February/March 2012
For the
next 6 weeks, we will be working on a portfolio of work that will help you prepare
AP Essay
Prompts
for the test (and future college writings). 1). Annotate 10 of the 12 prompts (rewrite each
and break them down into required elements). 2). Create thesis and bullet points for 8.
3). Intros and
body(MLA
paragraph
5. 4). Rough
draftssupported
for 2. 5). Submit
1 for afrom
grade.
I will
Requirements:
Typed,
format)for
organized,
with ideas
by examples
the text
andcollect
outsidethe
sources
required by instructor. Also must be submitted to TurnItIn.com for
entireas
portfolio.
verification of source authenticity. (100 pts.)
1. In a novel, a confidant(e) is a character, often a friend or relative of the hero or heroine, whose role is
to be present when the main character needs a sympathetic listener to confide in. Choose a
confidante from a work you have read and discuss the various ways this character functions in the
work.
2. From one of you readings, select an unrealistic or “distorted” event or character and explain how such
a distortion relates to the more realistic elements of the work. In other words, how can the inclusion of
certain unrealistic situations or characters help authors convey their ideas?
3. Developing strong characters is often the goal of many authors. In fact, as readers, we may even be
manipulated to feel sympathetic towards an evil or immoral character. Using a character from your
reading, analyze how and why readers might feel sympathy towards an evil or immoral character.
4. A classic conflict in novel is a character’s struggle between a private passion and personal
responsibility. For instance, a character’s personal cause, a love, a desire for revenge, a
determination to correct a wrongdoing, or some other emotion may conflict with her/his moral duty.
From one of your readings, discuss how a character experiences such a conflict, how the conflict
affects the character’s personality and actions, and why the conflict is important to the story.
5. Critics often applaud works that can produce in the reader a “healthy confusion of pleasure and
disquietude. Select a work from your readings that produces this healthy confusion. Be sure to show
how readers can be both entertained and troubled by the particular literary work.
6. Some works of literature use time in a very distinct way. The plot’s sequence of events may be
changed, or time may be slowed, suspended, or accelerated. Choose a novel or a reading in which
the author’s manipulation of time affects the entire novel and explain how the novel is affected by this
manipulation.
7. A critic once said that the true test of comedy is its ability to awaken “thoughtful laughter” in the
reader. If one of your readings contained “thoughtful laughter”, analyze why the laughter is thoughtful
and how it contributes to the overall meaning of the work.
8. A recurring theme in many novels is the conflict created when the will of an individual opposes the will
of the majority. Choose a novel or reading in which a character is in opposition to her or his society.
Analyze the conflict and discuss the moral implications for both the individual and the society.
9. Often, a character’s view of the past is used to develop themes in novels. A character may view the
past with such feelings as reverence, bitterness, or longing. If a character from your readings
attempted to recapture or reject the past, explain how those attempts helped create interest and
provoke thought in the reader.
10. Certain parallel or recurring events are important to many novels. Describe the major similarities and
differences of parallel or recurring events in one of your readings and discuss the significance of
those events.
11. Literary critics contend that in good literature, no scene of violence exists for its own sake. From your
readings, choose a work that confronts the reader with a scene or scenes of violence. Explain how
the scene or scenes contribute to the meaning of the complete work.
12. Authors, through their characters, plots, and settings, often seem to support changes in traditions or
changes in social and political attitudes. Select such a work from your readings and discuss which
attitudes or traditions the author wishes to change and how the author attempts to influence our
opinions.