<p>In my AP Lit class, we have independent reading assignments every quarter. We pick one book from a list of about 15, and then respond to either of 2 prompts after we finish reading the novel. I chose to read "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde, and the prompt I chose focused on analyzing the antagonist (Gray) and how the conflict he creates emphasizes the central meaning of the work. The paper's due date was about two and a half weeks ago, and I just recently got it back. I didn't even receive a grade for it, because it apparently contained too much summary and not enough analysis, so I have to redo it. I asked my teacher for help, and he clarified it somewhat, but the more I thought about it, I'm not exactly sure what's being asked of me. If the central conflict centers around Dorian's character development throughout the course of the novel, then how am I supposed to respond to this prompt without summarizing, since virtually the whole plot centers around his development? I'm so lost, and any help would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>You need to say not only what the author chose to do but also WHY s/he did that. I didn’t read the book, so I can’t help you with specific examples. But you can talk about the protagonist’s reaction to a specific event. And you can also talk about the antagonist and foils. Talk about whether he is a dynamic or static character and why that is so (did he mature? changed perception of the world? learn something? etc). Hope this helps.</p>