The first thing to realize when you tackle an AP Language prompt is that the
situation is artificial and timed and probably not fair, but that’s the best we can
do. Meaning, in real life, you will not have to write about one tiny section and
have only 40 minutes to do it. In real life, you also get a computer and maybe
even an Internet connection (though that’s a mixed blessing). Once you’ve
resigned yourself to the unfairness of the test (and life, probably), you’ll be in the
right frame of mind.
The second thing to realize is that the test is not so bad. It forces you to think and
write quickly, but that’s a good skill to have. It forces you to focus your thinking
and make choices quickly, but that’s also not a bad skill to have. The AP prompt is
a little flawed gem of a test that rewards quick thinking, broad reading, and the
ability to make connections and back them up with evidence.
Which brings us to my roadmap.
Let’s start with a rhetorical analysis essay. These are particularly hard because we
don’t typically do this kind of analysis on a day-to-day basis. Arguments are
common and even synthesis gets more of a workout, but how often do we say: Do
you see what she did there? When mom said ‘I don’t want to nag, but don’t
forget to send your college applications tonight.’ She was trying to anticipate
our objections before we made them. Like, never.
Let me give you the example of a prompt:
Analyze the methods of Alfred Green’s 1861
speech to persuade his fellow African
Americans to join the Union forces.
First step: Read the prompt…use it to guide your reading.
In the prompt above, that’s pretty straightforward, you’re looking for all of the methods
that Green tries to convince his audience to join the Union. So, as you’re reading, you’ll
be underlining passages that are examples of different attempts. Typically, you would
underline the sentence that looks most useful and then write off to the side what you
think AG is up to. By the time you’re done reading, you should have a number of possible
topic sentences and some relevant evidence already collected.
Second step: Choose your topic sentences
In 40 minutes, you have (at most) 4 points to make. More realistically, you have 2-3. But
let’s work with 4. How do you choose which 4 to focus on? Here’s my advice: choose
what you understand first and then what you think is less common or more subtle next.
Nothing will happen if you don’t have a handle on what you’re saying, but Englishy-y
types value the nuance and the surprising over the obvious and the ham-handed.
Once you’ve chosen your 2-4 points, make sure for each you have at least one quote and
a bit of analysis to give for each point. Some of this might need to be based on faith that
the analysis will come when it’s needed. Believe in your brain.
Third step: Write your intro
I usually subscribe to one of two options for intros. Either go short or go interesting. For
rhetorical analysis, your best bet is one of those 9th grade thesis statements where you
say: Alfred Green tries to invoke his audience’s masculinity, sense of history, and love of
country in order to convince them to join the Union army. Don’t waste time. If you’re
writing an argument prompt, you might have an interesting story or angle to gain
interest, but if you don’t, blathering for 70 words will be counter-productive.
Fourth step: Write you body paragraphs.
Ok, so now is the time for the magic to happen. Like most things in life, you should stick
to the script at first and improv only when you’ve mastered the craft. So, a typical body
paragraph should go like this:
Topic sentence: AG recognizes that his audience is skeptical of the racist nature of
the US, but tries to counteract that by linking war with masculinity.
Set-up: Early in the excerpt, he concedes that life in the US is not perfect.
Quoted evidence: QUOTE IN QUOTATION MARKS
Analysis: Here, you need to clarify how the quote proves what your topic sentence
says as well as give your interpretations as to WHY the writer is making the choices
he/she is making. For instance, Green realizes that he can’t deny his audiences’
grievances but instead tries to suggest that only cowards refuse to fight and that
even legitimate grievances are just ‘excuses.’
All parts are necessary, but the linkage is what matters. You need to set up a clear point
that you’re trying to make, give relevant evidence, and then analyze how and why the
writer made that choice.
Final step: Write your conclusion
Do not spend a lot of time here (especially in rhetorical analysis). Get our gracefully and
quickly.