Summer Essay Reflections
AP English Literature
2015
Avoid “I” Statements
(and “you” / “we” / …)
• “I would guess that it has to do with racial
tension which is getting to be really bad.”
• “I believe this poem was written to tell a life
lesson with some personal background.”
• “I came to believe…”
• “I believe…”
• “I feel…”
• “I envisioned the author…”
Instead of “this novel talks about…”
is about
Concerns
Describes
Details
Discusses
Depicts
Imagines
Identifies
refers to
References
alludes to
Suggests
Implies
Says
hints (at)
Vague Statements
• “When analyzing this book, imagery and
symbolism play large roles.”
• “…Baraka creates a character that is similar to
him, and a theme that is easy to relate to.”
• “This novel really makes you think.”
• “This book is both hard and easy to
understand.”
• “This story is really interesting when you
analyze it.”
Length
• Essay (or paragraph, or sentence) length should be like a
swimsuit: long enough to cover the subject, but short enough
to keep it interesting.
Thesis
• Author’s first and last name
• Title (punctuated correctly!)
– Novels
– Plays
– “Poems”
– “Short Stories”
• Theme
Theme
• The author’s message about humanity
• The reason for writing/reading this story
• Does your thesis contain a thematic statement?
• Do your quotes relate to your theme?
• Does your analysis explain, support, or extend
your thesis statement? (Can be more than one
sentence)
Organization - AQE
• A Q E [Assertion (claim), quote, explain]
• They key to keep you from summarizing the
plot.
• The key to keep you focused on your thesis
• AQQE / AQEQE also options
Organization
• Have topic sentences that support thesis.
– If you don’t or can’t, your thesis might be weak.
• Each paragraph should have a purpose.
• Each paragraph should have its own thesis
(topic sentence). Make it the first sentence in
each paragraph.
More Organization
• Consider outlining before writing.
– Your thesis and topic sentences form the structure
and flow of your essay.
• I should be able delete everything but the first
sentences of your paragraphs and still have a
clear picture of where you’re headed.
Introductions/Conclusions
• Whether you write your intro immediately or
defer it, the question you are answering must
be obvious in the first paragraph.
• Avoid introductions that are unrelated to the
ideas in the essay.
• Be brilliant until you run out of time.
• Conclusion = final thoughts in the reader’s
head – make them clear!
Sentence Structure
• Stay in control of your sentences. Simple and
clear trumps flowery and wandering.
• Goal: diverse sentences
Be a Big Kid
• Avoid finding information online that makes
your essay clunky or forced.
• Look up the critical stuff (age, sex, race,
suicide status).
• But if you’re not sure what it means or adds to
the understanding of the novel/poem, leave it
alone.