Ap Exam Prep (LIT)

Major Themes:

• Memory and trauma

• Motherhood and sacrifice

• Slavery and freedom

• Identity and the self

Climax & Conflict (per theme):

• Memory and trauma: Climax—Sethe sees Beloved as the past made flesh; Conflict—Sethe’s internal battle with guilt and memory.

• Motherhood: Climax—Sethe tries to kill Mr. Bodwin thinking he’s taking her daughter; Conflict—Sethe’s moral struggle with protecting her children.

• Slavery: Climax—Flashback to Sethe’s escape and infanticide; Conflict—Living under its legacy.

• Identity: Climax—Sethe’s breakdown; Conflict—Reclaiming selfhood post-trauma.

Universal Ideas:

• The lingering scars of historical injustice.

• The cost of survival.

• The burden and resilience of motherhood.

Central Characters:

• Sethe, Denver, Beloved, Paul D

Foil Characters:

• Amy Denver (foil to Sethe in optimism/hope)

• Schoolteacher (foil to Paul D—inhumanity vs. suppressed humanity)

Literary Devices:

• Simile: “Her brain was not interested in the future. Loaded with the past and hungry for more, it left her no room to imagine…” (memory like hunger)

• Metaphor: Beloved as a metaphor for trauma

• Personification: 124 is "spiteful"

• Pathetic Fallacy: House 124 reflecting emotional chaos

• Symbol: Beloved, the scar, 124

• Motif: Water, milk, rememory

• Allusion: Biblical references (e.g., milk and honey)

5 Characterization Quotes:

1. “It was not a story to pass on.” (Denver’s development)

2. “Beloved. She my daughter. She mine.” (Sethe’s possessiveness and guilt)

3. “Paul D says your love is too thick.” (Sethe's emotional intensity)

4. “I can’t live here. I don’t know where to go or what to do, but I can’t live here.” (Denver’s coming of age)

5. “She is a friend of my mind.” (Paul D’s healing relationship

2. The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

Major Themes:

• Resistance and resilience

• Identity and heritage

• Family and community

• Injustice and bureaucracy

Climax & Conflict (per theme):

• Resistance: Climax—Thomas testifies in Washington; Conflict—Fighting termination policy

• Identity: Climax—Pixie’s recognition of her strength; Conflict—Balancing modernity and tradition

• Family/community: Climax—Pixie’s rescue mission; Conflict—Separation and survival

• Injustice: Climax—Policy challenged; Conflict—Tribal rights vs. government

Universal Ideas:

• Struggle for cultural preservation

• Power of collective resistance

• Identity in the face of systemic erasure

Central Characters:

• Thomas Wazhashk, Patrice "Pixie", Wood Mountain, Vera

Foil Characters:

• Millie Cloud (foil to Pixie—education vs. survival)

• Barnes (foil to Thomas—apathy vs. commitment)

Literary Devices:

• Simile: “He worked at night like a ghost in reverse.”

• Metaphor: Night watchman as a protector of culture

• Personification: Machines humming with sinister purpose

• Pathetic Fallacy: Cold landscape echoing hardship

• Symbol: The watchman’s job, water, and letters

• Motif: Dreams, trains, names

• Allusion: Real-life Felix Cohen and 1950s termination bills

5 Characterization Quotes:

1. “He had a second, secret life: letter-writing.” (Thomas's quiet defiance)

2. “She was the kind of girl who always found something to do.” (Pixie’s determination)

3. “Not a drop of Indian blood in him, but enough Indian spirit.” (Wood Mountain’s loyalty)

4. “She would not go missing.” (Pixie’s inner strength)

5. “He had the stubbornness of someone who has never been listened to.” (Thomas’s perseverance)

3. Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Major Themes:

• Revenge and justice

• Madness (real and feigned)

• Appearance vs. reality

• Mortality and existence

• Corruption and decay

Climax & Conflict (per theme):

• Revenge: Climax—Hamlet kills Claudius; Conflict—Moral paralysis vs. action

• Madness: Climax—Ophelia’s death; Conflict—Genuine vs. strategic madness

• Appearance vs. reality: Climax—Play within a play; Conflict—Truth hidden beneath deception

• Mortality: Climax—Gravedigger scene; Conflict—Fear of death vs. acceptance

• Corruption: Climax—Court destroyed; Conflict—Decay of Denmark’s moral core

Universal Ideas:

• The complexity of human motives

• Psychological torment and inner conflict

• Inevitability of death

Central Characters:

• Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, Polonius

Foil Characters:

• Laertes (foil to Hamlet—decisive vs. hesitant)

• Fortinbras (foil—honorable revenge vs. brooding inaction)

• Horatio (foil—rational friend vs. emotional Hamlet)

Literary Devices:

• Simile: “Like a man to double business bound…”

• Metaphor: “Denmark’s a prison.”

• Personification: “Frailty, thy name is woman!”

• Pathetic Fallacy: Stormy weather with internal chaos

• Symbol: Yorick’s skull, poison, the ghost

• Motif: Ears/hearing, madness, rot/decay

• Allusion: Greek myths (Hecuba), biblical references (Cain)

5 Characterization Quotes:

1. “To be or not to be…” (Hamlet’s philosophical nature)

2. “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” (Marcellus’ insight into corruption)

3. “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” (Gertrude’s perception)

4. “I will speak daggers to her, but use none.” (Hamlet’s moral tension)

5. “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance.” (Ophelia’s descent into madness)