Literary Terms Lightning
A contrast between expectation and reality.
“The wind whispered through the trees.”
What is Personification?
In the thesis formula [Character] + [Choice] + [Revealing that...], what does the "Revealing that" part represent?
The MOWAW (Meaning of the Work as a Whole) / Thematic Statement.
Read the following brief passage:
The dusk settles softly on the lake’s still face,
A mirror dimmed by time’s unyielding hand;
The trees lean close, as if to leave no trace
Of all the moments they cannot command.
A single bird breaks silence with its cry,
Then disappears into the darkening air;
And though the world seems paused, it hurries by,
Unseen, beneath the calm it seems to wear.
What is the primary theme?
A. Beauty of nature
B. Stillness of time
C. Change beneath apparent calm
D. Loneliness
What is C. Change beneath apparent calm?
How long per FRQ? How long should you take for the essay.
What is 40 minutes?
Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.
What is Alliteration?
“My thoughts are a tangled web.”
What is Metaphor?
Turn this "D" grade thesis into a Defendable FRQ 3 Thesis:
"Macbeth is ambitious and kills the King."
possible idea: In Macbeth, the titular character’s decision to murder King Duncan reveals that unchecked ambition leads to the total corruption of one’s moral identity.
Thesis: In (author)’s ( title of work) +( character of focus name) +( defensible clam that answers the prompt) +( revealing that * thematic statement)
Read the following passage:
The dusk settles softly on the lake’s still face,
A mirror dimmed by time’s unyielding hand;
The trees lean close, as if to leave no trace
Of all the moments they cannot command.
A single bird breaks silence with its cry,
Then disappears into the darkening air;
And though the world seems paused, it hurries by,
Unseen, beneath the calm it seems to wear.
“Time’s unyielding hand” is an example of:
A. Simile
B. Personification
C. Irony
D. Hyperbole
What is B. Personification?
What should you do first when reading a prompt?
What is identify what the question is asking? (Think keywords, like I've told you!)
When Duncan praising Macbeth's castle just before his murder, and the audience knowing Macbeth is guilty while he pretends innocence after killing Banquo this is an example of what?
Dramatic irony
“She ran like the wind.”
What is Simile?
Identify the "Choice" thesis Everyday Use:
"Mama’s decision to gift the quilts to Maggie rather than Dee reveals that heritage is a lived experience rather than a performative aesthetic."
Gifting the quilts to Maggie.
Read the following passage:
Mrs. Alvarez prided herself on routine. Each morning, she arranged her desk with meticulous care, aligning papers as though their order might impose clarity upon the day. Yet today, her hands faltered. The letter... creased, unfamiliar... rested at the center of her otherwise perfect arrangement. She had not opened it. Instead, she adjusted the pens once more, as if their symmetry might delay what she already feared to know.
What best describes Mrs. Alvarez’s state of mind?
A. Confident
B. Anxious
C. Excited
D. Indifferent
What is B. Anxious?
True or False: When writing your response for FRQ 3, you need to use one of the books that's on the recommendation list.
What is False?
When an object represents a larger abstract idea.
What is Symbolism?
______forms of poetry include predictable patterns in the
structure of lines, stanzas, meter, and rhyme, which develop relationships
among ideas in the poem.
Closed Form Poetry
Fix this Frankenstein thesis: "
Victor is a bad scientist who doesn't like his monster."
Victor’s decision to abandon his creation out of fear reveals that knowledge without morality leads to isolation and destruction.
Thesis: In (author)’s ( title of work) +( character of focus name) +( defensible claim that answers the prompt) +( revealing that * thematic statement)
Read the following passage:
Mrs. Alvarez prided herself on routine. Each morning, she arranged her desk with meticulous care, aligning papers as though their order might impose clarity upon the day. Yet today, her hands faltered. The letter... creased, unfamiliar... rested at the center of her otherwise perfect arrangement. She had not opened it. Instead, she adjusted the pens once more, as if their symmetry might delay what she already feared to know.
The letter primarily functions to:
A. Show her routine
B. Introduce conflict
C. Describe her job
D. Reveal setting
What is B. Introduce conflict?
You realize halfway through your essay that your argument is weak or unclear. What is the BEST course of action?
A. Erase everything and restart
B. Keep writing and hope it improves
C. Refine your thesis in the next paragraph and align your evidence to it
D. Ignore the thesis and focus only on evidence
What is C. Refine your thesis in the next paragraph and align your evidence to it?
AP readers reward coherence, not perfection. Adjusting your line of reasoning mid-essay is a strong move. Remember what we've talked about! You've got this. The most important thing is really the line of reasoning!
A reference to another text, historical event, or figure.
What is an Allusion?
The running-over of a sentence or phrase from one poetic line to the next, without terminal punctuation; the opposite of end-stopped.
What is Enjambment
The Prompt: Identify a character who makes an ambiguous or difficult choice and analyze how that choice reveals the complex nature of the character's values.
The Weak Thesis (Fix This):
"In Bloodchild, Gan decides to be a host for T’Gatoi because he doesn't want his sister to do it and he wants to stay alive, which shows that love is a really strong thing."
"In Octavia Butler's Bloodchild, Gan’s decision to voluntarily host T’Gatoi’s eggs despite his visceral horror reveals that true agency is often found in the negotiation of power within a system of survival, revealing that love and submission are inextricably linked in an interdependent world.
Read the following passage:
JAMES: You always said honesty mattered most.
LILA: And you always said timing mattered more.
JAMES: So now you choose silence?
LILA: I choose what keeps things from breaking.
JAMES: Or what keeps you from being blamed?
(Pause.)
LILA: Sometimes those are the same.
Lila’s final line suggests:
A. She is confident
B. She wants to leave
C. She is unaware
D. She is conflicted but justified
What is D. She is conflicted but justified?
Define Paradox. Give an example from Macbeth.
Answer: A self-contradictory statement that reveals a truth. "Fair is foul, and foul is fair."