ap english exam: poetry essay by: jelani fleming & jasmine tejada
TRANSCRIPT
AP ENGLISH EXAM:
Poetry Essay
By: Jelani Fleming & Jasmine Tejada
Literary Devices for Poetry Essays
O ALLITERATION - is the repetition of initial consonant sounds.
O ALLUSION - is a direct or indirect reference to a familiar figure, place or event from history, literature, mythology or the Bible.
O PARADOX - a statement in which there is an apparent contradiction which is actually true.
Literary Devices for Prose Passages Cont’d
O ASSONANCE - is a close repetition of similar vowel sounds, usually in stressed syllables.
O ATMOSPHERE / MOOD - is the prevailing feeling that is created in a story or poem.
O CACOPHONY - Harsh sounds introduced for poetic effect - sometimes words that are difficult to pronounce.
O CLICHE - an overused expression that has lost its intended force or novelty.
Literary Devices for Prose Passages Cont’d
O ONOMATOPOEIA - the use of words which sound like what they mean.
O OXYMORON - two words placed close together which are contradictory, yet have truth in them.
O RHYME SCHEME - any pattern of rhymes in poetry. Each new sound is assigned the next letter in the alphabet.
Literary Devices for Prose Passages Cont’d
O SYMBOL - a symbol has two levels of meaning, a literal level and a figurative level. Characters, objects, events and settings can all be symbolic in that they represent something else beyond themselves.
O PERSONIFICATION - giving human attributes to an animal, object or idea.
O METAPHOR - a comparison between two things which are essentially dissimilar. The comparison is implied rather than directly stated.
Some Important Literary Terms
O TONE - is the poet's attitude toward his/her subject or readers. It is similar to tone of voice but should not be confused with mood or atmosphere. An author's tone might be sarcastic, sincere, humorous . . .
O IRONY - is a literary device which reveals concealed or contradictory meanings.
Some Important Literary Terms
O FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE - Language used in such a way as to force words out of their literal meanings by emphasizing their connotations to bring new insight and feeling to the subject.
O IMAGERY - is the representation through language of sense experience. The image most often suggests a mental picture, but an image may also represent a sound, smell, taste or tactile experience.
Tips for Writing Your Essay Paper
O Write Out The Instructions- Write out what your instructor’s requirements in your own words so that you understand what the instructor is looking for. Check your interpretation with the instructor just to be sure you have gotten it right. Always keep the requirements in mind and check back with the instructor once you have something written so that you can be sure you are on the right track. Many papers get bad grades simply because they didn’t follow the instructions
Tips for Writing Your Essay Paper
O Map Out Your Goals- Map out your research goals by making an initial list of the sub-topics you expect to cover in your paper. Keep in mind that these sub-topics may change as you look more closely into the subject
O Make Quality Notes-underline every quote, statement or fact spot out when in need to go back.
Tips for Writing Your Essay Paper
O Proper Citations- Clearly label them.O Grammar- Try to use sophisticated
grammarO Re-Read paper- Re-read your paper
and go over what you’ve wrote. Check for grammar mistakes and other things
Conquering the Poetry Essay Question
(Thematic Focus)
Time Management
O Given time: 40 minutes
O 1-3 minutes to work the prompt
O 5 minutes to read and annotate the poem with purpose
O About 10 minutes to pre-write
O 20 minutes to write the essay
O 2-3 minutes to proofread
What To Do When...O Working the prompt: Circle key words and identify
synonyms for them. This way, you know exactly what to look for as you read poem.
O Annotating the poem: Think of the message the poet is trying to convey and why the poet is writing about that particular subject. Identify literary elements that you would want to include in your essay and think of how they are important to the poem as a whole.
O IMPORTANT: Underline or circle lines that you could quote in your essay. These quotes serve to support your ideas in your essay.
O Preparing to write: Compose an outline or graphic organizer of some sort. This allows you to organize your thoughts so that you can write them down in essay format later on. Use your annotations to plan your writing as well.
You Will Be Expected To...O ...Compare and contrast two
poems. If this is the case, the poems would usually be on a similar subject and you would have to write about their commonalities and differences. You would also have to discuss how each poet approaches their subject and how they use poetic devices similarly or differently.
O ...Choose literary elements and clearly explain how the poet uses them to get a message across the readers and how these literary elements are important to the poem as a whole. You are NOT restricted to the suggested literary elements.
Remember To...O Look at the entirety of
the poem. Don't just focus on one stanza or one line.
O Show how things like literary elements and poetic devices contribute to the poem as a whole.
O Explain why the poet has chosen to utilize certain literary elements in their poem.
AVOID...O ...Using first-person
pronouns such as I, me, you, we and us. Instead, use words like 'the reader' or 'readers'.
O ...Being vague. Be clear and straightforward in your essay.
O ...Digressing from the topic. Remember to stay on topic in your essay at all times.