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196 Unit 2 ■ Analyzing Comparisons and Representations Preparing for the AP Exam ■ Free-Response Question: Poetry Analysis 197 UNIT 2
• How does the comparison relate to an idea?
Effect of Literary • What insight about the human experience can you glean from that idea?
Unifying Sonnet 73 Elements and PREPARING FOR THE AP ® EXAM
Idea William Shakespeare Techniques In “Sonnet 73,” Shakespeare uses comparison by including three distinct
metaphors within the poem. You should first examine the details of the compari-
mortality That time of year thou mayst in me behold speaker compared son subjects (winter, twilight, and a dying fire) and associate them with the main
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang to dying season subject (the speaker). Next, you can draw upon your experiences with these objects
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, to infer that the speaker is aging and therefore facing his imminent death (unifying
Bare ruin’d choirs, where late the sweet birds sang. idea). Your experiences then help you understand the perspective in the speaker’s
Copyright (c) 2023 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Uncorrected proofs were used with this sample chapter.
final revelation: his loved one grows fonder of him because of the realization of his
5 In me thou see’st the twilight of such day speaker compared mortality.
mortality As after sunset fadeth in the west, to end of day
Which by and by black night doth take away, ➔ Step Two: Develop a Defensible Thesis Statement INSTRUCTIONAL FOCUS
Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest.
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In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire speaker compared to and a Unified Line of Reasoning Step Two: Develop a Defensible Thesis
10 That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, dying fire To decide how to subdivide your literary argument into manageable topics of Statement and a Unified Line of Reasoning
mortality As the death-bed whereon it must expire, discussion, consider the following questions: In the first three units, teachers should continue
to help students combine their unifying idea and
Consum’d with that which it was nourish’d by. • Are some details or images in contrast or tension within the text? an insight (so what about the idea?) to convey
This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more insight: love grows • Is an idea presented in a complex or contradictory manner? their interpretation of the poem. Review the
strong, stronger with the • Is there a shift in point of view, perspective, or tone within the text? templates and models provided in the workshop.
threat of the death of
To love that well which thou must leave ere long. a loved one Next, guide students to choose the author
• Are contrasting ideas, images, or perspectives juxtaposed within the text?
• Do different literary techniques work together to reveal the final message? techniques that will inform their line of reasoning
and link to the idea included in the thesis. The
In all of these questions, two or more topics emerge for discussion. When
➔ Step One: Annotate the Passage Based on a you develop your line of reasoning, you will explore the topics one at a time and topic sentences are driven by these techniques.
Students will need constant practice in
Unifying Idea include evidence for support within each body paragraph. determining the difference between techniques
Unlike the prose fiction analysis question that you practiced in Unit 1, the poetry In Unit 1, you learned to write a thesis statement that includes a defensible (i.e., what an author does) and elements (i.e., the
analysis question most often includes an entire poem rather than a short excerpt claim. Remember that your claim must include the interpretation of the text tools an author uses).
from a longer text for you to interpret. When you identify a unifying idea in a full (idea + insight). You will now practice developing a logical sequence of reasons to
poem, your goal is to arrive at an interpretation of the whole work. support your thesis statement called the line of reasoning. To develop your literary
To communicate an insight about an idea, poets often write using condensed lan- argument, you should have two or more reasons that will serve as topic sentences
guage and, at times, unusual sentence structure, which requires you to read carefully for the body paragraphs to prove the validity of your interpretation. These reasons
and methodically. Poetic language is highly sensory with words that have strong con- are often guided by the author’s techniques within the text.
notations. Additionally, to represent ideas, poets often compare familiar images and Techniques represent the author’s literary “moves,” while elements are the specific
objects to more abstract concepts. The two most common comparison techniques tools the author uses to create the technique. You should use the techniques to guide
you will encounter are metaphor and simile. In a poem, these comparisons shed light your line of reasoning and the elements to support that line of reasoning. A line of
on the speaker’s attitude, tone, or deeper understanding of an experience. To interpret reasoning may be organized by techniques. An author’s techniques (e.g., imagery, con-
this deeper understanding, you must make associations between the literal context in trast, comparison) are made up of elements. Techniques are larger than elements.
the poem and the overall figurative meaning suggested by the comparisons. Furthermore, just as the author planned the order of the events and details
Consider these questions as you read and annotate for comparisons in poetry: within a text, you should carefully consider the order in which you present your
topics of discussion to analyze those details. In other words, if you have identified
• What are the qualities of the literal or familiar object (also called the a shift in tone or perspective, then you can explain the details before the shift first,
comparison subject)? and then develop the details after the shift.
• How do these qualities relate to — or reveal — characteristics of the main As a word of caution, you should avoid simply summarizing or paraphrasing a
subject of comparison? text. Summary is not analysis. The purpose of a line of reasoning is to avoid such a

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Preparing for the AP Exam Free-Response Question: Poetry Analysis 197

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