<p>Most commonly referred to literary texts (in terms of writing for college app essays)-- Let us start a list! This way, we'll know which texts to shy away from... </p>
<p>I'll start:
-The high school classics: Gatsy, Catcher in the Rye, Huck Finn</p>
<p>Contribute dear people!</p>
<p>To Kill a Mocking Bird, Romeo and Juliet, 1984?</p>
<p>The Scarlet Letter</p>
<p>1984, definitely.</p>
<p>As Bad as I Wanna Be by Dennis Rodman</p>
<p>Anything you read in school...</p>
<p>Definitely 1984. Also Oedipus Rex, Antigone, Animal Farm, Hamlet, and Lord of the Flies.</p>
<p>Although it might not be considered literary, I'm pretty sure Harry Potter is one of the hottest books to write about in applications/SAT I's/other random essays.</p>
<p>bottom line: if you don't have any prodigious new idea on the book or radically perspective about one of the characters, etc. you probably should not discuss it. remember, this is a paper about YOU, not a book report. you should have many other personal experiences to choose from other than a litereary one. if, however, you REALLY feel that a book has impacted your life so dramatically (e.g. you read Emerson, left civilization and went and lived on the prairie with nothing to sustain you but gathered rain and grass; you used to be an exclusive snob and then read the great Gatsby and went on to become chairperson of the World Food Organization; you get the picture) then go ahead and write about it. that's just my opinion, make of it what you will (one of the best ending lines of a book (Peace Like A River) but if you really feel that you want to write about a book you have read and nonthing else then go for it (though I'm sure you can think of something else if you really think hard).</p>
<p>Hamlet. Don't do it man..</p>
<p>Agreed... My English teacher told me not to use any Shakespeare on the AP test because (1) it's been overused, and (2) students don't properly use his works.</p>
<p>Well put, tryin2bcool. You shouldn't be writing a book report, of course. But, I don't think there's any wrong with picking a book that you've felt extremely connected to (ie. You and the one of the characters could be siemese twins, or something) and writing about it. My point is that the book does not have to have a 'dramatically life changing' effect on you. Morals, meditations on life, and lessons learned from the book are important. But, of course, you'd have to be careful to, again, make the essay about YOU and the book.</p>
<p>College essays. What fun. :-( (note sarcasm).</p>
<p>One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest</p>
<p>we cannot forget THE GREAT GATSBY. cmon, the book is about working hard and success. who wouldn't use it in essay about hard work and success...</p>
<p>you refered to books in your application essays?</p>
<p>Gatsby sure is a good book.</p>
<p>omfg yes! the plot, the characters, the message, the symbols, the motifs, and the writing. oh man, that is one helluva well-written book. i love the paragraph that begins "roaring noon." aah! i love the twenties so perhaps im biased :)</p>
<p>Hello all; I have a question: </p>
<p>I'm an international student and particularly fond of English. Thus, I have purchased a good few English highly recommended novels and pored them over. However, the problem with me is I don't seem to really get hold of the deep messages, motifs the author is tryin' to convey ( in other words: I am only able to make out what the author is saying, the descriptions or feelings of the characters etc). As a consequence, when it comes to the SAT essays, I won't be able to make the best use of the reading. Can anyone share any tips or advice to iron out this problem ? I badly need your help :D</p>
<p>Thanks a bunch ! Hope my question isn't so ambiguous :(</p>
<p>Pygmalion: <a href="http://www.sparknotes.com%5B/url%5D">http://www.sparknotes.com</a> is definitely your friend. ;)</p>
<p>Pygmalion:</p>
<p>The issue you have raised is so enormous that it is very difficult to address it. Most people learn text analysis a bit at a time beginning in elementary school. After some time doing this analysis, one begins to "see" more of the book as one reads it.</p>
<p>As the poster above suggested, there are products that provide analysis of texts. I know nothing about spark notes, but there are several such products available. They are often used as shortcuts by lazy US students. I don't think many people learn much by reading them, but they do allow one to produce paraphrased (or even plagiarized) papers with a minimum of work and learning.</p>
<p>If you want to learn, the best way I know is to go to the library and acquire some secondary, critical sources on the works you read. Read those secondary sources, and you will begin to acquire the tools you need to successfully analyze texts on your own. Ideally, you would write some of your own papers (nothing like actually doing it to get better at it) and have someone with some expertise evaluate your work.</p>