AP English Literature and Composition Free-Response Questions Notes

Question 1: Analysis of John Rollin Ridge's "To a Star Seen at Twilight"

• Prompt: Analyze how Ridge uses literary elements and techniques to convey the speaker’s complex reflection on the star.

• Poem Overview: The poem features a speaker admiring a solitary star at twilight and contemplating its significance.

• Literary Elements and Techniques to Consider:

  • Imagery: The "far blue height," "eternal wreath," "broad mirror is the sea," "calm home eternity," "night-bosomed star," "speaking face," "calm, fair brow," "pure sublimity".

  • Symbolism: The star as a symbol of purity, eternity, solitude, and the sublime.

  • Personification: The star's "soul's eye," "speaking face," and "calm, fair brow."

  • Contrast: Between the star's purity and constancy and humanity's baseness.

  • Metaphor: The star as the "throne of thy own spirit."

  • Sound Devices: Alliteration, assonance, consonance, and rhythm to create a specific mood to evoke emotion.

• Speaker's Complex Reflection:

  • Admiration: The speaker expresses love and admiration for the star's beauty and purity.

  • Aspiration: The speaker wishes to emulate the star's qualities and desires that others could do the same.

  • Contrast with Humanity: The speaker contrasts the star's sublimity with the potential baseness of human nature.

  • Recognition of Solitude: The speaker acknowledges the star's solitude and connects it to greatness.

• Thesis Statement Considerations: A defensible interpretation should focus on how specific literary devices contribute to the poem's overall meaning.

Question 2: Analysis of Mavis Gallant's "One Morning in June"

• Prompt: Analyze how Gallant uses literary elements and techniques to convey Mike’s complex experience of studying painting.

• Passage Overview: The excerpt depicts Mike Cahill's year in France to explore his talent for art.

• Literary Elements and Techniques to Consider:

  • Setting: Paris, France, and its influence on Mike's artistic aspirations.

  • Characterization: Mike's naivete, uncertainty, and evolving perspective of art and his abilities.

  • Irony: The contrast between the romanticized image of Paris as an art center and the reality of Mike's experience.

  • Imagery: Descriptions of Mike's paintings and the Parisian landscape.

  • Symbolism: The bridges of the Seine, the rain-soaked lawns, and Notre Dame represent Mike's artistic subjects.

  • Dialogue: Conversations between Mike and Mr. Chitterley reveal Mike's insecurities and his mentor's vague guidance.

  • Figurative Language: Similes like comparing Mike's exposure to art to exposing him to measles.

• Mike's Complex Experience:

  • Initial Motivation: Influenced by family's romanticized view of Paris and art.

  • Challenges: Difficulty finding proper instruction, self-doubt about his talent, and disillusionment with his work.

  • Development: Growing appreciation for solitude and the process of creating art.

  • Uncertainty: Seeking validation and direction from his instructor, Mr. Chitterley.

  • Climax: Mr Chitterly's advice to go south to the country.

• Thesis Statement Considerations: Focus on how Gallant's use of literary devices reveals Mike's internal conflict and the evolving nature of his artistic journey.

Question 3: Literature and Indecision

• Prompt: Analyze how the impact of a character's indecision contributes to an interpretation of the work as a whole.

• General Considerations:

  • Identify a work of fiction featuring a character who delays or avoids making a decision.

  • Analyze the implications of this indecision on the character's relationships, stability, well-being, or other aspects of their existence.

  • Explain how the indecision contributes to an overarching interpretation of the work.

• Possible Works to Consider (from the provided list):

  • The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

  • Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

  • Beloved by Toni Morrison

  • Dubliners by James Joyce

  • Emma by Jane Austen

  • Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

  • Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

  • The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

  • Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

  • The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

  • The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

  • One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

  • A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

  • Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

  • A Room with a View by E.M. Forster

  • The Stranger by Albert Camus

  • A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

  • Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

  • Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

• Example Analysis Framework:

  • Introduce the work and the character whose indecision is central to the plot.

  • Describe the specific decision the character is delaying or avoiding.

  • Analyze the impact of this indecision on the character and those around them.

  • Connect the consequences of the indecision to a broader theme or message in the work.

• Possible Thesis Statements: A strong thesis should clearly articulate the connection between the character's indecision and the overall interpretation of the work.