Ideas in Literature, First Edition, by John R. Williamson; Mary Jo Zell; Elizabeth A. Davis - ©2023 from BFW High School Publishers

Ideas in Literature

First  Edition©2023  John R. Williamson; Mary Jo Zell; Elizabeth A. Davis

ISBN:9781319471026

ISBN:9781319461744

ISBN:9781319517878

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Ideas in Literature matches the current AP® Literature course, providing all the important reading and writing prep you need to ace the AP® Literature Exam.

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Table of Contents

UNIT 1

Reading Literally and Figuratively

BIG IDEA: Character

Workshop Focus: Characterization

GUIDED READING 　 Shirley Jackson, Charles　 Short Story

PRACTICE TEXT　 Stephen King, Here There Be Tygers　 Short Story

　

BIG IDEA: Setting

Workshop Focus: Time and Place

GUIDED READING　 Alice Walker, The Flowers　 Short Story

PRACTICE TEXT　 Jesse Stuart, Another April　 Short Story

　

BIG IDEA: Structure

Workshop Focus: Plot

GUIDED READING 　 Roald Dahl, The Landlady 　 Short Story

PRACTICE TEXT　 King James Bible, Parable of the Prodigal Son　 Parable

　

BIG IDEA: Narration

Workshop Focus: Point of View

GUIDED READING　 Gary Soto, The Pie　 Memoir

PRACTICE TEXT　 Toni Morrison, Sweetness　 Short Story

　

IDEAS IN LITERATURE

Courage and Fate

　 Anonymous, The Seafarer　 Narrative　 Poem

　 Alfred Lord Tennyson, Ulysses　 Poem

　 Frank Stockton, The Lady or the Tiger　 Short Story

Faith and Doubt

　 Geoffrey Chaucer, The Pardoner’s Tale　 Poem

　 Washington Irving, The Devil and Tom Walker　 Short Story

　 Charles Johnson, Exchange Value　 Short Story

　

COMPOSITION WORKSHOP: Writing About a Theme

Workshop Focus: Establishing a Unifying Idea Through a Defensible Thesis Statement

STUDENT MODEL　 Preston Davis , Impulse, Ignorance, and Imminent Consequence　 Literary Argument

　

PREPARING FOR THE AP® EXAM

Free-Response Question: Prose Fiction Analysis

Focus: Establishing a Unifying Idea through a Defensible Thesis Statement

　

MODELED TEXT 　 Hillary Jordan, from Mudbound　 Excerpt

PRACTICE TEXT 　 Charlotte Bronte, from Jane Eyre　 Excerpt

 

Multiple-Choice Questions

PROSE　 Della Owens, from Where the Crawdads Sing　 Excerpt

POETRY　 Martin Espada, Of the Threads That Connect the Stars　 Poem

　

UNIT 2

Analyzing Shifts and Contrasts

　

BIG IDEA Character

Workshop Focus: Character Perspective and Bias

GUIDED READING　 Aimee Nezhukumatathil, On Listening Your Teacher Take Attendance 　 Poem

PRACTICE TEXT 　 Anne Bradstreet, Verses Upon the Burning of Our House　 Poem

　

BIG IDEA Structure

Workshop Focus: Shifts and Contrasts

GUIDED READING　 Lisa Parker, Snapping Beans　 Poem

PRACTICE TEXT　 John Crowe Ransom, Janet Waking　 Poem

　

BIG IDEA Figurative Language: Word Choice, Imagery, and Symbols

Workshop Focus: Association and Emphasis

GUIDED READING　 Frank X. Walker, Death by Basketball　 Poem

PRACTICE TEXT　 Arisa White, It was easier to manage　 Poem

　

BIG IDEA Figurative Language: Comparison

Workshop Focus: Similes and Metaphors

GUIDED READING　 Amanda Gorman, In This Place (An American Lyric)　 Poem

PRACTICE TEXT　 e. e. cummings, she being Brand　 Poem

　

IDEAS IN LITERATURE

Thought and Feeling

　 John Donne, A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning　 Poem

　 John Loomis, Deer Hit　 Poem

　 Hafissa Thompson-Spires, Fatima, the Biloquist: A Transformation Story from The Heads of Colored People　 Chapter

Opportunity and Loss

　 Andrew Marvell, To His Coy Mistress　 Poem

　 Natasha Trethewey, Pilgrimage　 Poem

　 Sofia T. Romero, Cloud Nine　 Short Story

　

WRITING WORKSHOP Writing about Tone

Workshop Focus: Justifying a Thesis through a Line of Reasoning

STUDENT MODEL　 Sophia Amstalden, Escaping Expectations　 Literary Argument

　

PREPARING FOR THE AP® EXAM

Free-Response Question: Poetry Analysis

Focus: Justifying a Thesis Through a Line of Reasoning

MODELED TEXT　 William Shakespeare, Sonnet 73　 　 Poem

PRACTICE TEXT 　 Joy Harjo, Perhaps the World Ends Here　 Poem

 

Multiple-Choice Questions

PROSE　 W. E. B. Du Bois, from The Comet　 Excerpt

POETRY　 Walt Whitman, A Noiseless Patient Spider　 Poem

　

UNIT 3

Analyzing Tensions

　

BIG IDEA Character

Workshop Focus: Static and Dynamic Characters

PRACTICE TEXT　 Sharon Cooper, Mistaken Identity　 One-Act Play

　

BIG IDEA Setting

Workshop Focus: Social, Historical, and Cultural Contexts

PRACTICE TEXT　 Luis Valdez, Los Vendidos　 One-Act Play

　

BIG IDEA Structure

Workshop Focus: Conflict

PRACTICE TEXT 　 Michael Hollinger, Naked Lunch　 One-Act Play

　

IDEAS IN LITERATURE

Power and Control

　 William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice　 Drama

　 Henrik Ibsen, A Doll’s House　 Drama

　

COMPOSITION WORKSHOP Writing about Character

Workshop Focus: Explaining Interpretation through Commentary

STUDENT MODEL　 Jilliam Skaggs, Character Analysis of Tom Jones　 Literary Argument

　

PREPARING FOR THE AP® EXAM

Free-Response Question: Literary Argument

Focus: Explaining Interpretation through Commentary

 

Multiple-Choice Questions

PROSE　 Oscar Wilde, from A Picture of Dorian Gray　 Excerpt

POETRY　 John Murrillo, Enter the Dragons　 Poem

　

UNIT 4

Analyzing Perspectives

　

BIG IDEA Character

Workshop Focus: Characters in Conflict

GUIDED READING　 Juan A. Sedillo, Gentleman of Rio En Medio　 Short Story

PRACTICE TEXT　 Flannery O’Connor, A Good Man Is Hard to Find　 Short Story

　

BIG IDEA Setting

Workshop Focus: Mood and Atmosphere

GUIDED READING　 Jack London, Law of Life　 Short Story

PRACTICE TEXT　 William Faulkner, A Rose for Emily　 Short Story

　

BIG IDEA Structure

Workshop Focus: Archetypal Patterns

GUIDED READING　 Sarah Orne Jewett, A White Heron　 Short Story

PRACTICE TEXT 　 　 Malinda Lo, Red 　 Short Story

　

BIG IDEA Narration

Workshop Focus: Narrative Perspective

GUIDED READING 　 Jamaica Kincaid, Girl　 Short Story

PRACTICE TEXT　 Jhumpa Lahiri, Interpreter of Maladies　 Short Story

　

IDEAS IN LITERATURE

Irony and Incongruity

　 Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal　 Satirical Essay

　 Kurt Vonnegut, Harrison Bergeron　 Short Story

　 Clint Smith, Counterfactual　 Poem

Reason and Order

　　　　　　　　 Alexander Pope, from An Essay on Criticism　 　 Poem

　　　　　　　　 Colson Whitehead, Chapter 7 from The Nickel Boys　 　 　 　 Chapter

　　　　　　　　 Anton Chekhov, The Bet　 Short Story

　

COMPOSITION WORKSHOP Writing about Point of View

Workshop Focus: Creating Unity through Commentary

STUDENT MODEL　 Julia Luxon, Analysis of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof　 Literary Argument

　PREPARING FOR THE AP® EXAM

Free-Response Question: Prose Fiction Analysis

　 Focus: Creating Unity through Commentary

MODELED TEXT　 Emily Brontë, from Wuthering Heights　 Excerpt

PRACTICE TEXT　 N. Scott Momaday, from A House Made of Dawn　  Excerpt

 

Multiple-Choice Questions

PROSE　 Ann Petry, from The Street　 Excerpt

POETRY　 Claude McKay, Harlem Shadows　 Poem

　

UNIT 5

Analyzing Comparisons

　

BIG IDEA Structure

Workshop Focus: Form, Sound, Rhythm, and Rhyme

GUIDED READING　 Erick Didriksen, Sonnet XVIII　 Poem

PRACTICE TEXT　 Dorothy Chan, Ode to Chinese Superstitions　 Poem

　

BIG IDEA Figurative Language: Word Choice, Imagery, And Symbols

Workshop Focus: Words and Images

GUIDED READING　 John Ciardi, Suburban　 Poem

PRACTICE TEXT　 Billy Collins, The Lanyard　 Poem

　

BIG IDEA Figurative Language: Comparison

Workshop Focus: Metaphor, Personification, and Allusion

GUIDED READING　 Robert Frost, Mending Wall　 Poem

PRACTICE TEXT　 Seamus Heaney, Digging　 Poem

　

IDEAS IN LITERATURE

Individual and Nature

　 Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner　 Poem

　 Mary Oliver, Singapore　 Poem

　 Herman Melville, nBartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street　 Novella

Imagination and Intuition

　 John Keats, Ode on a Grecian Urn　 Poem

　 Countee Cullen, To John Keats, At Springtime　 Poem

　 Italo Calvino, The Enchanted Garden　 Short Story

　

COMPOSITION WORKSHOP: Writing about Extended Metaphor

Workshop Focus: Creating Coherence through Transitional Elements

STUDENT MODEL　  　 　 　 　 Teagen Ankerson, Analysis of "Thou Blind Man’s Mark" 　 Literary Argument

　

PREPARING FOR THE AP® EXAM

Free-Response Question: Poetry Analysis

Focus: Creating Coherence through Transitional Elements

MODELED TEXT　 George Herbert, The Collar　 Poem

PRACTICE TEXT　 Billy Collins, The Lanyard　 Poem

 

Multiple-Choice Questions

POETRY　 Toi Derricotte, Black Boys Play the Classics　 Poem

PROSE　 Barbara Kingsolver, from The Poisonwood Bible　 Excerpt

　

UNIT 6

Analyzing Representations

　

BIG IDEA Character

Workshop Focus: Contrasting Characters

PRACTICE TEXT　 Zora Neale Hurston, Spunk　 Short Story

　

BIG IDEA Structure

Workshop Focus: Non-Linear Plots

PRACTICE TEXT　 Jesmyn Ward , Richie from Sing Unburied Sing　 Chapter

　

BIG IDEA: NARRATION

Workshop Focus: Narrative Tone and Bias

PRACTICE TEXT　 Viet Thanh Nguyen, Chapter 1 from The Sympathizer　 Chapter

　

BIG IDEA Figurative Language: Word Choice, Imagery, and Symbols

Workshop Focus: Symbols

PRACTICE TEXT　 John Irving, The Foul Ball from A Prayer for Owen Meany　 Chapter

　

IDEAS IN LITERATURE

Repression and Conformity

　 Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde　 Novel

　 Mary Shelley, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus　 Novel

　

COMPOSITION WORKSHOP Writing about Symbol

Workshop Focus: Creating Purposeful Syntax

STUDENT MODEL　 Robert Dohrman, Darkness in a Changing Life　 Literary Argument

　

PREPARING FOR THE AP® EXAM

Free-Response Question: Literary Argument

Focus: Creating Purposeful Syntax

 

Multiple-Choice Questions

PROSE　 Khaled Hosseini, from A Thousand Splendid Suns　 Excerpt

POETRY　 Naomi Nye, Hugging the Jukebox　 Poem

　

UNIT 7

Analyzing Associations

　

BIG IDEA Character

Workshop Focus: Character Change and Epiphany

GUIDED READING　 James Joyce, Araby　 Short Story

PRACTICE TEXT　 Elizabeth Bowen, The Demon Lover　 Short Story

　

BIG IDEA Setting

Workshop Focus: Contrasting and Changing Settings

GUIDED READING 　 Doris Lessing, A Mild Attack of Locusts　 Short Story

PRACTICE TEXT　 Chimamanda Adichie, Cell One　 Short Story

　

BIG IDEA Structure

Workshop Focus: Narrative Pacing

GUIDED READING　 Saki, The Storyteller　 Short Story

PRACTICE TEXT　 Sinclair Lewis, The Hack Driver　 Short Story

　

BIG IDEA Narration

Workshop Focus: Reliable and Unreliable Narrators

GUIDED READING　 Truman Capote, Miriam　 Short Story

PRACTICE TEXT　 Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Minister’s Black Veil　 Short Story

　

BIG IDEA Figurative Language: Word Choice, Imagery, and Symbols

Workshop Focus: Symbolic Settings and Motifs

GUIDED READING 　 Kate Chopin, The Story of an Hour 　 Short Story

PRACTICE TEXT　 Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Yellow Wallpaper 　 Short Story

　

BIG IDEA FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: Comparison

Workshop Focus: Similes and Personification

GUIDED READING　 Edgar Allan Poe, Masque of the Red Death　 Short Story

PRACTICE TEXT　 Ken Liu, Paper Menagerie 　 Short Story

　

IDEAS IN LITERATURE

Appearance and Reality

　 Virginia Woolf, The New Dress 　 Short Story

　 Robert Browning, My Last Duchess　 Poem

　 Octavia Butler, Bloodchild 　 Short Story

Loss and Disillusionment

　　 D.H. Lawrence, The Rocking Horse Winner　 Short Story

　　 Li Young Lee, Hymn to Childhood　 Poem

　 Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis　 Novella

　

COMPOSITION WORKSHOP: Writing about Setting

Workshop Focus: Writing Introductions

STUDENT MODEL　 Hannah Richards, Culture as Setting in The Handmaid’s Tale　 Literary Argument

　

PREPARING FOR THE AP® EXAM

Free-Response Question: Prose Fiction Analysis

Focus: Contextualizing Your Argument

MODELED TEXT　 Yaa Gysai, from Homegoing　 Excerpt

PRACTICE TEXT　 Richard Wright, from Native Son　 Excerpt

 

Multiple-Choice Questions

PROSE　 Charles Dickens, from A Tale of Two Cities　 Excerpt

POETRY　 Percy B. Shelley, Ozymandias　 Poem

　

UNIT 8

Analyzing Incongruities

　

BIG IDEA Structure

Workshop Focus: Irony and Paradox

GUIDED READING　 Anne Sexton, Cinderella 　 Poem

PRACTICE TEXT 　 Elaine Magarrell, The Joy of Cooking　 Poem

　

BIG IDEA Figurative Language: Word Choice, Imagery, And Symbols

Workshop Focus: Ambiguity

GUIDED READING 　 W.H. Auden, The Unknown Citizen　 Poem

PRACTICE TEXT　 Wallace Stevens, Anecdote of the Jar　 Poem

　

BIG IDEA Figurative Language: Comparison

Workshop Focus: Conceit and Allusion

GUIDED READING　 Edward Taylor, Upon a Spider Catching a Fly 　 Poem

PRACTICE TEXT　 Paul Laurence Dunbar, The Haunted Oak　 Poem

　

IDEAS IN LITERATURE

Alienation and Fragmentation

　 T.S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock　 Poem

　　 Chen Chen, I Invite My Parents to a Dinner Party　 Poem

　 Neil Gaiman, How to Talk to Girls and Parties　 Short Story

Identity and Identities

　 Teri Foltz, Manhunt　 One-Act Play

　 Janine Solursh, Forgotten Portraits 　 Poem

　 Teresa Acosta, My Mother Pieced Quilts　 Poem

　

COMPOSITION WORKSHOP Writing about Irony

Workshop Focus: Writing Conclusions

STUDENT MODEL　 Tim Mollette, Kafka’s Implausible Reality　 Literary Argument

　

PREPARING FOR THE AP® EXAM

Free-Response Question: Poetry Analysis

Focus: Making Connections

MODELED TEXT 　 Jericho Brown, Prayer for the Backhanded　 Poem

PRACTICE TEXT 　 Langston Hughes, The Weary Blues　 Poem

 

Multiple-Choice Questions

POETRY　 Crystal Wilkinson, O Tobacco　 Poem

PROSE　 Alex Haley, from Roots　 Excerpt

　

UNIT 9

Analyzing Complexities

　

BIG IDEA Character

Workshop Focus: Character Complexities

PRACTICE TEXT　 Katherine Dunn, Chapter 1 from Geek Love　 Chapter

　

BIG IDEA Structure

Workshop Focus: Significant Moments

PRACTICE TEXT　 Ralph Ellison, Chapter 10 from Invisible Man　 Chapter

　

BIG IDEA Narration

Workshop Focus: Narrative Complexities

PRACTICE TEXT　 Anthony Doerr, Chapter 3 from All The Light We Cannot See 　 Chapter

　

IDEAS IN LITERATURE

Power and Perception

　 Caryl Churchill, Top Girls　 Drama

　 Tennessee Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof 　 Drama

　

COMPOSITION WORKSHOP Writing a Source-Based Literary Argument

Workshop Focus: Using and Citing Sources

STUDENT MODEL　 Katrina Ruiz, How Characterization Sparked the Women’s Movement　 Literary Argument

　

PREPARING FOR THE AP® EXAM

Free-Response Question: Literary Argument

Focus: Considering Alternate Interpretations

 

Multiple-Choice Questions

PROSE　 Joyce Carol Oates, Where Are You?　 Short Story

POETRY　 William Cullen Bryant, Thanatopsis　 Poem

　

Glossary/Glosario

　

Appendix A: Writing Workshop: Writing a College Application Essay

　

Appendix B: MLA Guide to Style and Documentation

　

Appendix C: Critical Approaches to Literature

　

Index

John R. Williamson

John R. Williamson is the Dean of K-12 Programs and Superintendent of Model Laboratory School at Eastern Kentucky University where he also continues to teach both AP® English courses. Prior to this role, John served as the Vice President of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for The College Board’s AP® Program where he led the transformation of all 38 AP® courses and exams, including both AP® English Language and AP® English Literature. For over 20 years John has led workshops across the country as an AP® faculty consultant and trainer. Additionally, he has experience as a reader and table leader for both AP® English exams. John has taught courses at all high school levels as well as both undergraduate and graduate courses in composition, rhetoric, linguistics, and literature.

Mary Jo Zell

A teacher for almost thirty years, Mary Jo Zell currently serves as the English department chair at Keller High School in Keller, Texas, where she teaches AP® English Language, AP® English Literature, and Dual Credit English. She is also an adjunct professor at Tarrant County Community College. She has been a reader and table leader for the AP® English Language Exam for the last 18 years. She served on the AP® English Literature Instructional Design Team and is an AP® faculty consultant who has conducted national and international workshops and summer institutes.

Elizabeth A. Davis

Elizabeth Davis has taught English for more than three decades for Round Rock ISD and College Station ISD, where she also served as English Department Chair for many years. She has been a reader for the AP® English Language Exam and served on the AP® Literature Instructional Design Team. For over twenty years, she has served as an AP® faculty consultant, conducting workshops in both AP® English Language and AP® English Literature.