January 28, 2008
How to write the in class essay on The Things They Carried:
Read the AP rubric posted on the wiki. Pay careful attention to the 8-9 descriptor. The key words in the descriptor are "provocative analysis." Take "provocative" to mean that your essay addresses irony– how the quote you choose to write about describes an incongruity between what is expected and what is occurring.
Go beyond the literal. You should write about the anagogical and thematic significance of the excerpt. How does the excerpt communicate the author’s insights into human nature, the purpose of human life, or the ways people create meaning through language?
Always come back to the irony in the excerpt. An awareness of irony will always lead the reader to some insights on theme.
Thoughts on the Choice Book Extravaganza
You are creating your own reading of this novel, not echoing mine. You may feel quite alone in that space, but you have some tools and frameworks to guide you.
The most common mistake students make on the choice book extravaganza (aside from not reading the book) is neglecting to explicate the book in terms of the eligible content.
Identify the moments when characters must resolve crises and make decisions. These moments lead to character development. Find the doppelgangers. Characters often develop in pairs.
Look at the climax of the novel and interpret it as an emblem. That moment of truth can be frozen and interpreted as a symbolic picture.
As always, think about irony. What kinds of ironies are present in the novel and how does an awareness of them affect our understanding of the work as a whole?
Another common mistake is neglecting to identify a key passage in the novel. You cannot make your case without textual evidence.
