What is the AP Lit Prose Essay?

• The AP Lit prose essay is the second of three essays that make up the AP Lit exam's free-response portion, and it takes about 40 minutes to complete. There will be a 500–700 words prose excerpt and a prompt to help you write your analytical essay.

• The essay is worth roughly 18% of the final score and will be scored out of six points based on the quality of your thesis (0–1), evidence and commentary (0–4), and level of sophistication (0–1).

• Although the three free-response essays on this test may seem overwhelming, they are actually rather manageable and simple to finish with the right time management and practice. These following six key concepts must be understood if you want to maximize your performance on the test's time management component:

Understand the passage and the prompt thoroughly

• The prose essay tests your ability to analyze literature and construct an evidence-based argument. To ensure a thorough understanding of the passage, allocate 5-7 minutes to read the prompt and the passage, followed by 3-5 minutes to plan your response. Highlight, circle, and mark any lines that stand out to you, as they could bolster your argument. Having a variety of quotes to choose from is helpful, as it saves time later on.

• Once you have a good grasp on the passage and a solid array of quotes, develop a rough outline of your essay using the prompt's 4-5 bullets. Start with a thesis, create 2-3 concrete claims to support it, back each claim with 1-2 pieces of evidence from the text, and write a brief explanation of how the evidence supports the claim. This will save you time later on and ensure a well-structured essay.

Begin with a short introduction that clearly states your thesis statement

• A strong thesis is crucial for maintaining focus and avoiding tangents in writing. It helps in identifying relevant information upfront, avoiding wasted time. Clear theses also direct readers to essential arguments.

• To make the introduction brief and concise, include details from the passage, like author and title, but avoid unnecessary details. The introduction should focus on the heart of the essay, ensuring it is easily digestible.

Present relevant examples to back up your argument

• AP Lit readers require evidence in body paragraphs, with each paragraph containing at least 1-2 pieces of evidence directly from the text related to the claim. Smaller quotes, such as specific words or imagery, can clarify what stands out and help readers understand your argument.

• This approach allows for more evidence in the essay, but it's important to remember that having more quotes doesn't necessarily enhance your writing. The strength of a writer is not measured by the number of quotes, but by their relevance to the argument and explanation provided.

• If the details don't connect, they're just strings of details. Therefore, incorporating smaller quotes and highlighting the relevance of the quotes is crucial for a well-written essay.

Discussion is essential in order to link your evidence to your argument

• Citing phrases and words from a passage is crucial for presenting a strong argument. It is essential to provide an explanation for how the examples support the claim. After each new piece of evidence, it is crucial to have a sentence or two explaining the significance of the quote to the piece as a whole.

• The "So what" part of the paragraph should explain why the quote demonstrates an effective use of a literary technique by the author. If students become lost in the discussion, they should reflect on why they included the quote and what it contributes to the piece as a whole.

Write a short conclusion

• The essay's main focus is to provide a clear, organized argument throughout the body paragraphs. A conclusion serves as a satisfying conclusion and the final opportunity to drive home the argument. If extra time is spent in the preceding paragraphs, it's okay to skip the conclusion.

• Instead of repeating the thesis statement, summarize the main points to reinforce the arguments and prove the thesis statement. This approach doesn't negatively impact the essay's score.

Remember to Use Proper Grammar

• The essay should be well-written, with correct punctuation and spelling. While a strong thesis and evidence are important, the final point on the rubric is for sophistication.

• This criterion is more holistic, requiring elevated thoughts and writing without grammatical errors. While grammatical errors alone won't earn the sophistication point, it will leave a more favorable impression on the reader.

Prose Essay Template

Title of chosen work:

(Use quotation marks for plays, epic poems, and short tales; italicize novels.)

Introduction

Hook/Opening Statement

• Start with a general statement or idea that presents the passage's theme or subject. This can be an observation on the passage's broad significance or on its literary components.

State the author's name and the text's name

• The author and the text you'll be evaluating must be introduced. This provides background information for the claim you are going to make. By linking the author and text to your hook, you can create a link between the general idea you presented and the details of your essay.

Importance

• This section highlights the significance of the text's themes or elements as well as the applicability of your interpretation. It should clarify why the subject is important in the story's setting as well as the broader world. The broader implications of the concepts or issues discussed in the literature may also be covered.

Create thesis statement

• The most crucial component of your introduction is your thesis statement. It introduces the main point or argument you will be putting forth in your essay. This statement, which summarizes the essay's argument and alludes to the main ideas that will be covered in the body paragraphs, should be clear and concise.

II. Body 1

Topic sentence

• The paragraph's main idea is introduced in the topic sentence. It should relate to the particular point you'll be covering in that paragraph and have a direct connection to the thesis.

Relevance from the story

• The point stated in your topic sentence should be illustrated by particular instances or incidents from the text in this section of the paragraph. These oughts to be specifics that substantiate your argument, like passages or descriptions from the text.

Analysis - Explanation of WHY or HOW

• After providing evidence from the text, you need to discuss its significance. Why is this particular example important? How does it support your argument regarding the ideas, themes, or characters in the text? Your point is better understood by the reader as a result of this analysis.

Support from outside source(s) from your previous research

• You should use independent information or critical viewpoints to support your argument. These could be academic papers, professional judgments, or pertinent historical background that strengthens your analysis and deepens your interpretation.

III. Body 2

Topic sentence

• As you continue to develop your case, the second body paragraph should present an additional aspect of your analysis or argument. While concentrating on a new angle or theme, it should nevertheless relate to your thesis.

Relevance from the story

• Give additional detailed examples from the text to back up your new claim or concept, such as quotations, events, or descriptions.

Analysis - Explanation of WHY or HOW

• Describe the significance of this specific incident or feature in your argument as a whole. Demonstrate how it advances the larger ideas or character growth you are analyzing.

Support from outside source(s) from your previous research

• Use secondary sources to support your analysis, just like in the preceding paragraph.

IV. Body 3

Topic sentence

• Your argument should be further developed in the third body paragraph, possibly by addressing another key theme or by giving your analysis more depth.

Relevance from the story

• Present more textual evidence that demonstrates the connection between this point and the argument and supports your claim.

Analysis - Explanation of WHY or HOW

• The deeper significance of the events and how they support the text's overarching themes or message should be analyzed further in this part.

Support from outside source(s) from your previous research

• Include outside analysis that supports your understanding of the story's conclusion.

V. Conclusion

Transition phase

• The transition phrase acts as a link between the body of your essay and the conclusion. It lets you know that a summary or final analysis is on the horizon.

Restate the thesis

• Reiterate your thesis in a clear manner in your conclusion, restating the main point you have made throughout the essay.

Influence

• The broader implications of your analysis are covered in this section. How does the text resonate to readers now, or how does it connect to universal themes or more significant societal issues? It connects your argument to the outside world.

AP Lit Prose Essay Example

Example 1: A poem from 2023 by Alice Cary titled “Autumn,” which was published in 1874 received a perfect 6

[1] Romantic and hyperbolic imagery is used to illustrate the speaker’s unenthusiastic opinion of the coming of autumn, which conveys Cary’s idea that change is difficult to accept but necessary for growth.

[2] Romantic imagery is utilized to demonstrate the speaker’s warm regard for the season of summer and emphasize her regretfullness for autumn’s coming, conveying the uncomfortable change away from idyllic familiarity. Summer, is portrayed in the image of a woman who “from her golden collar slips/and strays through stubble fields/and moans aloud.” Associated with sensuality and wealth, the speaker implies the interconnection between a season and bounty, comfort, and pleasure. Yet, this romantic view is dismantled by autumn, causing Summer to “slip” and “stray through stubble fields.” Thus, the coming of real change dethrones a constructed, romantic personification of summer, conveying the speaker’s reluctance for her ideal season to be dethroned by something much less decorated and adored.

[3] Summer, “she lies on pillows of the yellow leaves,/ And tries the old tunes for over an hour”, is contrasted with bright imagery of fallen leaves/ The juxtaposition between Summer’s character and the setting provides insight into the positivity of change—the yellow leaves—by its contrast with the failures of attempting to sustain old habits or practices, “old tunes”. “She lies on pillows” creates a sympathetic, passive image of summer in reaction to the coming of Autumn, contrasting her failures to sustain “old tunes.” According to this, it is understood that the speaker recognizes the foolishness of attempting to prevent what is to come, but her wishfulness to counter the natural progression of time.

[4] Hyperbolic imagery displays the discrepancies between unrealistic, exaggerated perceptions of change and the reality of progress, continuing the perpetuation of Cary’s idea that change must be embraced rather than rejected. “Shorter and shorter now the twilight clips/The days, as though the sunset gates they crowd”, syntax and diction are used to literally separate different aspects of the progression of time. In an ironic parallel to the literal language, the action of twilight’s “clip” and the subject, “the days,” are cut off from each other into two different lines, emphasizing a sense of jarring and discomfort. Sunset, and Twilight are named, made into distinct entities from the day, dramatizing the shortening of night-time into fall. The dramatic, sudden implications for the change bring to mind the switch between summer and winter, rather than a transitional season like fall—emphasizing the Speaker’s perspective rather than a factual narration of the experience. She says, “the proud meadow-pink hangs down her head/Against the earth’s chilly bosom, witched with frost”. Implying pride and defeat, and the word “witched,” the speaker brings a sense of conflict, morality, and even good versus evil into the transition between seasons. Rather than a smooth, welcome change, the speaker is practically against the coming of fall. The hyperbole present in the poem serves to illustrate the Speaker’s perspective and ideas on the coming of fall, which are characterized by reluctance and hostility to change from comfort.

[5] The topic of this poem, fall–a season characterized by change and the deconstruction of the spring and summer landscape—is juxtaposed with the final line which evokes the season of Spring. From this, it is clear that the speaker appreciates beautiful and blossoming change. However, they resent that which destroys familiar paradigms and norms. Fall, seen as the death of summer, is characterized as a regression, though the turning of seasons is a product of the literal passage of time. Utilizing romantic imagery and hyperbole to shape the Speaker’s perspective, Cary emphasizes the need to embrace change though it is difficult, because growth is not possible without hardship or discomfort.

Example 2: An essay from 2020 entitled "The History of Mr. Polly" by H.G. Wells, a 1912 novel that also received a perfect 6

[1] In this passage from a 1912 novel, the narrator wistfully details his childhood crush on a girl violinist. Through a motif of the allure of musical instruments, and abundant sensory details that summon a vivid image of the event of their meeting, the reader can infer that the narrator was utterly enraptured by his obsession in the moment, and upon later reflection cannot help but feel a combination of amusement and a resummoning of the moment’s passion.

[2] The overwhelming abundance of hyper-specific sensory details reveals to the reader that meeting his crush must have been an intensely powerful experience to create such a vivid memory. The narrator can picture the “half-dim church”, can hear the “clear wail” of the girl’s violin, can see “her eyes almost closing”, can smell a “faint but distinct fragrance.” Clearly, this moment of discovery was very impactful on the boy, because even later he can remember the experience in minute detail. However, these details may also not be entirely faithful to the original experience; they all possess a somewhat mysterious quality that shows how the narrator may be employing hyperbole to accentuate the girl’s allure. The church is “half-dim”, the eyes “almost closing” – all the details are held within an ethereal state of halfway, which also serves to emphasize that this is all told through memory. The first paragraph also introduces the central conciet of music. The narrator was drawn to the “tones she called forth” from her violin and wanted desperately to play her “accompaniment.” This serves the double role of sensory imagery (with the added effect of music being a powerful aural image) and metaphor, as the accompaniment stands in for the narrator’s true desire to be coupled with his newfound crush. The musical juxtaposition between the “heaving tremor of the organ” and the “clear wail” of her violin serves to further accentuate how the narrator percieved the girl as above all other things, as high as an angel. Clearly, the memory of his meeting his crush is a powerful one that left an indelible impact on the narrator.

[3] Upon reflecting on this memory and the period of obsession that followed, the narrator cannot help but feel amused at the lengths to which his younger self would go; this is communicated to the reader with some playful irony and bemused yet earnest tone. The narrator claims to have made his “first and last attempts at poetry” in devotion to his crush, and jokes that he did not know to be “ashamed” at the quality of his poetry. This playful tone pokes fun at his childhood self for being an inexperienced poet, yet also acknowledges the very real passion that the poetry stemmed from. The narrator goes on to mention his “successful” endeavor to conceal his crush from his friends and the girl; this holds an ironic tone because the narrator immediately admits that his attempts to hide it were ill-fated and all parties were very aware of his feelings.

[4] The narrator also recalls his younger self jumping to hyperbolic extremes when imagining what he would do if betrayed by his love, calling her a “heartless jade” to ironically play along with the memory. Despite all this irony, the narrator does also truly comprehend the depths of his past self’s infatuation and finds it moving. The narrator begins the second paragraph with a sentence that moves urgently, emphasizing the myriad ways the boy was obsessed. He also remarks, somewhat wistfully, that the experience of having this crush “moved [him] to a degree which now [he] can hardly think of as possible.” Clearly, upon reflection the narrator feels a combination of amusement at the silliness of his former self and wistful respect for the emotion that the crush stirred within him.

[5] In this passage, the narrator has a multifaceted emotional response while remembering an experience that was very impactful on him. The meaning of the work is that when we look back on our memories (especially those of intense passion), added perspective can modify or augment how those experiences make us feel.