AP Lit Poetry Tips I give my students:
- Place punctuation INSIDE quotation marks Ex: In “Siren Song,” blah blah blah.
- Look for CONTRAST/CHANGE -or- REPETITION/PARALLELS(MIRRORING)
- Go DEEPER than the other students will. Your hook + broad statement should both be unique and thoughtful.
- Avoid hooks/big ideas that focus on authors/poems/writing unless that element is a key element of the actual poem’s subject/concerns. Your hook should be linked to the larger point/purpose of the poem.
- If there is an ALLUSION, point it out! Show them that you picked up on it/had that background knowledge.
- Consider the speaker’s persona.
Want more Q1 AP Lit Poetry Essay tips?
Try this 31-slide lesson with advice and guidance for students! Covers ALL 3 AP Literature essays!
Try this lesson/mini-packet for teaching the Q1 essay!
Want a FREE Q1 essay prompt + poems?
“To Helen” (Edgar Allan Poe) and “Helen” (H.D.)
Prompt: The following two poems are about Helen of Troy. Renowned in the ancient world for her beauty, Helen was the wife of Menelaus, a Greek King. She was carried off to Troy by the Trojan prince Paris, and her abduction was the immediate cause of the Trojan War. Read the two poems carefully. Considering such elements as speaker, diction, imagery, form, and tone, write a well-organized essay in which you contrast the speakers’ views of Helen.
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174154 (“To Helen”)
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/175877 (“Helen”)
Full AP Lit Poetry Units
Romanticism Poetry Unit: Brit Lit, AP Lit and Comp
Modernism: American and British Poetry (+2 Short Stories), AP Lit & Comp
Renaissance Poetry: Brit Lit, AP Lit and Comp
Poetry Study Materials
AP Essay Test Prep (Handouts and Activities/Practice)
AP Essay Test Prep (PowerPoint Lessons)
Easy Analysis: Poetry Grapic Organizer Activities
Free “Twist” on TPCASTT Worksheet
Poetry Explication Essay Assignment (20 Pages!)
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