Mrs. Bell’s analysis of student responses on the 2009 Poetry Prompt Essays
Prompt: In the following speech from Shakespeare’s play Henry VIII Cardinal Wolsey considers his sudden downfall from
his position as advisor to the king. Spokesmen for the king have just left Wolsey alone on stage. Read the speech carefully.
Then write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how Shakespeare uses elements such as allusion, figurative
language, and tone to convey Wolsey’s complex response to his dismissal from court.
Things to keep in mind:
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Sometimes you will get excerpts from drama (usually Shakespeare) as a “poem”
Though you don’t have to write on the lit elements they give you(allusion, figurative lang, tone), you should be
looking for them and identifying them as you annotate your prompt – they pick these for a reason.
o An allusion is a reference to another literary work – Steinbeck in East of Eden alludes to many biblical
stories. In this excerpt, Shakespeare alludes to the biblical story of Lucifer. When you see “allusion” look to
a reference from the Bible or mythology. You need to ask yourself “why is this allusion significant or ironic?”
 Wolsey is a CARDINAL, which means he is basically a step away from pope, and also a step away
from the king. Lucifer was the angel of light, an archangel who was a step away from God and
wanted to be God but fell from heaven (lost the war) and god created hell for him.
o Figurative Language is an umbrella term that can include (but is not limited to) metaphors, similes,
personification, hyperbole…(anything that should not be taken literally but rather figuratively). Be specific
when you talk about figurative language and point out the thing you are identifying.
 In this case, there is an extended metaphor (longer than a line) comparing the state of man to a
blossoming plant that ends up being killed quickly in a premature frost.
 There is also a simile comparing Wolsey’s pride to “little wanton boys that swim on bladders this
many summers in a sea of glory, but far beyond their depth.” His “high-blown” pride “broke under”
him and left him in that “sea of glory” to drown. You can reference hubris here – overweening pride
that leads to a great downfall.
 You could also discuss hyperbole (exaggeration) with how he is reacting (waxing eloquent) to his
dismissal
o Save tone for last (usually). Remember that tone is dependent on Wolsey’s complex response (if it is
complex it must have many dynamics to it). You need to show HOW Shakespeare created that tone.
Describe Wolsey’s response at the beginning of the poem:
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At the Middle:
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At the End:
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 DO NOT neglect to look at the last few lines of your poem! They are almost always important.
 Euphony/Cacophony are not as important in this poem. Your clue to use them is when the prompt asks you to look
at diction or imagery.
Misreads and problems:
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Wolsey is not happy, joyous, at peace, renewed by his dismissal.
Lines 7-9 are not about the king but the “state of man” (see line 3)
Line 17 “I feel my heart new open’d” means it feels like his heart is ripped open anew.
Lucifer refers to Wolsey’s position, not the king’s
The focus of the prompt and passage are not on the king but Wolsey
AP uses New Criticism – you can go outside of the range of interpretation for them and can’t get higher than a 4
Question 2 Prompt: The following selection is the opening of Ann Petry’s 1946 novel, The Street. Read the selection
carefully and then write an essay analyzing how Petry establishes Lutie Johnson’s relationship to the urban setting through
the use of such literary devices as imagery, personification, selection of detail, and figurative language.
Things to keep in mind…
 Differentiate between Petry (the author), Lutie (main character), and pedestrians (who are in the first half of the
excerpt). The key is to focus mostly on Lutie and the urban setting around her/influencing her.
 Clearly the street is important since it is the title of the book (so it will become like a character). Keep in mind that
this is the opening to the book.
 Imagery should have been fairly easy to point out – anything that you can “see” in your mind’s-eye. So the higher
level papers will go beyond the obvious and point out sensory (5 senses) imagery and the more subtle implications.
o Also look for change/complexity/dynamics in the imagery and what type of mood the author is setting.
o “cold November wind” “rattled the tops of garbage cans” “sucked window shades…flapping back against
the windows” “blew her eyelashes away from her eyes so that her eyeballs were bathed in a rush of
coldness” “original coat of what paint was streaked with rust where years of rain and snow had finally
eaten the paint …making a dark red stain like blood”
 Personification is clearly of the wind (making it act like a person) and as a result the street comes to life as well.
o Ask yourself what the author wants us to think of the wind and what Lutie thinks of it?
o “violent assault” “fingering its way along the curb …sets bits of paper to dancing…swirled into the faces of
the people…took time to rush into doorways…and find chicken bones.” “It did everything it could to
discourage the pople…found dirt and dust and grime …and lifted it so that the dirt got into their noses”
“blinded them” “grit stung their skin” “wind grabbed their hats, pried their scarves…stuck its fingers inside
their coats” “wrapped newspapers around their feet, entangling them” “wind lifted Lutie’s hair…felt
suddenly naked…touched the back of her neck, explored the sides of her head” “twisted the sign away
from her” “wind held it [sign] still for an instant”
o Don’t go overboard on making the wind evil - it is more of a trickster (obstructer, obscurer, thief, ghost)
 Selection of detail is a catch-all element. Anything that didn’t seem to fit under the other terms could go here. Or
you could draw attention to more details that add to the mood or develop the setting or Lutie.
o Details about the types of scraps of papers that the wind tossed in the street – what does that tell us of the
area? “theater throwaways, announcements of dances and lodge meetings, the heavy waxed paper that
loaves of bread …the thinner waxed paper that had enclosed sandwiches, old envelopes,
newspapers...chicken bones, pork-chop bones” “Three rooms, steam heat, parquet floors, respectable
tenants. Reasonable.” – could show a glimpse of peace or hope or comfort at the end
 Figurative Language is an umbrella term – see comments on other side.
o Simile “like blood” - but other than that maybe you could use the street as a metaphor for her life or
metonymy for the city (stand in place of).
Misreads/Mistakes:
 Must talk about the personification of the wind and don’t be too strong on your spectrum of tone (no evil wind)
 Don’t ignore the last few lines of the excerpt – you could work that in to the conclusion.
 Don’t start paragraphs with quotations – your topic sentence (first sentence of a paragraph) should be like a mini
thesis for that paragraph.
Overall
 Some things that are always good to look for in both prompts – irony, sarcasm, tone/mood