AP
English Literature and Composition Exam: Free-Response Section
Thematic
Focus:
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“Freedom
of Expression” vs. Rubric- The free-response essay allows you to choose the
work of literature you will use in your essay. It gives total freedom to select
the work you wish to use and what specifics you will use to support your
thesis. This is different from the prose and poetry essay because the
free-response does not follow a rubric based on certain concrete
interpretations and directions of the text. Although you have total “freedom of
expression” you will need to show that you have a mature understanding of the
work of literature and the prompt. Your essay must be organized and specific to
receive a high grade (7-9). It must also make a strong connection to the prompt.
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Pitfalls
of the Free-Response Essay- The free-response essay can be described as a
“double-edged sword”. One of the major pitfalls of this section is
over-confidence. Since this section of the exam gives the student the freedom
to choose what they would like to write about, students may feel inclined to
make obvious illustrations or broad generalizations. Make sure you provide the
correct information and back up your statements with evidence. Another pitfall
is choosing the appropriate work of literature. Students often waste time
choosing a work and many times end up choosing the wrong work of literature for
the prompt. Prepare 2 or 3 books that you know very well and make sure they
versatile enough to be used for any prompt.
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Rating
of the Free-Response Essay: Raters are looking for these key components:
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Literary
Insights- the rater wants to see that you understand or grasped the main ideas
of the work of literature.
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Awareness
of Character- show that you understand the relationships between characters and
the extrinsic and intrinsic forces that shaped certain characters.
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Comprehension
of Theme- show that you understand major and minor themes in a work and how the
author presented them.
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Ability
to transfer specific ideas and details to a universal concept- show that you
are able to make a text to world connection
Raters will grade you on how
well you understand how form, content, style and structure affect the meaning
of the work as a whole. You may use plot to support your ideas but do not summarize the plot.
General Rubrics for
the Free-Response Essay
Let's take a look at the
general rubrics for the free-response essay.
A 9 essay has all the qualities of an 8 essay, and
the writing style is especially impressive, as
is the relationship between the text and the subtext and the inclusion of
supporting detail.
An 8 essay will effectively and cohesively address the prompt. It will refer to an
appropriate work for the task and provide specific and relevant references from
the text to illustrate and support the writer's thesis related to the journey
indicated in the prompt and its relationship to character and theme. The essay
will present the writer's ability to perceive the relationship between text and
subtext in a clear and mature writing style.
A 7 essay has all the properties of a 6, only
with more well-developed analysis/discussion of the
relationship between development of character and how it relates to the journey
or a more mature writing style.
A 6 essay adequately addresses
the prompt. The analysis/discussion is on target and makes use of appropriate
references from the chosen literary work to support the interrelationship
between the character, his journey, and the work's theme. But these elements
are less fully developed than they are in essays in the 7, 8, 9 range. The
writer's ideas are expressed with clarity, but the writing may have a few
errors in syntax and/or diction.
A 5 essay demonstrates that the writer understands the prompt's requirements. The
analysis/discussion of the journey and how it relates to the character and the
theme is generally understandable, but it is limited or uneven. The writer's
ideas are expressed clearly with a few errors in syntax and/or diction.
A 4 essay is not an adequate response to the
prompt. The writer's analysis/discussion of the journey and how it
relates to character and theme indicates a misunderstanding, an
oversimplification, or a misrepresentation of the chosen literary work. The
writer may use evidence that is not appropriate or not sufficient to support
his or her thesis.
A 3 essay is a lower 4 because it is even less effective in addressing the journey and how
it relates to character and theme. It is also less mature in its syntax and
organization.
A 2 essay indicates little success in speaking to the prompt. The writer
may misread the question, choose an unacceptable literary work, only summarize
the selection, never develop the required analysis, or simply ignore the prompt
and write about another topic altogether. (Note: No matter
how good a summary is, it will never rate more than a 2.)
A 1 essay is a lower 2 because it is even more
simplistic, disorganized, off topic, and lacking in control of
language.
(Excerpted
from 5 Steps to a 5 AP English Literature and Composition)
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Timing the essay:
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1-3 minutes
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Work the prompt
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3-5 minutes
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Choosing work. (Don’t
waste time searching for the “perfect” book)
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10 minutes
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Brainstorming. (Create an
outline, chart, web or anything that will help organize your ideas.)
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20 minutes
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Write the essay
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3 minutes
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Proofread
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Analytical
Focus:
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The type
of prompt you will get for the free-response essay is hard to predict. There
are many types of prompts but these are ones that are most likely to appear:
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Journey
as a major force in a work
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In many
works of literature, a physical journey - the literal movement from one place
to another - plays a central role. Choose a novel, play, or epic poem in which
a physical journey is an important element and discuss how the journey adds to
the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.
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Transformation
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Choose
a distinguished novel or play in which some of the most significant events are
mental or psychological; for example, awakenings, discoveries, change in
consciousness. In a well-organized essay, describe how the author manages to give
these internal events the sense of excitement, suspense, and climax usually
associated with external action. Do not merely summarize the plot.
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Descent
into madness
* One definition of madness is “mental delusion or the eccentric
behavior arising from it.” But Emily Dickinson wrote
Much madness is divinest Sense-
To a discerning Eye-
To a discerning Eye-
Novelists and playwrights have often seen madness with a
“discerning Eye.” Select a novel or play in which a character’s apparent
madness or irrational behavior plays an important role. Then write a
well-organized essay in which you explain what this delusion or eccentric
behavior consists of and how it might be judged reasonable. Explain the
significance of the “madness” to the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize
the plot.
* Perception
and reality
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In
questioning the value of literary realism, Flannery O’Connor has written, “I am
interested in making a good case for distortion because I am coming to believe
that it is the only way to make people see.” Write an essay in which you “make
a good case for distortion”" as distinct from literary realism. Analyze
how important elements of the work you choose are “distorted” and explain how
these distortions contribute to the effectiveness of the work. Avoid plot
summary.
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Literary elements to use:
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Characterization: From 1970-2013,
thirty prompts have included the word or a variation of the word “character” in
their prompt. Make sure you are able to show how a character develops
throughout the work and how their journey or transformation relates to the
prompt and how it affects the work as a whole.
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Theme: “Theme is defined as a main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary
work which may be stated directly or indirectly.” Theme has appeared in six
prompts from 1970-2013. Make sure you are able to identify major themes and
their effect on the work as a whole. You should also connect the themes to
society and deliver a universal message.
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Rhetoric: Rhetoric
includes literary elements such as figurative language, diction, mood, tone,
irony, foil, point of view, symbols, tone, etc. It is important to have a grasp
on these techniques so that you can use them to support the claims in your
essay. Use these techniques as evidence for your claims.
