AP English Literature and Composition
Description of the Course
AP English Literature and Composition is a course designed to prepare students for collegelevel course work. That being said, the rigor and pacing of this course is greatly accelerated
in comparison to other high school classes. Students will be asked to read and write on a
daily basis and are responsible for managing the workload in order to be able to participate
actively in class discussion and submit all assignments completely and on time. Students
should allow themselves ample time to prepare for class discussion as well as formally
submitted assignments.
Though the class is intended to be challenging, students should not hesitate to seek
assistance from the teacher as needed. Questions about class material and assignments and
how to complete them are welcome and encouraged. Students are expected to be advocates
for themselves when necessary in order to be successful. The teacher will be available
during class, IL periods, and via email in order to help with the planning and revising of
written assignments. Students should take advantage of these opportunities.
In addition to these grueling tasks, the aim of this course is for students to become better
readers who can learn to love a book beyond its surface entertainment value. Students will
look forward to debating the nuances and merits of the pieces in class and hearing the
ideas of others. By immersing themselves in the purpose, structure, context, and style of the
works, students will form lasting relationships with the pieces and hopefully revisit them
over time.
This course is offered in the 12th grade year and focuses primarily on works by British
authors, although some works by American and world authors are included as well. Prior
to taking this course the students will have taken an English course during their 11th grade
year that focused primarily on American authors. Works studied in that course include, but
are not limited to, the following: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Of Mice and
Men by John Steinbeck, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Their Eyes Were Watching God by
Zora Neale Hurston, and various speeches, sermons, letters, poems, and short stories
spanning from pre-colonial America to the modern era.
Summer Reading Project: Students will read The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar
Wilde, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, and How to Read Literature Like a Professor
by Thomas C. Foster. Students will then write a set number of essays drawing connections
between the literature read and the individual chapters in the non-fiction piece. The project
will be collected and graded prior to the beginning of the course to determine student
readiness.
Goals of the Course
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Students will read literature in order to
o Gain appreciation of fiction and non-fiction works and form opinions about
them
o Understand an author’s purpose
o Analyze the function of plot, setting, point of view, tone, mood, character,
style, theme, structure, imagery, irony, symbolism, and figurative language
within a piece of literature
o Experience literature from various times, places, and genres
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Students will write in order to
o Respond to literature
o Analyze literature through application of course terminology
o Develop arguments based on analysis of literature
o Support arguments through textual support and research
o Apply one or more schools of critical analysis to works studied
o Express themselves creatively
o Explore various genres of writing and purposes for writing
o Connect literature to the society in which it was written
o Explore the connections between literature and the human experience, both
personal and universal
o Develop their personal writing style including grammar, diction, syntax, and
sentence structure
o Prepare themselves for college-level writing
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Students will speak in order to
o Share ideas and reflections on works studied
o Demonstrate application of course terminology and concepts to works
studied
o Build skills in public speaking and debate
o Plan and revise written pieces
o Present analysis and evaluation of course terminology and concepts and
works studied
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Students will expand both common and course-specific vocabulary
Students will practice grammar skills
Students will prepare for the AP English Literature and Composition Exam
Structure of the Course
The course will be divided into seven two-week units, each with a unifying theme. Each
unit will consist of the following activities and assessments:
Reading:
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Reading assignments including poetry, drama, and/or short stories and a major
work such as a novel or play.
Pre, during, and post reading journaling and note-taking.
Class discussions based on student reflections and response to literature read and
guided by use of class terminology.
Introduction and review of terminology most relevant to works studied
Writing:
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In-class/informal timed writing assignment based on student’s response to one or
more works studied in the unit
In-class/informal timed writing assignment based on a relationship identified
between one or more works studied and course terminology, author’s purpose,
social/cultural phenomena, or school of literary criticism
Formal creative writing assignment based on teacher-specified genre and criteria
Formal writing assignment that defends a thesis based on one or more works
studied and supported with textual evidence, quotes, and research from additional
sources; Students will be asked to write about a different aspect of literature for
each paper; Students will be encouraged to used previous in-class writing
assignments as first drafts for these formal assignments; Students should use
teacher and peer feedback when revising and expanding upon these assignments.
Revising:
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Writing workshop during which students can prewrite, outline, conduct research,
develop thesis statements, conference with teacher and peers, and revise/edit work.
Mini-lessons to hone skills in style (grammar, style, syntax, and sentence structure)
and organization (logical order, paragraphs, introductions and conclusions) using
student drafts, graphic organizers, and teacher handouts.
Timed Assessments:
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Literature quiz on the works and terminology studied in the unit
Vocabulary quiz on a twenty-word unit of high frequency SAT words
Sample timed AP exam multiple choice or free response sections
Oral and/or visual presentation based on concepts, works, or authors studied
Unit One Theme: Wealth and Class
Big Questions: How does a character’s wealth or class dictate their role in a piece? How
does a character’s wealth or class influence a reader’s expectation about them? How do
differences in wealth and class lead to conflict? How can authors communicate their
personal beliefs about wealth and class through their fictional writing? How can humor be
used to accomplish social change? How does the use of archetypes strengthen a work?
Reading and Discussion of:
“The Ruined Maid” by Thomas Hardy
“The World Is Too Much With Us” by William Wordsworth
“West London” by Matthew Arnold
"The Chimney Sweeper" by William Blake
“The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
“The Gift of the Magi” by O’Henry
A Modest Proposal by Jonathon Swift
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (read as part of summer project)
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (read as part of summer project)
Terminology introduced/reviewed: satire, antithesis, dialogue, archetype, examples of
character, symbolic, and situational archetypes, various forms of figurative language
Possible topics for writing assignments:
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Use research on the lives and lifestyles of Dickens and Wilde to analyze the authors’
purposes behind writing A Tale of Two Cities and The Importance of Being Earnest.
Compare and contrast A Modest Proposal to a piece of modern satire and explain
how each is a product of the society in which it was written.
Choose the narrator of one of the short stories or poems and identify their attitude
towards wealth and class. Compare theirs to that of the protagonist of the piece.
Identify examples of three archetypes within A Tale of Two Cities and explain how
they contribute to the universal, lasting appeal of the novel.
Students will be encouraged to draw upon ideas presented in the texts by Foster and
Roberts when developing topics for writing assignments.
Creative Writing Piece: Students will choose a character from one of the works studied and
write a diary entry as that character
Unit Two Theme: Heroes and Villains
Big Questions: How are the hero and villain of a piece determined? How much control does
an author have on how these roles are determined? How does the society in which a work
is written influence how these roles are determined? Can one character fulfill both of these
roles? Does a piece of writing need a hero and villain to be successful? How have the
stereotypes of these roles changed over time? How do the characters in these pieces serve
as the archetypes for characters in modern day hero stories? How is plot structure
important to the epic genre?
Reading and Discussion of:
“To Lucasta, on Going to the Wars” by Richard Lovelace
“The Man He Killed” by Thomas Hardy
“An Irish Airman Forsees His Death” by William Butler Yeats
Abridged version of Beowulf translated by Burton Raffel
Excerpt from Grendel by John Gardner
Excerpt from the Book of Genesis
Excerpt from Paradise Lost by John Milton
Abridged version of The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope
“The Falling Man” by Tom Junod
Terminology introduced/reviewed: setting, elements of plot, protagonist, antagonist, types
of conflict, epic, mock epic, various forms of figurative language
Possible topics for writing assignments:
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Explain why the titular characters in Beowulf and Grendel can both be viewed as
heroes due to the society in which each piece was written.
Use evidence of the authors’ tones in the three short poems to analyze their
attitudes about war.
Identify various examples of allusion in The Rape of the Lock and explain how they
strengthen the piece as a mock epic.
Defend the idea that Satan is the original anti-hero of western literature.
Students will be encouraged to draw upon ideas presented in the texts by Foster and
Roberts when developing topics for writing assignments.
Creative Writing Piece: Students will write their own mock epic.
Unit Three Theme: Men and Women
Big Questions: How does a character’s gender influence their role in a piece? What various
roles do men and women play in society and how do these roles come in conflict with each
other? How have gender expectations changed over time? How have they stayed the same?
How does an author’s choice of setting influence a work? How does an author’s choice of
narrator influence a work?
Reading and Discussion of:
“To His Coy Mistress” by Andrew Marvell
“To The Virgins to Make Much of Time” by Robert Herrick
“The Constant Lover” by Sir John Suckling
“Sonnet 31” by Sir Phillip Sidney
“Sonnet 75” by Edmund Spenser
“Sonnet 130” by William Shakespeare
“Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway
“A Dill Pickle” by Katherine Mansfield
“Araby” by James Joyce
“A&P” by John Updike
Wuthering Heights by Charlotte Bronte
Terminology introduced/reviewed: mood, tone, theme, imagery, point of view/types of
narrator, gothic novel, antihero, and various forms of figurative language
Possible topics for writing assignments:
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Identify and analyze the use of metaphor and simile in at least three of the poems
and explain how it enhances the author’s tone and purpose.
Compare and contrast gender roles portrayed in the short stories by Hemingway
and Mansfield and draw parallels to the societies in which the stories were written.
Discuss Bronte’s use of characterization to influence the reader’s opinion of her
characters and explain how she makes traditionally unlovable people lovable.
Explain how the narrative style and structure of Wuthering Heights is integral to the
success of the work as a gothic novel.
Students will be encouraged to draw upon ideas presented in the texts by Foster and
Roberts when developing topics for writing assignments.
Creative Writing Piece: Students will write a response to one of the poems studied in the
form of a sonnet following either the English or Italian rhyme scheme.
Unit Four Theme: Psychology and Sociology
Big Questions: How do authors use microcosms to discuss universal human truths? How
are used symbols used together within an allegory to create a deeper meaning to a work?
How does applying the studies of psychology and sociology help to understand a
character’s motivation? How does applying the studies of psychology and sociology help to
understand an author’s purpose? How can a work be viewed differently by applying
various critical lenses? How does irony strengthen the theme of a work?
Reading and Discussion of:
Excerpt from of An Essay on Man by Alexander Pope
“Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” by Thomas Gray
“A Poison Tree” by William Blake
“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin
“His Idea of a Mother” by Kay Boyle
“The Dead” by James Joyce
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Terminology introduced/reviewed: allegory, irony, foreshadowing, symbolism, schools of
literary criticism, and various forms of figurative language
Possible topics for writing assignments:
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Choose one of the short stories from the unit and analyze it using three different
school of literary criticism.
Identify the presence of Freud’s Id, Ego, and Superego in Lord of the Flies and explain
how it foreshadows events in the novel.
Choose one of the poems from the unit and analyze the author’s diction with
consideration to the denotations and connotations of the words used.
Compare and contrast the theme of death as present in at least three of the works
read in the unit and explain how the theme represents the authors’ feelings towards
the subject.
Students will be encouraged to draw upon ideas presented in the texts by Foster and
Roberts when developing topics for writing assignments.
Creative Writing Piece: Students will write a description of a place or situation that
includes detailed imagery appealing to all five senses.
Unit Five Theme: Utopia and Dystopia
Big Questions: How does studying pieces set in other societies and/or worlds help us to
understand and evaluate our own society? What may be an author’s purpose for creating
an alternate society and/or world for his characters? How does allusion create links
between our world and fictional ones? How do the rules of reading change when reading
about a fictional society and/or world? How must a reader adapt his or her expectations
when about a fictional society and/or world?
Reading and Discussion of:
“Kubla Khan” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
“The Lotus-Eaters” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
“There Will Comes Soft Rains” by Sara Teasdale
“There Will Come Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury
“Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut
“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Terminology introduced/reviewed: utopia, dystopia, science fiction, allusion, various forms
of figurative language
Possible topics for writing assignments:
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Identify the stark contrast in the settings described in both works titled “There Will
Come Soft Rains” and how they achieve the same message about humanity.
Choose one of the poems and analyze the imagery within it in relation to the mood it
creates.
Discuss the societal attempts at equality as portrayed in the Vonnegut and Jackson
short stories and explain each author’s attitude about the futility implied by these
attempts.
Research the scientific progress being achieved during Huxley’s lifestyle and his
proximity to such knowledge and use your findings to defend or reject the warning
presented in Brave New World.
Students will be encouraged to draw upon ideas presented in the texts by Foster and
Roberts when developing topics for writing assignments.
Creative Writing Piece: Students will create their own fictional society and write a day-inthe-life account of one of its citizens explaining the society’s government, economy,
educational system, religion, and social customs.
Unit Six Theme: Identity and Self
Big Questions: How does a character’s understanding of him or herself influence his or her
motivation? How does the depth to which a reader knows a character allow him or her to
sympathize with that character? How can the different roles that a character plays lead to
conflict? Why has the genre of tragedy remained unchanged for centuries?
Reading and Discussion of:
“One Today” by Richard Blanco
“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot
“The Lady in the Looking Glass” by Virginia Woolf
The Bear: A Joke in One Act by Anton Chekhov
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Terminology introduced/reviewed: tragedy, tragic hero, tragic flaw, soliloquy, motivation,
characterization, character types, dramatic irony, various forms of figurative language
Possible topics for writing assignments:
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Choose one of the poems in the unit and analyze the imagery and allusions used.
Explain how the imagery is used to create a universal experience for the reader of
each poem.
Choose a character from the Woolf or Chekhov works and compare and contrast
how the character views him or herself with how the character is viewed by the
author and the reader.
Identify and defend what you believe is Macbeth’s tragic flaw. Be prepared to argue
against opposing theories by other students.
Choose a noun such as blood, hands, or clothing and trace its use throughout
Macbeth. Analyze the significance of the symbolism behind it in relation to the
theme of the play.
Students will be encouraged to draw upon ideas presented in the texts by Foster and
Roberts when developing topics for writing assignments.
Creative Writing Piece: The students will write a critic’s review of one of the works studied
in the unit.
Unit Seven Theme: Student’s Choice/Review
This unit will serve as a review of course concepts and terminology prior to the AP exam.
Students will work in small groups to choose a novel or play to read, analyze, evaluate, and
present to the class. The presentation will make connections between the chosen piece and
the course concepts and terminology. The presentation will includes visual components
and student-facilitated class discussion. This unit will not include a literature quiz or formal
writing assessments.
Reading and Discussion of:
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Jane Eyre by Emily Bronte
1984 by George Orwell
Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Dracula by Bram Stoker
The Tempest by William Shakespeare
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Pygmalion by George Bernhard Shaw
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Other novels or plays as approved by the teacher
Texts Used Throughout Course:
Prentice Hall Literature: The British Tradition, 4th Edition, edited by Ellen Bowler, 1996
Writing About Literature, 13th Edition, by Edgar V. Roberts, 2011
How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster
Individual novels and plays
Teacher handouts and/or web-based version of poems, short stories, and articles studied