AP English Language & Composition

Critical Reading Response

For each major reading assignment, you will prepare a Critical Reading Response (CRR). It is important to read each work of literature with pen and/or highlighter in hand to take notes. If it is your copy, feel free to take notes directly on the text. If it is not your copy of the text, take notes on Post-Its or in your notebook. You will use your notes to prepare CRR entries. The final draft of each entry should be typed and turned in for a grade. Please print TWO copies of each entry—one for your binder and one to turn in. These CRR entries will be used for class discussions and writings, but they will most importantly serve as handy material to review prior to the AP Exam. Each entry should have ten numbered and labeled sections that follow this format:

Page Set-Up:

q 1” margins all around

q Double-space all text

q Standard 11-12 pt. font (Times New Roman or Calibri preferred)

q Heading on each page should be formatted as follows:

Ex: Sue Z. Cue

The Scarlet Letter Critical Reading Response

AP English Language & Composition

Anderson County High School

Katrina Boone

September 8, 2013

Sections:

Please number, title, and underline each section heading.

Section I: Significance of Title

Briefly discuss the significance of the title. Does is represent a symbol, a character, a metaphor or some other significant rhetorical strategy or literary device? How is it thematically connected to the body of the work? Does it have multiple meanings? Explain. ? Do not write more than one paragraph.

Section II: Author

Briefly discuss the author and how the work reflects the concerns of its creator. Who is the author? What are his/her major themes issues? How does the work demonstrate concerns important to the author? Do not write more than one paragraph.

Section III: Setting

Describe the time and place in which the action occurs. How is it related to the time period in which the work was written? What is significant about the setting? How is the setting connected to thematic concerns? Do not write more than one paragraph.

Section IV: Plot

Briefly summarize the plot, using standard formats of basic plot structure as they may apply: exposition, initial incident, rising action, turning point, climax, falling action, denouement (resolution). Discuss conflict and any other devices that significantly impact plot. Do not write more than one paragraphs, and do not plagiarize this summary from a website or another student.

Section V: Point of View

From what perspective is the story told (novel)?/From what perspective does the playwright approach the story (drama)? How does point of view affect your understanding of the work? How does the choice of narrator impact the theme(s) of the work? Write no more than one paragraph.

Section VI: Characterization

Identify the main characters (not all of the characters) in order of importance (starting with protagonist and antagonist) and describe them and their role in the work. Discuss any characters that have a significant impact on the work. Be sure to include physical and psychological details in your descriptions. See the example below from Of Mice and Men.

Lenny, the classic example of a static character is completely committed to his friend George and the vision of the farm that they hope to have one day. Although he is a flat character, he is important as a foil to George, whose development would not be complete without his counterpart. He is innocent and seems doomed for tragedy from the start, which makes the reader feel deep sympathy for him. His death at the end of the novel deepens several recurring ideas in the novella, including the ideas that the American dream is impossible and that human existence is characterized by loneliness and tragedy.

Section VII: Theme

Identify and discuss at least three important messages and ideas the author communicates in the work. Remember that themes are important ideas conveyed. In order for an idea to be important (and, therefore, thematic) it must be repeated. How does the author reveal these themes? Why are they important in the text? Why are they important in the world in which you live? Do not write more than three paragraphs. You may write less, but it is important to thoroughly analyze each theme by answering the three questions above satisfactorily.

Section VIII: Literary Devices

Identify and discuss at least three literary devices used in the work. What examples of these devices stand out to you? How did these affect your understanding of the work? How are they important in their connection to theme and meaning in the work? You should consider such devices as symbolism, diction, metaphor, imagery, irony, humor, etc. as they have a meaningful impact on any part of the work. For specific examples from the text, include a citation. Do not write more than three paragraphs. You may write less, but it is important to thoroughly analyze each device by answering the questions above satisfactorily.

Section IX: Quotes

Select at least three passages (no more than 3 typed lines long) that illustrate an important theme or idea in the work. Discuss the element of theme, plot, setting, or literary device connected to each quote. Do not include plot summary. Be sure to use quotation marks and include a page number. You must include a citation for these quotes. See the example below from Of Mice and Men.

“Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place. . . . With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. . . . If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us.” (36)

This passage from the first section of the novella exemplifies the author’s insistence on the idea of the male friendship as a way to fight the inevitable loneliness that life presents. George reminds his best friend that they are lucky to have each other, and that their friendship is particularly special because men like them don’t usually have someone to count on. Since they live on the margins of society, lacking family ties and a place in the world, they need each other, and their friendship gives them something to live for. This genuine display of brotherly love deepens George’s characterization, and intensifies the deepen sorrow the reader feels for his position as a murderer at the end of the story.

Section X: Personal Response

Discuss your response to this work. Did you enjoy it? Why/Why not? What elements of the book did you enjoy/not enjoy? What is your appraisal of the work and its place within the canon of world literature? Would you recommend it to someone else? What type of person would enjoy this work most? Most importantly, what connections are there between this work and the world that you live in? Write at least two paragraphs, and be sure to include a thorough discussion of the questions in the paragraph

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