AP Lit Comparative Poetry Essay Success Tips
Prepare for your AP Lit Comparative Poetry Essay by reading poems multiple times, organizing thoughts, crafting a specific thesis, structuring body paragraphs by technique, and concluding with a universalized theme statement.
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AP Lit-The Comparative Poetry Essay Tips and strategies for success
Preparing: Reading Try to read the poems 2 times EACH 1 for an understanding of each poem individually 2 with an intention to find evidence to support points of comparison 3 if you have time- to hear the sounds in your head After reading, you should organize your thoughts in advance- prior to starting to write -You can do this on a chart or make an outline -Don t take too much time, but it is worth up to 10 minutes of preparation to help write your essays quicker
Intro-this applies to ALL essays Your introductory paragraph only really needs 1 essential element- the thesis. This should directly respond to the prompt, mimicking the wording The rest of the intro should NAME the poems and AUTHORS (if you know) Then provide any summary of meaning or a list of SPECIFIC techniques that you will be discussing DO NOT COMMENT ON the reader or enjoying the poem - avoid really , very , interesting
THESIS: Should be AS SPECIFIC as possible. Avoid vague terms like a lot or many Literary techniques needs specified adjectives or descriptors i.e. Dickinson and Frost, in their respective poems, both consider the idea of the darkness as a symbolic representation of the unknown, and provide an exploration through their varied structures, dark imagery, and specific points of view.
Body paragraphs (back to specifics for the comparative poetry essay) Organize by technique- mention in topic sentence Include BOTH poems in each body paragraph to assure a balance Include DIRECT TEXTUAL SUPPORT, not just summary or paraphrase Include AMPLE explanation- explicitly connecting technique to meaning Concluding sentence should tie back into the overall meaning DO NOT transition at the end of a paragraph
Conclusion (yes, you need one) Restate the thesis/ main idea but do not repeat Make a universalized theme statement i.e. Dickinson and Frost prove that exploring darkness is a trait common to all, however some will approach darkness with curiosity and determination, where others will succumb to the darkness and internalize it. There varied points of view help to include all audiences in the journey, providing insight from those who have both overcome and succumb.
Poetic techniques: Categorize your essay for a bonus- use a technique from each of the following categories Structure (line, stanza, couplets, form) Sound (rhyme/ rhyme scheme, alliteration, assonance or consonance, rhythm, meter) Figurative language (metaphor, symbolism, personification, simile, imagery)
