Page 84 - 2022-bfw-litcomp-TE-3e.indd

In effect, you are building a kind of literary argument with references from the text that doing — perhaps setting a frantic pace that reveals the mother’s AP TIP 1
®
1
show how the language and structure of this story develop and reflect the complexities of anxiety about her daughter coming into her own as a young You can find a copy of the
DIFFERENTIATION
the relationship between the narrator, who is a mother, and her daughter. This means that woman — is key to an effective response to the prompt. rubric that will be used to DIFFERENTIA TION chapter 1
®
a thesis statement that merely restates the prompt will not be effective: Before you determine what literary elements or techniques you’ll score your essay on the AP
Scaffolding
®
discuss, you need to decide on your interpretation of the relationship Exam at College Board’s AP Scaffolding
In “Girl,” Jamaica Kincaid uses several literary elements and techniques to convey how of the narrator and her daughter: what makes it “complex”? Otherwise, Central website. It provides a AP ®
AP Teaching Tip. Remind students that
social values and traditions shape the complex relationship between the mother and her your essay will likely boil down to a list of literary elements that don’t detailed description of what complexity can be articulated thr
complexity can be articulated through the ough the
daughter. to include—and what not to
relate to each other or convey a larger insight into the story. In this include—in your thesis use of literary techniques that combine use of literary techniques that combine
This thesis acknowledges the prompt, but it does not make any progress toward case, let’s consider one way to characterize the mother-daughter statement. elements. For example, a situation can be elements. For example, a situation can be
Analyzing Short Fiction
paradoxical or ironic. Or, juxtaposed imag-, juxtaposed imag-
conveying an understanding, much less an interpretation, of how Kincaid develops that relationship. Here’s the start of a thesis that captures that idea: paradoxical or ir onic. Or
complex relationship. A strong thesis also goes beyond a summary of the story: ery suggests something about the complex ery suggests something about the complex
In “Girl,” Jamaica Kincaid shows a mother’s fierce determination to mold her daughter natur e of a place, r
nature of a place, relationship, or situation. elationship, or situation.
© Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. For review purposes only. Do not distribute.
In “Girl,” by Jamaica Kincaid, the narrator delivers a long list of instructions and rules according to the traditions of their community through the dominating presence of
about the proper behavior expected of her daughter. first-person narration, a barrage of scolding commands, and a pattern of syntax that
emphasizes accepted norms and values. Section 2 / From Reading to Writing: Crafting an AP ® Prose Fiction Analysis Essay
The thesis above tells what happens in “Girl” in a general way but fails to identify any
literary elements or techniques that Kincaid employs — it’s missing insight into the This thesis predicts the development of a defensible interpretation of “Girl.” One way
meaning of the story. This is why pure plot description does not leave room for you to to read the story is to view the narrator, who values her own community and culture, as
develop an analysis. someone who wants to prepare her daughter to become an integral part of both things. It
Furthermore, developing a defensible interpretation by reading a passage closely also draws on specific aspects of the story’s style and structure to back this claim, and if
does not involve your personal opinion about the topic: it focuses on the craft of writing. we look at each element the thesis addresses, we see that it has set up an essay that will
Thus, a thesis such as this one is inappropriate: explore how three different literary elements work together to convey this interpretation.
The way the mother in “Girl” lectures her daughter tells me that she is more concerned
about appearances than she is in getting to know her own daughter. Supporting Your Thesis DIFFERENTIATION
Keep in mind that your initial thesis — what we call a “working thesis” — isn’t set in stone
Part of that thesis — the part about the mother’s concern for appearances — could and may change as you draft your essay. But a clear working thesis can guide you and Scaffolding
develop into an interpretation of the story, but the judgment about the mother is ®
personal opinion and speculation that is difficult to support with evidence from the serve as a solid essay outline. Your essay can be organized around literary elements and AP Teaching Tip. Increasingly, the higher
techniques, with one body paragraph on point of view, another on the scolding list of dos
text. In addition, the use of first person (“tells me”) is typically not useful in this kind of scoring essays are organized by idea rather
analysis because it pulls attention away from the focus of the analysis: the text itself. and don’ts, another on how syntax reveals the mother’s anxiety about how well prepared than element. There are some brilliant
essays that follow this structure, but mostly
her daughter will be for adulthood. In each paragraph, make sure you discuss both the
An effective thesis will focus on specific characteristics of the story’s literary the essays are repetitive and lack a strong
elements of style, so that in the body of the essay you can analyze how they help element and its effect; do not simply define and illustrate the literary element or technique focus on the complexity and psychology
but explain how it also conveys meaning. Of course, the best thesis in the world is no
convey your interpretation of the mother-daughter relationship. However, you must be good unless you have evidence from the text in your body paragraphs to support it. of the situation. You might want to suggest
careful not to make your thesis so narrow that you’ll run out of things to say about it as that an essay organized around literary
you write your essay: elements and techniques is just one way
Writing Topic Sentences
students could write their essays.
In “Girl,” Jamaica Kincaid uses a series of clauses that form a single sentence to show how If you’ve developed a strong thesis statement, you’ve already hinted at the evidence
social values and traditions shape the mother’s attitude toward her daughter. you plan to gather. Each of the points you make in your thesis will become a topic
sentence for your body paragraphs. For example, the topic sentence of the first body
Although this thesis identifies a literary element — a syntactical pattern — it’s short on paragraph might look like this: DIFFERENTIATION
analysis. It does not go far enough because there’s no interpretation of what that
pattern reveals about the story or its characters. What is the mother’s “attitude,” for By presenting the mother as the narrator of the story, and presenting her perspective in Scaffolding
instance? The fact that the story is one long complex sentence doesn’t automatically what is essentially a monologue, Kincaid emphasizes the mother’s authority over her You may wish to ask students to consider
tell us the answer to that question. An interpretation of what that syntax is daughter, a “girl” who seems to be coming of age. how they might rewrite this thesis as an
“open” thesis — one that does not include
42 43
literary elements as part of the established
line of reasoning. What would be the
impact of removing any reference to the
literary elements? Would students feel
02_SheaLitComp3e_28114_ch01_xl_053.indd 42 27/10/21 9:06 PM 02_SheaLitComp3e_28114_ch01_xl_053.indd 43 27/10/21 9:06 PM more or less comfortable in proceeding
with their essay?

®
chapter 1 / From Reading to Writing: Crafting an AP Prose Fiction Analysis Essay 43

02_SheaTEL&C3e_40437_ch01_001_053.indd 43 18/02/22 1:42 PM