that the back-cover comments convince a reader to dive into the book. In a similar spirit, think of your conclusion as a final word before a reader walks away. You want to put your best foot forward so that the reader walks away being a fan of the essay. You want to make the reader feel good, satisfied, and perhaps even moved. Not only should your points reconcile in some connection, but also carry some weight. Make your final comments memorable. Use strong observations or your thesis to create closure. Restate your larger point using different words. Remind a reader why your point holds literary significance. Just like the opening, end your essay strong.

As you think about your conclusion, we recommend thinking carefully about your readers and authors and considering what feels like the best closure. Here are notes to consider and suggestions for how to end the essay well.