Gail Herman
Sulphur Springs High School
Both
 test students’ abilities to read and
understand various genres of literature
(novels, plays, and poems) from various time
periods;
 ask students to interpret challenging
literature;
 ask students to answer multiple-choice
questions about their reading;




demand that students possess excellent
close-reading skills;
require that students understand literary
terminology and recognize the effects of
literary devices;
demand an understanding of the historical
development of literature;
require that students write perceptively
about literature.
Practice, practice, practice!
Read and discuss with students. Ask them what
they think about a character, a relationship, a
situation. Ask why they believe an author chose a
certain detail or used a particular metaphor. Have
them point to text evidence to support their
responses. Students should write about literature
frequently. For AP, this means polished essays and
timed writings. For Lit Crit, this means tiebreaker
essays. AP timed writings and Lit Crit tiebreaker
essays have much in common.
Students must learn to use the language of
scholars. Just as doctors, attorneys, and
educators use language common to their fields,
so, too, do those who analyze literature.
Knowing specific terminology helps students
understand and appreciate what they read.
Knowledge of terminology is crucial to success
in UIL Literary Criticism.



Open-ended question requiring students to
write a focused literary analysis on a novel or
play of literary merit;
Question asking students to analyze a prose
passage;
Question asking students to analyze a poem
or to compare/contrast two poems (again,
very similar to the Lit Crit tiebreaker).
A bildungsroman, or coming-of-age novel,
recounts the psychological or moral
development of its protagonist from youth to
maturity, when this character recognizes his or
her place in the world. Select a single pivotal
moment in the psychological or moral
development of the protagonist of a
bildungsroman. Then write a well-organized
essay that analyzes how that single moment
shapes the meaning of the work as a whole.
Analyze the novel from the standpoint of its
being a bildungsroman:
 How does John Grady change during the
course of the novel?
 What are key moments in his development?
 What strategies does McCarthy use to reveal
John Grady’s character?
 How does the fact that the novel is a
bildungsroman connect to the themes that
McCarthy develops?
Teach students to become comfortable with
terms such as
 Point of view (see excellent explanation and
discussion in Perrine’s Literature)
 Characterization (flat vs. round, static vs.
dynamic; three fundamental methods of
characterization—see entry on
characterization in A Handbook to Literature)


Theme—the abstract concept that is made
concrete through presentation in person,
action, and image. Encourage students to be
open to a multiplicity of themes. While one
dominant theme may be apparent in a short
selection, writers frequently address more
than one idea.
Plot—Aristotle called it the “imitation of an
action.” E. M. Forster described it as “a
narrative of events, the emphasis falling on
causality.”

Do students understand the connections
among the basic elements of literature? Do
they see a relationship between
characterization and conflict? Between
characterization and theme? Do they
comprehend how the author’s choice of point
of view shapes the revelation of character?
Do they recognize turning points? Can they
identify the dénouement (literally,
“unknotting”) of a novel?
Learning one term leads to learning another
term. The key is for students to learn terms in
context because doing so promotes
understanding and retention. Students also
develop curiosity and—one hopes—passion for
the exciting ways in which the various elements
of literature work together.
Challenges in Teaching Poetry:







Teachers’ fear and/or dislike of poetry
Students’ fear and/or dislike of poetry
Lack of exposure to poetry (lack of familiarity breeds
unease)
The complex nature of poetry
The fact that poetry analysis seems to require more
sophisticated knowledge than prose analysis
Students’ often low level of tolerance for ambiguity
Students’ resistance to the indirect and the subtle
and sometimes the figurative (How many times have
you been asked, “Well, then why didn’t he [the poet]
just say that?”)



Face your fear and help your students face theirs.
Before teaching poetry, prepare thoroughly, but
don’t be afraid to let your students see you
wrestling with the text. After all, this is what real
readers do. Engage your students in a joint
process of making meaning.
Share with students a wide variety of kinds of
poems.
Focus on understanding what the poem is saying;
then move to an analysis of how the poet
communicates his or her message.

Teachers must teach prosody (defined in the
Handbook as the principles of versification,
particularly as they refer to rhyme, meter,
rhythm, and stanza), but they should not
make the mistake of leading students to
believe that the “mechanical” aspects
constitute the totality of studying poetry.
Provide a foundation by explaining the basic
types of feet and meter, but to begin with,
focus on what the poem seems to be saying.
A good way for students to learn the 5 basic feet is
with the mnemonic “It ads.”
Iamb
Ʋ
/
Trochee
/
Ʋ
Anapest
Ʋ
Ʋ
/
Dactyl
/
Ʋ
Ʋ
Spondee
/
/
Then they can learn to sing or chant the
accompanying rhythmical pattern. “Ʋ” indicates an
unaccented or unstressed syllable, while “ /”
indicates an accented or stressed syllable.
Choose a simple poem that will be relatively easy for
students to detect the foot and meter of. A good
choice is a poem such as Anne Bradstreet’s “To My
Dear and Loving Husband.” This poem, along with
Bradstreet’s “Upon the Burning of Our House July 10th,
1666,” provides many opportunities to introduce or
review students over such basic terms as rhyme, eye
rhyme, near rhyme, inversion, imagery, anaphora,
assonance, and diction. Further, both poems have very
clear themes that are easy for students to identify.
Finally, “Upon the Burning” affords an excellent
opportunity to show students an example of a
speaker’s change in attitude since such shifts are
something to which good readers are attuned.

Once students become more comfortable
with reading poetry, introduce additional
terminology. When students begin to see
how the meaning of the poem and the
structure of the poem intersect, their reading
will be enriched immensely.



“Dover Beach” by William Wordsworth
“Sea of Faith” by John Brehm (used as the
basis of the tiebreaker essay on the 2013
Regional Lit Crit test)
“The Broken Heart” by John Donne (used on
an AP Lit Exam)



Read carefully the text provided (typically, it
is a poem).
Annotate the text. Mark any particular
literary devices that stand out (e.g.
metaphors, similes, personification, imagery,
alliteration).
Note the format of the poem. Is it free verse?
Blank verse? A sonnet? A lyric poem? What
can be observed about the poem’s structure?




Identify the speaker and the occasion.
Paraphrase the poem. What does the poem
seem to be saying? What is the main idea
expressed?
Look again at the prompt, which provides a
direction for the analysis.
Develop a thesis for the analysis. Be sure it
connects directly to the prompt.



Briefly outline the key points that should be
made in the essay. Plan to write 2 to 3 body
paragraphs. Each paragraph should have a clear
topic sentence.
Write the body paragraphs. Include transitions,
specific details from the poem, and pertinent
quotations from the poem. Embedding
quotations into one’s own sentences is an
effective strategy.
Include appropriate poetic terminology, making
sure to comment on what the poet’s use of a
particular device adds to the effectiveness of the
poem.



Write a brief concluding paragraph, again
keeping in mind the direction the prompt
provides for the analysis. It is always good to
address the notion of universal meaning in the
concluding paragraph. That is, what is the main
point the poet is making? How does this idea
relate to people or life in general?
Proofread the essay. (And it never hurts to title
the essay either!)
As a concession to the eyes of the graders, if
writing on unlined paper, leave a one-inch
margin around the essay.


www.collegeboard.com This site contains
many useful articles about teaching English.
In particular, check out The Teaching Series—
Special Focus in English Literature and
Composition—Reading Poetry.
Various literature anthologies contain many
poems to read and discuss with students as
well as editors’ commentary and questions.
What strategies have you used effectively to
prepare students for Lit Crit and/or AP Lit?
Enjoy the journey as you lead your Lit Critters
and AP English students to discover the many
joys that literature has to offer!
Contact information: [email protected]