AP English Literature and Composition
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
An AP English Literature and Composition course engages students in the careful
reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature. Through the close examination of
selected texts, students will deepen their understanding of the ways writers use
language to provide both meaning and pleasure for their readers. As they read,
students will consider a work’s structure, style and themes, as well as such smallerscale elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone.
It is my assumption that most of you plan to take the AP Exam. Therefore, a
majority of this course is designed to prepare you for the AP Exam.
COURSE COMPONENTS:
READING
The course includes intensive study of representative works from various genres and
periods, concentrating on works of recognized literary merit.
Reading in an AP course is both wide and deep. This reading necessarily builds upon
and complements the reading done in previous English courses so that by the time
students complete their AP course, they will have read works from several genres and
periods. For that reason, previously read works may be revisited for deeper study. On
the AP exam, you may wish to recall literature read from other courses you took.
As you read, it is important that you read deliberately and thoroughly, taking time to
understand a work’s complexity, to absorb its richness of meaning, and to analyze how
that meaning is embodied in literary form. In addition to considering a work’s literary
artistry, students reflect on the social and historical values it reflects and embodies.
Careful attention to both textual detail and historical context provides a foundation for
interpretation, whatever critical perspectives are brought to bear on the literary works
studied.
Most of the works studied in the course were written originally in English, including
pieces by African, Australian, Canadian, Indian and West Indian authors. Some works
in translation may also be included (Greek tragedies, German, Russian or Latin
American fiction).
WRITING
Writing is an integral part of the AP English Literature and Composition course and
exam. Writing assignments focus on the critical analysis of literature and include
expository, analytical and argumentative essays. Although critical analysis makes up
the bulk of student writing for the course, well-constructed creative writing assignments
may help students see from the inside how literature is written. The goal of both types
of writing assignments is to increase students’ ability to explain clearly, cogently, even
elegantly, what they understand about literary works and why they interpret them as
they do.
Throughout the course, emphasis is placed on helping students develop stylistic
maturity, which, for AP English, is characterized by the following:
- a wide-ranging vocabulary used with denotative accuracy and connotative
resourcefulness;
- a variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordinate and
coordinate constructions;
- a logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques of coherence such as
repetition, transitions and emphasis; and
- an effective use of rhetoric, including controlling tone, maintaining a consistent
voice, and achieving emphasis through parallelism and antithesis. The writing
required in an AP English Literature and Composition course is thus more than
a mere adjunct to the study of literature. The writing that students produce in
the course reinforces their reading. Since reading and writing simulate and
support one another, they are taught together to underscore both their common
and their distinctive elements.
QUIZZES AND EXAMS
I will drop your LOWEST quiz score each nine weeks. All exams will be counted.
We will occasionally have an essay examination (timed writing) that asks you to
synthesize your understanding of our readings. These exams are designed to mimic
AP exam questions to provide you with additional practice and preparation for the AP
exam.
Multiple-choice quizzes will also be a form of examination. Some are strictly to check to
see if you have completed the required reading and others are modeled after AP exams
and will require you to closely interpret a selection from literature we may be reading.
GRADING:
I know you are all concerned about grades. But first, understand that this class is not
about grades as much as it is about learning. I am more concerned with your
improvement, rather than your individual assignment grades.
Therefore, if a student does her best work and works to her capacity, then she will get
an “A” in the class - even if the grades given on papers and assignments aren’t all “A.”
How is this possible? You have the opportunity to re-work and improve any
assignment. I want you to rewrite. I want you to re-think. If it is clear that you have
given your best effort and you get any grade less than an “A,” then you have one week
from the day the assignment is returned to redo it. You may receive up to a 90% on the
re-worked assignment. However, if it is apparent that you did not put in enough effort
the first time, you may not be able to get a grade for a re-worked assignment (you will
not have this opportunity if you did not complete your work the first time).
COURSE RULES / POLICIES:
I have very few course rules:
1. Your attendance is very important. If you miss a class, you need to meet with me
before or after class (not during class) to get the work you missed.
2. Late work will be accepted, but it will be heavily penalized. However, I understand
that emergencies come up, so you will receive one “emergency” pass per nine
weeks. This will allow you to turn in an assignment late without penalty. This does
not apply to homework that will be discussed in class the next day.
AP LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION COURSE SCHEDULE
First 9 Weeks
WEEK ONE: Introduction to the Course
- Pretest
- What is literature?
- Basic AP Test Dissection
- Practice close reading strategies
WEEKS TWO - THREE: The Iliad and other Classic Myths
- Intro to writing the literary essay from AP College Board Resources
- The Epic and Classic Hero
- Close study section of the Iliad
- Heroes, Monsters, and Gods project
- Weekly Writing - Write an essay that explores the heroic journey of either Achilles or
Hector. How does the hero fulfill the necessary steps of his heroic journey? Finally,
what significance might the heroic journey of the hero have in the context of the story
and in the context of Greek culture at large? Use direct quotation for support.
Remember to answer “SO WHAT.”
WEEK FOUR: Poetry - the Basics, “The Speaker” and “Tone”
- “The Trouble with Poetry” Billy Collins
- Reading Poetry - in class reading aloud of various poetry with discussion of the
speaker
- Annotation poetry
- What is tone?
- Poetry in class writing assignment
- Weekly Writing - Write an essay comparing the speakers of two related poems. How
are the speakers alike, and how are they different? How do their words and
references similarly indicate their characters? How do the speakers influence your
judgments of the poems in which they appear? or Describe how the speaker of one
particular poem shows shift in tone (attitude) throughout the poem. What is significant
about this shift in tone?
WEEK FIVE: Poetry - The Basics, “Imagery” and “Figures of Speech”
- What is imagery?
- Read and respond to imagery poetry
- In class timed writing assignment
- Use of figures of speech in poetry
- Weekly Writing - This week will end with practice in-class timed writing on poetry. For
practice, we will use the poem “To Paint a Water Lilly” by Ted Hughes from the 2006
AP Exam. You will have no outside writing assignment.
WEEK SIX: Poetry - The Basics, “Symbolism” and “Allusion”
- Read and respond to various poetry
- Symbolism in sonnets
- Weekly writing - Write a poem about your own experiences such as with school, an
activity, a movie or book, a political event, etc. in which you develop a major symbol
that also includes two or three allusions. Then after the poem, write an essay
describing the following: 1) The process of your creation of the poem. How did you
begin? How did you decide what your symbol(s) would be? Why did you choose that
particular symbol? How is audience a factor when thinking or your allusions? 2) The
meaning. How do symbols and allusions deepen the meaning of your poem? Do you
think others will share the same meaning from the poem that you do as the writer?
Why or why not?
WEEK SEVEN: Poetry - Putting the Skills to Use, “Writing about Theme and
Meaning in Poetry”
- Poetry exam - Free Response and Multiple Choice questions
- Poetry presentations
WEEKS EIGHT-NINE Oppressed Peoples and Books - “Fight, for your Right! - to
Par - take”
- Show how to create novel / play note cards for AP Exam study
- Banned books and history of censorship
- Read stories / poems about oppression
- Weekly Writing - Tom Paine was an extraordinary effective “rabble-rouser” on both
sides of the Atlantic Ocean. He was the foremost polemicist (arguer of controversial
topics) on the American Revolution and, upon his return to England, became the bete
noir (black beast) of the British aristocracy, clerics, and supporters of the established
social order. No other writer of his day managed to both inspire and upset so many
people. He did so through a consistent and persisted advocacy of republican
democracy. Mary Wollstonecraft was similarly a “rabble-rouser” with her feminist
causes in mind. She viewed the societal structures of her time as a prison for women.
She even considered marriage, a form of “legal prostitution.”
Question: Paine writes “[W]hat we now see in the world, from the revolutions of
America and France, are a renovation of the natural order of things, a system of
principles as universal as truth and the existence of man, and combine moral with
political happiness and national prosperity.” Paine and Wollstonecraft viewed their
world as at the brink of a monumental shift in its social order. What were the common
elements - in outline- of their civil vision? Compare the arguments that each writer
makes regarding natural human rights. What elements do you see them agreeing
upon? Where do they differ? Why do you think that their visions incurred the wrath of
government censors? What similarly provocative arguments do the two writers offer?
Use direct quotations for support.
Choose individual “banned book” and begin reading for final paper. Choose from:
Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Infidel by Aayan Hirsi Ali, The Age of
Reason by Thomas Paine, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston, A
Separate Peace by John Knowles, The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, The Catcher in the
Rye by J.D. Salinger or if there is a banned book over 200 pages that you would
rather read, bring the book in and ask me.
Second Nine Weeks
WEEK ONE: Oppressed Peoples and Books - “American Slavery: Ignorance is not
Bliss”
- Read selection from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Narrative of the Life of
Fredrick Douglass, and others
- Weekly Writing: Walker asked, “Why are Americans so very fearfully terrified (by) my
book?” Based on your reading selections, what might be some good responses to his
question? What do these books reveal about the conditions of slaves in the 19th
century America that would leave some Americans to want to ban these pieces of
literature? Especially consider the role of fear in the reading/reception of these texts.
How might reactions against these books manifest fear and lead to their censorship
and suppression?
WEEK TWO: Final Paper for Oppressed Peoples and Books Unit
- Assignment: In general, this paper should consider why this book encountered
censorship / bans or its author faced problems after the publication of the book.
Based upon your reading and perhaps some research about the time in which the
book was written, what elements of this book made people afraid of its widespread
publication? Consider the lectures and other notes when discussing this aspect.
Although all of these books are now considered classics today, why do you believe
(based upon YOUR reading) that this book or author faced so much controversy?
Avoid plot summary and keep it interesting! (1500-2000 words)
WEEK THREE - College Preparation Unit
- Work on college portfolio that will include 1) resume 2) A self letter of recommendation
3) A college application essay
- Resume in review
- Writing a letter of recommendation
- Writing the application essay
- Writing scholarship essays
WEEKS FOUR - FIVE: Alienation Independent Book Project
- Alienation Independent Book Project (novels that have an “alienated
protagonist”): Choose one of the following novels to read over the next two weeks. I
caution you NOT to choose a book based on length alone. You might be more
successful in choosing a book that deals with a topic of interest for you. Novel
choices: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
(can’t have read for banned book), Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, The Kite Runner by
Khaled Hosseini, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, Robinson Crusoe by Daniel
Defoe
- Read short stories about alienation
- Writing Assignment: Alienation is a feeling of not belonging. This feeling can be
physical, mental, religious, spiritual, psychological, political, social, or economic and
often it tends to be a combination of more than one of these types. Alienation is a
driving force that pushes the human conscience to extremes. Characteristics of
alienation are common to many characters in literature. Examine either “The Painted
Door” or “The Rocking Horse Winner” and discuss how and why alienation occurs
among one or more the characters. Does the person alienate him/herself? Or is the
person alienated by others? What are the consequences of such alienation in the
character’s life?
Then discuss a situation in your life in which you have felt alienated. Describe the
situation and why you felt alienated. How can you relate to the characters in “The
Painted Door” or “The Rocking Horse Winner?”
At the end of your paper, discuss the book that you choose for your Alienation
Independent Book Project. Why did you choose this book? What drew you to this book
and do research about it? Avoid plot summary and keep it interesting!
WEEKS SIX - SEVEN: The Tragedy of Miller
- Read Death of a Salesman
- AP Applied Practice
- Weekly Writing - Choose a character from Death of a Salesman, and discuss how the
character’s tragic choices ultimately lead to a cathartic (cleansing) experience of some
sort. Avoid plot summary.
WEEKS EIGHT-NINE: College Research Paper
- Skills needed to write a college research paper
- Research skills