AP Literature

AP Homework 

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The art of literary analysis is a demanding, but gratifying endeavor. It begins in the struggle to make meaning out of a text that at first glance seems elusive, and sometimes undecipherable. It depends on an imaginative mind that willingly embraces the quirkiness and puzzling assortment of words that a writer has strung together in an order that sometimes breaks all of the rules, defies logic and challenges our sensibility. What at first appears abstruse later becomes clear and comprehensible, and the mysteries of a text begin to unravel to reveal its secrets. Actors and directors talk about the willing suspension of disbelief with respect to plays on the stage. The audience willingly accepts the play as real when viewing it, despite the knowledge that the play is, in fact, fiction. In similar fashion, the reader must throw aside his or her preconceptions of order and logic, of soundness and sense to enter into the world of the text, and it is the function of the writer to draw the reader into the construct or that fiction.

 The text, however, does not exist without the cooperation of the reader, because it is only when the reader engages with the text that meaning becomes possible, and that engagement requires the reader to let go of preconceptions and hasty judgments, willingly following the writer’s design, no matter how intricate or dense, irritating or convoluted. The discoveries that surface after careful thought and study are the rewards of the rigorous demands of literary analysis. Its transforming qualities, those qualities that bring to mind a new understanding, a change of thought or habit, or touch our deepest emotions are the profits of that work.

 The good news is that not all great literature must be dense or hard to follow. Great literature can be simple, clear, straightforward and still very powerful. In the AP course, you will experience reading challenging works of literature including novels, poetry, plays, short stories and essays that demand close analysis in both reading and writing. You will be expected to write a weekly two-page journal in which you respond to and analyze the texts we work on in a given week. Your participation in class discussions and group activities will be a major part of your evaluation. Extended analytical papers will also be assigned, some as primary source papers and others with secondary source material required. We will also work on multiple-choice sections of the AP test for practice. Each student will teach a poem to the class, and following the poetry unit that we complete, you will be expected to write a paper that defines poetry. You will have to memorize at least fifty lines for a dramatic presentation. In-class essays will be a standard form of evaluation. Please expect frequent unannounced quizzes on the reading assignments prepare for class.

             Course Objectives: 

§         to read accurately and perceptively

§         to read critically and analytically

§         to write with clarity, grace and sophistication

 §         to actively engage in the study of literature

§         to evaluate and draw inferences

§         to understand the relationship between form and content in literature

§         to analyze in depth

 §         to use writing to explore and clarify thinking and ideas

§         to use language appropriate to literary analysis

§         to think actively and critically

 §         to demonstrate insight through writing, discussion, speaking and oral presentation

§         to cite texts aptly and specifically

§         to evaluate pieces of literature within their social, historical and cultural contexts

    §         to develop analytical skills in poetry

§         to develop skill and a high comfort level in using literary terms

§         to demonstrate a sound grasp of literature

§         to summarize clearly and accurately the ideas of others

§         to use secondary sources skillfully and appropriately

§         to use note taking effectively

§         to demonstrate achievement of college-level work in the AP exam