Here you will find a "How to" on writing a good AP essay AND a "How to" on annotating poems.
How to... write a good AP essay
9-8
These essays focus on a central question raised in a novel or play and the extent to which the work offers answers to it. The writers of these essays use atp references from the selected literary work to persuasively analyze how the author's treatment of the questions affects the reader’s understanding of the work as a whole. Although not without flaws, these essays exhibit the writer’s ability to analyze a literary work perceptively, to control a thesis, and to write with clarity, precision, coherence, with persuasiveness and stylistic flair.
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 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.
0 These essays do no more than make a reference to the task. — These essays are either left blank or are completely off topic.
How to.... analyze poems
When first reading a poem, relax, you will most likely read it more than once so just try to capture the overall theme when reading for the first time. When you start to understand the poem, go back and read if for a second time. This time comment when you see the following poetic techniques
Dictation and imagery (but don’t get bogged down by these)
- rhyme
- rhyming couplets - AA, BB, AB
- poetic food (u’) - a group of accented or unaccented words
- Down up patterns (Shakespeare)
- Break of u’
Also remember to...
- Use the text and paraphrase for examples
- Be sensitive to language
- Don’t use throughout or however when analyzing poems
- Take notes on everything in the poem that stands out
- When you see vocabulary you don’t recognize, LOOK IT UP
Always be fully prepared when coming into class. ALWAYS expect a quiz so try to know the poems inside and out. He WILL ask about the definitions of words so make sure you know them