1. Writing an In-class Essay

2. Essays on the AP English Exam:
Poem(s)
Prose passage
Open question on a novel

3. What do they really want??

4. Typical novel question
-A recurring theme in literature is “the classic war between a passion and a responsibility.” For instance, a personal cause, a love, a desire for revenge, a determination to redress a wrong or some other emotion or drive may conflict with moral duty. Choose a novel or play of literary merit and explain how such a conflict enhances the meaning of the work as a whole.

5. So what is it REALLY asking?
When they ask “How does it enhances/relate to the meaning of the work OR how does it contribute to the EFFECTIVENESS of the work really means:
How does such a conflict RELATE TO THE THEME OF THE WORK?

6. Same for prose questions;
Same for poetry questions.
They’re ALL asking the SAME thing. What is the theme of the work.

7. Make sure that you understand what the prompt asks you to do:
The passage below is taken from the novel Tom Jones (1749). In this scene, which occurs early in the novel, Squire Allworthy discovers an infant in his bed. Read the passage carefully. Then, in a well-organized essay, analyze the techniques that Fielding employs in this scene to character Mr. Allworthy and Mrs. Deborah Wilkins.
Write a well-organized essay in which you analyze the style and tone of the passage below, explaining how they help to express the author’s attitudes.

8. “expressing the author’s attitude” really asks what is the author trying to say? which = THEME of the work.

9. What is meant by style? What one says. . .
How one says that something. . .
If style is thought to consist of the mannerisms and methods of an individual writer, then one can refer to the pompous style of Dr. Johnson, the whimsical style of Charles Lamb, the allusive style of T. S. Eliot, the clipped style of Hemingway. Most critics agree, however, that “what one says” and “how he says it” are basic elements in style. Therefore, style may be thought of as the impress (influence) of a writer’s personality upon his subject matter.

10. Devices used to create style:
Diction--word choice
connotation of words
Syntax--sentence structure
Imagery
Figures of speech
metaphors, similes, personification, allusions, etc.
Choice of detail
And others. . .

11. What is tone? An author’s attitude toward his subject
Remember that rarely will the tone remain the same from beginning to end, or will the tone be limited to a single descriptive adjective.
Don’t be afraid to see opposites--the attitude is one of - - -, yet one of

12. Essays are scored holistically
The reader reads the essay without making any marks
The reader evaluates both what is said and how it is said
A score is determined based upon a rubric

13. 9-8--These essays address the prompt fully
9-8--These essays address the prompt fully. They identify techniques and then analyze how the author uses them to address the prompt. Though the essays may not be error-free, they are perceptive in their analysis and demonstrate writing that is clear and precise.
7-6--These essays offer a reasonable attempt at the prompt. Although not as convincing or as thoroughly developed as the 9-8 papers, they demonstrate the writer’s ability to express ideas with clarity, insight, and control
5--These essays tend to be simplistic in analysis of techniques. They often rely on paraphrase. There may be minor misinterpretations. These essays are not as well conceived, organized, or developed as upper-half papers.
4-3--These lower-half essays offer less than thorough understanding of the task. They demonstrate misunderstanding of some aspect of the passage. These essays tend to rely on paraphrase only. 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.

14. Literary Analysis
In addition to understanding the passage that you read,
and writing clearly, precisely, and as correctly as possible under the circumstances,
you are also expected to write good literary analysis.

15. The Opening Paragraph
It is essential to have a strong opening paragraph.
An opening does NOT restate the question; instead it answers it.

16. The opening paragraph must contain:
A general statement
Support for general statement
Qualifier
Thesis statement which states theme.

17. Support for general statement
Opening paragraphs
Throughout history, women have endured a conflict of conscience: how do women provide for their children without losing their identities in the process?
It’s a slippery slope that all too often finds mothers losing themselves in their responsibilities of nurturing and teaching their children.
General statement
Support for general statement

18. In Euripides’ Medea, the author creates a conflict for his protagonist who is caught between her love for her children and her desire to punish her adulterous husband.
By juxtaposing such a dilemma for Medea, Euripides is suggesting that it is dangerous when passion overtakes one’s reason.
Qualifier
Thesis
Statement

19. The 2nd-6th paragraphs:
Claim, data, analysis

21. Literary Analysis: Claim Data Commentary
This poem uses tactile imagery to depict
how blind folks affect our lives, to evoke sympathy
for the blind, and to criticize mainstream America
for its callousness towards the disabled. In the first
three lines Kooser describes how the blind can
suddenly fill an elevator “with a great white porcupine
of canes.” A porcupine is noted for its prickliness;
we are apprehensive when it is around and we do not
want to touch it. The blind person, according to
Kooser, evokes a similar reaction: their presence in a
situation causes “prickliness,” and it makes us
uncomfortable.
Data
Commentary

22. Pet peeves that hurt your essay
Using “you”
Using “I” or “I think”
Too much plot
Skipping around
Last paragraph that restates anything
Changing tense

23. The last paragraph
Do NOT restate any portion of what you’ve already written.
The entire final paragraph should be about author’s intent, author’s statement, author’s theme, author’s message, and author’s purpose for writing the work in the first place.

24. Be prepared to write
Plan your time wisely; you will only have 40 minutes
Spend some time planning your essay before you begin--organization is an important factor of good composition
You must write in black ink. For this class, you can write on loose-leaf paper--you may write on the back