AP English Exam Study Guide: Poetry Essay

By: Anthony, Aleeya, Geordy, Ishmet, Partha

The poetry essay part of the AP exam challenges the reader to compare and contrast two poems in a essay. The prompt guides the reader on what is wanted from the reader in the essay and what the test makers require to be written.
The following is a guide to help you get throughout the poetry essay of the AP exam.

Annotate! Annotations give you a greater understanding of the poem as well as a reference point to use during your essay
Interpret! Read the poems from different angles/viewpoints. When interpreting, depend on the literal and figurative meaning of poems. First understand the literal meaning by using vocabulary, structure, imagery, and poetic devices. Then draw conclusions from the connotation of the content and use your own interpretation of the poem.
Compare and Contrast! When comparing and contrasting poems, consider speaker, subject, situation, devices, tone and theme
Underline/Highlight! Underline/highlight keywords in the prompt to help you maintain focused on the question being asked.
Question, what are you reading? Ask yourself if you consciously understand what you are reading for both the poems and the prompt, even for your own essay!
Comment and reflect in your mind upon the ideas that are being presented in the stanzas.
Pause briefly and think about what you have just read.
Evaluate what you have read.
Quotations simply underline or annotate a section of the text, so it will be easier to refer back later on during the exam.
Recognize words; attempt to figure out the meaning from previous knowledge. (VETY)
Be Specific when making references to the poems, prompt, and to other information used in your essay.
Time Yourself! Don't spend too long reading the poems, the prompt, or even writing the essay. Try to give yourself more time to write while less time on reading. Spend 10 minutes analyzing, reading, and annotating, 20 minutes writing and the rest of the time to proofread.
Use sophisticated language to give the reader a good impression of your writing.
Read the poem several times to better understand the meaning of the poem.
In your introduction of the essay, include the prompt information, the poem title, and the poet's name. Remember the test-makers give this information for a reason. Use them to your advantage.
The Body of Your Essay. Refer to the poem for concrete details and quotes to support your ideas. This helps to enhance your writing.
Include transition words and echo words to make your essay sound smooth and coherent.
Repetition! Pay close attention to the repetition of words in the poems and prompt to give a deeper insight and understanding of the essay question and the authors purpose for writing the poem.
When using literary elements it is useful to incorporate the following model in your essay:
Author's purpose: why was the piece written? What response does the writer wish to evoke from the reader?
Style of language: Is it formal, colloquial, archaic, dialect, poetic, abstract or concrete? Are sarcasm, satire, and parody evident?
Diction: what words stand out? Are there significant connotations? What words give you TONE clue?
Syntax: Is there unusual words order, periodic sentences, and parallel construction? Any other sentence structure oddities?
Dramatic Monologues - considering it reveals the character of the speaker, pay close attention to character development. Keep in mind the actions, thoughts, feelings, personality traits, and point of view of the character
Review the common types of poetry, i.e. sonnet (Shakespearean or Petrarchan), ballad, elegy, ode, villanelle, lyric etc. These might pop-up in the exam, as the test-makers want students to familiarize with common college-level poetry.
Source
5 Steps to a FiveAP English Literature & Composition Kaplan 2007 Edition