AP English Literature & Composition Thread

<p>Brave New World was perfect for essay question 3.</p>

<p>^I also got Heart of Darkness, I began with it but then I changed to other one, later I crossed out everything and began again with Heart of Darkness, although I don’t remembered a lot of it, I think I did a decent work.</p>

<p>1-Easy, not a lot of lit devices but enough to make a good essay.
2-Kind of empty, but with some good “juice” for a good essay.
3-Stupid prompt, I wished the use symbolism but the exile was kind of good, did a “decent” essay.</p>

<p>I used the Knight of Maison-Rouge by Dumas (for #3) and even though it’s a great book that can be applicable to many topics, I’m afraid it won’t be of “literary merit” if no one knows what it is :(</p>

<p>I totally loved prompt #2! Of course I like reading those kinds of books, but I was really into it and I think it’s my best essay. Prompt #1 was totally boring but I BSed enough to maybe pass it. Prompt #3 I was so tired that I basically repeated the same thing the whole time! Woo can’t wait till July. ;p</p>

<p>I used a Dumas book too! The Count of Monte Cristo was so perfect for the third essay. The multiple choice was pretty easy, and I think I did all right on the second essay, but I’m not very confident about my first essay. I wrote about the importance of color in the poem, which seems to be what most people think was the main point, but I just didn’t really get the poem at all…</p>

<p>used Glass Menagerie for Q3. Laura’s “bad leg” and her feeling of not being wanted exiled her from the real world. hopefully it worked out.</p>

<p>Did anybody else use 1984 for Q3? I talked about Winston’s “exile” from the past as well as his alienation from the society in which he lives, and how that alienation, ironically, leads to his ultimate assimilation into the dystopia of Oceania, as his brainwashing is completed only when he breaks his final interpersonal ties, those he holds with Julia. It was a bit of a stretch, but I liked it.</p>

<p>I didn’t care much for Q2; I just wrote about the point of view as well as diction and syntax.</p>

<p>I really liked Q1 though. I discussed structure, diction, and the use of both tactile and visual imagery. Probably my best essay.</p>

<p>I found the MC pretty easy as well; the poems were reasonably straightforward and the answer choices generally revealed the right answer pretty clearly.</p>

<p>The multiple choice was a piece of cake! I’ve been drilling myself with past MC’s, and time has always been an issue for me. However, I finished with 8 minutes to spare today! Insane! I went back and pretty much went over all my answers.</p>

<p>Essay One was spectacular. I loved the poem, and explaining how structure (past + present + future) and imagery affected the value of the quilt was a slam dunk. Tone was also pretty easy.</p>

<p>Essay Two was not the best. It was easy to see what the characterization was, but arguing it through structure and point of view? I felt like those two things were trivial enough that I couldn’t write an essay of the proper caliber. Tone was easily argued.</p>

<p>Essay Three was amazing! I read the prompt, and without even looking at the book list, I screamed “Jane Eyre!” It fit it perfectly. It was such an easy prompt. You could argue for almost anything; The Count of Monte Cristo, Huck Finn, Gulliver’s Travels, Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, Crime and Punishment. I wish I hadn’t so eagerly jumped into it, because I would have rather enjoyed writing about Walden. That would have been a perfect fit as well!</p>

<p>Overall, I’m very sure that at the minimum, I got a 4, and am somewhat confident about a 5.</p>

<p>For those of you who want to evaluate your essay for Question # 3 with actual rubrics from TCB may go to <a href=“College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools”>College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools; although the prompt in this case is Significant Journeys, I think it’s more or less related to the “exile”. BTW this Significant Journeys prompt was excellent for Heart of Darkness!</p>

<p>Anyone else do The Poisonwood Bible? We spent a good month and a half on it at least and it is the second to last book we read. I was so relieved to see it on the list!</p>

<p>Did anyone else use The Handmaid’s Tale? I thought that was a pretty good fit.</p>

<p>I didn’t write a conclusion for anyone of my essays… I didn’t think it would matter (am taking IB english so didn’t take the ap class). To what extent do you think that a lack of a conclusion will lower my score?</p>

<p>WOW I LOVED THIS TEST!</p>

<p>MC was a piece of cake but who knows?</p>

<p>First Q: I looooved this poem! Gorgeous writing. I think I pulled a 9 on this sucker. Talked about how she interweaves the colors and textures of the quilt with her experiences and hopes. Lots of imagery in this one - that was a given. Talked about tense changes too.
Second: Hm. My writing was great. I don’t know. I talked about how the third person point of view was very critical of the main character and then talked about how this developed the exposition of the character. Hervey’s interpretation of his characteristics as superior juxtaposed the writer’s critical subtext. Lots and lots of juxtaposition in this one. And it was all one paragraph, so she condensed many of his characteristics and actions into one, bringing life to his character.
Third: POISONWOOD BIBLE was perfect for this one. Talked about Orleanna Price’s journey to the Congo, how it was difficult, and her search for redemption. This book was really good. At the end, her daughter forgives her. I talk about how the book was narrated through five perspectives and added layers to the storyline so that is was universally appealing and as enriching for the reader as it was for Orleanna and the three surviving daughters.</p>

<p>Basically… my essays were really good. 8s and 9s on all of them.</p>

<p>The lack of a conclusion will not affect your score. My AP teacher told us this when she attended this AP Conference. Your intro and your development of the body paragraphs are most important.</p>

<p>Gulliver’s Travels. I had other choices that might have suited the prompt word for word, but I just enjoy writing about satire more.</p>

<p>you don’t have to write the essays in order right? as long as you label which one it is in the box in the corner?</p>

<p>Conclusions are important! My lit teacher who is an ap grader constantly tells us that the graders award students for what they’ve done right; they don’t look for faults. Not having a conclusion doesn’t harm your score, but having a good one will bump your score one number up (my teacher was very clear on this point).</p>

<p>You all might think I’m crazy, but I’ve had great luck being original in FRQ essays before. That being said, I did</p>

<ol>
<li>The speaker is most likely insane, longing for dreams to escape reality. </li>
<li>The man is a tragic hero, a paradigm of the conflicting requirements of the contemporary society. </li>
<li>One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. <---- The prompt was basically written for this book. It literally is exile. No figurative BS here.</li>
</ol>

<p>Lol, you can honestly write about whatever you want as long as it is logical, coherent, and convincing. (and that it relates to the work/prompt)</p>

<p>Oh don’t get me wrong, I talked about the colors paralleled the diversity in her life. Plus I’ve gotten 5’s on other “total misreads”, like in AP Lang, I wrote 2 essays entirely in the second person, question form.</p>

<p>MC- cheesecake. Loved the selection of passages, made reading them quite enjoyable, easy questions too. The Whale one was entertaining.</p>

<p>FRQ:
1: Best essay out of 3. Fitted so much content into this one, basically talks about how the colours becomes symbols for her heritage and past. The structure provides comparisons btw her quilt and her grandma’s and lots of link within the poem btw the quilt and her memories of her family. Agreed that the poem was beautiful</p>

<p>2: Eh, looked at this and went to 3, did this as the last one. Definately harder to analyze without much literary device. Prob worst essay, basically talked about repetition of third person pov, confusing syntax + confusing description => complexity of his personality(I incorrectly identified the pov…*facepalm)</p>

<p>3: We did Wuthering Heights as our novel study so this one was cake. I didn’t include quotes though O_O;. Basically talked about Heathcliff’s condition before exile, and his gain after. Illuminates the meaning by providing a contrast between poor/low class Heath with rich/high class Heath after exile to illustrate theme of power struggle and power within social classes. </p>

<p>Expecting at least 7-8 for first, 2nd…5? 3rd is prob 7. Didn’t bother to write conclusion for any of them, just wrote up until conclusion for all of them and left it at that.</p>