The Advanced Placement English Literature and CompositionTest Breakdown

SECTION I

MULTIPLE CHOICE—45% of test: Students are given selections to read (2-3 poetry and 2-3 prose) in which students must choose the best answer out of five choices (a-e). There are 55 questions, and students will have one hour to complete this.

22% = easy questions

LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY 42% =medium questions

36% = hard questions

SECTION II

FREE RESPONSE: 55% of the test: Students will be give three opportunities to write essays based on the following: A poetry selection, a prose selection, an open question. The open questions require students to respond to a prompt pertaining to either a classic novel or play (of great literary merit). Each essay is worth approximately 18% of the exam. Students are scored on a range from 0-9 (nine being the highest score possible)

Example from past AP exam: Morally ambiguous characters (ones difficult to identify as purely evil or purely good) are at the heart of many works of literature. Choose a novel or play in which a morally ambiguous character plays a pivotal role. Then write an essay in which you explain how the character can be viewed as morally ambiguous and why his/her moral ambiguity is significant to the work as a whole. Avoid plot summary.

SECTION I: Multiple choice ________ (number correct out of 55) x 1.2272 = _______

SECTION II: Free response 1 _____ (out of 9) x 3.0556 = _____Free response 2 _____ (out of 9) x 3.0556 = _____Free response 3 _____ (out of 9) x 3.0556 = _____

Sum = ______

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AP Conversion ChartComposite Score Range AP Score 114=150 598-113 481=97 353-80 20-52 1

Flannerby Barp for Nall”

Nall was so plamper. She was larping to the flannerby with Charkle. She would grunk a flannerby barp so she could crooch out carples. Charkle lanted her gib out the nep. “Parps, Charkle,” jibbed Nall plamperly. “Now we can crooch out carples together!” pifed Charkle trigly.

Pop Quiz1. Who are the characters in this story?2. What do we know about Nall?3. Why did she want to grunk a flannerby barp?4. Where did Charkle lant her gib?5. Why was Charkle so excited?

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Whenever reading a passage, a poem, an essay, etc. it is important to annotate (take notes, highlight, comment, etc.) I will provide you with an example of an annotation.

Closely read “Independence” and annotate before the class discussion.

Chuang Tzu was one day fishing, when the Prince of Ch’u sent two high officials to interview him, saying that his Highness would be glad of Chuang Tzu’s assistance in the administration of his government. The latter quietly fished on, and without looking round, replied, “I have heard that in the State of Ch’u there is a sacred tortoise, which has been dead three thousand years, and which the prince keeps packed up in a box on the altar in his ancestral shrine. Now do you think that tortoise would rather be dead and have its remains thus honoured, or be alive and wagging its tail in the mud? The two officials answered that no doubt it would rather be alive and wagging its tail in the mud; whereupon Chuang Tzu cried out, “Begone! I too elect to remain wagging my tail in the mud!”

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Introductory Lessons: AP Lit and Comp

Approaching Literature

There are many specific strategies to approaching a literary text and writing about it. Some of these strategies we will discuss in detail, and I will be recommending different strategies for you as this class goes on. We want to start, though, by suggesting a straightforward three-step approach that will give you a way into any written text:

Experience

When we experience literature, we respond to it subjectively, personally, emotionally. We bring

to it our own life experiences and knowledge.

Analysis

Here, you move from feeling to thinking. The key is observation: No detail is unimportant, so

notice, notice, notice. What about language and structure? What connections or patterns emerge?

What inferences might you draw from these connections?

Extension

At this point, you have arrived at an interpretation. Sometimes that is all you will need to do. But

sometimes you will be able to extend your interpretation from the world of the poem to the real

world. This type of extension may involve examination of the background of the author, research

into the historical context of the work, or application of the ideas in the piece to life in general.

By Robert Frost 1874–1963 Robert Frost

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The buzz-saw snarled and rattled in the yardAnd made dust and dropped stove-length sticks of wood,Sweet-scented stuff when the breeze drew across it.And from there those that lifted eyes could countFive mountain ranges one behind the otherUnder the sunset far into Vermont.

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And the saw snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled,As it ran light, or had to bear a load.And nothing happened: day was all but done.Call it a day, I wish they might have saidTo please the boy by giving him the half hourThat a boy counts so much when saved from work.His sister stood beside them in her apronTo tell them “Supper.” At the word, the saw,

As if to prove saws knew what supper meant,Leaped out at the boy’s hand, or seemed to leap—He must have given the hand. However it was,Neither refused the meeting. But the hand!The boy’s first outcry was a rueful laugh,As he swung toward them holding up the handHalf in appeal, but half as if to keepThe life from spilling. Then the boy saw all—Since he was old enough to know, big boyDoing a man’s work, though a child at heart—He saw all spoiled. “Don’t let him cut my hand off—The doctor, when he comes. Don’t let him, sister!”So. But the hand was gone already.The doctor put him in the dark of ether.He lay and puffed his lips out with his breath.And then—the watcher at his pulse took fright.No one believed. They listened at his heart.Little—less—nothing!—and that ended it.No more to build on there. And they, since theyWere not the one dead, turned to their affairs.

But even at this first step, you cannot help but notice the language and details. YOU'VE ENTERED THE WORLD OF THE POEM!

Analysis:

Now move from feeling to thinking. The key is observation. No detail is unimportant. What do you notice about the language and structure of the poem? What connections or patterns emerge? What inferences might you draw from these connections? Is something stands out from the rest of the poem, you probably want to ask why. You ARE reading between the lines-what is indirectly expressed through figurative language and other poetic techniques.

Buzz saw-an animal that "snarled and rattled," a description repeated three times before the saw "leaped out at the boy's hand, or seemed to leap" (I. 16). This personification suggests that it wasn't an accident, that the saw was a predator intending to hurt the boy. Then Frost gives us a description of the natural beauty of the landscape-the mountain ranges and the sunset. Why would Frost juxtapose idea of the saw being a vicious animal with the beauty of the countryside. Maybe he is saying that nature has two sides, violent and peaceful, predatory and nourishing? What do you think?

Notice the third-person point of view, except in line 10 when the speaker says that he wishes they would have "called it a day" and given the boy a half hour away from his work. Why shift perspective here? Was it Frost's way of anticipating the accident to come? Maybe they give the poem a bit of soul, express some regret, or temper the cold practicality of the final lines.

The Writer's Craft-Close Reading-The Elements of Style

The point of close reading is to go beyond merely summarizing a work to figuring out how a writer's stylistic choices convey the work's message or meaning. Once you begin to analyze literature closely, you will see how all of the parts of a piece of literature work together, from the structure of the piece down to individual word choices. Always ask yourself this question: SO WHAT’S THE POINT??

Diction Authors choose their words carefully to convey precise meanings. We call these word choices the author's diction. A

word can have more than one dictionary definition, or denotation, so when you analyze diction, you must consider all of

a word's possible meanings. If the words have meanings or associations beyond the dictionary definitions, their

connotations, you should ask how those relate to meaning. Sometimes a word's connotations will reveal another layer

of meaning; sometimes they will affect the tone, as in the case of formal or informal diction, which is sometimes called

slang, or colloquia" language. Diction can also be abstract or concrete.

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Let's look at an example of diction from the

third stanza of Housman's poem "To an Athlete Dying Young":

Smart lad, to slip betimes away From fields where glory does not stay And early though the laurel grows It withers quicker than the rose.

In the third line, Housman plays with the multiple denotations of the word laurel, which is both a small evergreen tree, and an honor or accolade. Housman is using these multiple denotations to establish a paradox. Though the laurel that represents fame is evergreen, fame itself is fleeting, even more fleeting than the rosy bloom of youth.

Figurative Language Language that is not literal is called figurative, as in a figure of speech. Sometimes this kind of language is called metaphorical because it explains or expands on an idea by comparing it to something else. The comparison can be explicit, as in the case of a simile, which makes a comparison using like or as; or it can be an implied comparison, as in the case of a metaphor. Personification is a figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human characteristics. An analogy is a figure of speech that usually helps explain something unfamiliar or complicated by comparing it to something familiar or simple.

Tone and Mood Tone reflects the speaker's attitude toward the subject of the work. Mood is the feeling the reader experiences

as a result of the tone. Tone and mood provide the emotional coloring of a work and are created by the

writer's stylistic choices. When you describe the tone and mood of a work, try to use at least two precise

words, rather than words that are vague and general, such as happy, sad, or different. What is most

important is that you consider the style elements that went into creating the tone. (I will also supply you with a

tone word list-soon!)

Questions for Close Reading of Text-The Elements of Style

Diction

Which of the important words (verbs, nouns, adjectives, and adverbs) in the poem or passage are general and abstract, and which are specific and concrete?

Are the important words formal, informal, colloquial, or slang? Are there words with strong connotations, words we might refer to as "loaded"?

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Figurative Language

Are some words not literal but figurative, creating figures of speech such as metaphors, similes, and personification?

Imagery

Are the images-the parts of the passage we experience with our five senses-concrete, or do they depend on figurative language to come alive?

Syntax

What is the order of the words in the sentences? Are they in the usual subject-verb- object order, or are they inverted? Which is more prevalent in the passage, nouns or verbs? What are the sentences like? Do their meanings build periodically or cumulatively? How do the sentences connect their words, phrases, and clauses? How is the poem or passage organized? Is it chronological? Does it move from concrete

to abstract or vice versa? Or does it follow some other pattern?

Exercise 1Read Housman's "To an Athlete Dying Young" and working with a partner, analyze the poem by applying the preceding list of questions to the poem. Be sure to address each question. Be prepared to present your findings to the class.

To An Athlete Dying Young-A. E. Housman

The time you won your town the race

We chaired you through the market-place; Man and boy stood cheering by,

And home we brought you shoulder-high.

To-day, the road all runners come, Shoulder-high we bring you home, And set you at your threshold down, Townsman of a stiller town.

Smart lad, to slip betimes away From fields where glory does not stay, And early though the laurel grows

It withers quicker than the rose.

Eyes the shady night has shut Cannot see the record cut,

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And silence sounds no worse than cheers After earth has stopped the ears:

Now you will not swell the rout Of lads that wore their honours out, Runners whom renown outran

And the name died before the man.

So set, before its echoes fade, The fleet foot on the sill of shade, And hold to the low lintel up The still-defended challenge-cup.

And round that early-laurelled head Will flock to gaze the strength less dead, And find unwithered on its curls

The garland briefer than a girl's.

Exercise 2 Read this passage from Eudora Welty's short story "Old Mr. Marblehall," and using the preceding list of questions for analysis, prepare a response for our next class meeting. You do not have to type this response.

There is Mr. Marblehall's ancestral home. It's not so wonderfully large-it has only four columns-but you always look toward it, the way you always glance into tunnels and see nothing. The river is after it now, and the little black garden has assuredly crumbled away, but the box maze is there on the edge like a trap, to confound the Mississippi River. Deep in the red wall waits the front door-it weighs such a lot, it is perfectly solid, all one piece, black mahogany .... And you see-one of them is always going in it. There is a knocker shaped like a gasping fish on the door. You have every reason in the world to imagine the inside is dark, with old things about. There's many a big, deathly-looking tapestry, wrinkling and thin, many a sofa shaped like an S. Brocades as tall as the wicked queens in Italian tales stand gathered before the windows. Everything is draped and hooded and shaded, of course, unaffectionate but close. Such rosy lamps! The only sound would be a breath against the prisms, a stirring of the chandelier. It's like old eyelids, the house with one of its shutters, in careful working order, slowly opening outward.

Place Response Below: _______________________________________________________________________________

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Words to Describe TONE or DICTION adoring affectionate ambiguous ambivalent annoyed antagonistic anxious apathetic appreciative apprehensive belligerent bemused benevolent bewildered biting bitter blunt bossy brusque calm candid casual choleric cold colloquial comic compassionate complex complicated complimentary conceited condescending confident confused contemptuous conversational cynical demanding depressed derisive derogatory desolate despairing desperate detached diabolic direct disappointed disrespectful doubtful mournful mysterious

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earnest ecstatic effusive elevated eloquent embarrassed emotional empathetic encouraging enraged euphoric evasive excited exhilarated facetious factual familiar fervent flippant forceful frantic gloomy greedy gushy harsh haughty hilarious holier-than-thou hostile humorous impartial impatient indifferent indignant inflammatory informal informative insecure insistent insolent introspective ironic irreverent jovial joyful laid-back learned lethargic lively lofty ludicrous meditative melancholy mischievous

mocking modest nervous nostalgic objective ominous optimistic outraged outspoken paranoid passionate patronizing pedantic pensive pessimistic placid playful poignant powerful pretentious proud prying questioning quizzical reassuring relaxed resigned respectful reticent reverent ridiculous ridiculing romantic sarcastic sardonic scholarly self-conscious selfish sentimental serious severe sinister skeptical solemn somber stately straightforward terse weary whimsical

wry

Close Reading Strategy for Discovering Shifts— • Key Transition Words—but, yet, so, however, although, instead of, still, etc.

• Punctuation—dashes, periods, colons, ellipses, italics, parentheses, rhetorical questions, etc.

• Divisions between stanzas or paragraphs

• Changes in Sentence, Line, or Stanza Length—cumulative or periodic sentences in prose; fragments, enjambment, or caesura in poetry

• Changes in Sound that may indicate changes in meaning—onomatopoeia, poetic euphony (usually soft sounds like “s” or “l”), hard cacophony, attention-getting alliteration, assonance, consonance

• Changes in Diction—slang to formal, colloquial to clinical, jargon to poetic, or other changes in the level of formality; the connotations of word choices

• A Cluster of Images—Vivid appeals to the senses, word pictures evoked by diction: “roost,” “fluttered,” “soared,” and “talon,” for instance, might elicit an image of a bird.

Snow – Julia Alvarez [1984]Read the following story—“Snow” by Julia Alvarez—and then discuss your experience of it, your analysis of it, and how you might extend your analysis beyond the story. Keep in mind that these are not entirely separate steps. Simply go through the three steps by talking with your classmates about the story. You will be asked to share your responses.

Our first year in New York we rented a small apartment with a Catholic school nearby, taught by the Sisters of Charity, hefty women in long black gowns and bonnets that made them look peculiar, like dolls in mourning. I liked them a lot, especially my grandmotherly fourth grade teacher, Sister Zoe. I had a lovely name, she said, and she had me teach the whole class how to pronounce it. Yo-lan-da. As the only immigrant in my class, I was put in a special seat in the first row by the window, apart from the other children so that Sister Zoe could tutor me without disturbing them. Slowly, she enunciated the new words I was to repeat: laundromat, corn flakes, subway, snow.

Soon I picked up enough English to understand holocaust was in the air. Sister Zoe explained to a wide-eyed classroom what was happening in Cuba. Russian missiles were being assembled, trained supposedly on New York City. President Kennedy, looking worried too, was on the television at home, explaining we might have to go to war against the Communists. At school,

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we had air-raid drills: an ominous bell would go off and we’d file into the hall, fall to the floor, cover our heads with our coats, and imagine our hair falling out, the bones in our arms going soft. At home, Mami and my sisters and I said a rosary for world peace. I heard new vocabulary: nuclear bomb, radioactive fallout, bomb shelter. Sister Zoe explained how it would happen. She drew a picture of a mushroom on the blackboard and dotted a flurry of chalkmarks for the dusty fallout that would kill us all.

The months grew cold, November, December. It was dark when I got up in the morning, frosty when I followed my breath to school. One morning as I sat at my desk daydreaming out the window, I saw dotes in the air like the ones Sister Zoe had drawn—random at first, then lots and lots. I shrieked, “Bomb! Bomb!” Sister Zoe jerked around, her full black skirt ballooning as she hurried to my side. A few girls began to cry.

But then Sister Zoe’s shocked look faded. “Why, Yolanda dear, that’s snow!” She laughed. “Snow.”

“Snow,” I repeated. I looked out the window warily. All my life I had heard about the white crystals that fell out of American skies in the winter. From my desk I watched the fine powder dust the sidewalk and parked cars below. Each flake was different, Sister Zoe had said, like a person, irreplaceable and beautiful.

The Writer’s Craft—Close Reading

Connotation

Paying attention to connotation often leads to an interpretation, or a better understanding of the mood of a piece—especially when it comes to verb choices. Consider the following sentence from James Joyce’s short story “The Dead”:

Gabriel’s eyes, irritated by the floor, which glittered with beeswax under the heavy chandelier, wandered to the wall above the piano.

If Joyce had used words that were less evocative, the sentence would be far less vivid. For instance:

Gabriel’s eyes, bothered by the floor, which shone with beeswax under the heavy chandelier, moved to the wall above the piano.

“Irritated” suggests a mood that “bothered” does not; “glittered” carries a visual image that the less expressive “shone” does not; and “wandered” evokes a lackadaisical quality that the more neutral “moved” does not.

Connotation may work individually or cumulatively. Notice in the following paragraph from “The Dead” how the connotations of several words together suggest Gabriel’s feeling of uncertainty:

He waited outside the drawing-room door until the waltz should finish, listening to the skirts that swept against it and to the shuffling of feet. He was still discomposed by the girl’s

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bitter and sudden retort. It had cast a gloom over him which he tried to dispel by arranging his cuffs and the bows of his tie. Then he took from his waistcoat pocket a little paper and glanced at the headings he had made for his speech. He was undecided about the lines from Robert Browning for he feared they would be above the heads of his hearers.

Notice how a few words substitutions can change the mood of the paragraph:

He stood outside the drawing-room door until the waltz should finish, listening to the skirts that swept against it and to the moving of feet. He was still upset by the girl’s bitter and sudden response. It had put a gloom over him which he tried to ignore by arranging his cuffs and the bows of his tie. Then he took from his waistcoat pocket a little paper and looked at the headings he had made for his speech. He was unsure about the lines from Robert Browning for he thought they would be above the heads of his audience.

The following exercises will help you examine how precisely chosen words can convey meaning. Find a partner to discuss the following. Be prepared to share your findings.

Exercise 1

Discuss the differences in connotations in the following groups of words:

a. skinny, slender, svelte, gaunt, slim, litheb. dog, pooch, canine, pupc. run, bolt, race, sprint, dashd. alleged, reported, maintained, contended, claimede. kids, descendants, children, progeny, offspring

Exercise 2

What connotations contribute to the feelings of loss and entrapment in the following passage from “The Dead”?

One by one they were all becoming shades. Better pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age. He thought of how she who lay beside him had locked in her heart for so many years that image of her lover’s eyes when he had told her that he did not wish to live.

Exercise 3

Write two short paragraphs. In the first, describe something about your family or home that you like or appreciate. In the second, describe something about your family or home that you find annoying. In both paragraphs, choose words with connotations that convey your attitude about your subjects. In your completed response, highlight the words that you feel connote your attitude 12

toward your subject. All assignments performed outside the classroom are to be typed. Always double space your text and include your heading, page numbering, etc., in MLA format,

The Writer’s Craft—Close Reading (Unit 3)

Specialized, Archaic, and Unfamiliar Diction

Accomplished writers choose exactly the right words to achieve a particular effect. They may choose words that are more familiar to some groups than to others. Similarly, authors from another time period may use vocabulary that was familiar to audiences in their day but that seems old-fashioned—and unfamiliar—to us today; we call this “archaic language” (meaning characteristic of a much earlier period). These choices add authenticity and distinctiveness to a writer’s style, yet sometimes specialized, archaic, and unfamiliar diction, or even familiar words used in unfamiliar ways, add challenges for contemporary readers.

Exercise 1Following are two passages: the first from Hawthorne, the second from Conrad. Fill in the blanks with the words listed at the end. Even if you do not know the meanings, try using contextual cues to make your decisions. Then check your responses against the passages in the stories found in your lit book or in your notebook.

A. In truth, all though the haunted forest, there could be nothing more frightful than the figure of Goodman Brown. On he flew among the black pines, his staff with _________________ gestures, now giving vent to an inspiration of horrid ________________, and now shouting forth such laughter as set all the echoes of the forest laughing like demons around him. The fiend in his own shape is less hideous than when he rages in the breast of man. Thus sped the on his course, until, quivering among the trees, he saw a red light before him, as when the trunks and branches of a clearing have been set on fire, and throw up their blaze against the sky, at the hour of midnight. He paused, in a of the that had driven him onward, and heard the of what seemed a hymn, rolling solemnly from a distance with the weight of many voices. (“Young Goodman Brown”)

blasphemy, brandishing, demoniac, felled, frenzied, lull, lurid, swell, tempest

B. I looked at him, lost in astonishment. There he was before me, in , as though he had ___________________ from a troupe of mimes, enthusiastic, _____________ . His very existence was improbable, , and altogether bewildering. He was an insoluble problem. It was inconceivable how he had , how he had succeeded in getting so far, how he had managed to remain—why he did not instantly disappear. “I went a little farther,” he said, “then still a little farther—till I had gone so far that I don’t know how I’ll ever get back. Never mind.

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Plenty time. I can manage. You take Kurtz away quick—quick—I tell you.” The glamour of youth , his particoloured rags, his , his loneliness, the essential desolation of his futile wanderings. For months—for years—his life hadn’t been worth a day’s ; and there he was _________________________, thoughtlessly alive, to all appearance indestructible solely by the virtue of his few years and of his unreflecting . (Heart of Darkness)

absconded, audacity, destitution, enveloped, existed, fabulous, gallantly, inexplicable, motley, purchase

Figurative Language:Figurative language refers to any language that goes beyond the literal, such as metaphors, similes, and personification. These techniques don’t exist for the sake of a treasure hunt; they exist because they help writers say what they want to say in a way that is vivid and forceful. They provide meaning beyond the denotation of the words, they elicit emotional responses, they add another level of meaning or nuance, and they bring descriptions to life. Figurative language should not simply be added as a decoration or ornamentation to create a more elaborate style. In the best writing, figurative language works subtly to express an idea while opening the work up to interpretation. Remember that identifying and naming examples of figurative language is only a small part of analysis; it is their effect on meaning that is important.

James Baldwin uses an extended metaphor in “Sonny’s Blues” to give his character depth and nuance:

I was scared, scared for Sonny . . . . A great block of ice got settled in my belly and kept melting there slowly all day long, while I taught my classes algebra. It was a special kind of ice. It kept melting, sending trickles of ice water all up and down my veins, but it never got less. Sometimes it hardened and seemed to expand until I felt my guts were going to come spilling out or that I was going to choke or scream. This would always be at a moment when I was remembering some specific thing Sonny had once said or done.

The block of ice is a metaphor for the fear and anxiety the narrator has for his brother, Sonny, but it also hints that, at least at the story’s beginning, the narrator is emotionally cold, and has hardened his heart toward his brother. How that ice of block eventually melts and evaporates is very much a theme of the story.

The following exercises will help you begin to analyze figurative language and understand its effects on meaning and clarity. Remember, it is not enough to simply recognize a technique; the effective close reader should understand how that technique creates layers of meaning and provokes an emotional reaction.

Exercise 1Identify the figurative language in the following selections, and then label each as metaphor, simile, personification, apostrophe, metonymy, and so on. Work in pairs or groups to discuss 14

their effects on the meaning of the passage and the ways in which they evoke a response from the reader.

1. These boys, now, were living as we’d been living then, they were growing up with a rush and their heads bumped abruptly against the low ceiling of their actual possibilities. (“Sonny’s Blues”)

Response:

2. We dug in. We ate everything there was to eat on the table. We ate like there was no tomorrow. We didn’t talk. We ate. We scarfed. We grazed that table. We were into serious eating. (“Cathedral’)

Response:

3. Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard / Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on. (“Ode on a Grecian Urn”)

Response:

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4. England hath need of thee; she is a fen / Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen, / Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower. (“London, 1802”)

Response:

5. It is dull enough to confuse the eye in following, pronounced enough constantly to irritate and provoke study, and when you follow the lame uncertain curves for a little distance they suddenly commit suicide—plunge off at outrageous angles, destroy themselves in unheard of contradictions. (“The Yellow Wallpaper”)

Response:

Exercise 2

Following is a passage from “The Yellow Wallpaper.” Identify the figurative language and discuss its effect. Focus on why it adds nuance and complexity to the passage rather than simply ornamentation.

The color is hideous enough, and unreliable enough, and infuriating enough, but the pattern is torturing.

You think you have mastered it, but just as you get well underway in following, it turns a back-somersault and there you are. It slaps you in the face, knocks you down, and tramples upon you. It is like a bad dream.

The outside pattern is a florid arabesque, reminding me of a fungus. If you can imagine a toadstool in joints, and interminable string of toadstools, budding and sprouting in endless convolutions—why, that is something like it.

Response:

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Imagery: Reflecting on the writer’s craft, Joseph Conrad wrote, “My task which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel—it is, above all, to make you see. That—and no more, and it is everything.” What Conrad is referring to is called imagery—language that evokes a response in the reader through an appeal to one or more of the senses. Surely you have heard the age-old advice for writers: “Show, don’t tell.” One way for a writer to show is through imagery. It can make the abstract more concrete and thus help the reader experience the poem or story directly through the senses.

The literal meaning of image is “a picture of something.” But in literature, imagery can be language that addresses any of the senses. Visual images are most common, but images can be auditory, appealing to our sense of hearing; olfactory, appealing to our sense of smell; gustatory, appealing to our sense of taste; tactile, appealing to our sense of touch; and kinesthetic, appealing to physical sensations such as movement or tension. Essentially, through concrete detail and precise language, imagery mentally reproduces sensations that trigger emotion and memory. You can use these emotions and memories to set a mood, reinforce a theme, or achieve other literary purposes.

Imagery and Figurative Language:Imagery and figurative language (metaphor, simile, and so on) are close siblings; both help us visualize and experience literature. For our purposes, we’ll make a distinction between the two, acknowledging all the while that they often work together. Imagery is a literal but artful description of how something looks, feels, tastes, smells, and sounds, while figurative language compares two or more things and is not literal. These lines, from Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est,” incorporate both literal imagery and figurative language:

Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,

As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

The imagery in the first line helps us experience what a mustard gas attack would look like through a gas mask. It’s “Dim.” The panes are “misty” and the light is “thick green” as it filters through the 17

mustard gas and is viewed through the tinted lenses of the World War I gas mask. The second line turns the corner from a literal description of the scene to a figurative depiction: it was like being “under a green sea.” In this case, as in many, literal imagery and figurative language work together to get the point across.

Analyzing Patterns of Imagery:Analyzing imagery means not only connecting the image to the context and themes of the story or poem, but also paying attention to the other imagery surrounding it. While a single image will often have a multiplicity of meanings and implications, an author will sometimes use a pattern of similar or contrasting images to point us in the right interpretive direction.

The following passage is from the Iliad. Even though it is a translation, notice how the vivid imagery appeals to the senses:

The glory of armor lit the skies and the whole earth laughed,

rippling under the glitter of bronze, thunder resounding

under trampling feet of armies. And in their midst

the brilliant Achilles began to arm for battle . . .

A sound of grinding came from the fighter’s teeth,

his eyes blazed forth in searing points of fire,

unbearable grief came surging through his heart

and now, bursting with rage against the men of Troy,

he donned Hephaestus’ gifts—magnificent armor

the god of fire forged with all his labor.

As we read this passage, we see the rippling glitter of bronze, we hear the resounding thunder of trampling feet as the brilliant Achilles begins to arm, we both see and hear the sound of his grinding teeth, we see and feel the heat of his blazing eyes, and Achilles is brought to life. If we follow the pattern of the imagery, we that it is not consistent. Homer contrasts the “glory of armor” with the “thunder[ous] resounding . . . of armies,” the “glitter of bronze” with the “grinding . . . from the fighter’s teeth.” This juxtaposition of the beautiful and the terrible might lead us to an interpretation of what Homer is saying about war and warriors in the Iliad.

The following exercises will help you become familiar with identifying imagery and determining its effect on the meaning of a work of literature.

Exercise 1Discuss the image patterns in the following excerpts. How do they work together to develop a specific mood or meaning? In cases in which the images are dissimilar, how does the contrast contribute to mood or meaning? Also, consider how, in some cases, figurative language works together with the images.18

1. They imagined the muzzle against flesh. They imagined the quick, sweet pain, then the evacuation to Japan, then a hospital with warm beds and cute geisha nurses.

They dreamed of freedom birds.

At night, on guard, staring into the dark, they were carried away by jumbo jets. They felt the rush of takeoff. Gone! they yelled. And then velocity, wings and engines, a smiling stewardess—but it was more than a plane, it was a real bird, a big sleek silver bird with feathers and talons and high screeching. They were flying. The weights fell off, there was nothing to bear. They laughed and held on tight, feeling the cold slap of wind and altitude, soaring, thinking It’s over, I’m gone! (“The Things They Carried”—Tim O’Brien)

Response:

2. If you could hear at every jolt, the bloodCome gurgling from the froth-corrupted lungs,Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cudOf vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues. (“Dulce et Decorum Est”—Wilfred Owen)

Response:

3. Let the boy try along this bayonet-bladeHow cold steel is, and keen with hunger of blood;Blue with all malice, like a madman’s flash;And thinly drawn with famishing for flesh. (“Arms and the Boy”—Wilfred Owen)

Response:

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4. I touch the name Andrew Johnson;I see the bobby trap’s white flash.Names shimmer on a woman’s blousebut when she walks awaythe names stay on the wall.Brushstrokes flash, a red bird’swings cutting across my stare. (“Facing It”—Komunyakaa)

Response:

Exercise 2Read the following poem by Brian Turner, whose “Sadiq” is included in this unit. Notice how rich in imagery this poem is, and how some images describe what the speaker sees through the scope and others, what he imagines. On a separate sheet of paper, write a one-page response (typed) where you identify the images and the figurative language, and discuss how they work together to achieve the writer’s purpose in the poem as a whole.

In the Leupold ScopeWith a 40X60mm spotting scope

I traverse the Halabjah skyline,

scanning rooftops two thousand meters out

to find a woman in sparkling green, standing

among antennas and satellite dishes

hanging laundry on an invisible line.

She is dressing the dead, clothing them

as they wait in silence, the pigeons circling

as fumestacks billow a noxious black smoke.

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She is welcoming them back to the dry earth,

giving them dresses in tangerine and teal,

woven cotton shirts dyed blue.

She waits for them to lean forward

into the breeze, for the wind’s breath

to return the bodies they once had,

women with breasts swollen by milk,

men with shepherd-thin bodies, children

running hard into the horizon’s curving lens.

Purpose: It seems that almost everything on the AP exam is motivated by purpose. That is, why did the author choose the point of view, tone, rhetorical strategies, stylistic devices, etc.? Basically, these choices are the ones that allow the author to achieve his purpose.

To move from gaining in-depth insight, providing apt and specific support, and finally to discussing purpose, effect, or reason for strategies used by an author, many students can manage the first and the second but falter when it comes to the last concept. Here are some phrases that may help students move to the higher level of purpose. Hint: Usually the purpose can be indicated as the “VERB” indicating what the author or the speaker does.

For example, in The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne’s use of symbols, allows him to convey the contradictions and hypocrisy inherent in Puritan society (Do as I say, not as I do). The letter itself is meant to be a symbol of shame, but instead it becomes a powerful symbol of identity to Hester. The letter’s meaning shifts as time passes. Originally intended to mark Hester as an adulterer, the “A” eventually comes to stand for “Able

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PURPOSE WORDS!

--- serves to

--- adds to

--- enriches the

--- shows

--- demonstrates

--- suggests

--- illustrates

--- emphasizes

--- reveals

--- portrays

--- exemplifies

--- explains

--- elaborates

--- conveys

--- implies

--- infers

-- translates to

--- proposes

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--- reflects

--- contributes to

--- lets the reader know

--- employs

--- foreshadows

--- allows the reader

--- stresses the

--- is supported by

---completes the

--- characterizes

“Storm Warnings” – Adrienne Rich

The glass has been falling all the afternoon,

And knowing better than the instrument

What winds are walking overhead, what zone

Of gray unrest is moving across the land,

5 I leave the book upon a pillowed chair

And walk from window to closed window, watching Boughs strain against the sky.

And think again, as often when the air

Moves inward toward a silent core of waiting,

10 How with a single purpose time has traveled

By secret currents of the undiscerned

Into this polar realm. Weather abroad

And weather in the heart alike come on

Regardless of prediction.

15 Between foreseeing and averting change

Lies all the mastery of elements which

clocks and weatherglasses cannot alter.

Time in the hand is not control of time,

Nor shattered fragments of an instrument

20 A proof against the wind; the wind will rise,

We can only close the shutters.

I draw the curtains as the sky goes black

And set a match to candles sheathed in glass

Against the keyhole draught, the insistent whine of weather through the unsealed aperture. Ths is our sole defense against the

Season; These are the things we have learned

to do who live in troubled regions.

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What seems to be the overall purpose of the vivid imagery the poet is using?

Elements of VOICE Voice is the characteristic speech and thought patterns of a first-person narrator; a

persona. Voice is the sum of all a writer becomes on the page. It is the concerns and themes that

most occupy a writer. It allows for a breadth of vision. It consists of Style / Language / Syntax /Imagery / Authority / Paragraphs / Point of View / Tone / Attitude and Register. Voice is the author’s style, the quality that makes his or her writing unique, and which conveys the author’s attitude, personality, and character; or Voice is the characteristic speech and thought patterns of a first-person narrator; a persona.

Because voice has so much to do with the reader's experience of a work of literature, it is one of the most important elements of a piece of writing.

Make a list of the characteristics of writing that indicate strong voice. 

It shows the writer's personality It sounds different from everyone else's It contains feelings and emotions The words come to life It comes from the heart

There are many examples of strong voice in literature. Some of these are:

Huck Finn in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird

Nick in The Great Gatsby

Lemuel Gulliver in Gulliver’s Travels

The Mother in “Everyday Use”

Nora in A Doll House

Antigone and Creon in Antigone

ACTIVITY: Think about the story of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” then write an autobiographical account of the event in the voice of one of the following characters: Homer Simpson, Snow White (or any Disney princess), Sponge Bob, Squidward, Jack Sparrow, Forrest Gump, Austin Powers, Dora the Explorer

“Catch Her in the Oatmeal”

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If you actually want to hear about it, what I'd better do is I'd better warn you right now that you aren't going to believe it. I mean it's a true story and all, but it still sounds sort of phony.

Anyway, my name is Goldie Lox. It's sort of a boring name, but my parents said that when I was born I had this very blonde hair and all. Actually I was born bald. I mean how many babies get born with blonde hair? None. I mean I've seen them and they're all wrinkled and red and slimy and everything. And bald. And then all the phonies have to come around and tell you he's as cute as a bug's ear. A bug's ear, boy, that really kills me. You ever seen a bug's ear? What's cute about a bug's ear? For Chrissake! Nothing, that's what.

So, like I was saying, I always seem to be getting into these very stupid situations. Like this time I was telling you about. Anyway, I was walking through the forest and all when I see this very interesting house. A house. You wouldn't think anybody would be living way the hell out in the goddam forest, but they were. No one was home or anything and the door was open, so I walked in. I figured what I'd do is I'd probably horse around until the guys that lived there came home and maybe asked me to stay for dinner or something. Some people think they have to ask you to stay for dinner even if they hate you. Also I didn't exactly feel like going home and getting asked a lot of lousy questions. I mean that's all I ever seem to do.

Anyway, while I was waiting I sort of sampled some of this stuff they had on the table that tasted like oatmeal. Oatmeal. It would have made you puke, I mean it. Then something very spooky started happening. I started getting dizzier than hell. I figured I'd feel better if I could just rest for a while. Sometimes if you eat something like lousy oatmeal you can feel better if you just rest for a while, so I sat down. That's when the goddam chair breaks in half. No kidding, you start feeling lousy and some stupid chair is going to break on you every time. I'm not kidding. Anyway I finally found the crummy bedroom and I lay down on this very tiny bed. I was really depressed.

I don't know how long I was asleep or anything but all of a sudden I hear this very strange voice say, "Someone's been sleeping in my sack, for Chrissake, and there she is!" So I open my eyes and here at the foot of the bed are these three crummy bears. Bears! I swear to God. By that time I was really feeling depressed. There's nothing more depressing than waking up and finding three bears talking to you, I mean.

So I didn't stay around and shoot the breeze with them or anything. If you want to know the truth, I sort of ran out of there like a madman or something. I do that quite a little when I'm depressed like that.

On the way home, though, I got to figuring. What probably happened is these bears wandered in when they smelled this oatmeal and all. Probably bears like oatmeal, I don't know and the voice I heard when I woke up was probably something I dreamt.

So that's the story.

I wrote it all up once as a theme in school, but my crummy teacher said it was too whimsical. Whimsical. That killed me. You got to meet her sometime, boy. She's a real queen.

Dan Greenberg, "Three Bears in Search of an Author," Esquire, Feb 1958, pp. 46-47.

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A central concern in fiction is the concept of point of view which essentially involves the relationship of the storyteller to the story or from whose perspective the story is told. In its simplest form, the point of view is that of the author; however, many authors adopt a persona or mask--they select a voice through which they present the work. The "I" of a quotation may be the writer, but it is more likely, in a complex short story, to be some other personality. The difference between an author's attitudes and those of the narrator, a persona, is an important one. In Swift's "A Modest Proposal" the attitude of the author is not the same as the narrator's. Swift has created a narrator who advocates cannibalism of young children by the impoverished Irish as a remedy for overpopulation and starvation. However, Swift was an Anglican minister who wrote the essay for humanitarian reasons. It is the job of the good reader to determine what this extra distance between author and reader contributes to the story. Because stories consist basically of incidents and characters, the point of view is the angle of vision, speaker’s perspective, or narrative stance from which the reader observes these incidents and characters. The point of view affects how the author reports information; narrates action; describes characters, setting, objects and emotions; or even interprets or judges these elements. Additionally, it can affect or establish the tone of the work. The possibilities for point of view can range from one end of the spectrum where the narrator is physically and emotionally detached and reports only the facts of the story, to the other end of the spectrum where the narrator sees all, knows, all, and tells all. At times, the narrator may be emotionally involved and may even attempt to influence the reader.

Functions of NarratorIn a story or novel the narrator serves three general functions:

1. He provides a consciousness that unifies the disparate elements of the story.2. He is a figure of authority whose degree of truth or falsity must be established so that the reader may

decide how much of the story he can believe.3. He organizes and operates in his fictional world with his own set of values - religious, philosophical,

ethical, epistemological, etc. These values have truth insofar as they are consistent, coherent, and logical.

Kinds of Narrators1. The first-person central- - Here the narrator disappears behind the mask of a main character in the story. The characteristics of this method are, first, that the observed action is limited to that which the narrator can relate from his own perspective; and second, that the thoughts of the other characters are not revealed except as the narrator knows them or can infer them. Edgar Allan Poe in his horror stories uses his main character as his first person narrator so that the reader may participate more intimately with the narrator's fears, horrors, and near brushes with death. In "The Pit and the Pendulum" the reader is on the table with the protagonist as the swinging blade slowly descends. As the helpless man watches the alternating blade, the reader experiences his fears and tenseness, feels the dampness of his nervous perspiration, and hears the swish and smells the pungent steel of the blade as it makes its rhythmic swing back and forth. First person central perspective allows closeness with the main character and provides the reader with insights that other characters in the narrative may not have; however it may lack the reliability and2. First-person peripheral - This point of view is so closely related to the preceding one that only a few distinguishing characteristics may be put forth. The chief difference is that the narrator who tells the story is often an observer rather than a participant in the events of the narrative; however, the narrator may be a minor figure, usually someone within the protagonist's group. Again the observed action and the interpretation are limited to what the narrator can know or infer. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nick Carroway can relate information about the characters, Gatsby, Tom, and Daisy, only in terms of what he sees and hears. Nick says of Tom and Daisy, "Why they came East I don't know. They had spent a year in France for no particular reason and then drifted here and there unrestfully wherever people played polo and were rich together." One disadvantage of this perspective is that the narrator may offer a narrative that is a bit too subjective, thus not as reliable as a third person perspective. 3. Third-person omniscient - Standing above and beyond the world of his or her story, the 26

omniscient narrator is an objective observer, not a participant or personally involved in what happens. This position allows for more objectivity, hence more reliability. Here an omniscient narrator speaks in third person but does necessarily restrict himself to the point of view of one character. As the term omniscient suggests, the author is all knowing. Not only can he relate what the figures in the story say and do: he also can reveal what they think and how they feel. It is as though the narrator can read the character's minds, interpret their actions, and even editorialize on their significance to the story. In Jack London's "To Build a Fire," the narrator steps out of character and editorializes on the character flaw of the "traveler" in the Yukon. "The trouble with him [the traveler] was that he was without imagination. He was quick and alert in the things of life, but only in the things, and not in the significances." London, Jack

The omniscient point of view gives the narrator more freedom. He can report the thoughts and feelings of the characters as if he has some kind of direct intuition. Additionally, his comments on the events of the narrative are never oblique because he sees the action without the limitations or distortions of one angle of vision. An author using third-person omniscient narrative stance becomes an almost godlike creature who, from his vantage point high above the limited perspective of the characters, has complete control over the domain that he has created.4. Third-person limited - In this point of view the narrator is outside the action of the story and relates the narrative as an observer rather than a participant. This method has the double advantage of appearing to give objectivity to the story, and, at the same time, allowing the reader to identify more strongly with a single character. The narrator's omniscience may be limited to one character.

However, since the narrator himself stands outside the actions, he sometimes implicitly judges the action he is reporting. The narrator may pass judgment on the action or characters by the tone of his words and the style of his sentences. In John Updike's story, "A Sense of Shelter," the narrator says, “Snow fell against the high school all day, wet big-flaked snow that did not accumulate well." The word "against" seems to suggest an assault on the high school that is persistent ("all day"). When the high school becomes a symbol of isolation, the assault of the snow becomes an assault on isolation.

When the story is built around the experiences of one, rather than several people, it stands to gain unity. However, because the story is limited to the observations of one character, the perspective may be limited.5. Third-person objective point of view is achieved through reporting factual detail, only that which can be perceived by the senses. There is no access to the mind in any way. This perspective is sometimes confused with the dramatic or stream of consciousness point of view, but it is different. Objective narrators never intrude to evaluate, interpret or judge characters and their actions. In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," the narrator reports in a very matter-of-fact manner the events of what at first seems a village celebration. The emotionless narrator reports the events and provides background information. And even when the villagers prepare to stone the main character, Tessie Hutchinson, to death, the narrator remains uninvolved and detached. The shocked reader is left to infer the horror and betrayal Tessie feels. "It isn't fair, it isn't right." Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her."6. Stream of Consciousness point of view - This is one of the most popular of modern narrative stances. It is also known as the central intelligence or dramatic point of view. This angle of vision is third person but is limited to the mind of a single character through whose consciousness the action of the story reaches the reader. This is a technique that seeks to depict the multitudinous thoughts and feelings, which pass through the mind. With this technique as in a play, the author builds his story chiefly around dialogue. The voice is that of third person, but now the author does not comment (or comments as little as possible), nor does he evaluate or editorialize.

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Writing About Point of View 1. What is the dominant point of view from which the story is told, and, more importantly, what was the author’s purpose in choosing this method? 2. Is the narrator of the story a participant in the story or just a witness?3. Does the story's point of view create irony?4. If the story has a first person narrator, is the narrator reliable? Are there any inconsistencies in the narrator's presentation of the story?5. If the story has a third person narrator, is he or she omniscient? Does he or she have limited omniscience? Is he or she objective? What was the author’s purpose for selecting this particular point of view? 6. Does the point of view remain constant throughout the story, or does it shift? If it does shift, how and why is this done, and what is the purpose for the shift?

Read “My Papa’s Waltz” and “Those Winter Sundays,” annotate, and discuss point of view based on the questions .

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Those Winter Sundays

BY ROBERT HAYDEN i·~·,~~:~'i<~··:··.·.·.··~······.-j(}····O·-·· - ....•..•................ , .. ,

Sundays too my father got up early and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold, then with cracked hands that ached from labor in' the weekday weather made banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.

I'd wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking. When the rooms were warm, he'd call, and slowly I would rise and dress, fearing the chronic angers of that house,

Speaking indifferently to him, who had driven out the cold and polished my good shoes as well. What did I know, what did I know oflove's austere and lonely offices?

My Papa’s Waltz

Theodore Roethke

The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy; But I hung on like death: Such waltzing was not easy.

We romped until the pans Slid from the kitchen shelf; My mother's countenance Could not unfrown itself.

The hand that held my wrist Was battered on one knuckle; At every step you missed My right ear scraped a buckle.

You beat time on my head With a palm caked hard by dirt, Then waltzed me off to bed Still clinging to your shirt.

AP lit & Comp-Unit t-Comparison and Contrast-"My Papa's Waltz" and "Those Winter Sundays"

Directions: The following questions are to guide you in annotating the poems. Briefly answer them on this handout, and be prepared to thoroughly discuss them in large- and small-group discussion. (Read the poems several times!)

1. How would you characterize the relationship between father and son in this poem? Consider the two figures of speech in the poem: the simile of "hung on like death" (I. 3) and the

metaphor of "waltzing" throughout the poem.

What do they add to the story line of the poem? Imagine, for instance, if the title were changed to "My Papa" or "Dancing with My Father." How do you interpret the lines "My mother's countenance / Could not unfrown itself" (II. 7-8)? Is she angry? jealous? worried? frightened? disapproving? Why doesn't she take action or step in? Some interpret this poem to be about an abusive father-son relationship, while others read it quite differently.

How do you interpret it? Use textual evidence from the poem to explain your reading.

Exploring the Text: "Those Winter Sundays" What are the different time frames ofthe poem, and when does the poem shift from flashback to present day? How does Hayden keep this shift from seeming abrupt?

What does the line "fearing the chronic angers of that house" (I. 9) suggest about the son's relationship with his father and the kind of home he grew up in?

What is the meaning of "love's austere and lonely offices" (I. 14)? What effect does Hayden achieve by choosing such an uncommon, somewhat archaic term as "offices"?

What is the tone of this poem? How do the specific details of the setting the speaker describes contribute to that tone? Consider also how the literal descriptions act as metaphors. What, for instance, is "blueblack cold"

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Scoring Guide: AP English Literature, Question 2 (1997)

GENERAL DIRECTIONS: This scoring guide will be useful for most of the essays that you read; but for cases in which it seems problematic or inapplicable, please consult your Table Leader. The score you assign should reflect your judgement of the quality of the essay as a whole—its content, its style, its mechanics. Reward the writers for what they do well. The score for an exceptionally well-written essay may be raised one point from the score otherwise appropriate. In no case may a poorly written essay be scored higher than 3.

9-8: With apt and specific references to the excerpt, these well-organized and well-written essays persuasively analyze how the changes in perspective and style reveal the narrator’s complex attitude towards the past. These essays identify the complexity of that attitude and contrast the literary strategies that create complexity in the different sections of the passage. Although not without flaws, these papers demonstrate an understanding of the text as well as consistent control over the elements of effective composition. These writer’s read with insight and express their ideas with skill and clarity. The 9 essays may be especially precise in the diction used in literary analysis.

7-6 These essays also analyze the narrator’s complex attitude but are less incisive, developed, or aptly supported than papers in the highest range. They identify accurately some literary techniques by which Kogawa conveys the complexities of that attitude, but they are less effective or less thorough in their analysis than are 9-8 papers. These essays demonstrate the writer's ability to express ideas clearly, but they do so with less maturity and precision than the best papers. Generally, 7 papers present a more developed analysis and a more consistent command of the elements of effective college-level composition.

5 Although these essays describe the narrator's attitude toward the past, they may not convey significant understanding of that attitude's complexity. Their analysis of how literary devices are deliberately employed to convey the narrator's attitude is perfunctory or superficial. Often this analysis is vague, mechanical, or overly generalized. Although this writing is adequate to convey the writer's thoughts and is without important errors in composition, these essays are typically pedestrian, not as well conceived, organized, or developed as upper-half papers. Usually, they reveal simplistic thinking and/or immature writing.

4-3 These lower-half papers address the task but reflect an incomplete or oversimplified understanding of the narrator's attitude and/or fail to connect the use of literary devices to the construction and communication of that attitude. The discussion may be inaccurate, unclear, misguided, or undeveloped. These papers may paraphrase rather than analyze. They may not contrast literary strategies used in the different sections of the passage. The analysis of technique will likely be meager and unconvincing; the essays typically lack persuasive reference to the text. Generally the writing demonstrates limited control of diction organization, syntax, or grammar.

DDDThe excerpt from Joy Kogawa’s novel Obasan is replete with striking images and sentiments of poverty,

weariness, and perseverance. Kogawa utilizes such techniques as shifts in point of view (and storytelling method) to convey her theme to readers. She skillfully manipulates language, tone, and images, appropriately inserting relevant Japanese words to emphasize the beauty and the values of the culture.

In the 1st paragraph, Kogawa’s perspective reflects the general experience of all the persecuted Japanese-Canadians during WWII. Her descriptions and limited omniscient point of view, (beginning with “We”) convey a sense of overall suffering, endurance, and-nevertheless-cultural unity. Her images can be felt, as the everpresent moisture of “rain, cloud, mist” (line 2) and tears. Here Kogawa successfully juxtaposes the 2 images of atmosphere and emotion, describing the “air overladen with weeping” (line 2) and the [tear] – “salty sea” full of “drowning speeches of memory - …small waterlogged eulogies” (4-5). It is through sentiments such as these that the author gives life to her story and garners the sympathy of readers. The structure of these descriptions is conventional, full of long sentences that accurately describe the experiences of a large group. Her language is grand, sensitive, utterly incisive and melancholy. Kogawa selects detail that speak in images as well as emotions, comparing the wronged subjects to “fragments of fragments” (line 11) and the “silences that speak from stone” (line 13). Yet, though Kogawa explains they are “the despised rendered voiceless” (line 14), we realize that stories such as hers give these martyrs (survivors and deceased) a voice. Her nostalgia conveys helplessness, sadness, and injustice, but the overriding theme insists that the strong will prevail-to keep the culture and its memories alive. Kogawa also employs various forms of figurative language – bounteous metaphors (“We are hammers and chisels” –line 9), allusions (“We are the man in the Gospel of John” –line 17) to Christian Suffering/ subsequent resurrection, and personification (“the sleeping mountain” –line 10) – to convoy an epic tale and vast expanse of suffering palpable by all creatures and all of nature. This general, wide scope details the experience of the Japanese-Canadians without separating them from the rest of the world. Kogawa utilizes this technique of universality and consistency well, returning to her introductory images in the final line of paragraph 1. Here, she speaks of her people as “undemanding as dew” (line 28), again emphasizing the image of tears and the theme of overall suffering endured nobly.

In the 2nd paragraph of this excerpt, Kogawa shifts her perspective and style quite perceptibly. She now uses a 1st person perspective in order to transform the experience (and its impact on readers) into a specific one. Though we sympathized before, now we readers will be able to identify with individuals. Consistent with her alternation in point-of-view, Kogawa’s diction also reflects the evolution from general to specific. As the narrator retells these memories from the point of view of a child, her language is tense, simple, concrete. These “dream images” (29) are disjointed at first, then solidify into definite memories of 1 specific event on the train. Sentences gradually become more conventional (and complete) as the “dream” unwinds. The narrator of the future takes over, describing things from the child’s vivid senses – eyes, ears, smell – whilst subtly implying a more mature perspective. In this way, a more significant (but still easily understandable) meaning is given to the words. The details are exact, colorful, honest – as a child would describe her situation. Throughout, the author includes Japanese words such as “ojidan” and “Kavaiso” to reinforce the importance of her culture and its values over the child and her acquiantances. These words are examples of beauty and sensitivity, also attempting to convey the sense of family and intimacy felt by those on the train toward each other. They are all connected, suffering together, trying to help each other glean some sort of peace from the sorrow and poverty. The girl’s umbrella is like “an exotic bird” (53); such a simile describes the narrator’s childish hopefulness and attempts to make the situation somewhat exciting – or, at least, better than it is. Kogawa ends the passage with an encounter between the narrator (and her aunt) and a destitute woman with a baby. The former pair tries to empathize with the woman by sharing their food. Though the child, naturally, is sensitive but still too shy and afraid to approach the woman, the aunt takes the initiative. Her gesture is one of beauty and kindness, emphasizing the importance of sharing and selfishness over charity that binds and obligates its objects. The woman’s reluctance to take charity is conveyed fully, her need pride visible, as she looks down while accepting the orange. Yet, Kogawa insists, the appreciation and respect are there, as the woman politely bows and takes the offering of kinship and comprehension.

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GG

In the passage from Joy Kogawa’s Obasan the author uses changes in perspective and style to reflect the narrator’s complex attitude toward the past. The author uses such literary elements as point of view, structure, selection of detail and figurative language to accomplish this change.

In the opening of the passage the point of view is that of a mature adult. This adult has a sort of bitter outlook let’s the readers know how the narrator feels about the events that she remembers. The “picture” in this frame story is from the perspective of a young girl. The memories are those that a child would notice, but probably not realizing what was really happening.

The structure of this poem is that of a frame story. The narrator explains her feelings toward the past, then she tells the story of how she came to feel this way. This adds a mysterious and interested element to the reader’s understanding of the narrator’s feelings.

The selection of detail in the passage shows the narrator’s experience with maturing. As a younger child the narrator remembers the physical details of herself and those around her. She remembers things that were said and what possessions she had with her. This shows the innocence of the child. As an adult detail is shown in feelings. The narrator now sees in detail what is really happening and how the past events have changed her attitude toward life itself.

Figurative language is used more when the narrator is speaking from an adult point of view. To the narrator the sea is just a place to cast your hopes and wishes into. Her family and friends are faceless masses. As a child the facts are the only thing the narrator recalls.

Point of view, structure, selection of detail and figurative language are important elements that help to reflex the narrator’s attitude toward the past and how it changed through time.

R

The first three paragraphs of the passage serve as the author’s overview of the situation. They are written from the point of view of the Japanese Canadians collectively, with no reference made to any individual or specific incident. Broad generalizations are made about the situation, state, and qualities of these Japanese Canadians, all in sentences virtually identical in syntax. The repetition of “We are…” presents the declarations as mere observations, without attempt to persuade but with full conviction. The statements are all metaphors, commentary, or idealization all are subjective in some degree, yet are presented as undisputable. The overall effect of this first section is to provide the scenario for specific events and show what experiences and circumstances the participants have in common.

The rest of the passage is in stark context to the opening. Presented in first person-but singular-style, it tells of an individual narrator’s recollection of events. The first paragraph begins with, “The memories are dream images,” followed by several sentence fragments depicting such partial images. The narrator then explains the time frame in relation to herself, and goes immediately into detail about her clothing. Although unimportant, this is realistic as a recollection of childhood and points out the personal significance of the passage rather than the impersonal tone of the earlier section. The entire narration has such detail, especially in relation to other people: the narrator, Stephan, the boy with the kitten, and Kuniko-san. All of the details are matter-of-fact; noting is compared and there is no metaphor or allusion to greater significance. The scenario of the mother with nothing to give her child is given to show the personal struggles of the Issei Nisei, and Sansei, even within the context of their collective struggle.

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Have you ever been to a place as a child and then later returned as an adult to find everything changed? Yet on closer inspection, you percieve that the area itself has not changed, only your perspective of it has. Our age often affects how we view events in life. In Joy Kogawa’s Obasan, the speaker is looking back over her life. Her perspective and attitude towards life changes from when she was a child to when she was an adult.

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As a child, she had a much simpler outlook on life. She realizes that something is happening (they are in a train going away from home) but does not dwell on the reasons for moving. Rather, she is concerned with her present surroundings as a young child is apt to be. Kogawa centers on a child’s point of view. She mentions only the things that would catch a little girl’s interest; her new buttons, for example, or the kitten nearby. She centers on small details, the black soot, the noise. We see the wonder in young girls eyes as she views her surroundings. She is fascinated with her brother’s cast, for example. She describes the baby’s face as “squinched,” and red. She is afraid of strangers yet willing to be of help wherever possible. She is young and impressionable.

In the other selection, the speaker is older, wiser. This is a direct contrast to the first selection. The whole style of writing changes. The author centers on things that would captivate a more mature mind; the whole concept of leaving everything behind, of moving in mass, of having no identity. Those are things that would characterize an adult. The tone changes from one of wonder and anticipation, to one of heavy foreboding and despair. The speaker now realizes that she is no longer one in a million, a unique individual, but is viewed as one of a million, simply a number, of as little consequence as dew. They were sent inward to work, they have no choice. Her point of view centers on the more colossal level. No longer is she concerned with the kitten or baby, her thoughts center on her memory, drowning in the sea. The very diction the author uses conveys meaning to us. The word choice is more educated. Words like “eulogies,” “momentum,” and “expulsion,” tell us that the speaker is no longer a child. She also uses many comparisons and metaphors in this selection (hammers and chisels, arrows, silences, siloam, pioneers). These could only be comprehended by an adult mind. The mind of a child is too simple to show these complexities.

Joy Kogawa fully understood the human mind in its different stages in life and she incorporated this knowledge in her book Obasan. She showed the differences in events taking place in a child’s life and in an adult’s life through use of diction, selection of detail, point of view, time, themes, and overall mood.

Some prompts that required students to write about narrative stance:

1996 Hawthorne’s “Judge Pyncheon” from House of the Seven Gables: Analyze how the narrator reveals the character of Judge Pyncheon. Emphasize such devices as tone, selection of detail, syntax, point of view.

1997 Joy Kogawa’s Obasan: Analyze how changes in perspective and style reflect the narrator’s complex attitude toward the past. Consider elements such as point of view, structure, selection of detail, and figurative language.

2004 Henry James’s “The Pupil” (1891): Analyze the author’s depiction of the three characters and the relationships among them. Pay particular attention to tone and point of view.

2007 Dalton Trumbo’s Johnny Got His Gun: Analyze how Trumbo uses such techniques as point of view, selection of detail, and syntax to characterize the relationship between the young man and his father.

2008 Aran from Anita Desai’s Fasting, Feasting (1999): Analyze how the author uses such literary devices as speech and point of view to characterize Aran’s experience.

2010 Maria Edgeworth’s Belinda (1801): The narrator provides a description of Clarence Harvey, one of the suitors of the novel’s protagonist, Belinda Portman. 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.

2011 George Eliot’s Middlemarch (1874): In the passage, Rosamond and Tertius Lydgate, a recently married couple, confront financial difficulties. Read the passage carefully. Then write a well-developed essay in which you analyze how Eliot portrays these two characters and their complex relationship as husband and wife. You may wish to consider such literary devices as narrative perspective and selection of detail.

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3. ANALYZING CHARACTERIZATION IN LITERATURE

Literary characters are those creations that permit artists to play deity – to populate a fictional universe with people and creatures of their own making. Characterization is the process by which an author fashions these fictional characters. The great fictional characters of the world’s literature transcend the elusiveness of fiction to achieve a sort of artistic permanence and reality unavailable to mere mortals. Who can forget the captivating experience with Macbeth as he anticipates regicide and betraying King Duncan for his own interests; King Lear’s sorrow and loss; Hamlet’s inner conflict and anger as well as Ophelia, the fragile girl, who has collapsed under the burdens which confront her; the duplicitous ways of Madame Bovary; the anguish of Heathcliff over the loss of Catherine; Hester Prynne standing of the platform with a “burning blush and a haughty smile;” Willie Loeman’s self-deceptions and frustrations; or even Holden Caufield’s depression, hatred of “phonies,” and his inability to articulate his frustration.

Major characters are the principal figures of the work; they are the protagonists in regard to conflict. If a major character changes as a result of an experience, he is dynamic or kinetic. If he remains the same throughout the course of the narrative, then he is a static character.

Some characters are classified as round. These individuals are complex, demonstrating many personality aspects, have believable motivations, and are capable to surprising the reader or viewer. Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter is a “round” character in that the reader is allowed to see many facets of her personality. She is human – neither totally good nor bad. She is strongly motivated by passion and demonstrates an admirable sense of loyalty towards her paramour by keeping his name a secret while at the same time revealing vulnerability in terms of her qualifications as a mother. She grows as the novel progresses and is ultimately able to move from a position, which is inferior to that of Hollingsworth to one that is superior. She is capable of surprising the reader when, at the end of the novel, she returns voluntarily to the New England setting and resumes the wearing of the dreaded letter.

Other characters are flat. These fictional beings are constructed around one central idea or characteristic and never change or surprise the reader. Both Mr. Martin and Mrs. Barrows in Thurber’s “Catbird Seat” are flat characters. Mr. Martin is a meek, clerk-like individual who treasures above all efficiency and routine. Mrs. Barrows is portrayed as loud and aggressive, an individual who disrupts the routine at F & S. Throughout the course of the story neither character experiences significant change or growth. In fact, Mr. Martin uses his primary characteristics, those of efficiency and routine to ultimately eliminate the threat to his secure existence, Mrs. Barrows. And ironically, it is Mrs. Barrow’s mouth and intrusive actions that prove to be her downfall. At the end of the story, Mr. Martin is no different than he was at the beginning.

A stereotype is a conventional character representing a particular group, class, or occupation. Because his character is conventional, he acts according to patterns. His appearance is familiar, speech predictable, and actions standardized. Thus anyone who has seen an old movie or television show knows how to impersonate a southern gentleman or a British Lord with the aid of only a few gestures, props, and speech intonations. There are as many stereotypes as there are groups: the ragpicker, the doorman, the salesman, a politician, a “typical” Texan, a senior citizen, the slow but good-hearted worker, the miser, the power hungry individual, the stubborn person and so on

Additionally, literature may present allegorical or symbolic figures. Edmund Spenser’s “The Faerie Queene” is a classic example of a work where the characters represent people, places, actions, or concepts. Thus the parade of the seven deadly sins, pride, gluttony, envy, avarice, lechery, idleness, and wrath are presented as characters, but they truly represent the negative aspect of human behavior. Everyman and Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress are additional examples of works with allegorical creations. The characters of allegory can be as cartoonlike as Orwell’s menagerie in Animal Farm, as lively and intense as the children in Golding's Lord of the Flies or as dramatic and memorable as the seamen of Melville’s Moby Dick or the Freudian stops and symbolic characters in Heart of Darkness. The authors allegorical intentions may at times help to explain the motivations and actions of his characters.

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A character may be interpreted as symbolic when it appears that his actions and words seem designed to represent some thought or view or quality. A character is not symbolic unless he symbolizes something. Ultimately, a symbolical figure is one whose accumulated actions lead the reader to see him as something more than his own person,

to see him perhaps as the embodiment of pure barbarism or redemptive power or hope. In Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago is symbolic of pure evil.

Given a protagonist, the conflict of a story may depend on the existence of an antagonist – which may be human, environmental, physical, mental, or emotional. A foil is a character who serves as a contrast to another, usually in such a way as to work to the advantage of the leading character. The foil may help to illuminate the protagonist’s positive qualities by demonstrating his own negative attributes, thus providing a clear and understandable contrast for the reader.

A confidant, often used in drama, is a character to whom the protagonist reveals his inner thoughts; he becomes a convenient device for the protagonist to speak his thoughts to without addressing them to the audience in the form of a soliloquy. Thus, Hamlet, who at times does soliloquize, takes Horatio into his confidence, and it Horatio who at the end of the play remonstrates the audience that “Here cracks a noble heart.” He continues, “Good night, sweet prince, And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!

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Finally, in almost all stories and plays there are background characters that populate the scene. Ordinarily, these are of no special interest unless, as a mass, they assume an active role. In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar the mob listens to and supports Brutus, but then, after Antony’s famous, emotional, and persuasive speech, changes and calls for the head of the Brutus. In Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People, the people as a group are the antagonists of Dr. Stockman. He is the individual who has to stand up against the many.

Most fictional characters are developed in more than one way.

Ways in which an author might develop a character are:

1. By what the character says and how he says it (dialogue)

2. By what he does (actions)

3. By physical description

4. By psychological description

5. By probing what a character thinks or feels

6. By what others say about him

7. By his environment

Clearly the reader should be alert to the actions of a character since this is the author’s way of showing, not telling, what his personality is like. A character who either takes pleasure in the suffering of others or loses control and causes pain, such as the narrator in Poe’s “The Black Cat” is seen as evil and evokes little sympathy. Yet, surface appearances must be questioned. For example, in one scene of Melville’s Benito Cereno, Babo appears to be a faithful servant shaving Don Benito in the presence of Captain Delano, the visiting captain aboard ship. In reality, Babo, with razor in hand, is actually terrorizing Don Benito in order to keep him silent.

At times the appearance may be taken as a clue to a character’s real nature. The Prologue to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales consistently includes descriptions of physical details and dress, which serve as indicators of character and social station. His description of the Squire includes the line, “Short was his gowne with sleves longe and wyde” – usually understood to be details that indicate the squire was dressed in the latest fashion.

What a character says is one of the most revealing aspects of characterization. How does he say his words? What are his habits of speech? His tone? Does the occasion color the tone?

More modern prompts often ask the relationship between characters (see prompts for years 2004, 2007, and 2011). To respond to these prompts, writers might consider how they speak to one another, what they think about one another, what they feel about but do not say to each other. Suggestions for Writing About Characters:

1. What can you infer about the character from his actions? Provide specific examples and explanation of purpose.

2. What might you infer about the character[s] based on his/her dialogue? Provide specific examples and commentary as to purpose. Are they grouped so that they form contrasting views, attitudes or values?

3. What changes take place in the thinking of a character? What motivates this change? How does this contribute to the meaning of the work?

4. If all else fails, simply ask yourself if you like or dislike the character and why. What is the author’s purpose for evoking this response?

Read the following story written by Katherine Mansfield and annotate for characterization.

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MISS BRILL

ALTHOUGH it was so brilliantly fine–the blue sky powdered with gold and great spots of light like white wine splashed over the Jardins Publiques–Miss Brill was glad that she had decided on her fur. The air was motionless, but when you opened your mouth there was just a faint chill, like a chill from a glass of iced water before you sip, and now and again a leaf came drifting–from nowhere, from the sky. Miss Brill put up her hand and touched her fur. Dear little thing! It was nice to feel it again. She had taken it out of its box that afternoon, shaken out the moth powder, given it a good brush, and rubbed the life back into the dim little eyes. "What has been happening to me?" said the sad little eyes. Oh, how sweet it was to see them snap at her again from the red eiderdown! . . . But the nose, which was of some black composition, wasn't at all firm. It must have had a knock, somehow. Never mind–a little dab of black sealing-wax when the time came–when it was absolutely necessary . . . Little rogue! Yes, she really felt like that about it. Little rogue biting its tail just by her left ear. She could have taken it off and laid it on her lap and stroked it. She felt a tingling in her hands and arms, but that [Page 183] came from walking, she supposed. And when she breathed, something light and sad–no, not sad, exactly–something gentle seemed to move in her bosom.

There were a number of people out this afternoon, far more than last Sunday. And the band sounded louder and gayer. That was because the Season had begun. For although the band played all the year round on Sundays, out of season it was never the same. It was like some one playing with only the family to listen; it didn't care how it played if there weren't any strangers present. Wasn't the conductor wearing a new coat, too? She was sure it was new. He scraped with his foot and flapped his arms like a rooster about to crow, and the bandsmen sitting in the green rotunda blew out their cheeks and glared at the music. Now there came a little "flutey" bit–very pretty!–a little chain of bright drops. She was sure it would be repeated. It was; she lifted her head and smiled.

Only two people shared her "special" seat: a fine old man in a velvet coat, his hands clasped over a huge carved walking-stick, and a big old woman, sitting upright, with a roll of knitting on her embroidered apron. They did not speak. This was disappointing, for Miss Brill always looked forward to the conversation. She had become really quite expert, she thought, at listening as though she didn't listen, at sitting in other people's lives just for a minute while they talked round her. [Page 184]

She glanced, sideways, at the old couple. Perhaps they would go soon. Last Sunday, too, hadn't been as interesting as usual. An Englishman and his wife, he wearing a dreadful Panama hat and she button boots. And she'd gone on the whole time about how she ought to wear spectacles; she knew she needed them; but that it was no good getting any; they'd be sure to break and they'd never keep on. And he'd been so patient. He'd suggested everything–gold rims, the kind that curve round your ears, little pads inside the bridge. No, nothing would please her. "They'll always be sliding down my nose!" Miss Brill had wanted to shake her.

The old people sat on a bench, still as statues. Never mind, there was always the crowd to watch. To and fro, in front of the flower beds and the band rotunda, the couples and groups paraded, stopped to talk, to greet, to buy a handful of flowers from the old beggar who had his tray fixed to the railings. Little children ran among them, swooping and laughing; little boys with big white silk bows under their chins, little girls, little French dolls, dressed up in velvet and lace. And sometimes a tiny staggerer came suddenly rocking into the open from under the trees, stopped, stared, as suddenly sat down "flop," until its small high-stepping mother, like a young hen, rushed scolding to its rescue. Other people sat on the benches and green chairs, but they were nearly always the same, Sunday after Sunday, [Page 185] and–Miss Brill had often noticed–there was something funny about nearly all of them. They were odd, silent, nearly all old, and from the way they stared they looked as though they'd just come from dark little rooms or even–even cupboards!

Behind the rotunda the slender trees with yellow leaves down drooping, and through them just a line of sea, and beyond the blue sky with gold-veined clouds.

Tum-tum-tum tiddle-um! tiddle-um! tum tiddley-um tum ta! blew the band. 38

Two young girls in red came by and two young soldiers in blue met them, and they laughed and paired and went off arm-in-arm. Two peasant women with funny straw hats passed, gravely, leading beautiful smoke-coloured donkeys. A cold, pale nun hurried by. A beautiful woman came along and dropped her bunch of violets, and a little boy ran after to hand them to her, and she took them and threw them away as if they'd been poisoned. Dear me! Miss Brill didn't know whether to admire that or not! And now an ermine toque and a gentleman in gray met just in front of her. He was tall, stiff, dignified, and she was wearing the ermine toque she'd bought when her hair was yellow. Now everything, her hair, her face, even her eyes, was the same colour as the shabby ermine, and her hand, in its cleaned glove, lifted to dab her lips, was a tiny yellowish paw. Oh, she was so pleased to see him–delighted! She rather thought they were going [Page 186] to meet that afternoon. She described where she'd been–everywhere, here, there, along by the sea. The day was so charming–didn't he agree? And wouldn't he, perhaps? . . . But he shook his head, lighted a cigarette, slowly breathed a great deep puff into her face, and even while she was still talking and laughing, flicked the match away and walked on. The ermine toque was alone; she smiled more brightly than ever. But even the band seemed to know what she was feeling and played more softly, played tenderly, and the drum beat, "The Brute! The Brute!" over and over. What would she do? What was going to happen now? But as Miss Brill wondered, the ermine toque turned, raised her hand as though she'd seen someone else, much nicer, just over there, and pattered away. And the band changed again and played more quickly, more gayly than ever, and the old couple on Miss Brill's seat got up and marched away, and such a funny old man with long whiskers hobbled along in time to the music and was nearly knocked over by four girls walking abreast.

Oh, how fascinating it was! How she enjoyed it! How she loved sitting here, watching it all! It was like a play. It was exactly like a play. Who could believe the sky at the back wasn't painted? But it wasn't till a little brown dog trotted on solemn and then slowly trotted off, like a little "theatre" dog, a little dog that had been drugged, that Miss Brill discovered what it was [Page 187] that made it so exciting. They were all on stage. They weren't only the audience, not only looking on; they were acting. Even she had a part and came every Sunday. No doubt somebody would have noticed if she hadn't been there; she was part of the performance after all. How strange she'd never thought of it like that before! And yet it explained why she made such point of starting from home at just the same time each week–so as not to be late for the performance–and it also explained why she had a queer, shy feeling at telling her English pupils how she spent her Sunday afternoons. No wonder! Miss Brill nearly laughed out loud. She was on the stage. She thought of the old invalid gentleman to whom she read the newspaper four afternoons a week while he slept in the garden. She had got quite used to the frail head on the cotton pillow, the hollowed eyes, the open mouth and the high pinched nose. If he'd been dead she mightn't have noticed for weeks; she wouldn't have minded. But suddenly he knew he was having the paper read to him by an actress! "An actress!" The old head lifted; two points of light quivered in the old eyes. "An actress–are ye?" And Miss Brill smoothed the newspaper as though it were the manuscript of her part and said gently; "Yes, I have been an actress for a long time."

The band had been having a rest. Now they started again. And what they played was warm, [Page 188] sunny, yet there was just a faint chill–a something, what was it?–not sadness–no, not sadness–a something that made you want to sing. The tune lifted, lifted, the light shone; and it seemed to Miss Brill that in another moment all of them, all the whole company, would begin singing. The young ones, the laughing ones who were moving together, they would begin and the men's voices, very resolute and brave, would join them. And then she too, she too, and the others on the benches–they would come in with a kind of accompaniment–something low, that scarcely rose or fell, something so beautiful–moving. . . . And Miss Brill's eyes filled with tears and she looked smiling at all the other members of the company. Yes, we understand, we understand, she thought–though what they understood she didn't know.

Just at that moment a boy and girl came and sat down where the old couple had been. They were beautifully dressed; they were in love. The hero and heroine, of course, just arrived from his father's yacht. And still soundlessly singing, still with that trembling smile, Miss Brill prepared to listen.

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"No, not now," said the girl. "Not here, I can't."

"But why? Because of that stupid old thing at the end there?" asked the boy. "Why does she come here at all–who wants her? Why doesn't she keep her silly old mug at home?" [Page 189]

"It's her fu-ur which is so funny," giggled the girl. "It's exactly like a fried whiting."

"Ah, be off with you!" said the boy in an angry whisper. Then: "Tell me, ma petite chère–"

"No, not here," said the girl. "Not yet."

On her way home she usually bought a slice of honeycake at the baker's. It was her Sunday treat. Sometimes there was an almond in her slice, sometimes not. It made a great difference. If there was an almond it was like carrying home a tiny present–a surprise–something that might very well not have been there. She hurried on the almond Sundays and struck the match for the kettle in quite a dashing way.

But to-day she passed the baker's by, climbed the stairs, went into the little dark room–her room like a cupboard–and sat down on the red eiderdown. She sat there for a long time. The box that the fur came out of was on the bed. She unclasped the necklet quickly; quickly, without looking, laid it inside. But when she put the lid on she thought she heard something crying.

Questions for response:1. In the first paragraph of “Miss Brill” the protagonist is taking a fox fur out of a

box. What does this reveal about her character?2. Miss Brill observes old and young people at the park. How does she characterize

between them?

AP Literature and Composition - Judge Pyncheon - Prompt (1996)

Read the following passage from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The House of Seven Gables.  Then write a careful analysis of how the narrator reveals the character of Judge Pyncheon.  You may emphasize whichever devices (e.g., tone, selection of detail, syntax, point of view) you find most significant.(Suggested time—40 minutes)

To apply this train of remark somewhat more closelyto Judge Pyncheon!  We might say (without, in the least,imputing crime to a personage of his eminent respecta-bility) that there was enough of splendid rubbish in hislife to cover up and paralyze a more active and subtileconscience than the Judge was ever troubled with.  The

purity of his judicial character, while on the bench; the faithfulness of his public service in subsequent capaci- ties; his devotedness to his party, and the rigid consis-tency with which he had adhered to its principles, or, at

all events, kept pace with its organized movements; his remarkable zeal as president of a Bible society; his unimpeachable integrity as treasurer of a Widow’s and Orphan’s fund; his benefits to horticulture, by producing two much-esteemed varieties of the pear, and to agriculture, through the agency of the famous Pyncheon-bull; the cleanliness of his moral deportment, for a great many years past; the severity with which he had frowned  upon, and finally cast off, an expensive and dissipated son, delaying forgiveness until within the final quarter of an hour of the young man’s life; his prayers at morning and eventide, and graces at mealtime; his efforts in futherance of the

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temperance-cause; his confining himself, since the last attack of the gout, to five diurnal glasses of old Sherry wine; the snowy whiteness of his linen, the polish of his boots, the handsomeness of his gold-headed cane, the square and roomy fashion of his coat, and the fineness of its material, and, in general, the studied propriety of his dress and equipment; the

scrupulousness with which he paid public notice, in the street, by a bow, a lifting of the hat, a nod, or a motion of the hand, to all and sundry his acquaintances, rich or poor; the smile of broad benevolence wherewith he made it a point to gladden the whole world;—what room could possibly be found for darker traits, in a portrait made up of lineaments like these!  This properface was what he beheld in the looking-glass.  This admirably arranged life was what he was conscious of, in the progress of every day.  Then, might not he claimto be its result and sum, and say to himself and thecommunity—“Behold Judge Pyncheon, there”?

        And, allowing that, many, many years ago, in his early and reckless youth, he had committed some onewrong act or that, even now, the inevitable force ofcircumstances should occasionally make him do one questionable deed, among a thousand praiseworthy, or, at least, blameless ones—would you characterizethe Judge by that one necessary deed, and that half-forgotten act, and let it overshadow the fair aspect of a lifetime!  What is there so ponderous in evil, that a thumb’s bigness of it should outweigh the mass ofthings not evil, which were heaped into the other scale!This scale and balance system is a favorite one with people of Judge Pyncheon’s brotherhood.  A hard, coldman, thus unfortunately situated, seldom or never look-ing inward, and resolutely taking his idea of himselffrom what purports to be his image, as reflected in the mirror of public opinion, can scarcely arrive at true self-knowledge, except through loss of property andreputation.  Sickness will not always help him to it; notalways the death-hour!

SCORING GUIDE

GENERAL DIRECTIONS: This scoring guide will be useful for most of the essays you read, but for cases in which it seems problematic or inapplicable, please consult your Table Leader.~ The score you assign should reflect your judgment of the quality of the essay as a whole-its mechanics, its style, its rhetoric.~ Reward the writers for what they do well.~ The score for an exceptionally well-written essay may be raised by one point from the score otherwise appropriate.~ In no case may a very poorly written essay be scored higher than a 3.

9-8 With apt and specific references to the excerpt, these well-organized and well-written essays clearly analyze how the narrator reveals the character of Judge Pyncheon.~ The best of these essays will acknowledge and then address the complexity of this characterization and will discuss specific literary devices helpful in creating that character.~ While not without flaws, these papers will demonstrate an understanding of the text as well as consistent control over the elements of effective composition.~ These writers read with perception and express their ideas with skill and clarity.

7-6 These papers also analyze how the narrator characterizes Judge Pyncheon, but they are less incisive, developed or aptly supported than papers in the highest range.~ They deal accurately with literary techniques as the means by which Hawthorne's narrator brings his character to life, but they are less effective or less thorough in their analysis than are 9-8 papers.~ While these essays demonstrate the writer's ability to express ideas clearly, they do so with less maturity and precision than the best papers.~ Generally, 7 papers present a more developed analysis and a more consistent command of the elements of effective college-level composition than do essays scored 6.

5 Although these essays recognize that the narrator does not approve of Judge Pyncheon, they are superficial.~ They respond to the assignment without important errors in composition, but they may miss the complexity of how the narrator reveals character and offer a perfunctory analysis of how literary devices are used to characterize Judge Pyncheon.~ Often, the analysis is vague, mechanical, or overly generalized.~ While the writing is adequate to convey the writer's thoughts, these essays are typically pedestrian, not as well conceived, organized, or developed as upper-half papers.~ Usually, they reveal simplistic thinking and/or immature writing.

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4-3 These papers reflect an incomplete understanding of character and/or fail to recognize that the narrator is critical of Judge Pyncheon.~ The discussion of how the narrator uses literary devices to reveal the character of Judge Pyncheon may be inaccurate or unclear, misguided, or undeveloped.~ These papers may paraphrase rather than analyze.~ The analysis of technique will likely be meager and unconvincing.~ Generally, the writing demonstrates weak control of such elements as diction, organization, syntax, or grammar.~ These essays typically lack persuasive evidence from the text.~ They may contain recurrent stylistic flaws and/or misreadings.

2-1 These essays compound the weaknesses of the papers in the 4-3 range.~ They may seriously misunderstand the character of Judge Pyncheon and/or fail to recognize that the narrator is critical of the judge.~ Frequently, they are unacceptably brief.~ Often poorly written on several counts, they may contain many distracting errors in grammar and mechanics.~ Although some attempt may have been made to answer the question, the writer's views typically are presented with little clarity, organization, coherence, or supporting evidence.~ Essays that are especially inexact, vacuous, and/or mechanically unsound should be scored 1.

0 This is a response with no more than a reference to the task.

-- Indicates a blank response or is completely off-topic

English Literature and Composition Responses 1996Question 1

GIn this selected passage Hawthorne paints a portrait of a man whose primary concern is his image and the way

in which the public perceives him. Judge Pyncheon, attempts to create an image of himself as a man of “judicial character” and “unimpeachable integrity”. Though he is an active member of the community, his main flaw lies in his impetus for his involvement in the community. Hawthorne makes it apparent that Pyncheon’s reasons for doing good deeds are routed in vanity and self-absorption rather than genuine altruism.

A large portion of the passage is a listing of Judge Pyncheon’s involvements and accomplishments. Hawthorne introduces this list by saying “that there was enough splendid rubbish in his life to cover up hand paralyze a more active and subtle conscience than the Judge was ever troubled with.” (line 4-6) The oxymoronic phrase “splendid rubbish” immediately raises doubts about the quality and sincerity of the list about to follow. He casts off his son and withholds forgiveness until an hour before his son dies. Similarly, the joking tone of the second half of the sentence serves to make the comment about Pyncheon’s lack of conscience more poignant.

The list itself enforces the doubts raised in the preface sentence. The list begins with admirable positions held such as this position as a judge or, his serving as president of the Bible society, his party devotion, integrity as treasurer of a Widow’s and Orphan’s fund, and his “esteemed varieties of the pear” but as the list continues, the items listed become less public and more personal and trivial. The reader might be able to ignore the mocking tone implied in the perpondeance of praising and modifiers because of the actual placement of the position. However, it is nearly impossible to appreciate the “snowy whiteness of his linen, the polish of his boots, “and “the handsomeness of his gold-headed cane.” (line 25-27) or to miss the inherent sarcasm and mocking tone in those lines.

The rest of the passage brims with images of appearance and reflection. “The proper face was what he beheld in the looking-glass.” (line 36-37). These images underscore the depiction of Judge Pyncheon as man whose primary concern is the opinion of others, his public persona. The description of his treatment of his son stands antithetical to his position as “president of a Bible Society. His hypocrisy is shown again in his “confining himself, since the last attack of gout: (not conscience) “to five glasses of old Sherry wine,” even though he attempted to further the temperance cause. This view of Judge Pyncheon which the reader has been formulating and piecing together throughout the passage is finally confirmed by lines 54-59. The speaker refers to a sin committed by the Judge and it is apparently so powerful

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that it outweighs all the good that the Judge has supposedly done over the years. Yet, the judge seems not to be bothered by his conscience. Hawthorne goes so far as to suggest that only loss of property could cause such a man to look at himself honestly and without deception and that not even “sickness” or “death” could trigger this type of self-analysis. Only the loss of property or reputation might cause him to look inward. This indicates the superficiality of the man.

Judge Pyncheon is a prideful man concerned with rules and logic. If I do this, then I should receive this, is his mentality. The images of scales evoke images of both the judicial system and God’s judgements. These and allusions contrast with Pyncheon’s character and highlight his lack of genuine feelings of kindness and self-sacrafice.

Past prompts that asked about character:

2004 Henry James’s “The Pupil” (1891): Analyze the author’s depiction of the three characters and the relationships among them. Pay particular attention to tone and point of view.

2006 Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan (1892): Analyze how the playwright reveals the values of the characters and the nature of their society.

2007 Dalton Trumbo’s Johnny Got His Gun: Analyze how Trumbo uses such techniques as point of view, selection of detail, and syntax to characterize the relationship between the young man and his father.

2008 Aran from Anita Desai’s Fasting, Feasting (1999): Analyze how the author uses such literary devices as speech and point of view to characterize Aran’s experience.

2010 Maria Edgeworth’s Belinda (1801): The narrator provides a description of Clarence Harvey, one of the suitors of the novel’s protagonist, Belinda Portman. 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.

2011 George Eliot’s Middlemarch (1874): In the passage, Rosamond and Tertius Lydgate, a recently married couple, confront financial difficulties. Read the passage carefully. Then write a well-developed essay in which you analyze how Eliot portrays these two characters and their complex relationship as husband and wife. You may wish to consider such literary devices as narrative perspective and selection of detail.

2012 Helena María Viramontes’s Under the Feet of Jesus: Carefully read the following excerpt from the novel. Then write a well-organized essay in which you analyze the development of Estrella’s character. In your analysis, you may wish to consider such literary elements as selection of detail, figurative language, and tone.

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Most students when asked to discuss the setting of a work of literature will answer that it consists of the time and place. It is, in fact, much more than the aforementioned. The myriad world of the settingis essential to the understanding of a work of fiction, as it reveals the atmosphere or moodIt often yields clues as to the tone that will eventually emerge. Many settings function as “unrelenting meta-cognitive stimulants” for things to happen, because the author has skillfully used them to foreshadow as yet unperceived events. The following are the ways that setting may function either alone or in conjunctions with other functions:

(1) Establish mood and atmosphere

(2) Foreshadow events

(3) Serve as a symbol

(4) Reflect the emotional conditions of characters in the work

(5) Introduce or enrich the theme of a work

(6) Reveal characters’ attributes

(7) Indicate the time and place

In The Scarlet Letter the somber Puritan mood is suggested by such words and phrases colored garments, “ “gray,” “cemetery,” “prison,” “grave,” “sepulchers,” “jail,” “gloomy,”

“ugly black flower of civilized society.” The reader is also made aware of the incongruity of finding in this setting a “wild rose bush,” because it is described by such words and phrases as “delicate gems,” “fragrance,” and “fragile beauty,” but is surrounded by words such

“condemned,” “doom,” “stern,” and “sorrow.” These particular words set the both the conflict and the mood of the novel, a tale of narrow-minded persecution, hypocrisy,

betrayal, and love. The contrast of the dark, confining words with the brighter, more positive words provide a basic foundation for the contrasts in the novel between the Puritans (the

hypocrites) and Hester (open honesty) and between hidden versus open sin as is epitomized by the contrast between the forest and the town. Thus the setting of the novel establishes the mood, aids characterization, and introduces the theme.

In “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe, the opening paragraph conveys an overwhelming atmosphere of impending doom, decay, and disaster; reveals character; and suggests the theme.

During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when theclouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country, and at length found myself, as the shades of eveningwithin view of the melancholy House of Usher. I knew not how it was-but with the first glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit. . . . I looked upon the scene before me-upon the mere house, and the simple landscape features of the domain-upon the

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unredeemed dreariness of thought which no goading of the imagination could torture into aught of the sublime.

In this opening scene, not only is the setting established, character is revealed, and the mood is created and impressed upon the reader. Since the house with its “vacant eye-like windows” later becomes a metaphor for its inhabitants and the emptiness not only of their lives, but their moral conscience, there is an early establishment of character. A closer examination of specific words would reveal much more. The word “autumn” often suggests the decline or end of something, and indeed this story deals with the end of a family line. The words “dull,” “dark,” “dreary and “soundless” suggest the state in which Roderick lives, since he suffers from acuteness of the senses and closes himself off from the intrusive world. The use of the words “shades of evening” metaphorically allude to death, thus foreshadowing Roderick and his twin sister Madelaine’s death. The words “rank sedges” and “decay” introduce the theme of work-the decay and descent of a prominent family. The words “insufferable gloom,” “bleak walls,” “melancholy,” and “utter depression” establish the mood of the story and the characters. References to “after-dream,” “reveler upon opium,” and “hideous dropping of the veil,” suggest the absence of reality in Roderick’s life, his escape into fantasy, his going beyond the brink of mores and limitations of acceptable human behavior, and his transgression of forbidden taboos. Finally, the words “iciness,” “sinking,” and “unredeemed dreariness of thought,” suggest the coldness and ennui of the house and its occupants, the lack of human compassion and compliance, and ultimately, the hopelessness of both Roderick and Madelaine, the only remaining members of the Usher family.

Conversely, Shirley Jackson in her famous story “The Lottery” uses her setting in an ironic fashion. In order to preserve the shock of the final events of the story, she establishes an atmosphere resembling a summer social gathering. It suggests a mood of happiness and wellbeing in order to lull the reader into a false sense of security.

The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blooming profusely and the grass was richly green. The people of the village began to gather in the square, between the post office and the bank, around ten o’clock; in some towns there were so many people that the lottery took two days and had to be start on June 26 th, but in this village, where there were only about three hundred people, the whole lottery took less than two hours, so it could begin at ten o’clock in the morning, and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner.

Here the ritual starts early in the morning, a suggestion both of its importance and a sense of new beginnings. The flowers, grass, sun, warmth, and the season of summer all suggest birth, life, wellbeing, and covertly a feeling of happiness. These images are, of course, used ironically; along with the title in order to keep the reader unaware of the true purpose of the lottery. The brevity of the ceremony may indicate the quickness with which humans may turn from being friendly, jovial neighbors and family to primitive creatures concerned only with self-preservation. The bank and the post office remind the reader of both the everyday life of modern society, and that institutions, especially those dealing with material matters, must

be maintained. The Town Square may symbolize the closing off of alternatives or the limitations placed on the inhabitants of the village. Since the lottery is based on the idea of self-

preservation, “lottery in June; corn be heavy soon,” and is maintained to preserve society, it appears logical and important and reveals something about the characters in the work. The idea that villagers may be home in time for “noon dinner’ suggests the villager’s lack of conscience as well

as their hypocritical desire for self-preservation at all costs.

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Analyze the excerpts below. Determine what the setting contributes to the meaning of the story in terms of mood, character, emotions, foreshadowing, or plot development.

Faulkner, William – “A Rose for Emily”It was a big squarish frame house that had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and

scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome style of the seventies, set on what had once been our most select street. But garages and cotton gins had encroached and obliterated even the august names of that neighborhood; only Miss Emily’s house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps—an eyesore among eyesores. And now Miss Emily had gone to join the representatives of those august names where they lay in the cedar bemused cemetery among the ranked and anonymous graves of Union and Confederate soldiers who fell at the battle of Jefferson.

Joyce, James – “Araby”North Richmond Street, being blind, was a quiet street except at the hour when the Christian

Brothers School set the boys free. An uninhabited house of two stories stood at the blind end, detached from its neighbors in a square ground. The other houses on the street, conscious of decent lives within them gazed at one another with brown imperturbable faces.

“An Abandoned Farmhouse” by Ted Kooser

He was a big man, says the size of his shoes

on a pile of broken dishes by the house;

a tall man too, says the length of the bed

in an upstairs room; and a good, God-fearing man,

says the Bible with a broken back

on the floor below the window, dusty with sun

but not a man for farming, say the fields

cluttered with boulders and the leaky barn.

A woman lived with him, says the bedroom wall

papered with lilacs and the kitchen shelves

covered with oilcloth, and they had a child,

says the sandbox made from a tractor tire.

Money was scarce, say the jars of plum preserves

and canned tomatoes sealed in the cellar hole.

And the winters cold say the rags in the window frames.

It was lonely here say the narrow country road.

Something went wrong says the empty house

in the weed choked yard. Stones in the field

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say he was not a farmer; the still-sealed jars

in the cellar say she left in a nervous haste.

And the child? Its toys are strewn in the yard

like branches after a storm – a rubber cow,

a rusty tractor with a broken plow,

a doll in overalls. Something went wrong they say.

Welty, Eudora – “A Worn Path”

It was December – a bright frozen day in the early morning. Far out in the country there was an old Negro woman with her head tied in a red rag, coming along a path through the pinewoods. Her name was Phoenix Jackson. She was very old and small and she walked slowly in the dark pine shadows, moving a little from side to side in her steps, with the balanced heaviness and lightness of a pendulum in a grandfather clock. She carried a thin, small cane made from an umbrella, and with this she kept tapping the frozen earth in front of her. This made a grave and persistent noise in the still air that seemed meditative like the chirping of a solitary little bird.

Steinbeck, John – “The Chrysanthemums”The high grey-flannel fog of winter closed off the Salinas Valley from the sky and from all the rest of the world. On every side it sat like a lid on the mountains and made of the great valley a closed pot. On the broad, level floor the gang ploughs bit deep and left the black earth shining like metal where the shares had been cut. On the foot-hill ranches across the Salinas River, the yellow stubble fields seemed to be bathed in pale cold sunshine, but there was no sunshine in the valley now in December. The thick willow scrub along the river flamed with sharp and positive yellow leaves.

It was a time of quiet and waiting. The air was cold and tender. A light wind blew up from the southwest so that the farmers were mildly hopeful of a good rain before long; but fog and rain do not go together.

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GROUP ASSIGNMENT

You are to read “Soldier’s Home” p. 185 and examine how setting is used in the story and how it functions or what purpose it serves.

After reading, you are to work in groups of three or four and analyze how the setting functions in the work. First, make a list of any and all aspects of the setting (you should have between 10-15 items here). Next explain how the items on your list function and what information they add to the story. This will be for a grade, so make sure you are thorough and detailed!

2009 AP® ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION FREE-RESPONSE QUESTIONS47

Question 2(Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.) The following selection is the opening of Ann Petry’s 1946 novel, The Street. Read the selection carefully and then write an essay analyzing how Petry establishes Lutie Johnson’s relationship to the urban setting through the use of such literary devices as imagery, personification, selection of detail, and figurative language.

There was a cold November wind blowing through116th Street. It rattled the tops of garbage cans,sucked window shades out through the top of openedwindows and set them flapping back against the5 windows; and it drove most of the people off thestreet in the block between Seventh and EighthAvenues except for a few hurried pedestrians whobent double in an effort to offer the least possibleexposed surface to its violent assault.10 It found every scrap of paper along the street—theater throwaways, announcements of dances andlodge meetings, the heavy waxed paper that loavesof bread had been wrapped in, the thinner waxedpaper that had enclosed sandwiches, old envelopes,15 newspapers. Fingering its way along the curb, thewind set the bits of paper to dancing high in the air,so that a barrage of paper swirled into the faces of thepeople on the street. It even took time to rush intodoorways and areaways and find chicken bones and20 pork-chop bones and pushed them along the curb.It did everything it could to discourage the peoplewalking along the street. It found all the dirt and dustand grime on the sidewalk and lifted it up so that thedirt got into their noses, making it difficult to breathe;25 the dust got into their eyes and blinded them; and thegrit stung their skins. It wrapped newspaper aroundtheir feet entangling them until the people curseddeep in their throats, stamped their feet, kicked at thepaper. The wind blew it back again and again until30 they were forced to stoop and dislodge the paper with

their hands. And then the wind grabbed their hats,pried their scarves from around their necks, stuck itsfingers inside their coat collars, blew their coats awayfrom their bodies.35 The wind lifted Lutie Johnson’s hair away from theback of her neck so that she felt suddenly naked andbald, for her hair had been resting softly and warmlyagainst her skin. She shivered as the cold fingers ofthe wind touched the back of her neck, explored the40 sides of her head. It even blew her eyelashes awayfrom her eyes so that her eyeballs were bathed in arush of coldness and she had to blink in order to readthe words on the sign swaying back and forth over herhead.45 Each time she thought she had the sign in focus,the wind pushed it away from her so that she wasn’tcertain whether it said three rooms or two rooms. Ifit was three, why, she would go in and ask to see it,but if it said two—why, there wasn’t any point. Even50 with the wind twisting the sign away from her, shecould see that it had been there for a long timebecause its original coat of white paint was streakedwith rust where years of rain and snow had finallyeaten the paint off down to the metal and the metal55 had slowly rusted, making a dark red stain like blood.It was three rooms. The wind held it still for aninstant in front of her and then swooped it away untilit was standing at an impossible angle on the rod thatsuspended it from the building. She read it rapidly.60 Three rooms, steam heat, parquet floors, respectable tenants. Reasonable.

AP® ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION 2009 SCORING GUIDELINES © 2009 The College Board. All rights reserved. Visit the College Board on the Web: Question 2 48

(Ann Petry’s The Street)

The score reflects the quality of the essay as a whole—its content, its style, its mechanics. Students are rewarded for what they do well. The score for an exceptionally well-written essay may be raised by 1 point above the otherwise appropriate score. In no case may a poorly written essay be scored higher than a 3.

9–8 These essays offer a persuasive analysis of Petry’s use of literary devices to establish Lutie Johnson’s relationship to the urban setting and provide strong support for the students’ interpretation of the passage. They explore the urban setting as it affects the character; consider devices such as imagery, personification, selection of detail, and figurative language; and engage the text through apt and specific references. Although the essays may not be error-free, their perceptive analysis is apparent in writing that is clear, precise, and effectively organized. Generally, essays scored a 9 reveal more sophisticated analysis and more effective control of language than do those scored an 8.

7–6 These essays offer a reasonable analysis of how the author uses literary devices to establish Lutie Johnson’s relationship to the urban setting. They provide a sustained, competent reading of the passage, with attention to devices such as imagery, personification, selection of detail, and figurative language. Although these essays may not be error-free and are less perceptive or less convincing than those in the 9–8 range, they present ideas with clarity and control and refer to the text for support. Generally, essays scored a 7 present better-developed analysis and more consistent command of the elements of effective composition than do essays scored a 6.

5 These essays respond to the assigned task with a plausible reading of the passage but tend to be superficial or undeveloped in their treatment of how the author uses literary devices to characterize the relationship between Lutie Johnson and the urban setting. While containing some analysis of the passage, implicit or explicit, the discussion of how literary devices contribute to the relationship between character and setting may be slight, and support from the passage may be thin or tend toward summary or paraphrase. While these essays demonstrate adequate control of language, they may be marred by surface errors. They are not as well conceived, organized, or developed as essays in the 7–6 range.

4–3 These lower-half essays fail to offer an adequate analysis of the passage. The analysis may be partial, unconvincing, or irrelevant; students may ignore Lutie Johnson or Petry’s use of literary devices to establish Lutie’s relationship to the setting. The essays may be characterized by an unfocused or repetitive presentation of ideas, an absence of textual support, or an accumulation of errors. Generally, essays scored a 3 exhibit less control over the elements of composition and may contain weaker or less-developed readings than those scored a 4.

2–1 These essays compound the weaknesses of those in the 4–3 range. They may persistently misread the passage or be unacceptably brief. The essays may contain pervasive errors that interfere with understanding. Although some attempt has been made to respond to the prompt, ideas are presented with little clarity, organ-ization, or

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support from the passage. Essays that are especially incompetent or incoherent are scored a 1.

0 These essays do no more than make a reference to the task. — These essays are either left blank or are completely off topic.

2009 AP English Literature Sample Essays

Question #2: Ann Petry, The StreetSample A

Hurricanes ravage beautiful coastal cities. Tornadoes send trees tumbling into homes. Sandstorms send biting debris at the cleanliness of the world. The ever present element of wind has the power to destroy, the power to please, and the power to signify one’s relationship with the environment he/she is in. In the excerpt from Ann Petry’s The Street, Lutie Johnson’s separation and opposition to the urban setting is emphasized through the personified quality of the wind.

Even the beginning imagery of the “cold” wind that “rattled” and “sucked” and set windows “flapping” contributes to the attitude of separation Lutie Jonson feels toward the urban setting. The “barrage of paper swirled into the faces of the people on the street” emphasizes this attitude of cold opposition evoked by the urban setting. The details such as the sign “streaked with rust” and “the grit stung their skin” further emphasize the harsh relationship Lutie Johnson has with the stark urban scene she experiences.

The personification of the wind “fingering its way along the curb” and trying to discourage the people walking along the street” emphasizes the negative vibe Lutie Johnson experiences in the urban setting. Even her effort to read the sign becomes a struggle with the wind as the wind is “twisting the sign away from her and holding it at “an impossible angle.” The wind symbolizes Lutie Jonson’s separation from the urban setting as emphasized by the personification “the wind lifted Lutie Johnson’s hair away from the back of her neck so that she felt suddenly naked and bald.” Longing for the “softly and warmly” resting environment she was used to, Lutie Johnson had a difficult time reconciling herself to the harsh urban environment.

The hyperbole “…its violent assault” emphasizes the violent assault of new, unfamiliar conditions Lutie Jonson must face in her urban environment. The rusting metal “making a dark stain like blood” is a simile that contributes to this forboding ill that Lutie Jonson feels in her unease with the urban scene Also, the personification the wind “stuck its fingers inside their coats “ conveys a feeling of defilation and opposition since the probing by the cold wind was undesirable.

In this undesirable, opposing struggle with the wind, Lutie Jonson’s separation and opposition to the urban setting are revealed From the wind’s “cold fingers” to the entangling “ newspapers to the sign “streaked with rust”, Lutie Johnson’s opposition to the stark, unfriendly urban setting is portrayed through the personified power of the “all knowing: wind. Often, a new setting is hard to assimilate into, and the struggle comes in the power to see the beauty in a harsh, new place.

Sample C

Petry immediately establishes the Urban setting as a type of war zone, in which the forces of nature are at battle with all the tenants of the city. Lutie Johnson is subjected to this brute force as is everyone else, yet she s not deterred from searching for a permanent place of residence. She holds a complex relationship with the urban setting, fighting and withstanding its nature to get closer with it and establish her own place.

The wind, in addition to other forces of nature, is personified throughout the entire passage, creating a threatening adversary. It was able to “suck window shades”, to “find every scrap of paper”, to “life Lutie Johnson’s hair away” and se its “fingers” to “finger its way along the curb” and attack passerby with weapons that they themselves leave behind e.g. litter, grime, paper. The fingers are able to “grab their hats”, “prie their scarves”, and “touch the back of [Lutie’s] neck” to make her feel “naked and bald”. Without much argument, none of these are pleasant situations or

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sensations. Petry’s description deters the reader away from the urban setting as much as possible. Even further, there is allusion to the rain and snow that once inhabited the city, that “had finally eaten the paint off down to the metal, and the metal had slowly rusted, making a dark red stain like blood.” The natural, unavoidable forces are personified to give them a sense of forever-present and chaotic forces that inhabit the city.

Petry selects specific detail to convey the forces of the urban setting as at battle with the people who venture out, including and specifically Lutie Johnson. The forces employ aspects of the urban setting to dehabilitate the citizens, using dirt and grime to “make it difficult to breathe”, using dust to “blind them”, and grit to “sting their skins”. The blood-like stain on the sign indicates that the city has been in a losing battle for some time. However, noting this attack on the sign brings up an important relation to Lutie. Lutie is attracted to an aspect of the city that has too been attacked by the same forces. This aspect of the building and its experience lend potential protection to Lutie, who seemingly insists on remaining in the war-zone. Petry also provides the detail of Lutie’s though process, her deciding immediately on the sign and its accompanying building bases on whether or not there are two rooms or three rooms. Three rooms which she prefers offers more protection and support than two rooms. So although Lutie plans on remaining in the urban area she is preparing by building up personal security and support, indicating that, though questionably remaining in such dreary surroundings, she is wary of her position and the area around her.

Petry additionally uses imagery to describe the slightly warped surroundings. She details the sign as “standing at an impossible angle on the rod that suspended it from the building” letting the reader just imagine its twisted and hard-to-red position. The scenario in which the sign is held in focus for more seconds before being twisted and pushed away by the wind is also very visual. Both instances of imagery emphasize how patent and adapting Lutie is to the city, as she waits for the wind to agree with her, and then knowing not to trust the wind, reads the sign as quickly as possible. That patience and humility may be applied to her attitude towards the city in general as well.

Petry uses personification, imagery, detail and other literary tools to convey Lutie’s position in the urban setting. The personification indicates that, though an individual, Lutie is not alone in the city, and Lutie’s actions portray her as somewhat exasperated as everyone else, but also as patient, copying and as having a plan of action.

Sample D

In Ann Petry’s novel, The Street, she establishes Lutie Johnson’s relationship to the urban setting through her use of literary devices such as imagery, personification, selection of detail, and figurative language.

First, Petry describes the neighborhood, using figurative language and personification to give life to the wind. She uses words like “violent assault” to express the amount of force the wind is blowing with. The wind is picking up all kinds of trash from previous dances, and movie tickets, to “chicken bones” and “pork-chop bones”. Petry uses these particular element in selection of detail to show the reader what kind of neighborhood 116th street is. She also gives life to the story by using selection of detail when describing how thick or thin the wax paper on the street is Personification comes into play when Petry describes how the wind “did everything it could to discourage the people walking along the street .” Lutie Johnson was one of those people. Petry tells the story of how the wind “grabbed their hats” and “pried their scarves from around their necks” and then how the who “blew their coats away from their bodies”. By using this type of figurative language and personification, the struggle Lutie Johnson has to go through living in this urban setting is evident. The imagery of Lutie Johnson continuing to try and read the sign despite the winds efforts shows her determination.

Ann Petry uses selection to detail, imagery, personification, and figurative language, as well as the persistence of the wind, to show how Lutie Johnson perserveres over her circumstances, in relation to her living environment.

Sample F

In Ann Petry’s novel, The Street, Lutie Johnson is characterized, ironically, by the nature of her instantaneous adversary - the soul of the city. Her relationship to the urban environment is established mainly through imagery and personification, the former of which gives Lutie’s perception of her situation while the latter defines the attitude of the city towards the people who try to live in it, such as Lutie herself.

The use of personification is immediate’ the key medium wind, manages to express the atmosphere of the city as if it is a living entity: very determined and excessively mischevious Lutie is one of many who endure this trivial torture: “The cold November wind…drove most of the people off the street…it found every scrap of paper; it even took the time to rush into doorways [and] do everything it could to discourage the people walking along the street.” In 51

Lutie’s experience, the wind is like the breath of the city, a devilish being that takes pleasure in inconveniencing its inhabitants. It is very thorough in its work, find every insignificant characteristic about the setting, such as a tiny scrap of paper, and proceeding to find even some use for that in its impish plans, perhaps by blowing it around Lutie’s feet or into her face. This emphasizes not only what Lutie will have to face if she intends to live there, but it also plays upon Lutie’s own qualities. For example, she can deal with the environment of an urban center with patience and determination in order to get her work done.

She is thus defined as one of many who have found within themselves the strength to undergo the daily test that the city’s soul decides to fling upon them, proving their worth as urban inhabitants. It is almost as if they are playing a game, the city and the girl, seeing who can one-up the other in each round. For examples, as Lutie attempts to investigate the area for signs of a proper shelter, the wind does all it can to thwart her. “Each time she had the sign in focus, the wind pushed it away from her so that she wasn’t certain whether it said three rooms or two rooms.” Finally, their game comes to a draw as “the wind [holds] it still for an instant “so that Lutie is able to read it. The game is far from over, however, because it is as if the city has just upped the level and upgraded the home base. Now Lutie must deal with even tougher problems because the urban entity has already been merciful once, and probably does not plan on repeating the action.

The imagery that the author uses shows Lutie’s point of view on this relationship, with her as the victim. She is disturbed by the noise of the wind “rattl(ing), suck(ing), and flap(ping) “ things all around the city; it also “found all the dirt and lifted it up so that the dirt got into [the people’s] noses”. Lutie is no safer than her fellow city folk. Much like them, she can feel as “the wind lift[s] [her] hair away from the back of her neck so that she [feels]suddenly naked,” and “she shivers as the cold fingers of the wind touched the back of her neck.” It is very strongly implied by this imagery that in this game that Lutie plays with the merciless city that she views herself as the underdog in the relationship, constantly teased and violated by the city’s touch. The noise annoys her, the dirt invades her air, and the cold and force ensure that she has the most difficult experience possible while searching for shelter. Even the imagery of the place that would help her is significantly antagonistic, on the city’s part. The sign that signals her salvation (temporarily, at least) is “streaked with rust where years of rain and snow had [exposed] the metal, (which) had rusted, making a dark red stain like blood.” In every way, the city attempts to discourage Lutie, and she overcomes its cruelty each time. The ugliness of the sign does not phase her; she accepts the rooms that It advertises. The struggle on Lutie’s part and the game of the city continues.

Petry truly characterizes the city and Lutie as opponents in a match, using personification for one point of view and imagery for the other, giving a play-by-play of the relationship between the beauty and the urban beast.

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While there are not a huge number of prompts that ask about setting, the analysis of setting is quite relevant to understanding the meaning of a work. Here are the prompts that asked writers to write about setting.

1991. Many plays and novels use contrasting places (for example, two countries, two cities or towns, two houses, or the land and the sea) to represent opposed forces or ideas that are central to the meaning of the work. Choose a novel or play that contrasts two such places. Write an essay explaining how the places differ, what each place represents, and how their contrast contributes to the meaning of the work.

2006. Many writers use a country setting to establish values within a work of literature. For example, the country may be a place of virtue and peace or one of primitivism and ignorance. Choose a novel or play in which such a setting plays a significant role. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the country setting functions in the work as a whole.

1972 Joyce’s “Eveline” from Dubliners: Explain how the author prepares his reader for Eveline’s final inability or unwillingness to sail to South America with Frank. Consider at least two elements of fictions such as theme, symbol, setting, image, characterization, or any other aspects of the narrative artist’s craft.

2009 Ann Petry’s The Street (1946): Analyze how Petry establishes Lutie Johnson’s relationship to the urban setting through the use of literary devices such as imagery, personification, selection of detail, and figurative language.

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A symbol is the use of a concrete object to represent an abstract idea. The word symbol is derived from the Greek verb symballein which means "to put together and the related noun symbolon which means "mark," "token," or "sign," in the sense of the half-coin carried away by each of two parties in an agreement as a pledge. It means basically a joining or combining.

A national flag is a symbol of a country's heritage and a visible representation of all the intangible ideals for which the country stands, including those men who protected the country in times of war. A flag with skull and crossbones is the traditional symbol of pirates and foretells of danger, destruction, and even death.

The term, symbol, when used in literature is often a figure of speech in which a person, object, or situation represents something in addition to its literal meaning. In "The Sick Rose," Blake uses the rose to symbolize love. Symbolism involves the selection of certain natural or conventional signs to represent deeper or hidden truths or insights. The symbol itself may be traditional, conventional, personal, or ambiguous. It may be a simple as a word, a figure of speech, an event, or an action.

Conventional or traditional literary symbols work in much the same way, and because they have a previously agreed upon meaning, they can be used to suggest ideas more universal than the physical aspect itself. In this way a symbolic story can transcend the narrow limits of time and place and hint at what the author believes are broad, general truths. If an author writes about a character with the initials J.C., and the person is executed at age 33, it is probable that the author intends the character to be taken as a modern-day symbol of Christ. Readers can use this as a clue to further implications in the story.

A symbol is different from a literal image, from a metaphor, and from an emblem in an allegory. In the following lines woods is an image, presented literally as a place one is going through.

Over the river and through the woodsTo grandmother's house we go

If the woods were pictured in more detail -- snow-covered pines, elm branches black against the sky -- it would still be a literal image, although a more vivid one.

However, in the statement, "From the helicopter, we were able to see the windfarm, a forest of windmills," forest is a metaphor. The speaker is not seeing a real forest. A group of windmills is indirectly being compared to a forest. Symbols often have multiple meanings. For example, in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” the wallpaper itself is ugly and lacking in any artistic pattern. It becomes a symbol not only of marital restrictions but also society’s restrictions placed on women at the turn of the twentieth century. Additionally, it symbolizes literally the trapped feelings experienced by John’s wife and generally by all women.

Some conventional symbols are:

I. Colors:A. Red - immoral; the color of blood, passion, emotion, danger, or daring; often associated with fireB. Black - seen as a cold and negative aspect suggesting passivity, death, ignorance, or evil; Black hens are used in witchcraft as are black cats. C. White - innocence, life, light, or enlightenment D. Green - inexperience, new life, immaturity E. Yellow - heat, maturity, rotting or decay, violence, old age, the approach of deathF. Blue - cool, calm, peace; an insubstantial color in the real world except as translucency, the void of heavens

A. Seasons and other elements1. Spring - birth, new beginning2. Summer - maturity, knowledge3. Autumn - decline, nearing death, growing old4. Winter - death, sleep

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5. Christmas season - birth, change for the better6. Easter season - rebirth, enlightenment, faith7. Light - truth, safety, warmth, knowledge, spirit, God, life and happiness8. Darkness - evil, ignorance, danger, spiritual dullness, death, misfortune

9. Thunder – symbol of divine power and strength

II Clothing:

A. Cape – or any circular garment or vestment with a hole in the middle suggests a

celestial and ascendant symbolism. The priest robed in such a cape and is “set ritually at the center of the universe, identified with the World axis, the cape being the celestial tent and with his head in the beyond, the dwelling of God whose earthly representative he is. Whoever wraps himself in the cloak acquires the air, shape, and face of whomsoever he wishes so long as he wears it. This is a symbol of the changes wrought by human trickery and the different personalities that humans may assume. When monks or nuns withdraw from the world, they cover themselves in a cape or cloak that symbolizes a withdrawal into one or into God.

B. Cloak – is a symbol of human trickery, and the different personalities humans can assume. C. Hat – head or thoughts D. Glove – symbolize station in life, used to challenge, symbol of law and sovereignty E. Shoes – symbol of free person; slaves went barefoot G. Mask – used to frighten enemies; symbol of concealment; demonic tendencies

III Names - indicative of personalityA. Ichabod Crane - legs like a craneB. Young Goodman Brown - all good young menC. Arthur Dimmesdale - sins "dimmed" or obscured in a "dale"

D. Names can become known for acts or character traits and functions as symbols. Some examples are:

1. Benedict Arnold 7. Lancelot

2. Superman 8. Achilles

3. Everyman 9. Yahoo

4. Dr. Jekyll 10. Adonis

5. Jezebel 11. Frankenstein

6. Judas Iscariot 12. Barbie

E. SettingA. The forest - usually a place of evil or mysteryB. An isolated setting - alienation, loneliness or provincial thinkingC. A park -a place for retreat and renewalD. The town - a place where rules are observed and people are on their best behavior

A frequent kind of symbol is the created or invented symbol. In "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson's the black box represents tradition (an invented symbol) and death (a traditional symbol). In Frost's "Birches" the trees symbolize not evil but a temporary release from the difficulties and responsibilities of daily life. In "A & P" Updike uses the grocery conglomerate to represent the social conformity and indifference of the American economic system. The flowers in Stein beck’s "The Chrysanthemums" symbolize the youth, health, and vitality which are so evident in Eliza's

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personality. In Lawrence's "Rocking Horse Winner," the voices symbolize the mother’s constant and extreme anxieties. Symbols add both depth of meaning and universality to literature. Once readers are able to recognize the more conventional symbols and look for the created of ambiguous ones, literature takes on new meaning and provides greater enjoyment. . Some writer’s symbols are personal or created symbols. Often they do so by exploiting widely shared associations between an object or event or action and a particular concept; for example, the general association of climbing with the effort or progress and descent with surrender or failure. In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” the black

2009 AP® ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION FREE-RESPONSE QUESTIONS© 2009 The College Board. All rights reserved. Visit the College Board on the Web: www.collegeboard.com.Question 2(Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.)The following selection is the opening of Ann Petry’s 1946 novel, The Street. Read the selection carefully andthen write an essay analyzing how Petry establishes Lutie Johnson’s relationship to the urban setting through the useof such literary devices as imagery, personification, selection of detail, and figurative language.

There was a cold November wind blowing through116th Street. It rattled the tops of garbage cans,sucked window shades out through the top of openedwindows and set them flapping back against the5 windows; and it drove most of the people off thestreet in the block between Seventh and EighthAvenues except for a few hurried pedestrians whobent double in an effort to offer the least possibleexposed surface to its violent assault.10 It found every scrap of paper along the street—theater throwaways, announcements of dances andlodge meetings, the heavy waxed paper that loavesof bread had been wrapped in, the thinner waxedpaper that had enclosed sandwiches, old envelopes,15 newspapers. Fingering its way along the curb, thewind set the bits of paper to dancing high in the air,so that a barrage of paper swirled into the faces of thepeople on the street. It even took time to rush intodoorways and areaways and find chicken bones and20 pork-chop bones and pushed them along the curb.It did everything it could to discourage the peoplewalking along the street. It found all the dirt and dustand grime on the sidewalk and lifted it up so that thedirt got into their noses, making it difficult to breathe;25 the dust got into their eyes and blinded them; and thegrit stung their skins. It wrapped newspaper aroundtheir feet entangling them until the people curseddeep in their throats, stamped their feet, kicked at thepaper. The wind blew it back again and again until30 they were forced to stoop and dislodge the paper withtheir hands. And then the wind grabbed their hats,

pried their scarves from around their necks, stuck itsfingers inside their coat collars, blew their coats awayfrom their bodies.35 The wind lifted Lutie Johnson’s hair away from theback of her neck so that she felt suddenly naked andbald, for her hair had been resting softly and warmlyagainst her skin. She shivered as the cold fingers ofthe wind touched the back of her neck, explored the40 sides of her head. It even blew her eyelashes awayfrom her eyes so that her eyeballs were bathed in arush of coldness and she had to blink in order to readthe words on the sign swaying back and forth over herhead.45 Each time she thought she had the sign in focus,the wind pushed it away from her so that she wasn’tcertain whether it said three rooms or two rooms. Ifit was three, why, she would go in and ask to see it,but if it said two—why, there wasn’t any point. Even50 with the wind twisting the sign away from her, shecould see that it had been there for a long timebecause its original coat of white paint was streakedwith rust where years of rain and snow had finallyeaten the paint off down to the metal and the metal55 had slowly rusted, making a dark red stain like blood.It was three rooms. The wind held it still for aninstant in front of her and then swooped it away untilit was standing at an impossible angle on the rod thatsuspended it from the building. She read it rapidly.60 Three rooms, steam heat, parquet floors, respectabletenants. Reasonable.

Line

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AP® ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION 2009 SCORING GUIDELINES © 2009 The College Board. All rights reserved. Visit the College Board on the Web: www.collegeboard.com. Question 2

(Ann Petry’s The Street) The score reflects the quality of the essay as a whole—its content, its style, its mechanics. Students are rewarded for what they do well. The score for an exceptionally well-written essay may be raised by 1 point above the otherwise appropriate score. In no case may a poorly written essay be scored higher than a 3. 9–8 These essays offer a persuasive analysis of Petry’s use of literary devices to establish Lutie Johnson’s relationship to the urban setting and provide strong support for the students’ interpretation of the passage. They explore the urban setting as it affects the character; consider devices such as imagery, personification, selection of detail, and figurative language; and engage the text through apt and specific references. Although the essays may not be error-free, their perceptive analysis is apparent in writing that is clear, precise, and effectively organized. Generally, essays scored a 9 reveal more sophisticated analysis and more effective control of language than do those scored an 8. 7–6 These essays offer a reasonable analysis of how the author uses literary devices to establish Lutie Johnson’s relationship to the urban setting. They provide a sustained, competent reading of the passage, with attention to devices such as imagery, personification, selection of detail, and figurative language. Although these essays may not be error-free and are less perceptive or less convincing than those in the 9–8 range, they present ideas with clarity and control and refer to the text for support. Generally, essays scored a 7 present better-developed analysis and more consistent command of the elements of effective composition than do essays scored a 6. 5 These essays respond to the assigned task with a plausible reading of the passage but tend to be superficial or undeveloped in their treatment of how the author uses literary devices to characterize the relationship between Lutie Johnson and the urban setting. While containing some analysis of the passage, implicit or explicit, the discussion of how literary devices contribute to the relationship between character and setting may be slight, and support from the passage may be thin or tend toward summary or paraphrase. While these essays demonstrate adequate control of language, they may be marred by surface errors. They are not as well conceived, organized, or developed as essays in the 7–6 range. 4–3 These lower-half essays fail to offer an adequate analysis of the passage. The analysis may be partial, unconvincing, or irrelevant; students may ignore Lutie Johnson or Petry’s use of literary devices to establish Lutie’s relationship to the setting. The essays may be characterized by an unfocused or repetitive presentation of ideas, an absence of textual support, or an accumulation of errors. Generally, essays scored a 3 exhibit less control over the elements of composition and may contain weaker or less-developed readings than those scored a 4. 2–1 These essays compound the weaknesses of those in the 4–3 range. They may persistently misread the passage or be unacceptably brief. The essays may contain pervasive errors that interfere with understanding. Although some attempt has been made to respond to the prompt, ideas are presented with little clarity, organization, or support from the passage. Essays that are especially incompetent or incoherent are scored a 1. 56

0 These essays do no more than make a reference to the task. — These essays are either left blank or are completely off topic.

2009 AP English Literature Sample Essays

Question #2: Ann Petry, The Street

Sample A

Hurricanes ravage beautiful coastal cities. Tornadoes send trees tumbling into homes. Sandstorms send biting debris at the cleanliness of the world. The ever present element of wind has the power to destroy, the power to please, and the power to signify one’s relationship with the environment he/she is in. In the excerpt from Ann Petry’s The Street, Lutie Johnson’s separation and opposition to the urban setting is emphasized through the personified quality of the wind.

Even the beginning imagery of the “cold” wind that “rattled” and “sucked” and set windows “flapping” contributes to the attitude of separation Lutie Jonson feels toward the urban setting. The “barrage of paper swirled into the faces of the people on the street” emphasizes this attitude of cold opposition evoked by the urban setting. The details such as the sign “streaked with rust” and “the grit stung their skin” further emphasize the harsh relationship Lutie Johnson has with the stark urban scene she experiences.

The personification of the wind “fingering its way along the curb” and trying to discourage the people walking along the street” emphasizes the negative vibe Lutie Johnson experiences in the urban setting. Even her effort to read the sign becomes a struggle with the wind as the wind is “twisting the sign away from her and holding it at “an impossible angle.” The wind symbolizes Lutie Jonson’s separation from the urban setting as emphasized by the personification “the wind lifted Lutie Johnson’s hair away from the back of her neck so that she felt suddenly naked and bald.” Longing for the “softly and warmly” resting environment she was used to, Lutie Johnson had a difficult time reconciling herself to the harsh urban environment.

The hyperbole “…its violent assault” emphasizes the violent assault of new, unfamiliar conditions Lutie Jonson must face in her urban environment. The rusting metal “making a dark stain like blood” is a simile that contributes to this forboding ill that Lutie Jonson feels in her unease with the urban scene Also, the personification the wind “stuck its fingers inside their coats “ conveys a feeling of defilation and opposition since the probing by the cold wind was undesirable.

In this undesirable, opposing struggle with the wind, Lutie Jonson’s separation and opposition to the urban setting are revealed From the wind’s “cold fingers” to the entangling “ newspapers to the sign “streaked with rust”, Lutie Johnson’s opposition to the stark, unfriendly urban setting is portrayed through the personified power of the “all knowing: wind. Often, a new setting is hard to assimilate into, and the struggle comes in the power to see the beauty in a harsh, new place.

Sample C

Petry immediately establishes the Urban setting as a type of war zone, in which the forces of nature are at battle with all the tenants of the city. Lutie Johnson is subjected to this brute force as is everyone else, yet she is not deterred from searching for a permanent place of residence. She holds a complex relationship with the urban setting, fighting and withstanding its nature to get closer with it and establish her own place.

The wind, in addition to other forces of nature, is personified throughout the entire passage, creating a threatening adversary. It was able to “suck window shades”, to “find every scrap of paper”, to “life Lutie Johnson’s hair away” and se its “fingers” to “finger its way along the curb” and attack passerby with weapons that they themselves leave behind e.g. litter, grime, paper. The fingers are able to “grab their hats”, “pries their scarves”, and “touch the back of [Lutie’s] neck” to make her feel “naked and bald”. Without much argument, none of these are pleasant situations or sensations. Petry’s description deters the reader away from the urban setting as much as possible. Even further, there is allusion to the rain and snow that once inhabited the city, that “had finally eaten the paint off down to the metal, and the metal had slowly rusted, making a dark red stain like blood.” The natural, unavoidable forces are personified to give them a sense of forever-present and chaotic forces that inhabit the city.

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Petry selects specific detail to convey the forces of the urban setting as at battle with the people who venture out, including and specifically Lutie Johnson. The forces employ aspects of the urban setting to dehabilitate the citizens, using dirt and grime to “make it difficult to breathe”, using dust to “blind them”, and grit to “sting their skins”. The blood-like stain on the sign indicates that the city has been in a losing battle for some time. However, noting this attack on the sign brings up an important relation to Lutie. Lutie is attracted to an aspect of the city that has too been attacked by the same forces. This aspect of the building and its experience lend potential protection to Lutie, who seemingly insists on remaining in the war-zone. Petry also provides the detail of Lutie’s though process, her deciding immediately on the sign and its accompanying building bases on whether or not there are two rooms or three rooms. Three rooms which she prefers offers more protection and support than two rooms. So although Lutie plans on remaining in the urban area she is preparing by building up personal security and support, indicating that, though questionably remaining in such dreary surroundings, she is wary of her position and the area around her.

Petry additionally uses imagery to describe the slightly warped surroundings. She details the sign as “standing at an impossible angle on the rod that suspended it from the building” letting the reader just imagine its twisted and hard-to-red position. The scenario in which the sign is held in focus for more seconds before being twisted and pushed away by the wind is also very visual. Both instances of imagery emphasize how patent and adapting Lutie is to the city, as she waits for the wind to agree with her, and then knowing not to trust the wind, reads the sign as quickly as possible. That patience and humility may be applied to her attitude towards the city in general as well.

Petry uses personification, imagery, detail and other literary tools to convey Lutie’s position in the urban setting. The personification indicates that, though an individual, Lutie is not alone in the city, and Lutie’s actions portray her as somewhat exasperated as everyone else, but also as patient, copying and as having a plan of action.

Sample D

In Ann Petry’s novel, The Street, she establishes Lutie Johnson’s relationship to the urban setting through her use of literary devices such as imagery, personification, selection of detail, and figurative language.

First, Petry describes the neighborhood, using figurative language and personification to give life to the wind. She uses words like “violent assault” to express the amount of force the wind is blowing with. The wind is picking up all kinds of trash from previous dances, and movie tickets, to “chicken bones” and “pork-chop bones”. Petry uses these particular element in selection of detail to show the reader what kind of neighborhood 116th street is. She also gives life to the story by using selection of detail when describing how thick or thin the wax paper on the street is Personification comes into play when Petry describes how the wind “did everything it could to discourage the people walking along the street .” Lutie Johnson was one of those people. Petry tells the story of how the wind “grabbed their hats” and “pried their scarves from around their necks” and then how the who “blew their coats away from their bodies”. By using this type of figurative language and personification, the struggle Lutie Johnson has to go through living in this urban setting is evident. The imagery of Lutie Johnson continuing to try and read the sign despite the winds efforts shows her determination.

Ann Petry uses selection to detail, imagery, personification, and figurative language, as well as the persistence of the wind, to show how Lutie Johnson perserveres over her circumstances, in relation to her living environment.

Sample F

In Ann Petry’s novel, The Street, Lutie Johnson is characterized, ironically, by the nature of her instantaneous adversary - the soul of the city. Her relationship to the urban environment is established mainly through imagery and personification, the former of which gives Lutie’s perception of her situation while the latter defines the attitude of the city towards the people who try to live in it, such as Lutie herself.

The use of personification is immediate’ the key medium wind, manages to express the atmosphere of the city as if it is a living entity: very determined and excessively mischevious Lutie is one of many who endure this trivial torture: “The cold November wind…drove most of the people off the street…it found every scrap of paper; it even took the time to rush into doorways [and] do everything it could to discourage the people walking along the street.” In Lutie’s experience, the wind is like the breath of the city, a devilish being that takes pleasure in inconveniencing its

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inhabitants. It is very thorough in its work, find every insignificant characteristic about the setting, such as a tiny scrap of paper, and proceeding to find even some use for that in its impish plans, perhaps by blowing it around Lutie’s feet or into her face. This emphasizes not only what Lutie will have to face if she intends to live there, but it also plays upon Lutie’s own qualities. For example, she can deal with the environment of an urban center with patience and determination in order to get her work done.

She is thus defined as one of many who have found within themselves the strength to undergo the daily test that the city’s soul decides to fling upon them, proving their worth as urban inhabitants. It is almost as if they are playing a game, the city and the girl, seeing who can one-up the other in each round. For examples, as Lutie attempts to investigate the area for signs of a proper shelter, the wind does all it can to thwart her. “Each time she had the sign in focus, the wind pushed it away from her so that she wasn’t certain whether it said three rooms or two rooms.” Finally, their game comes to a draw as “the wind [holds] it still for an instant “so that Lutie is able to read it. The game is far from over, however, because it is as if the city has just upped the level and upgraded the home base. Now Lutie must deal with even tougher problems because the urban entity has already been merciful once, and probably does not plan on repeating the action.

The imagery that the author uses shows Lutie’s point of view on this relationship, with her as the victim. She is disturbed by the noise of the wind “rattl(ing), suck(ing), and flap(ping) “ things all around the city; it also “found all the dirt and lifted it up so that the dirt got into [the people’s] noses”. Lutie is no safer than her fellow city folk. Much like them, she can feel as “the wind lift[s] [her] hair away from the back of her neck so that she [feels]suddenly naked,” and “she shivers as the cold fingers of the wind touched the back of her neck.” It is very strongly implied by this imagery that in this game that Lutie plays with the merciless city that she views herself as the underdog in the relationship, constantly teased and violated by the city’s touch. The noise annoys her, the dirt invades her air, and the cold and force ensure that she has the most difficult experience possible while searching for shelter. Even the imagery of the place that would help her is significantly antagonistic, on the city’s part. The sign that signals her salvation (temporarily, at least) is “streaked with rust where years of rain and snow had [exposed] the metal, (which) had rusted, making a dark red stain like blood.” In every way, the city attempts to discourage Lutie, and she overcomes its cruelty each time. The ugliness of the sign does not phase her; she accepts the rooms that It advertises. The struggle on Lutie’s part and the game of the city continues.

Petry truly characterizes the city and Lutie as opponents in a match, using personification for one point of view and imagery for the other, giving a play-by-play of the relationship between the beauty and the urban beast.

ACTIVITY

Read “That Room” by Tobias Wolff (in text) and respond to the following questions:

1. Why does the narrator describe his life at home and school as inessential in comparison to “the real world.”

2. How does the motel room and what happens in it take on symbolic meaning in this plot?

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Attitud

DEFINITION: Tone is more than merely an author’s attitude toward his or her audience or character(s); it is the stylistic means by which an author conveys his or her attitude(s) in a work of literature. Tone is an integral part of a work’s meaning because it controls the reader’s response which is essential to fully experiencing literature. In order to recognize tonal shift and to interpret the complexities of tone, the reader must be able to make inferences based on an active, close reading of the work.Tone is the verbal stance the author assumes toward the reader and his subject as reflected in his “voice.” It is the quality and choice of language and voice used to convey the speaker’s Attitude toward the subject, character, or audience and is perceived through various methods and diction used to convey the events of the work. In oral conversation the “tone of voice” may be determined by listening to the words themselves, their inflection, modulation, denotation and connotation, pitch, stress, or other sound regulators. However, since words on a page are flat, other methods of discernment must be employed.Mood is the overall atmosphere of a work created by the speaker, the setting, the events, the character, and/or the narrator.Attitude is essentially the complex feeling the speaker holds toward the characters, events, or situation he is relating to the reader. With few exceptions tone and attitude are usually the same.Questions for ascertaining Attitude in a work of literature: To help in answering these questions, the student might circle the words (especially adjectives, adverbs, and verbs) used in the passage, since diction usually reflects attitude.

1. How does the author feel toward his subject? Remember most feelings are complex.2. How does the author feel toward the characters? Himself?3. How does the author feel about the events that occur?4. Does the narrator feel the same as the author?5. How do the characters feel about each other? The events? The setting? The subject?

A SELECTION OF TONE WORDSPositive tone/attitude: lighthearted, hopeful, enthusiastic, confident, optimistic, loving,passionate, amused, elated, sentimental, sympathetic,compassionate, proud

Negative tone/attitude: angry, disgusted, outraged, accusing, inflammatory, irritated,indignant, threatening

Irony/Sarcasm: sarcastic, cynical, critical, facetious, patronizing, satiric, mockheroic,irreverent, mock-serious, taunting, ironic, flippant,

Sorrow/Fear/Worry: somber, elegiac, gloomy, melancholic, disturbed, mournful, solemn,serious, apprehensive, concerned, hopeless, resigned

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General/Organizational:formal, objective, nostalgic, ceremonial, candid, shocked,reminiscent, restrained, clinical, baffled, sentimental, detached, objective, questioning, urgent, instructive, matter-of-fact, learned, factual, didactic, informative, authoritative

EXERCISES: Read the passage and underline the words that reveal the attitude of the speaker toward the bats. Then underline the words that reveal his feelings about humans. What inferences can you draw about the tone of the work as a whole?

1. Perhaps because bats are nocturnal in habit, a wealth of thoroughly unreliable legend has grown up about them, and men have made of the harmless, even beneficial little beasts a means of expressing their unreasoned fears. Bats were the standard of paraphernalia for witches; the female half of humanity stood in terror that bats would become entangled in their hair. Phrases crept into the language expressing man’s revulsion or ignorance – “bats in the belfry,” “batty,” “blind as a bat.” Franklin Folsom, “Life in Caves”

2. It has been called the House of God. It has been called the High One. The Cold One. The White One. On close acquaintance by climbers, it has been called a variety of names rather less printable. But to the world at large it is Kilimanjaro, the apex of Africa and one of the great mountains on earth. Passage from James Ramsey Ullman’s Kilimanjaro

In the selection below, determine the words and phrases in the following passages that make you smile. What figurative language does the author use to establish his attitude and tone? “Through the Ages” James Thurber

3.

The bowerbird is another creature that spends so much time courting the female that he never gets any work done. If all the male bowerbirds became nervous wrecks within the next ten or fifteen years, it would not surprise me. The female bowerbird insists that a playground be built for her with a specially constructed bower at the entrance. This bower is much more elaborate than an ordinary nest and is harder to build; it costs a lot more, too. The female will not come to the playground until the male has filled it up with a great many gifts: silvery leaves, rose petals, shells, beads, berries, bones, dice, buttons, cigar bands, Christmas seals, and the Lord knows what else. When the female finally condescends to visit the playground, she is in a coy and silly mood and has to be chased in and out of the bower and up and down the playground before she will quit giggling and stand still long enough to shake hands. The male bird is, of course, pretty well done in before the chase starts, because he has worn himself out hunting for eyeglass lenses and begonia blossoms. I imagine that many a bowerbird, after chasing a female for two or three hours, says the hell with it and goes home to bed. Next day, of course, he telephones someone else, and the same trying ritual is gone through again. A male bowerbird is as exhausted as a nightclub habitué is before he is out of his twenties.

1996 Poem: “The Author to Her Book” (Anne Bradstreet)

Prompt: Read carefully the following poem by the colonial American poet, Anne Bradstreet. Then write a well-organized essay in which you discuss how the poem’s controlling metaphor expresses the complex attitude of the speaker.

The Author to Her Book by Anne BradstreetThou ill-form’d offspring of my feeble brain, 

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Who after birth did’st by my side remain, 

Till snatcht from thence by friends, less wise than true 

Who thee abroad, expos’d to publick view; 

Made thee in rags, halting to th’ press to trudge,  5

Where errors were not lessened (all may judge) 

At thy return my blushing was not small, 

My rambling brat (in print) should mother call, 

I cast thee by as one unfit for light, 

Thy visage was so irksome in my sight;  10

Yet being mine own, at length affection would 

Thy blemishes amend, if so I could: 

I wash’d thy face, but more defects I saw, 

And rubbing off a spot, still made a flaw. 

I stretcht thy joints to make thee even feet, 15

Yet still thou run’st more hobbling than is meet; 

In better dress to trim thee was my mind, 

But nought save home-spun cloth, i’ th’ house I find. 

In this array, ‘mongst vulgars mayst thou roam 

In critics hands, beware thou dost not come;  20

And take thy way where yet thou art not known, 

If for thy father askt, say, thou hadst none: 

And for thy mother, she alas is poor, 

Which caus’d her thus to send thee out of door.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION – Question 1Question 1 (Suggested time-40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.) Read the following poem carefully. Then, in a well-organized essay, analyze how the speaker uses the varied imagery of the poem to reveal his attitude toward the nature of love.

The Broken Heart

He is stark mad, who ever says, That he hath been in love an hour, Yet not that love so soon decays, But that it can ten in less space devour;

(5) Who will believe me, if I swear That I have had the plague a year? Who would not laugh at me, if I should say, I saw a flask of powder burn a day? Ah, what a trifle is a heart,

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(10) If once into love's hands it come! All other griefs allow a part To other griefs, and ask themselves but some; They come to us, but us Love draws, He swallows us, and never chaws:l

15 By him, as by chain'd shot,2 whole ranks do die, He is the tyrant pike, our hearts the fry.3 If 'twere not so, what did become

Of my heart, when I first saw thee? I brought a heart into the room,

(20) But from the room, I carried none with me: If it had gone to thee, I know Mine would have taught thine heart to show More pity unto me: but Love, alas, At one first blow did shiver it as glass.

(25) Yet nothing can to nothing fall, Nor any place be empty quite, Therefore I think my breast hath all Those pieces still. though they be not unite; And now as broken glasses4 show

(30) A hundred lesser faces, so My rags of heart can like, wish, and adore, But after one such love, can love no more.

-John Donne

l chews2 cannon balls chained together

3 small fish that the pike devours 4 mirrors Copyright © 1995 College Entrance Examination Board and Educaliona1 Testing Service. All rights

reserved.

Scoring Guide: AP English Literature and Composition, Question 1 (1995)

GENERAL DIRECTIONS: This scoring guide will be useful for most of the essays you read, but for cases in which it seems problematic or inapplicable, please consult your Table Leader. The score you assign should reflect your judgment of the quality of the essay as a whole. Reward the writers for what they do well. The score for an exceptionally well-written essay 4 may be raised by one point from the score otherwise appropriate. In no case may a poorly written essay be scored higher than 3.

9-8 These well-organized and well-written essays clearly demonstrate an understanding of how the speaker in "The Broken Heart” uses varied imagery to convey his attitude toward the devastating nature of love. In their references, they are apt and specific. Though not without flaws, these papers will "Offer a convincing interpretation of the poem, as well as consistent control over the virtues of effective composition, including the language unique to the criticism of poetry. They demonstrate the writers' ability to read perceptively and to write with clarity and sophistication.

7-6 These essays also demonstrate an understanding of Donne’s poem; but, compared to the best essays, they are less thorough or less precise in their analysis of how the speaker uses imagery to convey attitude. In addition to minor flaws

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in interpretation, their analysis is likely to be less well-supported and less incisive. While these essays demonstrate the writers' ability to express ideas clearly, they do so with less mastery and control over the hallmarks of mature composition than do papers ~in the 9-8 range.

5 While these essays deal with the assigned task without important errors, they have little to say beyond what is most easy to grasp. Their analysis of how imagery conveys attitude may be vague. As exegesis, they deal with the poem in a cursory way. Though the writing is sufficient to convey the writer's thoughts, these essays are typically pedestrian, not as well conceived, organized or developed as upper-half papers. They may reveal simplistic thinking or immature writing.

4-3 These lower-half essays often reflect an incomplete or oversimplified understanding of the poem. Typically, they fail to respond adequately to part of the question. Their analysis may be weak, meager or irrelevant; the nature of love may be ill-defined, the analysis inaccurate or unclear. The writing demonstrates uncertain control over the elements of college-level composition. These essays usually contain recurrent stylistic flaws and/or misreadings, and they often lack persuasive evidence from the text. Essays scored 3 exhibit more than one of the infelicities; they are marred by a significant misinterpretation, insufficient development, or serious omissions.

2-1 These essays compound the weaknesses of the papers in the 4-3 range. They may seriously misread the poem. Frequently, they are unacceptably brief. They are poorly written on several counts, and may contain many distracting errors in grammar and mechanics. While some attempt may have been made to answer the question, the writer's observations are presented with little clarity, organization, or supporting evidence. Essays that are especially inexact vacuous, and/or mechanically unsound should be scored 1.

O This is a response with no more than a reference to the task.

- Indicates a blank response, or is completely off-topic.

AP Literature and Composition 1995 - John Donne's "A Broken Heart”

A In John Donne's "The Broken Heart" the poet is upset at the way his love has been treated and, as a result, uses harsh, violent images in his description of love. Beginning with the first stanza, words like "starkmal," "devour," "plague" all convey negative images about love. Donne, because he has been hurt by love, compares it to a disease that can quickly "devour" its prey. However, Donne has been so unfortunate in love that he was not able to catch the disease and die quietly. Rather, as the poet says, "I have had the plague a year." For Donne, the disease was not quick and decisive, but rather, it has smoldered in him for a year, like a "flash of powder" which takes a day to burn.

In the second stanza this down-hearted, negative imagery continues. Donne continues the idea that love is one of the worst things that can happen. To him, the heart is insignificant and meaningless when it has fallen prey to love. There are no mercies in "love's hands." He continues to say that all other griefs have something in common and that they come to you because people bring them on themselves. But love, he implies, draws us in. It is a trap and it lures us in only to dash us. Love is so quick it "swallows us," not bothering or needing to chew. Again, love has been transformed into a ferocious quick animal, later equated to the "tyrant pike." Donne also uses war images of death and destruction to continue the negative implication of love. Because of love, whole ranks do die.

In the next stanza, Donne presents that love is a merciless thief capable of remorseless destruction. He says that he brought a heart into the room, or relationship, but that none emerged. Love stole his heart. And, as he continues on, there was no pity for him in the hands of love. His heart was taken and shattered "as glass" by love. Again, these

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negative images continue to express Donne's resentment towards love. He has had his heart broken by love and now sees it in another light entirely.

In stanza five, Donne offers a muted sense of optimist. After discussing the complete destruction that love has caused him, the critical change is made in the first line of this stanza. This turnaround lends some sense of optimism. He suspects that there must be some scraps left, some rubble remaining from love's destruction. The image he presents is that of a broken mirror reflecting "a hundred faces." He says he is able to "like, wish, and adore," but he is not able to love anymore. This final image seems to portray the power and influence of love. He implies that the hundred pieces left over are more equal than the one piece present before love. He implies that although it takes a lot to "like, wish, and adore," it takes immensely more to love. Also wrapped up in these implications is the idea that love is all-encompassing. He says that you can love but once, because love will destroy you afterwards. It is ironic that in this final stanza Donne offers some hope, some optimism, yet the idea of "destructive" love is still powerful and present. The image it leaves is that love is an all-encompassing, destructive force. Although at the end, the ideas of death, disease, and predation have faded, love is still a destructive force which he views with quiet resignation.

C Love is the single most celebrated human emotion. A vast body of literature examines its nuances and explores its meanings. Typically, poets and authors champion love's myriad virtues. It is a salve for the wounded and a boon for the whole, a founder of relationships and a builder of unity. John Donne sees love differently, however, and departs from his literary comrades in his powerful description of love as the destroyer of his heart.

The poem's first verse addresses the duration of love. Donne opens by offering the impression that passion varies in length, although he states that the general perception of love is that it is a short term affair. He queries, 'Who will believe me, if I swear That I have had the plague a year?" The line informs the reader that Donne is operating from personal experience and at the same time casts a negative light on love, which Donne calls the plague. The same combination of testimony about the existence of a long love coupled with a negative connotation of the emotion is found in the next line which reads, 'Who would not laugh at me, if I should say,/1 saw a flash of powder burn a day?" The striking image is of love as a flash of powder. Donne's' image presses the issue of the abnormality of a long love, since love is generally explosive like the keg of powder would logically be. At the same time, the powder image contributes to love's falling reputation in the poem. A barrel of powder conjures thoughts of war and destruction, and by using it as a symbol of love Donne associates passion and feeling with the powder's destructive capacity.

The second verse carries over the idea of love's ability to damage and destroy. Donne personifies love and draws the mental picture of it grasping a heart in the lines, "Ah, what a trifle is a heart, / 1f once into love's hands it come!" The idea that love has the power to grasp and hold the human heart, symbolic of man's capacity for emotion, reinforces Donne's point of love as a negative force. The poet mentions the griefs associated with love and then proceeds to weave several disturbing images together, stating, "By him, as by chain'd shot, whole ranks do die, / He is the tyrant pike, our hearts the fry." He is in love, and his ability to lay waste to the hearts of men is directly stated through Donne's image of carnage and slaughter. As the pike image suggests, Donne believes that love is a predator ready and willing to devour the defenseless human heart.

The third verse moves from the realm of generalization into the field of personal experience. The poet rhetorically asks, "If 'twer not so, what did become, / Of my heart, when I first saw thee?" The line establishes the verse as the relation of a specific event. Donne simply evokes the image of a man walking into a room with a heart and leaving without it in the lines, "I brought a heart into the room, 1 But from the room, I carried none with me." Once again, Donne is arguing his main point, this time through personal experience. Explaining the loss of his heart, he says, "More pity unto me till Love, alas / At one blow did shrive it as glass." No frail heart can withstand the explosive power of love.

The results of love's deprivation is the subject of the last verse. Donne utilizes the entire verse to express the shattered feeling he has experienced. He says of his heart, "Therefore I think my heart hath all / Those pieces still, though they be not unite." The eventual result of his experience was, as the poem's name implies, a broken heart. His experience led to pain and suffering, not joy and happiness. As he states, "My rags of heart can like, wish, and adore, / But after one such love, can love no more," meaning that once true love has been experienced, it will not be experienced again. After the powder keg has exploded, all that is left to do is pick up the pieces and remember the heart of the passionate inferno.

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D The poem The Broken Heart is rich in imagery that explains the mystery of who and what love is. Through this poem Donne shows us that the power of love causes our decay by devouring our hearts, leaving us in shambles, the ability to love lost forever.

The first indication of the immense nature of love is found by the connotations that the imagery brings. The heart is weak in comparison to love -"he hath been in love an hour, Yet not that love so soon decays" -clearly love withstands our heart, and can devour 10 of us -10 of our hearts in less time than an hour. The meanings brought by connotation are profound. The heart is a mere trifle in the hands of love. The word, trifle, is our second indication that as "yet not love . . .decays" and "devours" were the first, that in comparison to love our heart is just a trifle -on the fringe of the unimportant, that to love, the core in your being is nothing. The third indication is seen by the mere denotation of "swallowing - never even stopping to chew" - and then by the astonishing connotation of "our hearts the fry" we see what love does to us -greedily without a thought to what our heart was to us, devouring our hearts, the prey. The imagery is great, the meanings are of ultimate magnitude of how love is seen by mere images. And as the persona realizes in line 23 that love will not pity (his) heart but instead seems to spit it back into his chest, broken like a shattered mirror, a hundred pieces of insignificant matter that love, after breaking it, put the heart back in disarray and rags. And so we see what the nature of love really is, through profound imagery. What we find is a heart seeing love and love glancing at it, devours it as a mere trifle, only to have the heart returned in pieces, only able to wish, like and adore, love keeping the hearts ability to love. Therefore love's true nature is revealed.

E Poetic imagery, in its various forms can often express a stronger message than more explanatory sentences filled with adjectives and nouns. In "The Broken Heart" John Donne uses rich examples of imagery to depict his view of love as wild, powerful, uncontrollable, and emotionally draining.

Feral aspects of human nature are often expressed through literary devices exploring the primitive, or animal-like state of man. In this poem, Donne draws upon pseudo-bestial imagery to illustrate love's wild nature. For example, the comparison of love to a "tyrant pike" and of man's heart as a "fry" indicates the duality between natural order and the nature of love: there are predators (love) and there is prey (man's heart). This image, when read on a deeper level also exemplifies man's inability to resist love. Animal imagery, while sometimes brutal, is an excellent vehicle to convey the raw power of love. Furthermore, the reference to love that "swallows us and never chaws" is reminiscent of a predator eating its pretty, with one key difference: love is somewhat kinder in that it does not chew (physically deform) man. These extended animal-related images throughout the poem convey the primitive, brutal nature of love.

Another aspect of love discussed implicitly through Donne's imagery is love's uncontrollable, unyielding power. In the first line of the poem, a man in love (supposedly) is decried as "stark mad". This shocking image appeals to the reader's emotions and helps prepare him for the imagery that is to come. In a circumlocutory manner, Donne likens love to a "flask of [gun] powder." However, the powder's explosion, normally only a fraction of a second, lasts for "a day." This extended metaphor demonstrates that love is as powerful as a fiery explosion, and that it is a long- lived emotion as well. The thought of an extended explosion (the heat, the flames, the sparks) truly give the reader a sense of the immense power of love. Furthermore, it is implied that love has the power to rip the heart from a man's chest (as implied in lines 19-20). The shocking image of a heartless man is a testament to love's immense power. The extended metaphor of love and gunpowder is reintroduced in the second stanza. Here however, the powerful explosion of love causes "whole ranks to die." This somewhat brutal, if not melodramatic, image ultimately shows love's symbolic power to rend the hearts of men. There is a certain reverence in Donne's tone as he speaks of love's vast power over man.

Lastly, Donne paints a draining picture of love with vivid imagery and metaphorical allusions to "glasses (mirrors). Love's ability to break a heart to "rags" and "pieces" has the potential to emotionally destroy a man. As Donne speaks of how after "one such love, [ one] can love no more," he seems emotionally drained, and speaks as though he has resigned himself to the power of true love. This reverence comes from the acknowledgement that man is at love's mercy and the realization that man has no recourse but to try to cope with the self "pity" and sorrow often brought on by love. Though Donne uses many varied forms of imagery throughout the poem to

express his perception of love, the constant is that the absoluteness, ultimate power, and sometimes brutal nature of love must simply be accepted with respect and resignation. The overwhelming capacity of love to affect a person leaves man powerless to try to fight his own emotions.

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Here are prompts that ask students to write about tone and/or attitude:

1979 Poems: “Spring And All” (William Carlos Williams) and “For Jane Meyers” (Louise Gluck)

Prompt: Read the two poems carefully. Then write a well-organized essay in which you show how the attitudes towards the coming of spring implied in these two poems differ from each other. Support your statements with specific references to the texts.

1980 Poem “One Art” (Elizabeth Bishop)

Prompt: Write an essay in which you describe how the speaker’s attitude toward loss in lines 16-19 is related to her attitude toward loss in lines 1-15. Using specific references to the text, show how verse form and language contribute to the reader’s understanding of these attitudes.

1985 Poems: “There Was A Boy” (William Wordsworth) and “The Most of It” (Robert Frost)

Prompt: Write an essay in which you describe the speaker’s attitude toward the woman’s death. Using specific references from the text, show how the use of language reveals the speaker’s attitude.

1995 Poem: “The Broken Heart” (John Donne)

Prompt: Read the following poem carefully. Then, in a well-organized essay, analyze how the speaker uses the varied imagery of the poem to reveal his attitude toward the nature of love.

2002 Poem: “The Convergence of the Twain” (Thomas Hardy)

Prompt: Read the following poem carefully. Then, taking into consideration the title of the poem, analyze how the poetic devices convey the speaker’s attitude toward the sinking of the ship.

2012 Poem: “Thou Blind Man’s Mark” (Sir Philip Sidney)

Prompt: In the following poem by Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586), the speaker addresses the subject of desire. Read the poem carefully. Then write a well-developed essay in which you analyze how poetic devices help to convey the speaker’s complex attitude toward desire.

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ARCHETYPES IN LITERATURE

An archetype is a symbol, story, pattern, or character type that recurs frequently in literature and evokes strong, often unconscious, associations in the reader. For example, the wicked witch and the enchanted prince are character types widely dispersed through folk tales and literature. The story of a hero who undertakes a dangerous quest, as in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a recurrent story pattern.

Situation Archetypes The Quest — This motif describes the search for someone or some talisman which, when

found and brought back, will restore fertility to a wasted land, the desolation of which is mirrored by a leader's illness and disability. (The Lion King. Idylls of the King)

The Task - To save the kingdom, the win the fair lady, to identify himself so that he may reassume his rightful position, the hero must perform some nearly superhuman deed. This is NOT the same as the quest; it is a function of the ultimate goal. (Arthur pulls Excalibur from the stone, Grendel is slain by Beowulf)

The Journey - The journey sends the hero in search for some truth or information necessary to restore fertility to the kingdom. Usually the hero descends into a real or psychological hell and is forced to discover the blackest truths, quite often concerning his faults. Once the hero is at this lowest point, he must accept personal responsibility to return to the world of the living. A second use of this pattern is the depiction of a limited number of travelers on a sea voyage, bus ride, or any other trip for the purpose of isolating them and using them as microcosm of society. (The Canterbury Tales. The Odyssey).

The Initiation - This rite usually takes the form of an initiation into adult life. The adolescent comes into his/her maturity with new awareness and problems, along with new hope for the community. This awakening is often the climax of the story. (Huckleberry Finn . King Arthur ).

The Fall - This archetype describes a descent from a higher to a lower state of being. The experience involves a defilement and/or loss of innocence and bliss. The fall is often accompanied by expulsion from a kind of paradise as penalty for disobedience and moral transgression. (Adam and Eve, Lancelot and Guinevere).

Death and Rebirth - The most common of all situational archetypes, this motif grows out of the parallel between the cycle of nature and the cycle of life. Thus, morning and springtime represent birth, youth, or rebirth, while evening and winter suggest old age or death.

Nature vs. Mechanistic World - Nature is good, while technology and society are often evil /Mad Max, The Terminator

The Battle between Good and Evil - Obviously the battle between two primal forces; Mankind shows eternal optimism in the continual portrayal of good triumphing over evil despite great odds. (Any western, Satan and God in Paradise Lost).

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The Unhealable Wound - This wound is either physical or psychological and cannot be healed fully. This wound also indicates a loss of innocence. These wounds always ache and often drive the sufferer to desperate measures. (Lancelot's madness, Scar's envy)

The Ritual — The actual ceremonies the initiate experiences that will mark his rite of passage into another state. The importance of ritual rites cannot be over stressed as they provide a clear signpost for the character's role in society as well as our own position in the world. (Weddings, baptisms, coronation.

The Magic Weapon — This symbolizes the extraordinary quality of the hero because no one else can wield the weapon or use it to its full potential. (Excalibur, Odysseus's bow, Thor's banner)

Symbolic Archetypes Light vs. Darkness - Light usually suggests hope, renewal, or intellectual illumination.

Darkness implies the unknown, ignorance, despair, or evil.

Water vs. Desert - Because water is necessary to life and growth, it commonly appears as a birth or rebirth symbol. Water is used in baptismal services, which solemnizes spiritual births. Similarly, the appearance of rain in a work of literature can suggest a character's spiritual birth. Desert, in turn, implies the death of a soul and spirituality. (The sea and river images in The Odyssey .)

Heaven vs. Hell - Man has traditionally associated parts of the universe not accessible to him with the dwelling places of the primordial forces that govern his world. The skies and mountaintops house his gods; the bowels of the earth contain the diabolic forces that inhabit the universe. (Dante's Inferno . The Divine Comedy )

Innate Wisdom vs. Educated Stupidity - Some characters exhibit wisdom and understanding at situations instinctively as opposed to those supposedly in charge. Loyal retainers often exhibit this wisdom when they accompany the hero on the journey. (Animals, Sam in The Lord of the Rings ).

Haven vs. Wilderness - Places of safety contrast sharply against the dangerous wilderness. Heroes are often sheltered for a time to regain health and resources. (The Batcave, Camelot).

Supernatural Intervention — The gods intervene on the side of the hero and sometimes against him. (The Bible. The Odyssey )

Fire vs. Ice - Fire represents knowledge, light, life, and rebirth, while ice represents ignorance, darkness, sterility, and death. (Dante's Inferno , the phoenix).

Character Archetypes

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The Hero - This archetype is so well-defined that the life of the protagonist can be clearly divided into a series of well-marked adventures which strongly suggest a ritualistic pattern. Traditionally, the herd's mother is a virgin, the circumstances of this conception are unusual, and, at birth, some attempt is made to kill him. He is, however, spirited away and reared by foster parents. We know almost nothing of his childhood, but, upon reaching manhood, he returns to his future kingdom. After a victory over the king or a wild beast, he marries a princess, becomes king, reigns uneventfully, but later loses favor with the gods. He is then driven from the city after which he meets a mysterious death, often at the top of a hill. His body is not buried, but nevertheless, he has one or more holy sepulchers. Characters who exemplify this archetype to a greater or lesser extent are Oedipus, Jason, Dionysus, Joseph, Moses, Jesus, Arthur, Robin Hood, and Beowulf.

The Young Man from the Provinces - This hero is spirited away as a young man and raised by strangers. He later returns to his home and heritage where he is a stranger who can see new problems and new solutions. (Tarzan, Arthur, Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz ).

The Initiates - These are young heroes or heroines who, prior to their quest, must endure some training and ceremony. They are usually innocent and often wear white. (Daniel from The Karate Kid . Luke Skywalker)

Mentors — These individuals serve as teachers or counselors to the initiates. Sometimes they work as role models and often serve as a father or mother figure.(Merlin, Raffiki)

Hunting Group of Companions - Loyal companions willing to face any number of perils in order to-be together. (Robin Hood and his Merry Men, The Knights of the Round Table).

Loyal Retainers — These individuals are somewhat like servants who are heroic themselves. Their duty is to protect the hero and reflect the nobility of the hero. (Sam in The Lord of the Flies . Watson to Sherlock Holmes).

Friendly Beast - This character shows nature on the side of the hero. (Lassie, Toto, Trigger).

The Devil Figure — Evil incarnate, this character offers worldly goods, fame, or knowledge to the protagonist in exchange for possession of the soul. (Satan, Lucifer, Hitler).

The Evil Figure with the Ultimate Good Heart ~ A redeemable devil figure saved by the nobility or love of the hero. (Green Knight, Scrooge).

The Scapegoat - An animal or more usually a human whose death in a public ceremony expiates some taint or sin that has been visited upon the community. Their death often makes them a more powerful force in the society than when they lived. (Oedipus, Jews in the Holocaust)

The Outcast — A figure who is banished from a social group for some crime {real or imagined) against his fellow man. The outcast is usually destined to become a wanderer from place to place, (cowboys, Cain, Timone and Pumba).

The Creature of Nightmare — A monster usually summoned from the deepest, darkest part

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of the human psyche to threaten the desecration of the human body. (Werewolves, vampires, Frankenstein).

The Woman Figureo The Earth Mother - Symbolic of fruition, abundance, and fertility, this character

traditionally offers spiritual and emotional nourishment to those with whom she comes in contact. She is often depicted in earth colors and has large breasts and hips, symbolic of her childbearing capabilities. (Mother Nature, Mammy in Gone with the Wind).

o The Temptress - Characterized by her beauty, this woman is one to whom the protagonist is physically attracted and who ultimately brings about his downfall. (Delilah, Cleopatra).

o The Platonic Ideal — This woman is a source of inspiration and a spiritual ideal, for whom the protagonist or author has an intellectual rather than a physical attraction. (Dante's Beatrice, Petrarch's Laura).

o The Unfaithful Wife — A woman married to a man who she sees as dull or distant and is attracted to a more virile or interesting man. (Madame Bovary, Anna Karenina).

o The Damsel in Distress — The vulnerable woman who must be rescued by the hero, she often is used as a trap to ensnare the unsuspecting hero. (Guinevere, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty).

o The Star-Crossed Lovers - These two characters are engaged in a love affair that is fated to end tragically for one or both of them due to the disapproval of society, family, friends, or some tragic situation. (Romeo and Juliet, the Titanic lovers).

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Satire, like any other form of the double-edged sword of criticism, may surely cut, but may also have a therapeutic effect. It certainly can abuse, insult, or even ridicule, but it can, with just as much certainty, wash and cleanse. It does not treat humans and their mistakes or follies with beneficent understanding, since the satirist’s major justification for his savage art lies in his belief in its necessity in a world constantly threatened by vulgarity, vice, pride, folly, and other assorted evils created and perpetuated by man himself. Satire then is a technique that blends a censorious attitude with humor and wit for the purpose of improving human institutions or humanity. It is best approached in terms of point of view rather than subject or form. It is often the tone of the literature that determines whether or not the work may be correctly labeled as satire. The purpose of satire is to trivialize, emphasize, or maximize the impact of a statement. Satirists attempt through laughter and gentle prodding not so much to tear down as to inspire remodeling.

If the Greeks, with such men as Archilochus and Aristophanes, experimented with literary satire, it was in Rome that the art was perfected at the hands of Horace and Juvenal whose works directly influenced the development of satire in the western world. Formal satire then may be divided into two major categories; each named for its distinguished practitioners. The easiest way to differentiate between the two is through an examination of tone.

HORACE (b. 65 B.C., d. 8 B.C.) followed Lucilius in using hexameters to ridicule folly and bad taste. His work was humorous and urbane discussing the foibles and vices of mankind. He was known for his ability “to tell the truth with a smile,” and his work tended to make gentle comments of the failings of mankind, rather than dealing with these faults with malice.

Horatian satire is characterized by a cheerful, urbane, “tongue-in-cheek” tone. The writer of Horatian satire attempts to make readers smile at the foibles committed by the individuals under attack. He does not anger his readers nor make them feel moral indignation; he aims to correct by employing broadly sympathetic laughter.

Juvenal (b. A.D. 60-70) published his 16 Satires in five books. His poetry has none of the gentle humor of Horace and Lucilius, but is notable for bitter ironical humor, power of invective, grim epigram, sympathy with the poor and narrow-minded pessimism, whilst he attacks the rich and condemns the female sex. His linguistic register alternates violently between the elevated and the low.

Juvenalian satire exhibits a cutting, biting, bitter, and angry tone. This form of satire does not attempt to cheer or amuse the audience. It points with contempt and indignation to the corruption of human beings and institutions and strives to produce in the reader both contempt and moral indignation. Swift’s essay “A Modest Proposal” is a classic example of formal, Juvenalian satire.

Other methods of classifying satire might be to divide it according to whether it is formal and direct or informal and indirect. That which is formal and direct occurs when the satiric voice speaks in first person such as in Swift’s “A Modest Proposal.” The second informal and indirect occurs when the characters themselves reveal their folly and ridiculousness through their own actions, words, and thoughts. The best examples of this classification are found in drama. Shaw, Moliere, Ben Johnson, and Noel Coward, to name the more famous, have fully exercised their satiric wit upon the stage. For centuries satire was reserved for expression in long poems such as Pope's “The Rape of the Lock.” But Dryden, Swift, Pope, Addison, and Steel used both formal and informal essay for satiric purposes. Magazines such as The New Yorker, The Modern Humorist, and The Onion are excellent sources for satire. The films Bride and Prejudice, and Shaun of the Dead make satiric comments on The Colbert Report, The Big Bang Theory, The Daily Show, and Mad TV are satires on modern behavior. Magazines such as Mad and comic strips like “Pogo,” “Non Sequitor,” and “B.C” are all suitable instruments for commenting upon human follies and affairs. Satire is at home in any genre and adaptable to any medium and may be found in poetry, drama, short stories, novels, newspaper editorials, cartoons, art, films, and conversation. Therefore, satire may best be described as a manner of expression and, in fact, may frequently be an incidental element in many works of art and is most frequently combined with irony.

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Some Specific Kinds of Satire:

Caricature, Parody, Farce, Cartoon, Fable, Lampoon, Sarcasm, Irony

A parody is also called a spoof, and is used to make fun or mock someone or something by imitating them in a funny or satirical way. Parody is found in literature, movies, and song.  

A good example or a parody is the song “Girls Just Want to Have Lunch” by Weird Al Yankovic, which is a parody of the song “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper. Following is an excerpt of Al’s song:

Some girls like to buy new shoes

And others like drivin' trucks and wearing tattoos

There's only one thing that they all like a bunch

Oh, girls, they want to have lunch... 

I know how to keep a woman satisfied

When I whip out my Diner's Card their eyes get so wide

They're always in the mood for something to munch

Oh, girls, they want to have lunch...  

Sarcasm

Sarcasm is a sharp or cutting statement like a taunt or jibe, meant to really drive a point home. It can be meant to give pain and can include irony. On the other hand, sometimes you can make a point and still be funny. Here are some examples of sarcasm that are humorous, but still get their meaning across.

Paul Newman said, “It's always darkest before it turns absolutely pitch black.”

Steven Bishop remarked, “It's a catastrophic success” and “I feel so miserable without you, it's almost like having you here.”

Oscar Wilde wrote, “I am not young enough to know everything.”

Grouch Marx used many sarcastic one-liners in his comedy.  Here are a few:

“Marriage is the chief cause of divorce.” “I didn't like the play, but then I saw it under adverse conditions - the curtain was up.” “I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception.”

Author: Christy Rakoczy

EXERCISES:

In all exercises below analyze the use of satire by asking these three questions: 1) What is the author satirizing and what kind of satire is it? 2) What methods –sarcasm, irony, allegory, humor, exaggeration, understatement, imagery (visual, sensory), pun, allusion, language, punctuation, distortion, verisimilitude, etc. – help him accomplish the satire: and 3) What is the dominant tone – grim, cheerful, sardonic, optimistic, mock serious? And 4) What is the purpose and effect of the satire?

Exercise 1: “Seven Percent of World’s Resources Still Unconsumed” – The Onion

A report released Monday by the U.S. Department of the Interior indicates that 7 percent of the natural resources that existed before the dawn of the Industrial Age still remain unconsumed.

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“The global environmental crisis has been greatly exaggerated, as there are still plenty of resources to go around.” Deputy Secretary of the Interior Russell Kohl said, “In addition to more than 30 tons of fossil fuel, the planet still has literally hundreds of acres of tropical rain forest.”

Exxon celebrated the announcement by spilling the contents of a supertanker.

Exercise 2:

How come when I’m standing in front of a full-length mirror with nothing on but socks, white socks look OK, but dark colored socks make me look cheap and sleazy?” This letter was passed along to me by my Research Department, Judi Smith, who attached a yellow stick-on-note that says: “This is true.” Judi did not say how she happens to know it’s true; apparently – and I’m sure there’s a perfectly innocent explanation – she has seen John Cog of Norfolk, Va., wearing nothing but socks.

But the point is that dark socks, as a lone fashion accessory, create a poor impression. This is a known fact that has been verified in scientific experiments wherein fashion researchers put little white socks on one set of naked laboratory rats, and dark socks on another, then exposed both groups to a panel of leading business executives such as Bill Gates, who indicated that they would be “somewhat more likely” to hire from the white-sock group, should their personnel needs ever include a rat. What this means, men, is that if you’re dressing for an important job interview, church supper, meeting with my Research Department or other occasion where you could wind up wearing nothing but socks, they should be white.”

Exercise 3: In the following passage analyze how Governor Stevenson uses satire, his tone, and his purpose in his attempt to persuade his audience.

I herewith return, without my approval, Senate Bill No. 93 entitled “An Act to Provide Protection to Insectivorous Birds by Restraining Cats.” This is the so-call “Cat Bill.” I veto and withhold my approval from this bill for the following reasons:

It would impose fines on owners or keepers who permitted their cats to run at large off their premises. It would permit any person to capture, or call upon the police to pick up and imprison, cats at large. It would permit the use of traps. The bill would have statewide application—on farms, in villages, and in metropolitan centers.

This legislation has been introduced in the past several sessions of the Legislature, and it has, over the years, been the source of much comment—not all of which has been in a serious vein. It may be that the General Assembly has now seen fit to refer it to one who can view it with a fresh outlook. Whatever the reasons for passage at this session, I cannot believe there is a widespread public demand for this law or that it could, as a practical matter, be enforced.

Furthermore, I cannot agree that it should be the declared public policy of Illinois that a cat visiting a neighbor’s yard or crossing the highway is a public nuisance. It is the nature of cats to do a certain amount of unescorted roaming. Many live with their owners in apartments or other restricted premises, and I doubt if we want to make their every brief foray an opportunity for a small game hunt by zealous citizens—with traps or otherwise. I am afraid this bill could only create discord, recrimination and enmity. Also consider the owner’s dilemma: To escort a cat abroad on a leash is against the nature of the cat, and to permit it to venture forth for exercise unattended into a night of new dangers is against the nature of the owner. Moreover, cats perform useful service, particularly in rural areas, in combating rodents—work they necessarily perform alone and without regard for property lines.

We are all interested in protecting certain varieties of birds. That cats destroy some birds, I well know, but I believe this legislation would further but little the worthy cause to which its proponents give such unselfish effort. The problem of the cat versus bird is as old as time. If we attempt to resolve it by legislation who knows but what we may be called upon to take sides as well in the age-old problems of dog versus cat, cat versus bird, or even bird versus worm. In my opinion, the State of Illinois and its local governing bodies already have enough to do without trying to control feline delinquency.

For these reasons, and not because I love birds the less or cats the more, I veto and withhold my approval from Senate Bill No. 93.

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Respectfully,

Adlai E. Stevenson, Governor

It’s high time we stop the shabby treatment ofbig-time athletes and show a little respect.

How disgraceful that Americans overpay schoolteachers, glorify social workers, and lavish attention on stay-at-home mothers while giving scant money, publicity or deference to the people who really deserve it – namely, our Super Bowl champions. “Disrespect was the theme of the Rams’ camp this year,” reports the Associated Press. Ask any player and he’ll say the team was ignored in the off-season.”

“There’s a certain amount of disrespect,” agrees rookie Rams coach Mike Martz, inexplicably bereft of a book contract or genius grant. Says The Kansas City Star of this veneration vacuum: “You could call it disrespect.”

Damn right its disrespect, and the Rams aren’t the only ones getting dissed this year. “I deserve a lot more respect than I’m getting,” says unsigned Heat guard Tim Hardaway, who was paid $4.8 million last season. “I’ve got to look out for Tim Hardaway’s family.”

The truth is, we don’t properly esteem any of our top athletes. College football champ Florida State? “Florida State bears a grudge of disrespect,” notes The Salt Lake Tribune. “The [preseason] polls relegated the Seminoles to the lowly spot of No. 2.” Runner-up Virginia Tech? “The critics,” reports The Boston Globe, “disrespected them.” Ninth-ranked Florida? “It’s disrespect to us as a whole,” says senior Alex Willis, referring to the Gators’ unjustly unheralded wide receiver corps.

When will we, as Americans, stop fawning over doctors and nurses and recognize the vital contributions of the Illinois defense? (“Senior linebacker Michael Young,” reports the Daily Illini, “said the defense will make the best of the disrespect.”) When will this nation stop glamorizing engineers and start appreciating the New Mexico offense? (All that disrespect,” says Lobos tackle Jon Samuelson,” is a challenge to us.”) Why won’t a single magazine, television network or sneaker company acknowledge the athletic skills of Raptors swingman Vince Carter and fill the hole in his self-esteem that evidently opened when he was – according to an article last week in The Toronto Star – “disrespected by members of [Tracy] McGrady’s family and entourage . . . “?

Society has come to a sorry pass when an NBA All-Star is not given props by his own cousin’s entourage. But that’s hardly surprising, because nobody in North America believes in, roots for or supports our elite athletes, save elite athletes. “Nobody thought we could do it last year,” says Rams defensive tackle Nate Hobgood-Chittick of the NFL title. “But we just believed in ourselves.”

“Nobody thought we could do it,” said Titans coach Jeff Fisher, of winning the Super Bowl (which they barely lost). “[But] we thought we could.”

Yet, these proud warriors, surrounded by no-men and ill-wishers, constantly prove us wrong. They’re the Little Engines That Could. “Nobody gave us a chance to be where we are at this point,” Rockies reliever Gabe White said when Colorado miraculously occupied first place 12 weeks into this season.

“Nobody gave us a chance to do much of anything,” said Karl Malone, whose Jazz didn’t do much of anything in the NBA playoffs, but that misses the point. The point is this: You must respect a man of Karl Malone’s stature. When 40-year old Tim Raines, cut last month from the U.S. Olympic baseball team, said, “a man of my stature” deserved better treatment, I was struck again by how shabbily we treat pro athletes, and a wave of shame washed over me.

Americans now spend so much time doting on scientists, spoiling soldiers, and kissing the pampered fannies of the layabout middle class that we’ve forgotten those people, invisible and largely unrewarded, who do the important

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work of society: People such as Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, who was, The Denver Post reported last week, “frequently and roughly disrespected all last year.” We’re better than this, America. If you see Tim Hardaway on the street – walking with Tim Hardaway’s family – salute him, salaam him, show him some respect.

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2003 AP ENGLISH LITERATURE SCORING GUIDELINE

Question2: Mavis Gallant's "The Other Paris"

General Directions: This scoring guide will be useful for most of the essays that you read, but in problematic cases, please consult your table leader. The score that you assign should reflect your judgment of the quality of the essay as a whole-its content, its style, its mechanics. Reward the writers for what they do well. The score for an exceptionally well-written essay may be raised by one point above the otherwise appropriate score. In no case may a poorly written essay be scored higher than a three (3).

9-8 These well-focused essays offer a persuasive interpretation of how Mavis Gallant uses narrative voice and characterization to provide social commentary about love and marriage. Specifically, these writers explore the nature of Gallant's narrative voice and her use of characterization. These essays make apt and specific references to the passage itself. Although these essays may not be error -free, they are perceptive in their analysis. They demonstrate writing that is clear, precise, and effective. Generally, the nine (9) essays reveal a more sophisticated analysis and a more effective control of language than do essays scored an eight (8).

7-6 These competent essays offer a reasonable interpretation of how Gallant creates social commentary through the use of narrative voice and characterization. Although not as convincing or as thoroughly developed as those papers in the highest range, they demonstrate the writer's ability to express ideas with clarity, insight, and control. Generally, the seven (7) essays present a more developed analysis and a more consistent command of the elements of effective composition than do essays scored a six {6).

5 These essays tend to be simplistic in their analysis of how narrative voice and characterization are used to create social commentary. They often rely on paraphrase, but the paraphrase will exhibit some plausible analysis, implicit or explicit. The discussion of narrative voice and characterization may be slight and/or confusing; it may not have coherent explication of how those literary devices are used by the author as the basis for the social commentary. These writers demonstrate control of language, but the writing may be flawed by surface errors that do not create confusion for the reader. These essays are not as well conceived, organized, or developed as 7-6 papers.

4-3 These lower half essays offer a less than thorough understanding of the task or less than adequate treatment of how the devices of narrative voice and characterization provide for social commentary. The analysis of the devices may be only partial, unconvincing, or irrelevant and/or may rely on paraphrase only. The essays may demonstrate misunderstanding of some aspect of the passage. The writing often demonstrates a lack of control over the conventions of composition: inadequate development of ideas, an accumulation of errors, or a focus that is unclear, inconsistent, or repetitive. Essays scored a three (3) may contain significant misreadings and/or distracting errors in grammar and mechanics.

2-1 These essays compound the weaknesses of the papers in the 4-3 range. They may seriously misread the passage, may be unacceptably brief, or may be incoherent. They may contain pervasive errors that interfere with understanding. Although some attempt has been made to respond to the question, the writer's assertions are presented with little clarity, organization, or support from the passage itself Essays scored a one (1) contain little coherent discussion of the passage. Especially inept, vacuous, and/or unsound essays must be scored a one (1).

O These essays make no more than a reference to the task. __These essays are either left blank or are completely off-topic.

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Question #2 Mavis Gallant's "The Other Paris"

Sample JJJ

In the excerpt from "The Other Paris” Mavis Gallant presents the characters of Carol and Howard Mitchell. Throughout the excerpt, their forced decision of marriage is explain by the narrator. Through narrative voice and characterization, the author provides social commentary in the excerpt. The narrator in the excerpt from "The Other Paris” uses a certain voice in order to show the character’s positions. The diction used by the narrator is simple and concrete throughout the entire passage to give it a personal tone. Through the voice the narrator uses the conflict in the characters becomes evident as personal from society. The narrator's personal tone helps the reader to understand the social concerns of the characters.

The author also uses characterization in the excerpt to create social commentary. From the beginning of the passage, the characters are both brought out by the author as insecure about being single at an old age. The author develops the character of Carol by saying, "She was under the illusion that in a short time she would be so old no one would ask her again. "' This statement alone creates Carol' s insecurity in society. The author develops Howard’s character saying, "he was discontented with his bachelor households." Also insecure about his standing in society for obvious reasons, Howard is forced into marriage by society. The two characters jump into marriage for the wrong reasons because of society, which provides social commentary in the work.

In the excerpt from "The Other Paris," the author provides social commentary through narrative voice and characterization. Through the personal tone of the narrator and forced decisions of characters through insecurity, social commentary is provided for in the passage.

Sample PPP

In this excerpt from "The Other Paris" a third person omniscient narrator describes the confused and unsatisfactory method with which Carol and Howard Mitchell decided to get married. The characterization of the couple establishes a relationship started spontaneously due to their imaginations, a relationship that will surely lack fulfillment and never bring true happiness. Gallant portrays Carol' s ambivalence and Howard' s uncharacteristic spontanaeity to criticize the trivial motives for which people marry .

The use of a third person omniscient narrator in this piece is important because only an all-knowledgable narrator could portray the misconceptions of two characters. The narrator describes Carol's dreams of true love in Paris and her belief in the series of college lectures while also conveying the haphazard way in which Howard decided to cast of this usually cautious character and spontaneously propose to a work partner.

The characterization of Carol establishes her contradictory beliefs. The first paragraph describing a scene of moonlight, barrows of violets, acacias in flower. . ." in fact describes the scene she would see in a Hollywood movie but she also believes " The illusion of love was a blight imposed by the fi1m industry." She believed from the college lectures "that a common interest. . . was the basis for true happiness" but in the relationship she was looking for "the right conditions" to fall in love. The contradiction of her beliefs creates her as a confused character that really does not know what she truly desires. Believing that she had only a "short time" to marry she accepted Howard's proposal because there appeared" no reason for the engagement or the marriage to fail."

While Howard is characterized much differently, he too decides to marry Carol because time was running out and there was no one better. He ultimately settled on Carol as "some nice girl." Usually a cautious character, Howard clearly comes "out of character" in such a quick decision. While Carol imagined love scenes in Paris, Howard imagined himself alone, living a bachelor's life as 'just a person who fills in at dinner." He was afraid of this image or "he was deeply moved by it." He was moved to the degree of renouncing his character and marrying some girl from work.

Howard and Carol's characterization shows that they acted prematurely in making such a whimsical decision. Their situation is intended as a commentary on the haphazard manner with which people make marriage decisions.

Sample R

Love, an emotion of the human heart, takes on several shapes and forms. It is often a descriptive emotion, in which very few can describe accurately. Love is associated with different places such as Venice, Italy or Paris, France,

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and has different ideas and goals. In the excerpt from "The Other Paris" by Mavis Gallant, Gallant uses Paris, France as her location, however her tale is not one of love, but a lack of love or a fake love.

The characters Carol and Howard Mitchell do not love each other, but are to be wed. Carol feels love is something a person grows into and learns to do over time. She accepts his proposal out of the same fear he proposes--they will soon be too old to marry anyone else. As long as the right conditions are present--Carol believes--she will fall madly in love with Howard in a short time and she does not understand why it will not come.

Mavis Gallant writes her essay as a social commentary. The elaborate details on Carol's feelings cause the excerpt to sound as if it is two or more girlfriends gossiping, telling the real details to the story between Howard and Carol. The narrative voice used causes the excerpt to have a story-telling like quality to it The characterization of Carol's character as well as Howard's, gives a gossipy feeling to the piece. The complete lack of dialogue also adds to the feel of the work, sounding more and more like a person recalling events and things that had happened.

Mavis Gallant, in her piece "The Other Paris" writes a tale of a fake and untrue love of Carol and Howard. The two characters do not love each other, but believe love will come. Her piece sounds like a social commentary between two gabbing girlfriends, anxious to tell the details of the true feelings and happenings between Carol and Howard. Their characterization and the narrative voice of the tale gives details and truly sounds like someone telling a story.

Sample 000

Mavis Gallant, in his short story "The Other Paris" uses narrative voice and characterization to provide social commentary on marriage and the misguided perceptions of love and reasons for marriage that people hold.

Carol is depicted as a gullible, somewhat vain woman. She unquestionably believes the "helpful college lectures" and decides to marry Howard because he fits the criteria the lecture set for a successful marriage. They had similar backgrounds and economic situations, which in theory should make them perfect candidates for a prosperous marriage. Carol also seems to be very naive about love; she believes it to be a product of circumstances rather than an expression of emotion. Instead of blaming her lack of love for Howard on anything the two of them felt she blames it on the weather in Paris. According to the lectures, Howard was an ideal husband and a love would form of its own accord. Carol's vanity is apparent when the narrator states, "she was under the illusion that in a short time she would be so old no one would ask her again." In her eyes, Carol's youth is one of her best assets and the primary reason someone would want to many her. She also does not seem to know anything more about Howard than how successful he is and who his parents are. She has not connected to him in any emotional way before she marries him.

Howard's primary motivation for proposing to Carol is social. After his sister's visit and words of advice, Howard sought a wife in order to assure he would never be a mere placeholder a "person who fills in at dinner." This idea, more than his loneliness and discontent, was the main factor in his decision to find a wife. Carol, in his eyes, is a trophy wife, someone to show off and bring to dinner. He mentions nothing about caring for Carol or wishing to spend his life with her. He is just as superficial as his new wife.

The narrator describes both Carol and Howard in a tone that seems slightly mocking. The descriptions are dry and humorless, which makes the couple seem vapid and uninteresting. By making the two seem so shallow, Gallant shows his disdain for such superficial and meaningless marriages. Vanity, naivete, and being overly socially conscious are all flaws to the writer. The first paragraph shows that many people have misguided views of how love blossoms; whereas the rest of the story shows how this leads to loveless marriages and relationships with little emotional depth. Carol dismisses the medical student's proposal for no personal reason except that he still had eight years of training left and no money at the time. Howard and Carol get married based on other people's ideas and advice, while barely knowing each other.

The author, Mavis Gallant, uses narrative voice and characterization successfully in his short story "The Other Paris."

Sample C

Mavis Gallant presents in "The Other Paris" a couple whose marriage seems inexplicable and foolhardy outside the world of dillusions which each partner creates. As omnipotent narrator, Gallant presents their simple thoughts in a tongue-in-cheek manner to portray Carol & Howard as selfish dimwits whose actions are determined merely by what will fulfill their roles in society.

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The narrative tone throughout is simple, direct, and comedic, echoing the simple yet misled notions of Carol & Howard as to who they are, and what they should be. Gallant can tell us all of their thoughts" and though often absurd, they are consistent with the characters Gallant wants to create. Carols world of dillusions is presented in the first paragraph, with her seeming inability to recognize the truth of actual events beyond what she desires them to be. Throughout the piece she will try to create a Paris of sorts in their relationship, when it really doesn't exist at all.

Carol seems to have no concept of real love or relationship, her acceptance of a marriage proposal after only 3 weeks shows her inability to consider long-term consequences. The telling of her acceptance is juxtaposed with the story of her rejection of the doctor, who had “eight years training still to go," as both contribute to her characterization as one in need of immediate gratification. In the same paragraph, both Howard & Carol are said to have wanted champagne, but each was to diffident Indeed, this is a metaphor for their lives & goals: both wanted something more, something better, but because of their personal flaws were unwilling or unable to get it

There are no illusions as to Carol's feelings for Howard, however, as it is plainly stated that she doesn't love him. The straitforwardness of the declaration is in stark contrast to the circuitousness with which Carol attempts to make their marriage work. Gallant sarcasticly describes her classes on marriage as "helpful," and reveals the absurdity of Carol' s views with such nonchalance as to further mock them. With an ironic twist, Gallant portrays Carol's belief in the cause of divorce on true love, while Carol's own path is the more likely for divorce. The only thing they have in common are certain aspects of their parents' professional careers and a vague notion of religious belief. As they have no real religious-philosophical conviction, they don't have any real convictions about marriage on their own lives. After presenting the absurdity of their marriage, Gallant ironically & sarcastically reveals Carol's belief that "there was no reason for the marriage to fail." Carol is constantly describing love in relations to things-dogs, parents, even flowers. She believes that it, like a concrete object, can be controlled & shaped with accuracy. The relationship is based off of everything but the people involved, and thus, Carol believes that she can fix it with the right living conditions. Just as we think that the marriage cannot be anymore of a sham, we get Howard's perspective. Indeed, it appears that his surprising proposal was completely a reaction to his displeasure with his life so far. His main motivations for marriage are to have someone clean up after him & to have someone before time runs out. Howard is deeply moved by his sister's image of him as "just. . .a person who fills in at dinner," he is unmoved by his actual marriage.

Gallant parodies & exaggerates the flaws of Carol & Howard to bring about a larger social critique of marriage. Although we would expect few to be as blind as Carol & Howard, Gallant reveals that we all have some degree of their fallacy when we make decisions about love and marriage. By exploding our views of what is considered in marriage, Gallant challenges us to rethink our motivations.

Sample MM

"The Other Paris" by Mavis Gallant was an interesting excerpt on the foundations of marriage. Through the author's use of narrative voice and characterization provided a social commentary.

The narrative voice provided a light joyful tone. The vivid use of details captures the reader's attention and question his beliefs. Furthermore, the combination of such revealed a conversation touch which could easily occur in reality. The use of a narrative voice presented a familiar scene to the reader especially through its humorous end.

The characterization aided tremendously to the development of a social commentary. The use of familiar, first names set the picture of "everyday" characters. The in-depth ideals of each character allowed the reader to feel related to such. The concept of describing two different characters searching for a common goal showed how diverse one's social society is.

Sample YY

Often, an authors voice and the society's influence can be read within a narrative or other literary work just as clearly as the characters voices and actions. In this excerpt from Gallant's "The Other Paris," the reader's third person omnicient view allows the thought processes of the main character to be completely laid out for explanation. Gallant writes about two people .influenced entirely by society and the social ideas of the 1950's.

The narrator in this selection discusses the thoughts of both Carol, a young woman engaged to Howard, an unambitious young man. Their engagement seems to be entirely driven by the fact that neither wants to pass up the

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opportunity to marry before it's too late. The character Carol bases her ideas on marriage from college lectures that insist "love is a blight imposed by the film industry" and that love is like a geranium, requiring only the right set of conditions and intelligence to work. She expressly states that she "was not .in love with Howard" and that that fact "did not dismay her .in the least." This entire situation seems absurd. If Carol has to "set about the bussiness of falling .in love" then what is the point of marriage? The characterization of a young girl influenced by society's emphasis on the importance of youth and need for stability in marriage is a comment by the authors on her views of society. Without directly saying so, Gallant directs the reader's thoughts to the conclusion that love is important, regardless of what society determines is proper. By describing her characters as free of love's influence and by presenting their situation as undesirable, she advocates not only love, but free thinking as well.

The characters of "The Other Paris" all flow with the currents of society .They marry because others say it is time, they go about falling in love from a manual. They are not admirable characters, but they get the author's points across.

Sample DDD

"The Other Paris,"' a short story by Mavis Gallant is a satirical account of the "business of falling in love." Through an imposed, almost comical point of view and the characterization of the common fear of old age and all that goes along with it, the author provide a sharp criticism of the unfortunate state of love in modern society.

Carol" a successful twentieth century government oriented business woman, independent and self-sufficient,” is obsessed with "what everyone expected." This paradoxical irony makes Carol into a walking contradiction. At twenty two, she already fears her fate as an old maid. The only proposal for marriage that she had pryor to Howard was from an "unsuitable medical student with no money and eight years' training still to go." It is interesting that someone studying to be a doctor, a career on which society relies upon is "unsuitable." The word order also brings an intriguing point: she mentions his lack of money prior to his lengthy commitment to being without money. This obsession with money only speaks to the way in which society as chosen to economize something as tangible and divine as love.

All these societal views that both Carol and Howard characterize stem from the overpowering influences of outside sources. "From a series of helpful college lectures on marriage," Carol learned all of her crazy love antics. "Common interest" and not love was the "basis for happiness." "similar economic backgrounds, financial security, belonging to the same church---these were the pillars of the married union, " claims Carol's college lectures. It is interesting that two out of the three of these strong and sturdy pills stem from monetary issues.

Only the third really looks to the spiritual, more divine aspects of committed union. Unfortunately, Carol later mentions casually that "serious discussion of religious beliefs would have gravely embarrassed" not just any type of regular old embarrassment, but grave embarrassment, the irreversible kind. But lucky for Carol, Howard is "reliable." No surprise, always stability, two things that Carol swears by. It is too bad that much of the enjoyment and excitement of love stems from spontinaiety. However, because they share a common interest and possess a least two of the important pillars of love, the ones that deal with money and economy of course, there was no way for their marriage to fail. "Her college lectures had stressed" that all you needed for love was the right people and the right climate. The parenthetical citation of her marriage courses only emphasizes the truth that these beliefs and ideals of a money filled, perfect marriage were imposed upon her and not necessary her own.

Similarly, Howard had no beliefs of his own. Being the reliable, economical "uncommonly cautious" man that he was, this proposal was huge leap outside of his realm of comfort. But his sister, like Carol's courses and society itself, told him "to marry some nice girl before it was too late." This underlying fear of old age and loneliness ultimately pushed him to do the predictably unthinkable.

Gallant is obviously and successfully satirizing the form of society today. The obsession with monetary issues, the fear of old age and lastly, the inability to take risks in the name of love alone, are all the reasons why so many are unhappy and so easily influenced by the "business" of falling in love.

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Paradox, Dramatic, Situational, and Verbal Irony

Paradox and verbal irony work essentially on a common principle of apparent contradiction and, therefore, often arise from the same context. Paradox treats opposites in such a way that both elements of the contradiction seem to be true but in different contexts. Because a statement of this kind works contrary to what we ordinarily expect, the effect is also ironic. Irony is based on a sense of some difference: things are not as they seem; they do not turn out, as they should: or there is a discrepancy between intention and effect. The irony of drama and fiction frequently depends on a situation, hence the term “dramatic irony.” But irony may also be a figure of speech; hence the term “verbal irony,” in which the meaning of the words is simply reversed by the ironic tone. Popular phrases such as “the home of the brave,” “the land of the free,” of “America the beautiful” can easily be twisted to mean their opposite. (Have students think of situations where the opposite meaning might be appropriate.

Dramatic irony and verbal irony are at times not completely separable. Complex circumstances, which are themselves paradoxical and ironic often, produce language of a similar variety. Sophocles’ Oedipus the King has become almost the standard example of the way in which dramatic irony works. The play itself is based on a series of paradoxical situations. Oedipus the king, the savior of Thebes, is also its destroyer. The curse he places on the killer of Laius he places on himself. Teiresias, who is blind, can see; Oedipus, who can see, is blind. Each element of these paradoxes holds true because Oedipus, the savior and king of Thebes, is also without his own knowledge the slayer of his father Laius. Separated from his father as a child, he later unknowingly kills him. Thus, the lines of the play are constant sources of irony and paradox. When Oedipus prays that the guilty man waste his life away, he concludes his speech with highly ironic words:

If in my house, I knowing it, he dwells, May every curse I spake on my head fall.

Without knowing it, he is the one in his own house on whom the curse has fallen.

A later speech turns on the paradox of seeing and not seeing. After the blind Teiresias has told Oedipus that he is the murderer of his father and the scourge of the land, Oedipus speaks:

In one long night thou liv’st and can’st not hurt me Or me, or any man who sees the light.

Oedipus’ mocking of Teiresias as one who cannot hurt him because he cannot see produces irony because all that Teiresias speaks is true and will bring about Oedipus’ grief and tragedy.

Irony, however, does not always strike a serious note. The unexpected turn of events that Marvell describes in a short couplet from “To His Coy Mistress” produces a touch of ironic humor.

The Grave’s a fine and private place, But none I think do there embrace

Verbal Irony: In Hamlet the ghost of Hamlet’s father has told Hamlet that the king poisoned his father. Hamlet devises a plan to “catch the conscience of the king.” He has a group of players present a play which reenacts the actual murder of his father. As the play is being performed, the king becomes disturbed and asks, “Is there no offence in it? Hamlet replies, “No, no . . . no offence I’ the world.” The meaning of Hamlet’s words is double. He assures the king that there is “no offence,” meant by the play, but in addition to this he does not mean that there is “no offence”; he means that there is offence. The play depicts the murder of a king, the crime of which Claudius is guilty – fratricide and regicide. The king, as Hamlet intends, does not catch the second meaning. The statement means two things simultaneously.

for king’s benefit no offence

No offence incongruous elements

(from Hamlet’s point of view) highly offensive

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In Hamlet’s deeply tormented emotional state the words he speaks suggest still more. His answer refers not only to the murder-play and its intended effect on the king – but also to the effect on Hamlet of the act which has overwhelmed him and to which his imaginative sensibilities assigns all events in the world: the murder of his father and the marriage of his mother to his uncle, the king. Offensive, yes! And “rotten” and “rank” and “gross” and diseased, bestial monstrous and “remorseless, treacherous, lecherous” may all be implied in the tone of Hamlet’s statement. In this case verbal irony serves to express complex and intense emotions.

Situational Irony is a term used to describe a circumstance or a series of events that bring into existence contrasting elements.

In Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man the narrator, who is living in a coal cellar illuminated by exactly 1,369 light bulbs, explains,

I am invisible . . . simply because people refuse to see me . . .. Whey they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination – indeed, everything and anything except me . . .. That invisibility to which I refer occurs because of a peculiar disposition of the eyes of those with whom I come in contact . . .. You ache with the need to convince yourself that you do exist . . ..

From his underground residence, the narrator recalls his past: his invisibility as a high school student in the South, as a student in a Black University, as a laborer in the North, and now as an underground man in a Harlem coal cellar, where he drains off current from Monopolated Light & Power to illuminate his world.

The irony of the narrator’s “invisibility” is brought to focus in his situation, in his residence in the coal cellar. Because people have not seen him – but only “figments of their imagination” – the narrator has, all his life, been in a hole. But not until he tumbles into the coal cellar – and makes it a warm, well-lighted place by wiring the ceiling with 1,369 lights – does he really see this hole.

“I am an invisible man and it placed me in a hole – or showed me the hole I was in . . ..

All the narrator’s attempts to achieve visibility have “boomeranged” to illuminate his invisibility. But now he sees his invisibility, sees the reality of his blackness in relation to the white world that surrounds him, sees it and affirms it, and to this extent, becomes, for himself, visible. As the lights illuminate the cellar, so the narrator’s narrative illuminates his life situation.

The hole makes the narrator invisible

Incongruous elements

The hole illuminates the narrator’s invisibility and he becomes visible.

When reading for situational irony, one needs to recognize elements of contrast and ambiguity that may exist in circumstances or events in a story.

In reading The Importance of Being Earnest, the fact that the main character Jack, who masquerades as Ernest in the city and Jack in the country, turns out to actually have the first name of Earnest. Later, when his fiancé Gwendolen says of Ernest “Disloyalty would be as impossible to him as deception,” the audience recognizes this as irony.

Likewise, the paradox may become comic as well as serious. A short poem by John Donne gives this effect:

“Antiquary”

If in his study he hath so much care

To hang all old, strange things, let his wife beware.

“I must be cruel only to be kind.” Hamlet

“The less you have, the more free you are.

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“To Althea, from Prison” by Richard Lovelace “To Althea, from Prison”

When love with unconfined wings

Hovers within my gates,

And my divine Althea brings

To whisper at the grates;

When I lie tangled in her hair,

And fettered to her eye,

The birds that wanton in the air

Know no such liberty

When flowing cups run swiftly round

With no allaying Thames,1

Our careless heads with roses bound

Our hearts with loyal flames;

When thirsty grief in wine we steep,

When healths and draughts go free

Fishes that tipple in the deep

Know no such liberty

When like committed linnets,2 I

With shriller throat shall sing

The sweetness, mercy, majesty,

And glories of my king;

When I shall voice aloud how good

He is, how great should be,

Enlarged winds, that curl the floods,3

Know no such liberty.

Stone walls do not a prison make,

Nor iron bars a cage:

Minds innocent and quiet take

That for a hermitage4

If I have freedom in my love,

And in my soul am free,

Angels alone that soar above

Enjoy such liberty.

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1. allaying Thames – that is the wine is not diluted with water from the Thames

2. committed linnets – caged birds

3. flood – sea

4. hermitage – holy refuge

Using a number of images which reinforce both the idea of freedom and restraint, Lovelace essentially creates a work that in itself is paradoxical, for despite the fact that the speaker is a prisoner, he repeatedly asserts that he is freer than “the gods that wonton (frolic) in the air,” “fishes that tipple in the deep,” and “enlarged winds that curl the flood.” The closure of the poem is even more emphatic: “Angels alone, that soar above, Enjoy such liberty.” How can a person be imprisoned and free at the same time? The situational paradox turns on the word “liberty,” which in the context of the poem means not the absence of physical restraints but the freedom to love, to enjoy human fellowship and physical pleasures, and to proclaim “The sweetness, mercy, majesty, and glories of my King.” Within this framework, Lovelace further defines the nature and value of these ideals. The first is love that is expressed paradoxically in language suggestive of captivity. The context makes it clear that the words “tangled” and “fettered” describe not the bondage of actual imprisonment, but the bonds of love, which are emblematic of spiritual freedom.

The second stanza is more difficult to interpret because the pronoun references and situations are ambiguous. “Our careless heads” and “our heart” may refer to Althea and the speaker, thus reemphasizing the lover’s bond described in stanza 1. But the reference to “flowing cups” (cups filled to the top) and “healths and draughts” that “run swiftly round” (passed from one person to another) suggests a larger gathering of people sitting at leisure drinking from goblets filled with undiluted wine and offering toasts. Regardless of how we interpret the situation, the speaker leaves no doubts that these pleasures too are essential to his “liberty.” The word takes on patriotic associations in the third stanza. In keeping with the paradoxical situation of the poem as a whole, the speaker identifies with “committed linnets” which sing more sweetly in captivity than when they are free.

In the final stanza Lovelace draws together the three strands of the argument with the verbal paradoxes, “Stone walls do not a prison make / Nor iron bars a cage.” Literally, of course, prisons are built of stone and cages constructed of iron bars. But in the logic of the poem, walls and bars can enclose only the body. If one has freedom in thought, love and soul, he can make a hermitage of a prison and attain joyousness comparable to that of angels.

Irony and paradox can be sought out in almost any literary work, because their concern with self-contradiction is implicit in almost all experience, if one will choose to see it. They can easily be missed unless one reads with an eye and ear for them. They demand that the reader be able to think from more than one point of view. They ask him to flip a coin to see what is on the other side. They demonstrate that the literary artist typically does not see everyday life with a single and simple aim. If he does so, he risks superficiality or dogmatism. Paradox and irony are both literary ways of coping with many of the seemingly unresolvable complexities of experience. As expression, they do not offer solutions. They merely reflect the nature of things to help us understand.

A piece may be ironic if: 1. The author/persona/character seems to be suggesting something outrageous or that would offend most readers, 2. Something mundane is described using elevated diction and/ or lofty language (can include hyperbole, 3. Something normally considered an important, intellectual or serious topic is discussed in accessible, colloquial, or even non-standard language (can include understatement, aka litotes), 4. The passage includes a great deal of hyperbole, understatement, or even absurdity, 5, The passage discusses a human foible or questionable cultural practice, moral, or attitude.

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2002 ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION QUESTION 1

In the following excerpt from a recent British novel, the narrator, a young man in his early twenties, is attending a play with his new girlfriend Isabel when she unexpectedly discovers that her parents are in the theater. Read the passage carefully. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the author produces a comic effect.

‘Oh my God, I think that's my mum over there, 'she gasped. 'Where?’ 'By the pillar. Careful, don't look. What is she

5 here? And what's that dress? It looks like a willow tree. Where's Dad? I hope she didn't come with one of her gentlemen friends. She's really too old for that' 'Did you tell her you were going?'

10 'No, I mean, I said'! wanted to see the play, but I didn't let on I had tickets for tonight.' 'She's talking to someone. Can you see?' 'Phew, it's my dad. He must have gone off to buy programmes. And he's about to sneeze. Look, there

15 we go, aaahhtchooo. Out comes his red handkerchief. I just hope they don't spot us and we can escape quickly at the end. With any luck, they'll be too busy

arguing to glance up here. This is prime argument territory for them, Mum will be asking Dad where he

20 put the carpark ticket and he'll get flustered because he'll just have dropped it into a bin by mistake.' Luck was not on Isabel’s side, for a moment later, Christopher Rogers happened to glance up to the gallery and recognized his eldest daughter, in the

25 midst of trying her best not to recognize him. So that she might cease to dwell in ignorance, Christopher stood up in the middle of the elegantly suited and scented audience, and began making the vigorous hand gestures of a man waving off a departing cruise

30 ship. In case Isabel had not spotted this maniac, her mother was in turn informed of her eldest daughter's location, an~ decided that the presence of four hundred people in the auditorium should be no impediment to her desire to shout 'Isabel' at top pitch

35 and with all the excitement of a woman recognizing a long-lost friend on the deck of an in-coming cruise ship. Isabel smiled feebly, turned a beetroot shade and repeated in panicked diction, 'I can't believe this,

40 please let them shut up." Not a second too soon, Lorca* came to the rescue, the lights faded, and Mr.

and Mrs. Rogers reluctantly took their seats, pointing ominously to an exit sign by way of interval rendezvous.

45 An hour and a quarter of Spanish domestic drama later, we found ourselves at the bar. 'What are you doing here, Mum?' asked Isabel. 'Why shouldn't I be here? You're not the only one who does fanny things with your evenings. Your

50 father and I have a right to go out once in a while' 'I'm sure, I didn't mean it like that, it's just I'm surprised at the coincidence.' 'Where did you buy this dress? Is that the one I paid for at Christmas?'

55 "No, Mum, I got it myself last week.' 'Oh, well, it's very nice, pity you don't have more of a cleavage for it, but that's, your father's fault. You know what all the women in his family are like.' 'How are you Dad?’ Isabel turned to ask her father,

60 who was looking up at the ceiling with an intent expression. 'Dad?' repeated Isabel. 'Yes, darling, how are you, my bean? Enjoying the show?'

65 'Yup, and you? What are you staring at up there?''I'm looking at the light fixtures they have.

They're new tungsten bulbs, Japanese things, quite wonderful, they use only a small amount of electricity but give off a very nice light.'

70 'Oh, great, Dad. And, ehm, there's someone I'd like you to both meet' 'Delighted,' said Mrs. Rogers, confiding in me almost at once: 'She's a lovely girl really,' in case my theatre companion had inspired doubts to the

75 contrary. Thanks, Mum;' said Isabel wearily, as though the statement were no one-off. 'Don't mind her, bean, she's had a hard day.' explained Dad, now looking more horizontally at the

80 world. 'My day would be fine if I wasn't lumbered with someone who kept losing tickets to the car park,' snapped Mrs. Rogers. 'Dad! You haven't?'

85 'Yes, I’m afraid I have. They're so fiddly these days, they fall right out of one's hands.' -Alain de Botton,

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Kiss and Tell * Federico Garcia Lorca (1898-1936): Spanish poet and playwright

2002 APENGLISH LITERATURE SCORING GUIDE

Question #1: Alain de Botton's Kiss and Tell

General Directions: This scoring- guide will be useful for most of the essays that you read, but in problematic

cases, please consult with your table leader. The score you assign should reflect your judgment of the quality of

the 'essay as a whole. Reward the writers for what they do well. The score for an exceptionally well-written essay may be raised by one point above the otherwise appropriate score. In no case may a poorly written essay be scored higher than a three (3). .

9-8 These well-focused essays offer a persuasive interpretation of how Alain de Botton produces comic effect in his dramatic depiction of a scene in which Isabel unexpectedly discovers that her parents are in the same theatre as she and her new boyfriend. Specifically, the writers of these essays identify techniques and analyze how the author uses them to create comic effect. These essays make apt and specific references to the passage, effectively analyzing the nature of the comic effect that the author derives from the situation itself, from the thoughts of Isabel and her conversation with her parents, and from the relationship between daughter and parents. Though these essays may not be error-free, they are perceptive in their analysis of the comic effects and demonstrate writing that is clear and precise. Generally, the nine (9) essays reveal a more sophisticated analysis and a more effective control of language ,than do the essays scored an eight (8).

7-6 These competent essays offer a reasonable interpretation of how Alain de Botton produces a comic effect. The writers identify the techniques and analyze how the author employs them. Although not as convincing or as thoroughly developed as those in the highest range, these essays demonstrate the writer's ability to express ideas with clarity, insight, and control. Generally, the seven (7) essays present a more developed analysis and a more consistent command of the elements of effective composition than do essays scored a six (6).

5 These essays offer a plausible interpretation of how Alain de Botton achieves comic effect, but they often respond to the assigned task with a simplistic reading of the passage. They often rely on paraphrase, but the paraphrase will exhibit some analysis, implicit or explicit. The discussion of the techniques may be slight and/or formulaic. These writers demonstrate some control of ideas~ but the writing may be flawed by surface errors that do not create confusion for the reader.

4-3 These lower-half essays offer a less than thorough treatment of the task. The analysis of the techniques used for comic effect may be: partial, unconvincing, or irrelevant. These essays may rely on mere summary or be marked by observation rather than by analysis. The writing often demonstrates a lack of control over the conventions of composition: inadequate development of ideas, an accumulation of errors, or a focus that is unclear, inconsistent, or repetitive. Essays 'scored a three (3) may contain significant misreadings and/or distracting errors in grammar and mechanics. .

2-1 These essays compound the weaknesses of the papers in the 4-3 range. They may demonstrate an inability to explain how a comic effect is achieved, or even fail to recognize the comic effect. They may also be unacceptably brief or incoherent. The writing may contain pervasive errors, which interfere with understanding. Although some attempt has been made to respond to the question, the writer's assertions are presented with little clarity, organization, or support. Essays scored a one (1) contain little coherent discussion of the passage.

0 A response with no mor~tliai1 a reference t6the task.

-- A blank paper or completely off-topic response

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A Humor is a special combination of variables. In the case of the passage from Kiss and Tell, Alain de Botton’s characteristically understated British humor produces comic effect by incorporating realistic dialogue, vivid diction and language, and approachability to the reader.

Botton’s characters are fully believable. They are relentlessly human, and they have human flaws and traits to show for it: Isabel’s ill concealed embarrassment at her parents, the narrator’s apparent speechlessness at the situation, Mum’s badgering frankness, and Dad’s all-too-predictable absentmindedness. The speak accordingly, often in a stream of consciousness, as Isabel does to her boyfriend, the narrator, in the beginning when commenting on her parents: “And what’s that dress? It looks like a willow tree. Where’s Dad?” and “He must have gone off to buy programmes. And he’s about to sneeze. Look, there we go, aaahhtchooo.” She wanders freely among thoughts like most people do, making private observations to the narrator. It is a habit shared by her mother, who interrupts Isabel’s question about what she and her husband are doing with a brief discourse on her dress and her unfortunately disappointing cleavage, which is her “father’s fault.” And Dad, Mr. Rogers himself, show himself to be a quirky fellow temporarily amazed by the tungsten light bulbs on the theater ceiling: “Japanese things, quite wonderful, they use only a small amount of electricity but give off a very nice light.” The reader is more or less put at ease with this mildly dysfunctional family – normal, harmless, and entertaining. Botton manages to convey all this through their conversations with one another, especially in the second half of the passage, with little help from pure narration.

He does succeed in doing this because, in large part, of his skillful use of language. His word choice is funny because it is purposely understated and occasionally obsequious. When Isabel’s father notices her in the theater, he resolves to make her “cease to dwell in ignorance,” fanciful language that contrasts humorously with his “vigorous hand gestures of a man waving off a departing cruise ship.” The sense of unnecessary distance is used again when her mother shouts at her “with all the excitement of a woman recognizing a long-lost friend on the deck of an incoming cruise ship.” Botton wants to ensure that the reader understands the excessive and embarrassing vocal force they use to catch Isabel’s attention and cause her “panicked diction” and beetroot shade.” These, too, are examples of the vivid adjectives that add life and character to the story.

The dysfunctional situation is described metaphorically as “Spanish domestic drama,” cleverly alluding to the Latin American telenovela. Botton also calls Isabel’s parents frequent reminders to Isabel that should meet as “interval rendezvous” – ironic diction that makes apparent the lack of class and restraint involved in the act. He resorts at other times to blunt language, describing Dad as a “maniac.” The pure variety of Botton’s linguistic devices completely changes a story that can easily be extraordinary banal.

After all, what could be less exciting than a girl with her boyfriend accidentally meeting her parents at the theater? Doubtlessly something similar happens every day. But the very commonness of the event adds a degree of approachability to the story. The reader is comfortable reading it because it is simple and easy to fathom. It is a familiar experience reminiscent of a television sit-com, interspersed with allusions to pop culture – “Spanish domestic drama,” “tungsten bulbs,” – and filled with lifelike characters that think, act, and talk like normal human beings. The reader laughs because the reader sees him or herself in the everyday struggles and discourse of these characters. The reader laughs because he or she is comforted by the universality of the human experience that allows effective self-mockery and self-criticism. (No doubt he or she has lost a parking ticket at some time.) And such is the value of humor and why Botton produces it so well – because it reminds us that we are men and women of flesh and blood.

B Isabel’s situation is one that many people can relate to – a mortifying encounter with parents, complete with embarassing remarks while trying to impress a member of the opposite sex. Botton understands this universality and parlays it into a comedic act by using colloquialism, dialogue, and narration by Isabel that sounds more like sports commentary. In this way, the audience can laugh at the experience they are familiar with.

Botton makes no attempts to formalize his language. Instead of long-winded objective description, he utilizes common phrases like “oh my God,” to anticipate Isabel’s forthcoming humiliation. Isabel herself contributes to the informal tone with her entreaty for her parents to “shut up.” The other characters are interacting as people that are very familiar with one another as they should given the relationship. It is this candid talk that produces comedy because audiences can identify with the banter. When Isabel wonders “Where’s Dad? I hope she didn’t come with one of her gentlemen friends She’s really too old for that,” she is giving personal insight into her family. This becomes amusing because she is not concerned with the audiences standards or societys; in fact she is simply worrying about how stupid her mother could potentially make her look.

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The dialogue between Isabel and her parents also provides material for amusement. Isabel must hold her own as her mother tries hard to embarrass her. “Pity you don’t have more of a cleavage for it, but that’s your father’s fault.” Again, Isabel has been hit with humiliation that she must try to negate in the presence of her boyfriend. The set-up provides for a laugh as the audience sympathizes with Isabel’s probable “beetroot” shade. However Botton takes it further by having Isabel’s mother remark “You know what all the women in his family are like.” The mother’s personal attack on her husband’s family is humorous because she is essentially complementing her own assets. Meanwhile Isabel’s father is trying his best to act oblivious to the entire situation by “looking at the light fixtures. The have “The absurdity of his fascination with something as trivial as “new tungsten bulbs” is comedic on two levels. One that he knows so much regarding the subject, but also because of the underlying purpose of his discussing the topic: to avoid being embroiled in his wife’s conversation.

Isabel is well aware of how to control the situation. She takes attention away from the embarrassment by giving a humorous commentary on her parents actions. After seeing her father she reports that “And he’s about to sneeze. Look, there we go. Aaahhtchooo. Out comes the red handkerchief.” Presumable as she does this, her father is performing the same actions therefore allowing the audience to laugh at how accurately she describes the situation. Furthermore, she even goes so far as to demonstrate her knowledge with onomatopoeia, as she sneezes right along with him. The crux of the humor is in her delivery, because she is able to transform watching her parents with a horse race with her “And they’re off!” tone.

Botton has accurately captured the nuances of such a child-parent encounter. He makes use of visual images that are not conventional, but relatable like Isabel “trying her best not to recognize him,” and the mother’s shout “with all the excitement of a woman recognizing a long-lost friend on the decks of an incoming cruise ship. With these images the audience is able to paint a picture and associate an emotion most likely empathy, so that in essence they are laughing at themselves as they laugh at the characters.

DD In this scene the author successfully produces a comic effect through the use of overstated imagery, contrasting diction, and an ironic ending. The reader understands the absurdity of the characters and their actions which adds to the comic effect.

The overstated description of the parent’s actions creates the humorous imagery specifically the contrast between the classy theater crowd and the uncouth parents describing the audience as “elegantly suited and scented.” The author portrays the dignified manner of the crowd, which contrasts with the “vigorous hand gestures” of the father, or “maniac”. In addition the auditory image of the mother screaming across the auditorium adds to the parents’ almost uncivilized action. The overstated humor in comparing the parents to over-zealous passengers on a cruise ship creates a comic effect.

Not only the imager, but also the changing diction add to the humor of the scene. The first line in the story beginning with “Oh my God . . . “ and the next 21 lines represent simple colloquial diction used by Isabel in describing her parents’ faults. By using short and simple words and sentence structure the author speeds up the pace of the speaker.

With the beginning of the narrator’s description of the parents’ acts, however the diction and syntax become more complex that before, which slows down the narrative pace. The contrast between the two styles adds to the humor because the reader not only hears the trivial conversation between Isabel and her parents but also visualizes with extreme detail the images of the parents’ and Isabel’s reaction.

Finally, the ironic ending also produces comic effect because it emphasizes the absurdity of the characters especially the parents. Isabel humorously characterizes her parents through the hypothetical situation where her dad will get flustered because his wife is mad he lost the parking ticket. At the end of the scene, the reader finds this situation to have come true as the mother laments that she would be fine “if I wasn’t lumbered with someone who kept losing tickets to the car park.” The irony that the daughter’s characterization of her parents comes true adds to the comic effect because it was an unexpected ending but adds to the ridiculousness of the parents.

Thus, through the imagery, diction, and irony, the author creates a truly comic scene between the parents and daughter.

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Figurative Language:Figurative language refers to any language that goes beyond the literal, such as metaphors, similes, and personification. These techniques don’t exist for the sake of a treasure hunt; they exist because they help writers say what they want to say in a way that is vivid and forceful. They provide meaning beyond the denotation of the words, they elicit emotional responses, they add another level of meaning or nuance, and they bring descriptions to life. Figurative language should not simply be added as a decoration or ornamentation to create a more elaborate style. In the best writing, figurative language works subtly to express an idea while opening the work up to interpretation. Remember that identifying and naming examples of figurative language is only a small part of analysis; it is their effect on meaning that is important.

James Baldwin uses an extended metaphor in “Sonny’s Blues” to give his character depth and nuance:

I was scared, scared for Sonny . . . . A great block of ice got settled in my belly and kept melting there slowly all day long, while I taught my classes algebra. It was a special kind of ice. It kept melting, sending trickles of ice water all up and down my veins, but it never got less. Sometimes it hardened and seemed to expand until I felt my guts were going to come spilling out or that I was going to choke or scream. This would always be at a moment when I was remembering some specific thing Sonny had once said or done.

The block of ice is a metaphor for the fear and anxiety the narrator has for his brother, Sonny, but it also hints that, at least at the story’s beginning, the narrator is emotionally cold, and has hardened his heart toward his brother. How that ice of block eventually melts and evaporates is very much a theme of the story.

The following exercises will help you begin to analyze figurative language and understand its effects on meaning and clarity. Remember, it is not enough to simply recognize a technique; the effective close reader should understand how that technique creates layers of meaning and provokes an emotional reaction.

Exercise 1Identify the figurative language in the following selections, and then label each as metaphor, simile, personification, apostrophe, metonymy, and so on. Work in pairs or groups to discuss their effects on the meaning of the passage and the ways in which they evoke a response from the reader.

6. These boys, now, were living as we’d been living then, they were growing up with a rush and their heads bumped abruptly against the low ceiling of their actual possibilities. (“Sonny’s Blues”)

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Response:

7. We dug in. We ate everything there was to eat on the table. We ate like there was no tomorrow. We didn’t talk. We ate. We scarfed. We grazed that table. We were into serious eating. (“Cathedral’)

Response:

8. Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard / Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on. (“Ode on a Grecian Urn”)

Response:

9. England hath need of thee; she is a fen / Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen, / Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower. (“London, 1802”)

Response:

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10. It is dull enough to confuse the eye in following, pronounced enough constantly to irritate and provoke study, and when you follow the lame uncertain curves for a little distance they suddenly commit suicide—plunge off at outrageous angles, destroy themselves in unheard of contradictions. (“The Yellow Wallpaper”)

Response:

Figurative Language:Figurative language refers to any language that goes beyond the literal, such as metaphors, similes, and personification. These techniques don’t exist for the sake of a treasure hunt; they exist because they help writers say what they want to say in a way that is vivid and forceful. They provide meaning beyond the denotation of the words, they elicit emotional responses, they add another level of meaning or nuance, and they bring descriptions to life. Figurative language should not simply be added as a decoration or ornamentation to create a more elaborate style. In the best writing, figurative language works subtly to express an idea while opening the work up to interpretation. Remember that identifying and naming examples of figurative language is only a small part of analysis; it is their effect on meaning that is important.

James Baldwin uses an extended metaphor in “Sonny’s Blues” to give his character depth and nuance:

I was scared, scared for Sonny . . . . A great block of ice got settled in my belly and kept melting there slowly all day long, while I taught my classes algebra. It was a special kind of ice. It kept melting, sending trickles of ice water all up and down my veins, but it never got less. Sometimes it hardened and seemed to expand until I felt my guts were going to come spilling out or that I was going to choke or scream. This would always be at a moment when I was remembering some specific thing Sonny had once said or done.

The block of ice is a metaphor for the fear and anxiety the narrator has for his brother, Sonny, but it also hints that, at least at the story’s beginning, the narrator is emotionally cold, and has hardened his heart toward his brother. How that ice of block eventually melts and evaporates is very much a theme of the story.

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The following exercises will help you begin to analyze figurative language and understand its effects on meaning and clarity. Remember, it is not enough to simply recognize a technique; the effective close reader should understand how that technique creates layers of meaning and provokes an emotional reaction.

Exercise 1Identify the figurative language in the following selections, and then label each as metaphor, simile, personification, apostrophe, metonymy, and so on. Work in pairs or groups to discuss their effects on the meaning of the passage and the ways in which they evoke a response from the reader.

11. These boys, now, were living as we’d been living then, they were growing up with a rush and their heads bumped abruptly against the low ceiling of their actual possibilities. (“Sonny’s Blues”)

Response:

12. We dug in. We ate everything there was to eat on the table. We ate like there was no tomorrow. We didn’t talk. We ate. We scarfed. We grazed that table. We were into serious eating. (“Cathedral’)

Response:

13. Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard / Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on. (“Ode on a Grecian Urn”)

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Response:

14. England hath need of thee; she is a fen / Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen, / Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower. (“London, 1802”)

Response:

15. It is dull enough to confuse the eye in following, pronounced enough constantly to irritate and provoke study, and when you follow the lame uncertain curves for a little distance they suddenly commit suicide—plunge off at outrageous angles, destroy themselves in unheard of contradictions. (“The Yellow Wallpaper”)

Response:

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Exercise 2Following is a passage from “The Yellow Wallpaper.” Identify the figurative language and discuss its effect. Focus on why it adds nuance and complexity to the passage rather than simply ornamentation.

The color is hideous enough, and unreliable enough, and infuriating enough, but the pattern is torturing.

You think you have mastered it, but just as you get well underway in following, it turns a back-somersault and there you are. It slaps you in the face, knocks you down, and tramples upon you. It is like a bad dream.

The outside pattern is a florid arabesque, reminding me of a fungus. If you can imagine a toadstool in joints, and interminable string of toadstools, budding and sprouting in endless convolutions—why, that is something like it.

Response:

Imagery: Reflecting on the writer’s craft, Joseph Conrad wrote, “My task which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel—it is, above all, to make you see. That—and no more, and it is everything.” What Conrad is referring to is called imagery—language that evokes a response in the reader through an appeal to one or more of the senses. Surely you have heard the age-old advice for writers: “Show, don’t tell.” One way for a writer to show is through imagery. It can make the abstract more concrete and thus help the reader experience the poem or story directly through the senses.

The literal meaning of image is “a picture of something.” But in literature, imagery can be language that addresses any of the senses. Visual images are most common, but images can be auditory, appealing to our sense of hearing; olfactory, appealing to our sense of smell; gustatory, appealing

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to our sense of taste; tactile, appealing to our sense of touch; and kinesthetic, appealing to physical sensations such as movement or tension. Essentially, through concrete detail and precise language, imagery mentally reproduces sensations that trigger emotion and memory. You can use these emotions and memories to set a mood, reinforce a theme, or achieve other literary purposes.

Imagery and Figurative Language:

Imagery and figurative language (metaphor, simile, and so on) are close siblings; both help us visualize and experience literature. For our purposes, we’ll make a distinction between the two, acknowledging all the while that they often work together. Imagery is a literal but artful description of how something looks, feels, tastes, smells, and sounds, while figurative language compares two or more things and is not literal. These lines, from Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est,” incorporate both literal imagery and figurative language:

Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,

As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

The imagery in the first line helps us experience what a mustard gas attack would look like through a gas mask. It’s “Dim.” The panes are “misty” and the light is “thick green” as it filters through the mustard gas and is viewed through the tinted lenses of the World War I gas mask. The second line turns the corner from a literal description of the scene to a figurative depiction: it was like being “under a green sea.” In this case, as in many, literal imagery and figurative language work together to get the point across.

Analyzing Patterns of Imagery:Analyzing imagery means not only connecting the image to the context and themes of the story or poem, but also paying attention to the other imagery surrounding it. While a single image will often have a multiplicity of meanings and implications, an author will sometimes use a pattern of similar or contrasting images to point us in the right interpretive direction.

The following passage is from the Iliad. Even though it is a translation, notice how the vivid imagery appeals to the senses:

The glory of armor lit the skies and the whole earth laughed,

rippling under the glitter of bronze, thunder resounding

under trampling feet of armies. And in their midst

the brilliant Achilles began to arm for battle . . .

A sound of grinding came from the fighter’s teeth,

his eyes blazed forth in searing points of fire,

unbearable grief came surging through his heart

and now, bursting with rage against the men of Troy,

he donned Hephaestus’ gifts—magnificent armor

the god of fire forged with all his labor.

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As we read this passage, we see the rippling glitter of bronze, we hear the resounding thunder of trampling feet as the brilliant Achilles begins to arm, we both see and hear the sound of his grinding teeth, we see and feel the heat of his blazing eyes, and Achilles is brought to life. If we follow the pattern of the imagery, we that it is not consistent. Homer contrasts the “glory of armor” with the “thunder[ous] resounding . . . of armies,” the “glitter of bronze” with the “grinding . . . from the fighter’s teeth.” This juxtaposition of the beautiful and the terrible might lead us to an interpretation of what Homer is saying about war and warriors in the Iliad.

The following exercises will help you become familiar with identifying imagery and determining its effect on the meaning of a work of literature.

Exercise 1Discuss the image patterns in the following excerpts. How do they work together to develop a specific mood or meaning? In cases in which the images are dissimilar, how does the contrast contribute to mood or meaning? Also, consider how, in some cases, figurative language works together with the images.

5. They imagined the muzzle against flesh. They imagined the quick, sweet pain, then the evacuation to Japan, then a hospital with warm beds and cute geisha nurses.

They dreamed of freedom birds.

At night, on guard, staring into the dark, they were carried away by jumbo jets. They felt the rush of takeoff. Gone! they yelled. And then velocity, wings and engines, a smiling stewardess—but it was more than a plane, it was a real bird, a big sleek silver bird with feathers and talons and high screeching. They were flying. The weights fell off, there was nothing to bear. They laughed and held on tight, feeling the cold slap of wind and altitude, soaring, thinking It’s over, I’m gone! (“The Things They Carried”—Tim O’Brien)

Response:

6. If you could hear at every jolt, the bloodCome gurgling from the froth-corrupted lungs,Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cudOf vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues. (“Dulce et Decorum Est”—Wilfred Owen)

Response:

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7. Let the boy try along this bayonet-bladeHow cold steel is, and keen with hunger of blood;Blue with all malice, like a madman’s flash;And thinly drawn with famishing for flesh. (“Arms and the Boy”—Wilfred Owen)

Response:

8. I touch the name Andrew Johnson;I see the bobby trap’s white flash.Names shimmer on a woman’s blousebut when she walks awaythe names stay on the wall.Brushstrokes flash, a red bird’swings cutting across my stare. (“Facing It”—Komunyakaa)

Response:

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The Writer’s Craft—Close Reading—The Elements of Style—Special Considerations for Reading Poetry Closely

Reading poetry and fiction closely requires the same careful attention to language, but when you read poetry closely, you will look at some additional elements of style and structure.

RhymeSome poems rhyme and some—those written in free verse—do not. Rhyme at the end of a line is called end rhyme, while rhyme within a line of poetry is called internal rhyme. Eye (or sight) rhymes should be considered in addition to the rhymes you can hear. When an author uses poetic license to rhyme words that do not sound quite the same, it is called near rhyme. Rhyme is usually notated using letters of the alphabet. For instance, a simple quatrain or four-line stanza might rhyme abab, or be arranged as couplets that rhyme aabb. The pattern of rhyme for an entire poem is called its rhyme scheme. It can be useful to consider the effects of rhyme in a poem by charting its rhyme scheme; reading a rhyming poem out loud is also helpful.

MeterThe lines in structured poems often follow a regular pattern of rhythm called a meter. Literally, meter counts the measure of a line, referring to the pattern of stressed or unstressed syllables, combinations of which we call feet. Iambic meter is by far the most common in English. An iamb is a poetic foot of two syllables with the stress, or accent, on the second as in the word “again,” or the phrase “by far.” The two most common metric patterns are iambic pentameter, in which a line consists of five iambic feet, and iambic tetrameter, which means four iambic feet. Read these lines aloud from Housman’s “To an Athlete Dying Young,” and hear its iambic tetrameter rhythm—each one an iambic foot with the emphasis on the second syllable:

The time you won your town the race

We chaired you through the market place.

Try reading it with the emphasis on the first syllable of each foot and see how odd it would sound.

Shakespeare often uses blank verse—that is, unrhymed iambic pentameter. We will be studying blank verse when we read his plays.

FormPoetry is sometimes written in conventional forms that can give you hints about how the structure relates to the meaning of the poem. When you recognize a traditional form, consider whether it maintains the conventions or defies them. When you look at the structure of a poem that is not in a traditional form, try to figure out how it is organized. Is it a narrative, in which the action dictates the structure? Are the stanzas chronological, cause and effect, or question and answer? Look for word or sentence patterns or patterns of imagery that might reveal the relationships among the

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stanzas. Ultimately what you should be on the lookout for is how the structure reinforces the meaning of the poem.

Although poems have many specialized forms, the most common is the sonnet. Traditionally written as love poems, the sonnet form has been used for a wide variety of purposes, including war poems, protest poems, and parodies. Sonnets generally consist of fourteen lines, usually in iambic pentameter.

There are two classic types of sonnet. The Italian, or Petrarchan, sonnet is divided into an octave (eight lines) rhyming abba, abba and a sestet (six lines) with a variety of different thyme schemes: cdcdcd, cdecde, or cddcdd. Traditionally, the octave raises an issue or expresses a doubt, and the sestet resolves the issue or doubt. The shift from the first to the second section is called the “turn.” The English, or Shakespearean, sonnet consists of three four-line stanzas and a couplet at the end. This type of sonnet rhymes abab, cdcd, efef, gg. The third stanza usually provides the turn, and the last two lines often close the sonnet with a witty remark.

Other common traditional forms include

Elegy. A contemplative poem, usually for someone who has died. Lyric. A short poem expressing the personal thoughts or feelings of a first-person speaker. Ode. A form of poetry used to meditate on or address a single object or condition. It

originally followed strict rules of rhythm and rhyme, but by the Romantic Period it was more flexible.

Villanelle. A form of poetry in which five tercets, or three-line stanzas (rhyme scheme aba), are followed by a quatrain (rhyme scheme abaa). At the end of tercets two and four, the first line of tercet one is repeated. These two repeated lines, called refrain lines, are repeated again to conclude the quatrain. Much of the power of this form lies in its repeated lines and their subtly shifting sense or meaning over the course of the poem.

Poetic SyntaxIn addition to looking at the principles of syntax already discussed, when analyzing poetry you will want to be on the lookout for enjambment (also called a run-on line, when one line ends without a pause and must continue into the next line to complete its meaning) and caesura (a pause within a line of poetry, sometimes punctuated, sometimes not). Consider also line length: are the poem’s lines long or short? Do the poem’s lines create a visual pattern?

SoundSound is the musical quality of poetry. It can be created through some of the techniques we’ve already mentioned, such as rhyme, enjambment, and caesura. It can also be created by word choice, especially through alliteration (the repetition of initial consonant sounds in a sequence of words), assonance (the repetition of vowel sounds in a sequence of words), and onomatopoeia (use of a word that refers to a noise and whose pronunciation mimics that noise). Sound can also be created by rhythm and cadence (similar to rhythm, but related to the rise and fall of the voice). Like all of the elements of style, the key to analysis is to connect the sound of the poem to its meaning.

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As with your previous packet (“The Writer’s Craft—Close Reading—The Elements of Style”), the preceding poetic terms and their definitions are meant to be a review of words and terms that you already know and have dealt with in prior courses. If you are unfamiliar with any concept listed here, be sure to ask questions as needed and to review from other sources as much as needed. And although more extensive handouts involving the foregoing will be given to you as we progress from unit to unit, you are expected to have a basic knowledge of these terms and concepts and are expected to be able to begin analyzing for them in the literature we will study.

Attached is a handout with a list of questions that you can ask of any poem. Keep it in your notebook as a separate source and be able to refer to it in class and when reading on your own, as needed.

Exercise 2Read John Keats’s sonnet “Bright Star, would I were steadfast as thou art—,” and using the preceding list of questions for analysis, prepare a response for our next class meeting. You do not have to type this response.

John Keats (1795–1821).  The Poetical Works of John Keats.  1884.

 

59. Bright star! would I were steadfast as thou art 

 

BRIGHT star! would I were steadfast as thou art—

  Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night,

And watching, with eternal lids apart,

  Like Nature’s patient sleepless Eremite,

The moving waters at their priestlike task         5

  Of pure ablution round earth’s human shores,

Or gazing on the new soft fallen mask

  Of snow upon the mountains and the moors—

No—yet still steadfast, still unchangeable,

  Pillow’d upon my fair love’s ripening breast,         10

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To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,

  Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,

Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,

And so live ever—or else swoon to death.

finis

Response:

Rhythm is a quality of all high art. There is rhythm in painting and sculpture and in the curves and dips, which recur and repeat each other. There is rhythm obviously in the dance -the graceful flow of motion from finger to toe, involving every part of the body in patterned movement. There is rhythm in music, beaten out perhaps by the drum or bass and inviting the listener to tap his foot in time to it. There is rhythm in well-written prose, where the lines flow gracefully and in cadenced movement rather than proceeding spasmodically. In fact, there is rhythm in almost all-human activity when it is performed well, whether it is rowing a boat, skipping a rope, swinging an ax, raking a yard, or doing some repetitive activity on an assembly line. The poor performer operates jerkily and clumsily, while the efficient performer operates smoothly, with a certain recurrent and measured motion in space and time. There is rhythm even in breathing -the act of life itself. All good poetry is rhythmical and a major part of the best poetry has been composed in meter or ordered rhythm. In pronouncing all words or phrases of more than one syllable, certain syllables are given heavier stress of accent than others. Meter arranges these stresses so that they recur with certain regularity. It separates the stresses with a more or less fixed number of unstressed syllables. Meter thus imposes order on language, which is spoken or read aloud. It gives language an oral and aural pattern. Meter means measure, and metrical language may be measured by the number of feet in each line. However, perfect regularity n meter is not usually desirable. The uniformity of "tick-tock, tick-tock" or "pocketa-pocketa-pocketa" suggests machinery rather than the organic rhythm of life. A poem, which continues for long periods with such mechanical regularity, would soon become monotonous. The good poet seeks repetition with variety, which reflects the subject and content of the poem thereby reinforcing the meaning of the words he is using. He can do this either by making the meter emphasize the words that are important to the poem's meaning or by making the movement of the lines correspond to the mood or movement of their content. Meter is

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pleasurable for its own sake as evidenced by the pleasure all children take in nonsense verse. If skillfully used, it may serve as an emotional stimulus and may heighten the reader’s attention to what the poem is saying, i.e. mood, atmosphere, etc. It can also increase the expressive power of language by adapting the sound and to its content and meaning

Poetry has a primal and historical relationship to music. However, with music the instruments that accompany the lyrics, whereas in poetry the human voice becomes the initiator of rhythm, ordinarily generate the rhythm. Consciously or unconsciously, everyone uses a rhythm of stress and unstressed emphasis when speaking. Otherwise, all humans would sound like robots.

I. Meter: A. Meter is pleasurable for its own sake as evidenced by the universal pleasure that

children take in purely nonsense verses.

B. If skillfully used, meter serves as an emotional stimulus and may heighten the reader’s

attention to what the poem is saying, i.e. mood; atmosphere, etc.

C. If skillfully used, meter can increase the expressive power of language by adapting the

sound and movement to its content.

D. In other words, by his choice of basic meter and by his departures from perfect

regularity within the meter, the poet may reinforce the meanings of the words he or she is using. He can do this in two ways: 1. by making the meter emphasize words that are important to the poem’s meaning; and 2. by making the movement of the lines correspond to the mood or movement of their content.

E. Poetry has a primal and historical relationship to music. Whereas in music the instru-

ments generally generate rhythm; in poetry the human voice becomes the initiator of rhythm. Consciously or unconsciously, everyone uses a rhythm of stressed and un- stressed emphasis on syllables when speaking. Otherwise, we would all sound like robots.

Examples:

divide abrupt return

labor mental window

apropos interrupt overjoyed

poetry yesterday thirstily

VERSE has both meter and rhyme. BLANK VERSE has meter but no rhyme. FREE VERSE has only the natural cadence of speech.

F. Metric Pattern – the accents of the syllables in the words that fall at regular intervals

creating a rhythm like the beat of music. Dumm is accented and de is unaccented.

1. Iambic - de Dumm2. Trochaic - Dumm de3. Anapestic - de de Dumm4. Dactylic - Dumm de de

G. Metric feet – The beat of poetry “feet” is called meter. One metric pattern equals one foot of poetry. The number of feet in a line is expressed as follows:

1. One foot – monometer

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2. Two feet – dimeter3. Three feet – trimeter 4. Four feet – tetrameter5. Five feet – pentameter6. Six feet – hexameter7. Seven feet – heptameter8. Eight feet – octameter9. Nine feet – nonameter

*Note: Sometimes a pause (caesura) may take the place of an unaccented syllable

*Marking lines of poetry to show the number of feet is called scansion.

H. Examples of verse:

1. Iambic –

“O where have you been Lord Randal, my son?

O where have you been my handsome your man?” Anonymous

“And now there came both mist and snow

And it grew wondrous cold;

And ice, mast high, came floating by

As green as emerald. (Imperfect rhyme)

“But soft what light through yonder window breaks!” – Shakespeare

2. Trochaic -

Jenny kissed me when we met,

Jumping from the chair she sat in.” - Hunt

“Tyger, Tyger, burning bright”

In the forest of the night” – Blake

Go and catch a falling star” – Donne

3. Anapestic –

“When a man hath no freedom to fight for at home,

Let him combat for that of his neighbors;

Let him think of the glories of Greece and Rome

And get knocked on his head for his labors.”

“Oh young Lochinvar is come out of the West, --

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Through all the wide Border his steed was the best,

And save his good broadsword he weapons had none. – Scott

“Now this is the Law of the Jungle /as old and as true as the sky,

And the Wolf that shall deep it may prosper / but the wolf that shall break it must die.” – Kipling

4. Dactylic –

“Maggie and Millie and Molly and May,” - Cummings

“Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean, /

Tears from the depth of some divine despair.” - Tennyson

“Pussycat, pussycat, where have you been?” – Mother Goose

“Take her up tenderly,

Lift her with care

Fashioned so slenderly

Young and so fair.” – Thomas Hood

* Scansion is the analysis of these mechanical elements within a poem to determine meter. Feet are marked off with slashes (/) and accented appropriately (/-stress and unstressed)

“Because/I could/not stop/for Death

He kind/ly stopped/ for me

The car/riage held/but just/ourselves

And im/mortality. – Emily Dickinson

Iambic and anapestic meters are called rising meters because their movement rises from an unstressed syllable or syllables to stressed. Trochaic and dactylic meters are called falling meters. Also called feet, though they contain no unaccented syllables are the monosyllabic foot (/) and the spondee (//).

Example: “To the freight cars in the air / all the slow / clank clank / clank clank/ moving about the treetops.” William Carlos Williams – “The Descent of Winter”

II. Sound Devices - Melody:

A. Rhyme – a condition where two words have the same sound on their last accented vowel(s) but are preceded by different consonants.

1. Single rhyme - late, date; rate, bait; grim, slim

2. Double rhyme – battle, rattle; tattle, cattle; flavor, savor

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3. Triple rhyme – discovering, uncovering, recovering; remember, September

4. Imperfect rhyme or eye rhyme or slant rhyme is that which appears visually to rhyme, but

when actually spoken does not. Ex. touch – couch, cough – tough, good – mood

5. Internal rhyme – a situation where a word inside the line of poetry rhymes with the

end word. Ex. “Let’s beat the heat.”

“The splendour falls on castle walls / And snowy summits old in story; /

The long light shakes across the lakes / and the wild cataract leaps in glory.”

B. Alliteration – the repetition of consonant or vowel sound at the beginnings of the words

in a line of verse.

Ex. The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew;

The furrow followed free.

Or The Austrian army, awfully array’d

Boldly by battery besieged Belgrade

C. Assonance – The repetition of vowel sounds in stressed syllables that end with

different consonant sounds.

Ex. Swift Camilla skims the silken sea.

“Doctor Bell fell down the well, / And broke his collar bone.”

While in the wild wood I did lie, / A child—with most knowing eye. (Poe)

D. Consonance – the repetition of consonant sounds at the end of or in the middle of words in a line of poetry. The consonant sounds are similar, but the vowels which precede them differ – add read, bed; bill ball, bowl;

Freezing breezes easily cause sneezes.

“Orthodox, Orthodox, who believe in John Knox,

Let me sound an alarm to your conscience:

There’s a heretic blast has blown I’ the wast,

‘That what is not sense must be nonsense.’”

E. Onomatopoeia – a blending of consonant and vowel sounds designed to imitate or suggest a situation or action. In English many words are echoic in origin – that is they verbally echo the action they describe.

Ex. buzz, pop, hiss, slap, sweep, meow, etc.

F. Euphony is the use of compatible, harmonious sounds in close conjunction to produce a pleasing effect. Consonants that have a mellifluous sound are known as “liquids” and are l, m, n, r, s, and the soft v and f sounds along with the semivowels w and y. Vowels are generally more pleasing than are consonants; the long vowels are generally more resonant that are the short ones.

G. Cacophony is the use of harsh, inharmonious sounds in close conjunction for a sharp effect. Examples of consonants that are cacophonous are the “plosives,” such as b, d, g, k, p, and t.

Ex. “True ease in writing comes from art, not chance, / as those move easiest who have learned to dance. / 'Tis not enough no harshness gives offense, / The sound must seem an

echo to the sense.” – Pope

“Or, my scrofulous French novel / on grey paper with blunt type!” - Browning107

II. Rhyme

A. Rhyme Scheme: The pattern in which the rhyming occurs in a stanza or poem.

“The time I’ve lost in wooing a

In watching and pursuing a

The light that lies b

In woman’s eyes b

Has been my heart’s undoing” a

B. Poetry with End-stopped rhyme has a natural pause at the end of a line as indicated by punctuation as well as by meaning.

“I eat my peas with honey –

I’ve done it all my life.

It makes the peas taste funny,

But it keeps them on my knife.” - Anonymous

C. Enjambment is the continuation of the sense and grammatical construction of a verse on to

the next line without a pause.

“A line can be end-stopped, just like this one,

Or it can show enjambment, just like this

One, where the sense straddles two lines, you feel

As if from shore you’d stepped into a boat.”

Ex. “With just enough of a breeze for him to ride it

Lazily, a hawk sails still winged

Up the slope of stubble covered hill.”

IV Figurative Language (imagery) – in a literal sense it means a collection of images in a literary work created with words. Generally, imagery comes as a figure of speech and is usually called figurative language; it is designed to help the reader visualize something in the work. There are many kinds of images, but they may be divided generally into either comparisons or exaggerations.

A. Comparisons

1. Simile – a figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared.

a, “The Assyrians came down like a wolf on the fold.” – George Gordon, Lord Byron

b. “Our throats were tight as tourniquets.”

c. “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” – Mohammad Ali

2. Metaphor – a figure of speech involving the direct comparison of two unlike objects. A metaphor may be literal (named) or implied

a. “All the world’s a stage.” - Shakespeare

b. “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player who struts and frets his hour on the

stage and then is heard no more.” – Shakespeare

c. “Death is the broom I take in my hands / To sweep the world clean.” – L. Hughes

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Conceit – an extended metaphor comparing two unlike objects with a powerful effect; it owes its roots to elaborate analogies in Petrarch and to the metaphysical poets, particularly Donne.

Example – “Valediction Forbidding Mourning” – John Donne

3. Personification – giving human qualities to nonhuman objects, concepts, or animals.

a. “The hands of the clock,” “The foot of a mountain,” “Cruel the storm tonight,”

b “When it comes, the landscape listens, / Shadows hold their breath.” - Dickinson

c. “Slowly, Silently, now the moon

Walks the night in her silver shoon; (shoes)

This way and that, she peers and sees

Silver fruit upon silver trees; - Walter De La Mare “Silver”

d. “Into the jaws of death; / Into the mouth of Hell.” “Charge of the Light Brigade”

4. Antithesis – a figure of speech in which opposing or contrasting ideas are balanced against each other in grammatically parallel syntax and used for effect:

a. “Man proposes; God disposes.”

b. “Art is long; time is fleeting.

c. “Ask not what your country can do for you; / as what you can do for your country.” J. F. Kennedy

d. “There is no king who has not had a slave among his ancestors, and no slave who has not had a king among his.” – Helen Keller

5. Apostrophe – an address to some abstract quality or quantity or to a nonexistent personage“

a. “O Captain, My Captain, our fearful trip is done.” - Whitman

b. “The sky is changed! – and such a change! Oh night,

And storm, and darkness, ye are wondrous strong.” - Byron

c. “Little lamb who made thee?” - Blake

6. Literary Allusion – referring metaphorically to persons, places, or things from other

literature that the writer assumes the reader will recognize such as:

a. “Tom’s fall occurred when he accepted Satan’s offer.”

b. “Chocolate is my Waterloo.”

C “Oh, not by sun and not by cloud

And not by whippoorwill, crying loud,

And not by the pricking of my thumbs,

Do I know the way that summer comes. – Phyllis McGinley “Season at the Shore”

B. Exaggerations:

1. Hyperbole – conscious exaggeration that is used without the intent of literal persuasion but used instead for emphasis.

a. “I put my foot in my mouth.”

b. “He wore his fingers to the bone,”109

c. “I’ve told you a million times.”d. “I grieve and dare not show my discontent, / I love and yet am forced to seem to hate, / I do, yet

dare not say I ever meant, / I seem stark mute but inwardly to prate, / I am and not, I freeze and yet am burned, / Since from myself another self I turned.” “On Monsieur’s Departure” – Queen Elizabeth

2. Understatement – saying less than is true or Litotes – a form of understatement in which the negative of an antonym is used to achieve emphasis.

a. Her face is not unpleasing. (Litotes)

b. “The grave’s a fine and private place, But none, I think, do there embrace.” Herrick (Litotes)

c. Losing his job meant he could sleep late. (understatement)

c. “A man who holds his hand for half an hour in a lighted fire will experience a sensation of excessive and disagreeable warmth.” – Artemus Ward (understatement)

3. Irony – a statement that means the opposite of what it appears to mean.

a. “I just love to stay home and wash my hair on Saturday night!”

b. (On a stormy day.) Nice day, Huh?

c. “The Golf Links be so near the mill / That almost every day, / The laboring

children can look out / and see the men at play.” – Sara Cleghorn

d. “You picked a fine time to leave me Lucille!” – some country singer

e. “I saw a jolly hunter / With a jolly gun / Walking in the country / In the jolly sun. In the jolly meadow / Sat a jolly hare. / Saw jolly hunter. / Took jolly care. / Hunter jolly eager- / Sight of jolly prey. / Forgot gun pointing / Wrong jolly way. / Jolly hunter’s jolly head / Over heels gone. / Jolly old safety catch / Not jolly on. / Bang went the jolly gun. / Jolly hunter dead. / Jolly hare got clean away. / Jolly good I said.“ Charles Causley “ I Saw a Jolly Hunter.”

4. Paradox and Oxymoron – a paradox is a statement containing two seemingly contradictory terms, which put together may contain an element of truth. A short paradox is often called an oxymoron.

a. “The child is father of the man.”

b. “She was too tired to sleep.”c. “The longest way round is the shortest way home.” Edward Albee

d. Oxymorons – mute cry, guest host, freezer burn

5. Synecdoche – a trope or a metaphor in which a part signifies the whole or the whole stands for the part.

a. “The rancher had twenty thousand head of cattle on the ranch.”

b. “The tickets cost twenty dollars a head.”c. “Give us this day our daily bread.”d. “When their neighbor’s party became violent, they called in the law.”

6. Metonymy – a figure of speech characterized not the naming of the object itself, but

by a substitution of another word for the name of the object.

a. “The pot is boiling.”

b. “The subjects came to pay tribute to the crown.”

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c. “A little rule, a little sway, / A sunbeam on a winter’s day / Is all the proud and mighty have / Between the cradle and the grave.” “Grongar Hill” - John Dyer

V. Stanza Forms: The stanza is the basic organizational principle of most formal poetry.

A. Couplets – Two lines of poetry, any meter, any length with rhyme. “The Ballad of Dick Turpin”

B. Heroic Couplets consist of two rhyming lines of iambic pentameter, the first ending with a light pause, the second more heavily end-stopped.

“As I in hoary winter’s night stood shivering in the snow.

Surprised I was with sudden heat which made my heart to glow.”

C. Tercets – three lines of poetry.

“Julius Caesar,

The Roman Geezer,

Squashed his wife with a lemon squeezer.”

D. Terza Rima consists of tercets linked together by the rhyme scheme aba, bcb, cdc, ded, efe, and so on.

“In moving-slow he has no Peer. / You ask him something in his ear; / He thinks about

it for a Year;

And, then, before he says a Word / There, upside down (unlike a Bird) / He will

assume that you have Heard - “The Sloth” by Theodore Rothke

E. Quatrain – four lines of poetry

“A quatrain has four lines

As one can plainly see;

One of its strict designs

Comes rhymed abab.”

Ballad Quatrain – four line stanzas with the rhyme scheme abab, and the first and third lines are iambic tetrameter and the second and fourth lines are iambic trimeter.

F. Five lines – Rare: usually not a legitimate form (limericks do not count as real poetry.)

G. Six lines – Sestet – often three sets of couplets

“In the garden there strayed

A beautiful maid

As fair as the flower of the morn;

The first hour of her life,

She was made a man’s wife,

And was buried before she was born.

H. Septet is seven lines of poetry.I. “Rhyme Royal is a stanza form of seven

Pentameter, which Chaucer filled with scenes

From Troilus and Criseyde and with heaven—

Sent birdsongs in the Parlment, its means,

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More limited than are The Faerie Queen’s

“Royal”? – from a poem by Scotland’s first King James.

(Some scholars differ; so it is with names.”

J. Octet is an eight line of poetry stanza or the first eight lines of a sonnet, especially one structured in the manner of the Italian (Petrarchan) sonnet

K. Spenserian Stanza – eight lines of iambic pentameter followed by six lines of iambic hexameterL. “A true Spenserian stanza wakes up well

With what will seem a quatrain first; in time

The third line rings its “a” rhyme like a bell,

The fourth, its “b” resounding like a dime

In a pay telephone—this paradigm

Demonstrating, the kind of interlocking

Of quatrains doubling back on the same rhyme

End is alexandrine, gently rocking

The stanza back to sleep, lest the close be too shocking.

L. Sonnets – A sonnet is always fourteen lines of iambic pentameter.

1. The Italian or Petrarchan Sonnet consists of eight lines (octet) of iambic pentameter followed by six lines (sestet) of the same. The rhyme scheme is (abba abba) (cde cde) or (cd cd ee).

2. The Elizabethan sonnet consists of three quatrains followed by a couplet. The rhyme scheme is (abab cdcd efef gg).

VI. Kinds of Poetry:A. Narrative - This kind of poetry tells a story and grew out of the need of whole nations of people for

entertainment and for a means of “recording” and “transmitting” accounts of important events.1. Epic – a long poem about some hero or about a group of people along with a description of their

morals, values, and customs. Ex. “The Odyssey” – Homer2. Metrical romance – a romantic tale of adventure, love, chivalry, and deeds of bravery and

chance told in verse. This is a form most popular in the Middle Ages. Ex. “Lady of Shalott” – Tennyson

3. Ballad – a short story told in verse and easily set to music, often using a refrain. It often has an abrupt beginning, simple language; the story is told through dialogue and action. The theme is often tragic. Ex. “Danny Deever” - Kipling

4. Fable – a short story told in verse containing a moral and usually about animals. Ex. “An Ant on the Tablecloth” – Frost

B. Lyric poetry is verse whose sole purpose is the expression of an individual’s emotions, mood, experiences, or attitude. It is usually short and musical and may appear in the form of an ode, elegy, or sonnet. This form of poetry is more like a snapshot than an entire story.1. Ode – a short poem of elaborate metrical form expressing exalted, dignified, or lyrical feelings

and which pays tribute to a thing of beauty or interest. Ex, “Ode to the West Wind” Shelly2. Elegy – a poem of mourning, usually over the death of an individual. It may also be a lament

over the passing of life or beauty or a meditation on the nature of death.Ex. “In Memoriam” – Tennyson

3. Epigram – a short, witty, pointed statement in the form of a poem. Ex. “I am his Highness dog at Kew; / Pray tell me, sir, whose dog are you? - Pope

4. Au bade – poem about dawn; a morning love song; or a poem about the parting of lovers at dawn. Ex. “Au bade” – Phillip Larkin

5. Pastoral - poem dealing with country life (shepherds) Ex. “A Passionate Shepherd to his Love.” - Marlow

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6. Dramatic lyric – poem consisting of one character speaking to one or more listeners whose replies are not given in the poem. Ex. “Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” – Eliot

7. Epitaph – an inscription on a gravestone or a short poem in memory of someone who has died. Ex. “In Memoriam” – Tennyson

VII. StylesA. Classical poetry is quite formal in treatment, highly structured, with elevated vocabulary.B. Romantic poetry is imaginative, deals with nature, love, adventure but has strict metrical patterns.C. Realistic poetry candidly presents everyday life with no glossing.D. Psychological poetry is concerned with man’s inner thoughts, needs, and motivations.E. Abstract poetry is highly symbolic and contains the poet’s own personal views.

© Shirley Counsil

SENSORY WORD LIST

Sight Words Sound Words Touch Words Taste and Smell Words

Radiant Raucous Prickly Salty

Coppery Roar Dry Sugary

Lofty Bleat Ridged Fermented

Lanky Babble Gritty Acidic

Scrawny Trumpet Dank Fruity

Sashay Whisper Clammy Tart

Creep Clanging Satiny Savory

Shuffle Serenade Bristly Scorched

Miserable Giggle Gnarled Zesty

Skulking Pulsing Powdery Meaty

Merry Grating Oily Charred

Oval Lilting Waxy Putrid

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Spinning Squeal Crumpled Smoky

Puffy Chatter Downy Medicinal

Stout Bray Woolly Biting

Miniature Sputter Frozen Earthy

Gargantuan Boisterous Velvety Musty

Slight Clank Scorching Floral

Dense Creak Slippery Fragrant

Stiff Ringing Sticky Woodsy

Waddle Thunderous Yielding Nutty

Sullen Uproarious Icy spicy

“I taste liquor never brewed” DickinsonI taste liquor never brewed, From tankards scooped in pearl; Not all the vats upon the Rhine Yield such an alcohol!

Inebriate of air am I, 5 And debauchee of dew, Reeling, through endless summer days, From inns of molten blue.

When landlords turn the drunken bee Out of the foxglove’s door, 10 When butterflies renounce their drams, I shall but drink the more!

Till Seraphs swing their snowy hats, And saints to windows run, To see the little tippler 15 Leaning against the sun.

“Miniver Cheevy”

Miniver Cheevy, child of scorn, Grew lean while he assailed the seasons;

He wept that he was ever born, And he had reasons.

Miniver loved the days of old, 5 When swords were bright and steeds were prancing; The vision of a warrior bold Would set him dancing.

Miniver sighed for what was not,, And dreamed and rested from his labors; 10 He dreamed of Thebes and Camelot, And Pram’s neighbors.

Miniver mourned the ripe renown That made so many a name so fragrant; He mourned Romance now on the town, 15 And Art, a vagrant.

Miniver loved the Medici, Albeit he had never seen one; He would have sinned incessantly, Could he have been one. 20

Miniver cursed the commonplace, And eyed a khaki suit with loathing;

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He missed the medieval grace Of iron clothing.

Miniver scorned the gold he sought, 25 But sore annoyed was he without it; Miniver thought and thought and thought, And thought about it.

Miniver Cheevy, born too late, Scratched his head and kept on thinking’ 30 Miniver coughed, and called it fate, And kept on drinking.

Sonnet 73 - Shakespeare

That time of year thou may’st in me behold When yellow leaves or none, or few, do hang Upon these bough which shake against the cold, Bare ruined choirs where late the sweet bird sang.

In me thou see’st the twilight of such day 5 As after sunset fadeth in the west; Which by and by’ black night doth take away, Death’s second self that seals up all in rest.

In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire, That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, 10 As the deathbed whereon it must expire, Consumed by that which it was nourished by.

This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong, To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

“I Am A Rock”

A winter’s day, In a deep and dark December; I am alone, Gazing from my window to the streets below On a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow. I am A Rock; I am an Island.

I’ve built walls, A fortress deep and mighty, That none may penetrate, I have no need of friendship; Friendship causes pain; It’s laughter and it’s loving I disdain. I am a Rock; I am an Island.

Don’t talk of love, But I’ve heard the words before; It’s sleeping in my memory. I won’t disturb the slumber of feelings That have died. If I never loved I never would have cried.

I am a Rock; I am an Island.

I have my books And my poetry to protect me; I am shielded in my armor, Hiding in my room, safe within my womb, I touch no one and no one touches me. I am a Rock; I am an Island. And a rock feels no pain, And an island never cries.

“Delight in Disorder” – HerrickA sweet disorder in the dress Kindles in clothes a wantonness. A lawn about the shoulders thrown Into a fine distraction.

An erring lace, which here and there 5 Enthralls a crimson stomacher, A cuff neglectful, and thereby Ribbons to flow confusedly,

A winning wave, deserving note, In the tempestuous petticoat. 10 A careless shoestring, in whose tie I see a wild civility,

Do bewitch me than when art Is too precise in every part.

“One Art” - Bishop

The art of losing isn’t hard to master; so many things seem filled with the intent to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster of lost door keys, the hour badly spent, 5 the art of losing isn’t hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster places, names, and where it was you meant to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother’s watch. And look! My last, or 10 next-to-last, of three loved houses went. The art of losing isn’t hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent I miss them, but it wasn’t a disaster. 20

--Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture I love) I shan’t have lied. It’s evident the art of losing’s not too hard to master Though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.

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“Success is Counted Sweetest” – DickinsonSuccess is counted sweetest By those who ne’er succeed. To comprehend a nectar Requires sorest need.

Not one of all the purple host 5 Who took the flag today Can tell the definition So clear, of victory,

As he, defeated, dying,

On whose forbidden ear 10 The distant strains of triumph Break, agonized and clear.

Sound and Sense - PopeTrue ease in writing comes from art, not chance, As those who move easiest who have learned to dance. ‘Tis not enough no harshness gives offense, The sound must seem an echo to the sense:

Soft is the strain when Zephyr gently blows, And the smooth stream in smoother numbers flows; But when loud surges lash the sounding shore, The hoarse, rough verse should like the torrent roar;

When Ajax strives some rock’s vast weight to throw The line too labors, and the words move slow; Not so, when swift Camilla scours the plain, 15 Flies o’er the unbending corn, and skims along the main, Hear how Timotheus’ varied lays surprise, And bid alternate passions fall and rise!

“Terrence this is stupid stuff: You eat your victuals fast enough, There can’t be much amiss, ‘tis clear, To see the rate you drink your beer. But ho, good Lord, the verse you make; 5 It gives a chap the belly-ache. The cow, the old cow, she is dead. It sleeps well, the horned head. We poor lads, ‘tis our turn now To hear such tunes as killed the cow. 10 Pretty friendship ‘tis to rhyme Your friends to death before their time. Moping, melancholy mad: Come, pipe a tune to dance to, lad.”

Why if ‘tis dancing you would be, 15 There’s brisker pipes than poetry. Say, for what were hop-yards meant, Or why was Burton built on Trent? Oh, many a peer of England brews Livelier liquor than the Muse, 20 And malt does more than Milton can

To justify God’s ways to man. Ale, man, ale’s the stuff to drink For fellows whom it hurts to think: Look into the pewter pot 25 To see the world as the world’s not. And faith, ‘tis pleasant till ‘tis past: The mischief is that ‘twill not last. Oh, I have been to Ludlow fair And left my necktie God knows where, 30 And carried half-way home, or near, Pints and quarts of Ludlow beer: Then the world seemed none so bad And I myself a sterling lad; And down in lovely much I’ve lain, 35 Happy till I woke again. Then I saw the morning sky: --- Heighho, the tale was all a lie; The world, it was the old world yet.I was I; my things were wet. 40 And nothing now remained to do But begin the game anew.

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Therefore, since the world has still Much good, but much less good than ill, And while the sun and moon endure 45 Luck’s a chance, but trouble’s sure. I’d face it as a wise man would, And train for ill and not for good. ‘Tis true, the stuff I bring for sale Is not so brisk a brew as ale: 50 Out of a stem that scored the hand I wrung it in a weary land. But take it; if the smack is sour, The better for the embittered hour; It should do good to heart and head 55 When your soul is in my soul’s stead; And I will friend you, if I may, In the dark and cloudy day.

There was a king reigned in the East There, where kings will sit to feast. 60 They get their fill before they think With poisoned meat and poisoned drink. He gathered all that spring to birth From the many venomed earth; First a little; then to more, 65 He sampled all the killing store; And easy, smiling, seasoned sound, Sate the king when healths went round. They put arsenic in his meat And stared aghast to watch him eat; 70 They poured strychnine in his cup And shook to see him drink it up: They shook, they stared as white their shirt; Them it was their poison hurt. -- I tell the tale I heard told. 70 Mithridates, he died old.

Read the above work slowly, stopping to think about what you have read. This work may need to be read line by line. “Terrance is Housman’s name for himself; what do you think the “stupid stuff” is?

1. Identify the two speakers in the poem? What complaint does the first speaker make? What does the second speaker answer?

2. What is the tone of the work? Explain the poetic conventions (rhyme, meter, verse, structure, etc.)3. Find the various allusions and explain what they add to the meaning of the work.4. Briefly explain the section beginning, “Oh I have been to Ludlow fair . . . “ 5. Identify the similes and metaphors and explain how they add meaning and give insight to the work.

*King who lived in 61 BC, and it is reported that he had taken small doses of poison in order to build immunity against his enemies who might attempt to poison him.

“Swan and Shadow” by John Hollander   

          Dusk

        Above the

  water hang the

                loud

                flies

            Here

          O so

          gray

          then

        What              A pale signal will appear

        When            Soon before its shadow fades

      Where        Here in this pool of opened eye

          In us    No Upon us As at the very edges

          of where we take shape in the dark air

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            this object bares its image awakening

            ripples of recognition that will

              brush darkness up into light

even after this bird this hour both drift by atop the perfect sad instant now

              already passing out of sight

            toward yet-untroubled reflection

          this image bears its object darkening

        into memorial shades Scattered bits of

        light    No of water Or something across

      water        Breaking up No Being regathered

      soon          Yet by then a swan will have

        gone                Yes out of mind into what

          vast

          pale

            hush

              of a

              place

                past

sudden dark as

        if a swan

            sang

2010 AP® ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION FREE-RESPONSE

SECTION II Total time—2 hours: Question 1(Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.)Each of the two poems below is concerned with a young man at the age of twenty-one, traditionally the age of adulthood. Read the two poems carefully. Then write a well-organized essay in which you compare and contrast the poems, analyzing the poetic techniques, such as point of view and tone, that each writer uses to make his point about coming of age.

To Sir John Lade, on His Coming of Age(‘A Short Song of Congratulation’)Long-expected one and twentyLingering year at last is flown,Pomp and pleasure, pride and plenty,Great Sir John, are all your own.

5 Loosened from the minor’s tether,Free to mortgage or to sell,

Wild as wind, and light as feather,Bid the slaves of thrift farewell.

Call the Bettys, Kates, and Jennys,10 Every name that laughs at care,Lavish of your grandsire’s guineas,Show the spirit of an heir.

All that prey on vice and follyJoy to see their quarry fly,

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15 Here the gamester light and jolly,There the lender grave and sly.

Wealth, Sir John, was made to wander,Let it wander as it will;See the jockey, see the pander,

When I Was One-and-TwentyWhen I was one-and-twentyI heard a wise man say,‘Give crowns and pounds and guineasBut not your heart away;5 Give pearls away and rubiesBut keep your fancy free.’But I was one-and-twenty,

No use to talk to me.When I was one-and-twenty10 I heard him say again,‘The heart out of the bosomWas never given in vain;’Tis paid with sighs a plentyAnd sold for endless rue.’15 And I am two-and-twenty,And oh, ’tis true, ’tis true.

1896 —A. E. Housman (1859–1936)

Bid them come, and take their fill.

When the bonny blade carousesPockets full, and spirits high,What the acres? What are houses?Only dirt, or wet or dry.

If the guardian or the motherTell the woes of will waste, Scorn their counsel and their pother,*You can hang or drown at last.

1780 —Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)* fuss

AP® ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION 2010 SCORING GUIDELINES (Form B)© 2010 The College Board. Question 1(Samuel Johnson and A. E. Housman)The score reflects the quality of the essay as a whole — its content, style and mechanics. Students are rewarded for what they do well. The score for an exceptionally well-written essay may be raised by 1 pointabove the otherwise appropriate score. In no case may a poorly written essay be scored higher than a 3.

9–8 These essays offer a persuasive analysis of the two poets’ use of literary techniques to make their points about coming of age. The writers of these essays offer a range of interpretations; theyprovide convincing readings that compare and contrast the two poems and analyze the poetic techniques used in each. They demonstrate consistent and effective control over the elements of composition in language appropriate to the analysis of poetry. Their textual references are apt and specific. Though they may not be error-free, these essays are perceptive in their analysis and demonstrate writing that is clear and sophisticated, and in the case of a score of 9, especially persuasive.

7–6 These competent essays offer a reasonable analysis of the two poets’ use of literary techniques to make their points about coming of age. They are less thorough or less precise in their comparisons of and contrast between the poems, and their analysis of the poetic techniques is less convincing, than essays in the top 119

scoring range. These essays demonstrate the student’s ability to express ideas clearly, making references to the text, although they do not exhibit the same level of effective writing as the 9–8 responses. Although essays scored 7–6 are generally well written, those scored a 7 demonstrate more sophistication in both substance and style.

5 These essays may respond to the assigned task with a plausible reading of the two poets’ use of literary techniques to make their points about coming of age, but they may be superficial in their analysis of the points. They often rely on paraphrase but paraphrase that contains some analysis, implicit or explicit. Their analysis of the poems’ views about coming of age or of their poetic techniques may be vague, formulaic or minimally supported by references to the text. There may be minor misinterpretations of the poems. These students demonstrate some control of language, but the writing may be marred by surface errors. These essays are not as well conceived, organized or developed as 7–6 essays.

4–3 These lower-half essays fail to offer an adequate analysis that compares and contrasts the two poems. The analysis may be partial, unconvincing or irrelevant, or may ignore the meanings attributed to coming of age in the poems or their use of techniques. Evidence from the poems may be slight or misconstrued, or the essays may rely on paraphrase only. The writing often demonstrates a lack of control over the conventions of composition: inadequate development of ideas, accumulation of errors, or a focus that is unclear, inconsistent or repetitive. Essays scored a 3 may contain significant misreading or demonstrate inept writing or both.

2–1 These essays compound the weaknesses of the papers in the 4–3 range. Although there may be some attempt to respond to the prompt, the student’s assertions are presented with little clarity, organization or support from the poems. These essays may contain serious errors in grammar and mechanics. They may offer a complete misreading or be unacceptably brief. Essays scored a 1 contain little coherent discussion of the poems.

0 These essays do no more than make a reference to the task.

⎯ These essays are either left blank or are completely off topic.

AP English Literature and Composition – Form B, Question 1, 2010

A Coming of age at last and finally in the position to be able to exert oneself as an adult of the world, on can be overly confident from lack of experience. Both Johnson’s “To Sir John Lade, on His coming of Age” and Housman’s “When I was One and Twenty” deal with this headstrong yet delicate time in a young man’s life which is full of optimism and enthusiasm of youth and unaware of the true sorrows or follies of the real world. Through the use of irony, imagery and contrast, both poems effectively describe the dangers that may follow from the headstrong confidence of young adulthood, while one expresses caution from a friend and the other shows a regretful account of the young man past twenty one.

It is significant that the perspective of the speaker is different for each poem. Johnson’s congradulatory poem (in the traditional abab rhyming scheme and structure oft used for occasional poems) is from an elder man’s point of view, giving advice to the young man who has come of age. However, on the outset, his is not the traditional counsel of “woes of willful waste” or the advice that the wise man gives in Housman’s poem. Rather, the poem has the unexpected effect of grabbing the reader

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or the intended young man’s attention with its untraditional daring counsel, uncharacteristic of the usual fatherly advice. Housman’s poem is from the young man’s perspective, but significantly written after he has experienced on year of adulthood. He is not giving advice to others but talking about his own experience and his own feelings. Thus, while Johnson’s poem is in the point of view of the person giving advice, Housman’s poem is one reflecting on the advice received and unheeded, by a man given advice at twenty-one years of age.

Johnson’s poem’s unconventional advice is even more surprising and unexpected in effect because of the flippant, jolly and daring tone of the speaker. The speaker flatters the young man’s sense of importance by encouraging his newly found “pomp and pleasure, pride” through witty alliteration. Money is described to sound trivial while lavish spending and generosity is described to sound courageous and the true “spirit of an heir.” Through humor (Call the Bettys, Kates, and Jennys,) the speaker almost dares the young man to enjoy . . . the world and his riches – presumably his inheritance received from coming of age, but there is, underlying the almost false sense of jolly and humor, a darker implication which seems to make the outward advice sound ironic. The mention of the lenders and contrasting with the gamester, presumably the man, indicates a darker possibility to this supposed fun. The flippant way acres and houses are reduced to “only dirt, or wet or dry,” when it is evident that the land is important in contrast to “bonny blades carouses” elicits the opposite effect of what the speakers outward intention is. At the end of the poem, with the only unrhymed line, “you can hang or drown at last, “we realize that the actual advice intended is to warn the young man of precisely these elements so vividly and upliftingly described and advised. This flippant tone of the speaker, with the verbal irony of the counsel gets across the “woes of willful waste” in a roundabout yet more effective way.

By contrast, Housman’s poem is straightforward in its message. The two stanzas each present contrasting tones and attitudes, showing the young man at the first turn of coming of age and then after a year when he has gained wisdom from experience. The speaker is given advice of the same message as Johnson’s implicit advice, but in more straightforward, expected terms. The wise man contrasts material things and more spiritual internal things, paralleling “crowns and pounds and guineas” and “pearls” and “rubies” with the man’s “heart” and “fancy.” However the tone of the speaker is “no use to talk to me” indicated his arrogance and confidence at the time tinged with regret that he did not listen to the advice. The second stanza also quotes the wise man’s advice but this time by relating the heart (the spiritual or internal) in terms of money ((‘sold). The speaker’s tone is more regretful and humbled, almost sighing as he exclaims “tis true, tis true” with realization. The poem is regretful in tone as the young man looks back at his foolish initial ways.

That the poems are from different perspectives has shaped the tone or attitude of the speaker and are reflected by the different way of presenting the age of twenty one. Both have the same ultimate message and objective of cautioning another young man by relating to possible consequences (hanging or regretting). However, through use of different tones, one full or irony and sarcasm and the other of regret in retrospect, as well as the use of contrast, the poems leave different impressions and give different perspectives on the delicate of twenty-one.

B

While the age of adulthood varies from culture to culture, two-one has in American and Great Britain been the traditional age to enter the adult world of money, work, and serious relationships. One’s twenty-first birthday is a momentous occasion to be celebrated. The two poems however take conflicting attitudes toward this event. “To Sir John Lade, on His Coming of Age” gives its subject advice on enjoying his new found freedom. Conversely “When I Was One-and-Twenty” laments foolishly ignoring an elder’s advice. This contrast gives the poems their conflicting tones on the same subject, carefree and rueful, respectively, while both offering advice.

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“When I Was One-and-Twenty” uses repetitive comparisons to emphasize the advice that the heart is more valuable than any riches and is often paid for with pain. By strongly quoting the wise man’s advice, the author allows the reader to realize the speaker’s foolishness in ignoring the advice. The speaker himself states at the end of the poem his own regret, an appeal to the reader’s emotions which emphasizes the theme of the poem: the heart should be carefully guarded rather than carelessly given away. The overall tone is remorseful and reflective rather than a joyful celebration of coming of age.

Rather than the direct approach taken by Housman in “When I Was On-and Twenty,” Johnson uses subtle irony in “To Sir John Lade . . . “to convey his theme. The tone of the poem is carefree and jolly, emphasized by descriptions of carousing, gambling, and games. The subject of the poem is often compared to a bird, freed from its “tether,” “wild as wind and light as feathers, “imagery of a carefree bird. However the dangers of carefree and foolish spending are more subtly described as those who “prey” on such people. The author quickly brushes them aside, writing about the pleasure of gambling and urging the subject to ignore his mother’s warnings, an ironic way of emphasizing the dangers of wild spending.

Both poems offer strong advice on turning twenty-one. “When I Was . . ." ruefully implores the reader to be cautions, while “To Sir John . . ." promotes a wild and carefree lifestyle. It too however contains a subtle warning: as an adult one can “hang or drown,” bringing about their own ruin if he or she is not careful.

C.

In the poems “To Sir John, on His Coming of Age,” by, Samuel Johnson, and “When I Was One-and-Twenty,” by A. E. Housman, a young man has just turned twenty-one. The ideas of both poems are similar to that being a man and taking on the world, but they also contrast each other.

“Lavish of your grandsire’s guineas” (Johnson), “Give crowns and pounds and guineas” (Housman) are both telling the twenty-one year old man to give money and riches, help the world, show who you are now. The poems are similar, in that, they are telling the man to be new, be fresh, make your newly age a big bang. But Johnson’s poem tells the man to “call the Bettys, Kates, and Jennys, every name that laughs at care . . . .” Since he’s twenty-one, he should go out and pursue a girl, maybe not one, but two or three to live his life up to the fullest without his knowing what could become of it. However, Housman’s poem tells the man, “I heard a wise man say . . . Give crowns and pounds and guineas, But not your heart away . . . keep your fancy free. . .” He’s telling the twenty-one year old man to give and help rather than giving your heart away, right away; to keep his solitude as a new found man. He shouldn’t waist his life trying to pursue every girl, when in due time, the right girl will find him.

Johnson’s poem is more of a “yes, I’m 21, I can do what I want, sort of an attitude with a tone that enhances the absurdness of going after a bunch of girls whereas Housman’s poem delivers a more of a “I’m 21, I can live my life and make it great,” kind of attitude the tone used in this poem is more solome, and determined than “To Sir John, on His Coming of Age.”

The “coming of age”, when a man, or a woman for that matter turns twenty-one, is a time in a person’s life where they really feel like a true adult, where they can finally take their mark on society. It shouldn’t just be waisted on nonsence, But instead, put to a better use. You only turn twenty-one once, so make the Best of it.

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2008 AP® ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION FREE-RESPONSE QUESTIONS© 2008 The College Board. All rights reserved. (Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.)In the two poems below, Keats and Longfellow reflect on similar concerns. Read the poems carefully. Then write an essay in which you compare and contrast the two poems, analyzing the poetic techniques each writer uses to explorehis particular situation.

When I Have FearsWhen I have fears that I may cease to beBefore my pen has glean’d my teeming brain,Before high-piled books, in charactery,Hold like rich garners the full ripen’d grain;5 When I behold, upon the night’s starr’d face,Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,And think that I may never live to traceTheir shadows, with the magic hand of chance;And when I feel, fair creature of an hour,10 That I shall never look upon thee more,Never have relish in the faery powerOf unreflecting love;—then on the shoreOf the wide world I stand alone, and thinkTill love and fame to nothingness do sink.

1818 —John Keats (1795-1821)

Mezzo Cammin1

Written at Boppard on the Rhine August 25, 1842,Just Before Leaving for HomeHalf of my life is gone, and I have letThe years slip from me and have not fulfilledThe aspiration of my youth, to buildSome tower of song with lofty parapet.5 Not indolence, nor pleasure, nor the fretOf restless passions that would not be stilled,

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But sorrow, and a care that almost killed,Kept me from what I may accomplish yet;Though, half-way up the hill, I see the Past10 Lying beneath me with its sounds and sights,—A city in the twilight dim and vast,

With smoking roofs, soft bells, and gleaming lights,—And hear above me on the autumnal blastThe cataract2 of Death far thundering from the heights.1842 —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)1 The title is from the first line of Dante’s Divine Comedy: “Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita” (“Midway upon the journey of our life”).2 A large waterfall

AP® ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION 2008 SCORING GUIDELINES Question 1

(Keats’s “When I Have Fears” and Longfellow’s “Mezzo Cammin”) The score reflects the quality of the essay as a whole—its content, its style, its mechanics. Students are rewarded for what they do well. The score for an exceptionally well-written essay may be raised by 1 point above the otherwise appropriate score. In no case may a poorly written essay be scored higher than a 3.

9–8 These essays offer a persuasive comparison/contrast of the two poems and present an insightful analysis of the relationship between them and the techniques each writer uses to explore his particular situation. Although these essays offer a range of interpretations and choose to emphasize different poetic techniques, they also provide convincing readings of both poems and demonstrate consistent and effective control over the elements of composition in language appropriate to the analysis of poetry. Their textual references are apt and specific. Although they may not be error-free, these essays are perceptive in their analysis and demonstrate writing that is clear and sophisticated, and in the case of an essay that earns 9 points, especially persuasive.

7–6 These essays offer a reasonable comparison/contrast of the two poems and an effective analysis of the relationship between them and of the techniques each writer uses to explore his particular situation. Such essays demonstrate the ability to express ideas clearly with references to the text, although they do not exhibit the same level of effective writing as those in the 9–8 range. They are less thorough or less precise in their discussion, and their analysis of the relationship between the two poems is less convincing. Essays scored 7–6 are generally well written, but those earning a 7 demonstrate more sophistication in both substance and style.

5 These essays may respond to the assigned task with a plausible reading of the two poems and their relationship, but they may be superficial in their analysis. They often rely on paraphrase, but paraphrase that contains some analysis, implicit or explicit. Their comparison/contrast of the relationship between the two poems may be vague, formulaic, or minimally supported by references to the texts. There may be minor misinterpretations of one or both poems. These essays demonstrate control of

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language, but the writing may be marred by surface errors. They are not as well conceived, organized, or developed as those in the 7–6 range.

4–3 These lower-half essays fail to offer an adequate analysis of the two poems. The analysis may be partial, unconvincing, or irrelevant, or it may ignore one of the poems completely. Evidence from the poems may be slight or misconstrued, or the essays may rely on paraphrase only. The writing often demonstrates a lack of control over the conventions of composition: inadequate development of ideas, accumulation of errors, or a focus that is unclear, inconsistent, or repetitive. Essays scored a 3 may contain significant misreading and/or demonstrate inept writing.

2–1 These essays compound the weaknesses of those in the 4–3 range. Although some attempt has been made to respond to the prompt, assertions are presented with little clarity, organization, or support from the poems themselves. The essays may contain serious errors in grammar and mechanics, may offer a complete misreading, or may be unacceptably brief. Essays scored a 1 contain little coherent discussion of the poems.

Question #1: Keats’s “When I Have Fears” and Longfellow’s “Mezzo Cammin”

Sample EssaysSample OOO

“When I Have Fears” by John Keats and “Mezzo Cammin” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, are poems that reflect on the prospect of death. Several poetic devices are used to characterize and explane the situation of poem. Although the exists the similarity of little time to fulfill their desires, “When I Have Fears” shows that the man worked hard in his life but was not able to obtain his goal. The other exemplifies a wasted life.

John Keats explores the situation of his poem through use of metaphors. He says, “When I behold, upon the night’s starr’d face,” (line 5). This can be seen as a metaphor, characterizing the night as the closure of his life. Continuing, “. . . I may never live to trace their shadows, with the magic hand of chance” (line 7-8). This quote characterizes the speakers lonelinesses and regret that his life is coming to a close. It is a metaphorical representation that he will never possess the chance to explore true love. Finally, he says, “And when I feel, fair creature of an hour, that I shall never look upon thee more, never have relish in the faery power of unreflecting love. . .” (lines 9-12). Here the speaker explains that if he finds love, it will only be for a short period. He will not be able to experience what love really is before his time on Earth runs out.

Similarly, Mezzo Cammin was characterize as a poetic work, reflecting on the failed accomplishment. However, this poem reflected more so on the past and was less metaphorical. It did, however, contain much imagery. The poem reads, “Though, half-way up the hill,” referring to the middle of life he was going through, “I see Past lying beneath me with its sounds and sights – a city in the twilight dim and vast, with smoking roofs, soft bells, and gleaming lights. . .” (lines 9-12). The imagery paints a picture to the reader of what kind of vibrant life the speaker was into. However, it also serves as an illustration that the speaker was not fulfilled despite the fast-paced exciting place in which he dwelled. He continued, “And hear above me on the autumnal blast, the cataract of Death far thundering from the heights.” (lines 13-14). This quote is an assertion of the speaker’s unfulfilled life. The “cataract of Death” is in the speaker’s view. So it is evident that death is upon him and he had not yet filled the void in his life.

Several poetic devices where used to characterize the similar, yet contrasting, poems presented.

Sample AAEach speaker in both poems speak about death whether it is about anticipating death happening or just the mere

thought of death, both speakers have different views and express their views using poetic techniques.

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Both speakers use a rhyme scheme throughout the whole poem. The rhyme schemes give the poems rhythm and balance.

Sample UUWhile Keats’s “When I Have Fears” focuses mainly on future goals before the end of life and Longfellow’s

“Mezzo Cammin” is a reflection on unachieved goals of the past, the two poems relate to the temporariness of life and the pressure to meet one’s goals, past or present. Keats uses imagery and diction pertaining to the vastness of nature to highlight the narrator’s loss of control over time, while Longfellow uses diction relating to “half”-completed tasks and personification of the “past” and of “Death” in order to emphasize the narrator’s feelings of inadequacy or lack of “fulfillment.”

The description of the enormity of nature in “When I Have Fears” reveal the narrator’s feelings of insignificance. Words such as “night,” “Huge cloudy symbols,” and “shadows” clarify the presence of a larger universe that the narrator cannot control. Reminders of “the shore/of the wide world” make the narrators efforts to prolong time and accomplish his goals futile, as the work of nature progresses. Just as waves on the shore continue relentlessly, time progresses without any interruptions, and the notion that the narrator may not achieve his goals becomes all the more possible when considering that he “[stands] alone.” The overwhelming size and power of nature establishes a force greater than the narrator, or a force, that, in its uncontrollable state, has more authority over the narrator’s life than he does himself.

Longfellow’s diction that relates to “halves” along with his personification of the “past” and “Death” emphasize the lack of realization of personal goals and the pressure to achieve them in the future. “Mezzo Cammin,” which, similar to “When I Have Fears,” deals with the inescapable passing of time, focuses on a lack of completion and overall dissatisfaction in terms of goals achieved. However, its examination of the past in relationship to the present render the “past” a force that works against the narrator, as it only grows larger with the passing of time. Longfellow’s use of phrases such a “Half of my life” and “not fulfilled” clarify the level of dissastisfaction of the narrator and the notion that he must still take action in the future to meet those goals. The notion that he is “half-way up the hill” demonstrates his journey through life and reiterates the idea that time has prevented him from truly finishing a desired task. The personification of the “Past” and “Death” leave the narrator caught between two forces, where he is unable to recapture one and is weary to face the other. As the “Past” “[lies” beneath [him],” it dons a power greater than his own in its inability to be regained which especially is especially clear through the description of the “city in the twilight dim and vast.” “Death” becomes undesirable, but the past cannot be revisited, leaving the narrator stuck with unfinished dreams.

Sample LLBoth poems by Keats and Longfellow reflect on unfulfilled dreams and the imminence of death, yet their

conclusions are somewhat different. Longfellow mourns his inaction and seems to view the past as comfortable compared to an uncertain future. On the other hand, Keats worries that he will not be able to accomplish all that he wants to, but as he recognizes the enormity and possibility of the world, he realizes that his mortal goals are meaningless. Longfellow’s ultimate tone about death is fearful and grim, but Keats’ is more appreciative of the wonder of life and therefore more hopeful.

The similarities between the poems lie mainly in the openings which begrudge the fleeting nature of life. Keats’ fear that he “may cease to be” parallels Longfellow’s statement that “half of [his] life is gone.” The men continue to express their fears about not having the time or being able to accomplish what they want to. Keats’ repitition of the word “before” as an anaphora emphasizes his concern that he may die before he is able to attain his literary goals or harness the opportunity of “the full ripen’d grain,” a simile for the possibility that he sees in his work. Longfellow, too, acknowledges his failure to “fulfill the aspiration of [his youth]” and “build some tower of song with lofty parapet,” which is similar to Keats’ hope to leave behind his legacy of words. The beginnings of the poems both depict men who fear that time is running out.

The middles, or second parts of the poems illustrate the contrast between the two situations. In line5, Keats starts to talk about the beauty and mystery of love with images of “shadows” and “huge cloudy symbols of a high romance.” He seems to believe that love comes by fate, and he is sad to miss out on such “chance” when it comes time for him to die. He speaks of never having the opportunity to “look upon thee more” and indulge in innocent, “unreflecting love,”

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showing that he has experienced love before but now his chances for pure love are ruined because he is so aware of death. Longfellow’s poem takes a different tone as he says he has not experienced “pleasure” or “passions,” but has experienced “sorrow” and too much “care” which has paralyzed him. Longfellow’s fear of death seems to stop him completely from accomplishing his goals, while Keats has taken advantage of the time that he has had and is merely scared now that he does not have time to continue living.

The end of the poems show these different attitudes toward life and death by using similar situations. Keats walks to a shore and Longfellow to a hill to contemplate life, and both look out before them. While Keats sees the “wide world,” which alliteration emphasizes the possibility of, Longfellow look out and sees a city as a metaphor for the past. Keats realizes that his goals for literary fame and love before he dies are “nothingness” compared to the grand scope of life. However Longfellow sees the “smoking roof, soft bells, and gleaming lights” of a hazy and idealized past with a clear and powerful waterfall of death right overheard. Keats seems to recognize the opportunity left in his life when he looks out, though it may be daunting but Longfellow sees only a past haunted by death and no future to speak of.

Sample CCCCThe poems “When I Have Fears” and “Mezzo Cammin” by John Keats and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow both

discuss how the speakers have not accomplished all that they wanted to during their youth. While the style of each writer is completely different form the other, the message is still the same—you fear that you can never accomplish all your dreams. The poems are different in that Keats uses older diction and looks upon his life in a romantic perspective while Longfellow uses diction that is easier to understand and sees his life like a dream world. It is interesting that both writers end on the same “watery” note. Keats’ love and fame will “sink” and Longfellow well inevitibly drown in the “cataract of Death far thundering from the heights.”

Sample ZZWhen reading “When I Have Fears” and “Mezzo Cammin” a can first and foremost see that both authors use a

repitition in rhythm until the end of the poem where they then break off into a separate rhythm.

As John Keats explains his fear at dying and losing love he has the attitude of a worried man doesn’t feel that he is going to live long. (line 7) One can see that there is no more hope left in the character in the poem because the author paints a picture of a man who is alone and almost seems ready to die.

However in Henry W. Longfellow’s poem “Mezzo Cammin” he paints a picture of a man who isn’t ready to die and in fact has an urge to go on in life. The tone of the character is one of pride and yet the fear of unsuccess.

Both authors have expressed a fear in one way or another but the difference is that one give you a sense of hope (Henry W. Longfellow) and the other a sense of worry and failure (John Keats). Both authors do indeed capture their audience and leave them with a thought.

Sample PPDue to a largely heightened consciousness, many humans have a fear of the unknown and, inevitably, of death.

Humans desire to be in control, to have the power to predict the future so time will not be wasted. In the poems by Keats and Longfellow, both narrators present the fear of a wasted life in their recognition that time is forever in motion. Through metaphors and personification, the narrators describe the contrast between the past and the future, and the hope that their lives will not be spent consumed by trivial matters.

With a more optimistic approach, Keats’ narrator in “When I Have Fears” forms a solution to his overwhelming fear of death. The narrator is metacognitive, acutely aware of his desires and how he may obtain them. He recognizes the brute unimportance of trivial pursuits such as fame and love referring to love as “cloudy” and romance as “high”, giving the euphoric feeling of one’s inability to be in control, the extreme opposite of being grounded in one’s own thoughts. He continues, using personification to characterize the matters of love and fame, the ridiculous desires of the greater population. Chance, he says, has a “magic hand,” one that is unreliable and often disappointing, and love has a “faery power,” an unbelievable and often sporratic appearance. The narrator recognizes his innate desire to attain these things, to achieve fame and experience love, yet he is able to reconcile with the fact that fame and love are often fleeting and that to achieve a greater self-actualization he must “sink” these desires and focus on the future, embracing the “creature of an hour.” He is aware of himself and is optimistic about the future, confident that he can achieve greatness.

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Longfellow’s narrator, in contrast, takes a pessimistic approach in his similar fear in “Mezzo Cammin.” He looks to the past with regret, as opposed to Keats’ determination, using the fact that his life is half over as a signal to give up hope. He states that he has not yet built “some tower of song” as he has not been able to accomplish anything concrete; he has no grand tower by which he can prove his capabilities. He blames his wasted years on sorrow, characterizing his emotions as oppressors that smothered his aspirations and choked his dreams. He describes his life as a hill up which he is halfway, a mountain of despair that must overcome. He sees the Past behind him, depicted as a city in “the twilight dim,” sinking into the darkness of gloom that he has created in his inability to embrace his past. The Past has “soft bells and gleaming lights”, images of comfort that make the past seem welcoming and safe. The narrator realizes, though, that the Past is now behind him and that he cannot turn back, as the impending brutality of Death approaches quickly, a “cataract” that drowns the hope that the past once held. Longfellow’s author looks to the past, not to the future, for inspiration and comfort, though the past is quickly being swallowed by years.

Both narrators utilize metaphors and personification to characterize their lives and to contrast their past with their future, though each takes a strikingly different approach in doing so. While Keats’ narrator is proactive and optimistic, sure that he can overcome trivial matters, Longfellow’s narrator is trapped in the past, unable to recognize that the lights behind him can be found in the future, if only he clears the heavy water. These narrators, in describing their fears, embody the collective unconscious fear of death and the unknown, each provoking the audience to embrace each hour and live with high hopes, as the future will quickly become a part of the past.

54-55 Questions over four or five passages / counts 45% of total score. Usually the exam contains one or two American writers and two others. Expect something from previous centuries. Give practice test before actual exam. There is a mixture of prose passages and poems.

Kinds of questions: About 60% inferences, 30 % purpose or function questions, as many as 55% refer to line or lines in the passage. There will also be questions about diction, meaning in context, tone, attitude, main idea, etc.

Over half of the questions will require close reading on the part of the student. The answer to most rhetorical strategies questions is a simple one. The answer to most “meaning in context” questions frequently does not involve the most common definition. Ironically, short passages may often be more difficult than longer ones. Often there will be a question near the end that asks bout tone, attitude, or narrative style. There probably will be questions about a speaker’s perspective, the relationship between characters, or how a

speaker characterizes someone. There will be a number of questions about literary elements and their purpose and/ or function. Expect a number of questions about poetry, terms, poetic devices, and imagery. Among the questions that have options of answers involving individual or combinations of I, II, or III, the

choice with only one Roman numeral is almost never right. The first portion of questions usually begins by asking the reader to refer to one or two lines, and as the

passage progresses, the questions may increase the number of lines the reader is asked to examine. The questions that asked students to infer, analyze purpose, rhetorical function or to see what something refers

to or characterizes were the one that were often the ones that more than 50% of students missed on the exam. However, the questions that asked students to identify “all of the following EXCEPT were the most frequently missed.

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Test-taking Strategies Number one suggestion: After reading the passage, put hand over the five choices and anticipate what the

answer might be before looking at the answers. Mark out answers that are clearly incorrect. Read actively rather than passively and mark the text. Underline anything that seems to be significant and

make brief notations. Visualize but do not memorize. This results in higher retention. Make what is on the page come alive. Note

where it is on the printed page so it will be quicker to find the answer. Paraphrase of summarize each passage mentally as you read each paragraph separately and then the entire

passage before you answer. Practice this skill often so that you do not suffer brain lag. Write in the margins as you paraphrase.

Read the questions carefully to be sure what the question is asking. Read all the answer choices and eliminate any that are obviously wrong.

Skim the questions first eliminating any and all questions that refer you to line numbers as you have to go back and reread those anyway. Try to remember three questions that will help you to focus on your reading.

Since the questions are generally in chronological order you can utilize chunking. Generally the exam will have about 30% easy questions, 44% medium questions and 30% hard questions. All

questions are worth the same value. There is no longer a deduction for incorrect answers. A smart strategy is to watch you time. Make sure to answer all the easy and medium questions. Skip hard questions and if time allows come back to those.

Every ten questions check the question number and the scantron number to be sure they match. Skip the “All of the following EXCEPT” questions unless they are limited to one paragraph. If you find yourself running out time, try to employ the following strategies:

A. Scan the remaining questions and look for either the shortest of the questions that direct you to a specific line or lines.

B. Look for questions that are self-contained, that is they do you require you to refer to the passage.C. Look for meaning in context questions.

Some Pitfalls to Avoid Answer is irrelevant, doesn’t answer the questions Answer is a contradiction; poor readers do not paraphrase well No evidence; Never addressed in the passage Unreasonable; occasionally just does not make sense To narrow or too broad Look for specific words that make the answer incorrect. Do this first and cross them out.

The Orange Sheet! Advanced Placement Multiple-Choice Test Practice

Do Not Lose This Handout! Keep it in Your Notebook Forever!

The purpose of this assignment is to give you practice in reading quite difficult passages. Your faithful and earnest completion of these assignments will result in improved reading skills. You will also raise your IQ, grow several inches

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taller, and become a much nicer person! You will win the lottery, make new friends, and be cast in a move with the star of your choice! Okay, stop rolling your eyes!

PROCESS: I will give you a passage from a former literature exam. Your homework assignment will be to read the passage and complete the questions below. On the day that this assignment is due, you will turn in the assignment, and then answer multiple-choice questions over the passage. Each passage will include a short list of words that you will need to know in order to be successful on the multiple-choice test.

Your grade for the assignment will come from your completion of the written homework and your performance on the multiple-choice test. Because the completion of homework is crucial to success on the multiple-choice test, you will make no higher than half-credit if the assignment is late.

This is a STANDARD ASSIGNMENT that we will complete on a regular basis as we prepare for the AP exam, and for any upcoming SAT/ACT exam you might need to take.

KEEP this handout in your notebook because I am going to give it to you only ONCE. I will give you different passages each time we do this exercise; however, the process will remain the same.

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS IN INK (OR TYPE THEM) CAREFULLY AND THOUGHT-FULLY. Don’t turn this handout in with your assignment. Remember you will use it again . . . and again . . .).

QUESTIONS:

1. PARAPHRASE the passage (rewrite it in your own words). Do this paragraph by paragraph and make sure that your paraphrase includes all the major points in the passage. Remember paraphrasing is not changing every fifth word. It is rewriting a passage completely in your own words. Fully explain the passage’s Main Idea.

2. Identify and explain any interesting details, diction, or syntax and explain their PURPOSE or EFFECT and how these contribute to the meaning as a whole.

3. Identify major images and explain how they enrich or add meaning to the passage.4. Look up any words of which you do not know the definition. Write these words and their definitions.

Remember that you will not be able to use a dictionary on the multiple-choice test over this passage.5. COPY DOWN three salient examples of literary elements such as characterization, point of view, setting,

symbols or others (label the example), and then explain the PURPOSE or EFFECT of the element and how it contributes to the meaning of the passage .

6. Create three questions that make inferences about the passage. You do not need to create five choices, only the questions.

7. If the passage is a poem, identify three salient elements or poetry devices evident in the work and explain the PURPOSE or EFFECT OF THE element.

8. Identify and significant imagery (figurative, sensory, or visual) and explain how it contributes to the meaning of the work.

© Shirley M. Counsil Time was, a sober Englishman wou’d knock

His servants up, and rise by five a clock,

Instruct his Family in ev’ry rule,

And send his Wife to Church, his Son to school.

(5) To worship like his Fathers was his care;

To teach their frugal Virtues to his Heir;

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To prove, that Luxury could never hold;

And place, on good Security, his Gold.

Now Times are chang’d, and one Poetick Itch

(10) Has seiz’d the Court and City, Poor and Rich:

Sons, Sires, and Grandsires, all will wear the Bays,

Our Wives read Milton, and our Daughters Plays,

To Theatres, and to Rehearsals throng,

And all our Grace at Table is a Song.

(15) I, who so oft renounce the Muses, lye,

Not ---‘s self e’er tells more Fibs than I;

When, sick of Muse, our follies we deplore,

And promise our best Friends to ryme no more;

We wake next morning in a raging Fit,

(20) And call for Pen and Ink to show our Wit.

He serv’d a ‘Prenticeship, who sets up shop;

Ward try’d on Puppies; and the Poor, his Drop;

Ev’n Radcliff’s Doctors travel first to France,

Nor dare to practise till they’ve learn’d to dance.

(25) Who builds a Bridge that never drove a pyle?

(Should Ripley venture, all the World would smile)

But those who cannot write, and those who can,

All ryme, and scrawl, and scribble, to a man.

Yet Sir, reflect, the mischief is not great;

(30) These Madmen never hurt the Church or State:

Sometimes the Folly benefits mankind;

And rarely Av’rice taints the tuneful mind.

Allow him but his Play-thing of a Pen,

He ne’er rebels, or plots, like other men:

(35) Flight of Cashiers, or Mobs, he’ll never mind;

And knows no losses while the Muse is kind.

To cheat a Friend, or Ward, he leaves to Peter;

The good man heaps up nothing but mere metre,

Enjoys his Garden and his Book in quiet;

(40) And then—a perfect Hermit in his Diet.

Of little use the Man you may suppose,

Who says in verse what others say in prose;

Yet let me show, a Poet’s of some weight,

And (tho’ no soldier) useful to the State.

(45) What will a Child learn sooner than a song?

What better teach a Foreigner the tongue?

What’s long or short, each accent where to place,

And speak in publick with some sort of grace.

I scarce can think him such a worthless thing,

(50) Unless he praise some monster of a King,

Or virtue, or Religion turn to sport,

To please a lewd, or un-believing Court.Reading Test #3

1. The Englishman pictured in lines 1-8 is best described as which of the following?(A) Scholarly and reclusive(B) Pious and conscientious(C) Solemn and melancholy(D) Mirthful and carefree(E) Hypocritical and false

2. The Englishman described in lines 1-8 is pictured chiefly in his role as(A) banker(B) poet(C) patriarch(D) suitor(E) critic

3. The change referred to in line 9 is described as one from(A) piousness to sinfulness(B) sincerity to hypocrisy(C) straightforwardness to irony(D) freedom to restraint(E) seriousness to frivolity

4. In line 11, the phrase “wear the Bays” is best taken to mean which of the following?(A) Claim renown as poets

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(B) Set the fashion(C) Exhaust the opposition(D) Become more religious(E) Become the objects of ridicule

5. The relationship between lines 1-8 and lines 9-14 is best described by which of the following?(A) Lines 1-8 establish a thesis; lines 9-14

refute it(B) Lines 1-8 present a description; lines

9-14 present a contrasting description(C) Lines 1-8 present a rule; lines 9-14

describe an exception to it.(D) Lines 1-8 pose a question; lines 9-14 answer it(F) Lines 1-8 begin a narrative; lines 9-14

embellish it.

6. In lines 9-20, the desire to write is seen chiefly as(A) evidence of wit(B) a political threat(C) the result of meditation(D) a need for self-justification(E) an irresistible compulsion

7. In lines 15-20, the speaker regards himself as (A) superior to other rhymesters(B) essentially a moralist(C) more learned than other poets(D) genuinely repentant of his errors(E) another example of an incorrigible

breed

8. The main point made about writers and poets in lines 21-28 is that they(A) feel no need to study and learn their art(B) are all about equally untalented(C) prefer to write than to do useful work(D) will never achieve the greatness of

people in other professions(E) make themselves ridiculous by

attempting to ridicule others

9. Lines 23-24 suggest that Radcliff’s doctors

(A) are as much concerned with social accomplishments as with medical training

(B) prefer French medical education to English

(C) are more skilled as physicians than as entertainers

(D) have more interest in the writing of poetry than in the practice of medicine

(E) are more skillful because of their dedication to the fine arts

10. Beginning in line 29, the speaker does which of the following?(A) Begins to comment on another subject.(B) Summarizes his previous argument.(C) Qualifies his previous position.(D) Provides support for an earlier thesis.(E) Anticipates an objection to his

argument.

11. In line 30, the phrase “These Madmen” refers to(A) the speaker’s enemies(B) Ward and Radcliff(C) medical doctors(D) charlatans(E) poets

12. According to the speaker, “These Madmen” (line 30) lack all of the following vices EXCEPT(A) greed(B) seditiousness(C) fraudulence(D) vanity(E) gluttony

13. In lines 43-52, the speaker attempts to do which of the following?(A) Recapitulate his argument(B) Recount an anecdote(C) Offer a justification(D) Draw an analogy(E) Chastise the reader

14. According to line 47, the speaker finds value in which of the following aspects of poetry?

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(A) Versification(B) Moral themes(C) Metaphor(D) Rhetorical innovation(E) Logical paradigms

15. According to the speaker, a positive aspect of poetry is its(A) moral value(B) didactic usefulness(C) resemblance to other languages(D) uncomplicated nature (E) irreverent wittiness

16. According to the speaker, poets are despicable if they(A) imitate the style of other poets(B) become involved in political

controversy

(C) fail to follow established rules(D) mock what is worthy of respect(E) compose only lyric verse

17. This excerpt is written in which of the following?(A) Dactylic hexameter(B) Heroic couplets(C) Ballad meter(D) Rhyme royal(E) Iambic tetrameter

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“Making the World Safe for Stupidity” by Leonard Pitts Jr.

Analyze the following essay, including any and all rhetorical devices and answer all the questions.

1. What is the purpose of the beginning sentence? Why does the author us a rhetorical question?

2. Explain Pitts’ purpose in using a supermodel as his reference to stupidity?3. Who is Pitts’ audience? How do you know?4. Which sentence serves as Pitt’ thesis?5. What is his purpose in admitting his rudeness?6. Why use the auto ad as his example? Why not use a jeans ad, for example?7. After his supermodel comment, what is his next sarcastic comment? What purpose does the

sarcasm serve?8. Why does Pitts allude to his idiot warning column?9. What is the purpose of mentioning Homer Simpson?10. What is persuasive about his statement, “…much like the intelligence of a couple of smart

cookies like you and me:11. What is Pitts’ purpose in mentioning the car ad again? (Structurally, why was this done?)12. What is Pitts inferring when he presents the example of the toy hard hat?13. “Rant resonated” is an example of alliteration. Why6 might Pitts have used this figurative

language?14. What may be inferred about the order in which Pitts presents his examples from his readers?

Why did he choose this method of organization?15. What persuasive technique is Putts using when he writes, “Don’t get me wrong.” In fact,

how does this entire paragraph serve his purpose?16. There is a shift between paragraph 10 and 11. What is Pitts’ thesis now?17. Pitts begins paragraph 12 with “Follow me on this.” What is his purpose for using this

imperative sentence?18. At the end of the above paragraph, Pitts writes, “To procreate.” What is his purpose in

presenting only the infinitive and not part of the previous sentence?19. What is the purpose of using the vernacular, “Used to be”? (paragraph 14)20. To whom is the sarcasm directed in paragraph 1-4? Who is Bobby Brown? Why does Pitts

use, “Is it just me?”21. What is kudzu? Why is this word apropos as a simile?22. Based on the article as a whole, what is Pitts’ tone in this piece? Does it change?23. What is his attitude? Does it change?24. What is Pitts inferring in his final sentence?25. Discuss the irony in the title.

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Question 3(Suggested time –40 minutes. This question countsone-third of the total essay section score.)

In questioning the value of literary realism, Flannery O’Conner has written, “I am interested in making a good case for distortion because I coming to believe that it is the only way to make people see.”

Write an essay in which you “make a good case for distortion,” as distinct from literary realism. Base your essay on a work from the following list or choose another work of comparable merit that you know well. Analyze how important elements of the work you choose are “distorted” and explain how these distortions contribute to the effectiveness of the work. Avoid plot summary.

WUTHERING HEIGHTS THE TRIALWISE BLOOD ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDETHE HAIRY APE THE METAMORPHOSISKING LEAR THE LOVED ONECATCH 22 BENITO CERINONOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND AS I LAY DYINGINVISIBLE MAN MISS LONLEYHEARTSTHE BIRTHDAY PARTY THE WINTER’S TALEMOBY-DICK THE HOUSE OF SEVEN GABLESGREAT EXPECTATIONS BRAVE NEW WORLDGULLIVER’S TRAVELS WAITING FOR GODOT FRANKENSTEIN WIDE SARGASSO SEA

2013 AP® ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION FREE-RESPONSE QUESTIONS © 2013 The College Board. Question 2

(Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.)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 family through the use of figurative language and other poetic techniques.

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My mother and I debate:we could sellthe black walnut treeto the lumberman,and pay off the mortgage.Likely some storm anywaywill churn down its dark boughs,smashing the house. We talkslowly, two women tryingin a difficult time to be wise.Roots in the cellar drains,I say, and she repliesthat the leaves are getting heavierevery year, and the fruitharder to gather away.But something brighter than moneymoves in our blood – an edgesharp and quick as a trowelthat wants us to dig and sow.So we talk, but we don't doanything. That night I dreamof my fathers out of Bohemiafilling the blue fieldsof fresh and generous Ohiowith leaves and vines and orchards.What my mother and I both knowis that we'd crawl with shamein the emptiness we'd madein our own and our fathers' backyard.So the black walnut treeswings through another yearof sun and leaping winds,of leaves and bounding fruit,and, month after month, the whip-crack of the mortgage.

2013 AP® ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION FREE-RESPONSE QUESTIONS© 2013 The College Board. Visit the College Board on the Web: www.collegeboard.org. Question 2 (Suggested time—40 minutes This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.) This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.) The following passage is from D. H. Lawrence’s 1915 novel, The Rainbow, which focuses on the lives of the Brangwens, a farming family who lived in rural England during the late nineteenth century. Read the passage carefully. Then write an essay in which you analyze how Lawrence employs literary devices to characterize the woman and capture her situation

It was enough for the men, that the earth heaved and opened its furrow to them, that the wind blew to

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dry the wet wheat, and set the young ears of corn

wheeling freshly round about; it was enough that they

5 helped the cow in labour, or ferreted the rats from

under the barn, or broke the back of a rabbit with a

sharp knock of the hand. So much warmth and

generating and pain and death did they know in their

blood, earth and sky and beast and green plants, so

10 much exchange and interchange they had with these,

that they lived full and surcharged, their senses full

fed, their faces always turned to the heat of the blood,

staring into the sun, dazed with looking towards the

source of generation, unable to turn around.

15 But the woman wanted another form of life than

this, something that was not blood-intimacy. Her

house faced out from the farm-buildings and fields,

looked out to the road and the village with church and

Hall and the world beyond. She stood to see the far20

off world of cities and governments and the active

scope of man, the magic land to her, where secrets

were made known and desires fulfilled. She faced

outwards to where men moved dominant and creative,

having turned their back on the pulsing heat of

25 creation, and with this behind them, were set out to

discover what was beyond, to enlarge their own scope

and range and freedom; whereas the Brangwen men

faced inwards to the teeming life of creation, which

poured unresolved into their veins.

30 Looking out, as she must, from the front of her

house towards the activity of man in the world at

large, whilst her husband looked out to the back at sky

and harvest and beast and land, she strained her eyes

to see what man had done in fighting outwards to

35 knowledge, she strained to hear how he uttered

himself in his conquest, her deepest desire hung on

the battle that she heard, far off, being waged on the

edge of the unknown. She also wanted to know, and

to be of the fighting host.

40 At home, even so near as Cossethay, was the vicar,

who spoke the other, magic language, and had the

other, finer bearing, both of which she could perceive,

but could never attain to. The vicar moved in worlds

beyond where her own menfolk existed. Did she not

45 know her own menfolk; fresh, slow, full-built men,

masterful enough, but easy, native to the earth,

lacking outwardness and range of motion. Whereas

the vicar, dark and dry and small beside her husband,

had yet a quickness and a range of being that made

50 Brangwen, in his large geniality, seem dull and local.

She knew her husband. But in the vicar’s nature was

that which passed beyond her knowledge. As

Brangwen had power over the cattle so the vicar had

power over her husband. What was it in the vicar, that

55 raised him above the common men as man is raised

above the beast? She craved to know. She craved to

achieve this higher being, if not in herself, then in her

children. That which makes a man strong even if he

be little and frail in body, just as any man is little and

60 frail beside a bull, and yet stronger than the bull, what

was it? It was not money nor power nor position.

What power had the vicar over Tom Brangwen—

none. Yet strip them and set them on a desert island,

and the vicar was the master. His soul was master of

65 the other man’s. And why—why? She decided it was

a question of knowledge.

2013 AP® ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION FREE-RESPONSE QUESTIONS© 2013 The College Board. Visit the College Board on the Web: www.collegeboard.org.

Question 3(Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.)

A bildungsroman, or coming-of-age novel, recounts the psychological or moral development of its protagonist from

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youth to maturity, when this character recognizes his or her place in the world. Select a single pivotal moment in the

psychological or moral development of the protagonist of a bildungsroman. Then write a well-organized essay that

analyzes how that single moment shapes the meaning of the work as a whole.

You may choose a work from the list below or one of comparable literary merit. Do not merely summarize the plot.

The Adventures of Augie March

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

All the Pretty Horses

Atonement

Black Boy

Breath, Eyes, Memory

Brown Girl, Brownstones

The Catcher in the Rye

Cat’s Eye

The Chosen

The Cider House Rules

The Color Purple

David Copperfield

The God of Small Things

The Grapes of Wrath

Great Expectations

The House on Mango Street

Invisible Man

Jane Eyre

Jasmine

The Joy Luck Club

The Joys of Motherhood

The Namesake

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Purple Hibiscus

The Secret Life of Bees

A Separate Peace

Siddhartha

Song of Solomon

The Sorrows of Young Werther

The Sound and the Fury

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

Their Eyes Were Watching God

A Thousand Splendid Suns

To Kill a Mockingbird

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

The Woman Warrior

STOP

END OF EXAM

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The English Literature and Composition Examination tests your ability to read poetry and/or prose sections and to discern meaning and literary techniques; your ability to write, your knowledge of literature, The test takes three hours: one hour is taken for the multiple-choice section and two hours to complete 3 essays, The essay section counts for 55% of the total grade and the multiple choice for 45%.

Multiple Choice Section: This section is made up of several smaller passages on various topics, It is designed to measure the student's ability to discern through close reading obvious meaning and details, metaphorical significance, rhetorical strategies, aspects of style, and even vocabulary in context, Since many students find this section extremely difficult, there are strategies that might be used to gain improved scores.

1. Look at the total number of questions on the exam and the total time allotted. Divide the time by the number of questions to get an approximation of the time you may spend on each question.

2. Many students get to only three or four passages. Look over all four or five quickly. Don't waste time here. Pick a passage to do last by choosing the passage that might give you the hardest time. Put an X on the page to remind you. Pick a passage to do first.

3. Skip the questions that you don’t know the answer to and any ones that require a great deal of re-reading to find the answer (all of the follow EXCEPT questions). If you have difficulty with particular questions, don't stress out, blank out, or scream. Leave it and come back if you have time. The idea is to get credit for what you know. In any test of 55 questions, there is a certain number that you will answer correctly. These are the ones you want to answer and get credit for. After you have accomplished that, then go back and work on the other questions.

4. Read the passage carefully, and paraphrase as you read. Read sentence by sentence, (especially the poetry passages) stopping to make sure you understand what you are reading. Read actively by underlining words or phrases that you consider important. This is important because you are playing a psychological trick on yourself, but reading actively increases focus and comprehension.

5. You may scan the questions first, since hints as to the meaning and content of the passage may be contained there. Don’t read the answers, just the questions. This can give guidance to your reading.

6. When answering questions, mark out the answers that you KNOW are incorrect. It is much easier to juggle three oranges than five, just as it is easier to consider, weigh, and sift three answers rather than five.

7. Check your scantrons every ten questions to make sure that the number on the exam and the number on the scantron match.

8. When asked a question about “meaning in context,” be sure to go back at least one sentence before the one in which the word or words are found and read at least one sentence after the sentence in which the word appears.

9. Past experience indicates that more often than not, first answers are probably the best. Think long and hard about changing answers unless you see definitive evidence.

10. Since there is no longer a penalty for guessing, make sure that you fill in every blank with an educated guess.

11. In the poetry sections, read quickly for an overall literal understanding, then read more slowly for the metaphorical and symbolic meaning.

12. If you get to the last passage and have very little time remaining, here are some strategies that you can employ.

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A. Answer any self-contained questions (the ones where you do not have to go back to the passage to determine the answer.) For example, “The sea slid silently from the shore,” is an example of alliteration. You do not have to refer to the passage to answer the question.

B. Answer questions that have the line numbers in them.C. Answer questions about meaning in context, specific detail, attitude, and tone.

ESSAY PORTION OF THE EXAM:

1. Read and circle elements in the prompt that you need to cover in your essay. Understand what is important. Make sure that you do all the prompt requires. A good strategy is to literally check off the portions of the prompt that you have addressed. This is one part of the exam over which you have control. Determine what you must prove, what support you will use, how you will discuss purpose, and how much time you have to finish.

2. Read the passage. Think and plan before you write. Time spent planning and thinking of specific analysis and support always results in a better essay. Remember to analyze the author’s purpose for including strategies and language. Additionally, with your essay all planned out, you can write it in a very short time.

3. Spend very little time on an introduction. Read various rubrics. There is nothing there about introductions and conclusions. Spend your time where you will reap rewards. Try not to repeat the prompt. The readers read the same essay for seven days; they know the prompt. Instead, try to formulate a thesis that shows immediate insight and understanding, one that shows the reader that you understand the passage and have something to say. Begin your response as soon as possible. Look for motifs, repetition, strong verbs and adjectives, parallelism, and other rhetorical, literary, and stylistic devices.

4. Follow these steps: A) show insight and understanding when making assertions about the work. B.) Support your assertions with apt and specific references to the text. C.) Make sure you do not just point and name. Show the purpose, effect, or reason for the use of the methods or strategies. For example, don’t just point out a periodic sentence; explain why the writer used it.

5. Use clear transitions that assist the reader in following your ideas. Write or print legibly. Indent new paragraphs. Develop a logical and consistent structure.

6. Write to express, not impress. Clear, logical, easy to follow writing is preferred by all readers.7. Demonstrate that you have both voice and style. 8. Maintain economy of language. Good planning can prevent redundancies and wordiness.9. Don’t make excuses. Let your work speak for you and stand on its own merit.10. Strive to finish your essay but don’t be upset if you cannot finish your conclusion. The readers are told that if

an essay is complete, but lacks a conclusion, there is no penalty.

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