Synthesis 4: Respond.

Reading one's own writing over and over again tends to get really repetitive and tedious as one tries to read their work for a nth time.

Fortunately, there are many brilliant people who can provide other insight. And when this task of reviewing is given to anybody, they should take it upon themselves to actually say more than just "oh this is good" because that never does anything.

I think it's kind of awkward to critique other people's work in fear of offending them. These are my peers I've known for a long time, so pointing out errors and flaws in an essay doesn't seem to be in my place.

It will not, however, aid a friend or classmate to tell them their writing is fabulous and perfect when it is laden with errors and logical fallacies.

One must get over their fear of upsetting someone and actually provide constructive comments!

If there are grammatical or spelling error, do not be afraid to point them out. Maybe it's a one time occurrence, but if it's not then this correction is preventing a fellow classmate from future embarrassment. Furthermore, if one does not think the writing is adequately supported, tell the writer that there should be more to support their points and assertions. Otherwise they may go into the AP exam in May thinking their writing is generally well explained, write their under supported essay, get a 2 on the exam, not get a waiver for their freshman Writing 101 course, and then not graduate college due to credit insufficiencies.

Err. Kind of far-fetched. But the point is to actually provide critical comments when responding to someone instead of empty "oh this is good" comments.

Synthesis 3: Annotate.

While reading a piece of literature that one might not like, one often grows drowsy and falls asleep.  In order to fight this urge, one must annotate!  Annotations are an effective method to force oneself to be engaged in the text. Though many teachers wish for students to use annotations as a method to enhance the reading and gain a deeper meaning of the story, I have found that I usually don't understand the text enough to get to that level. I find difficulty in just reading itself, so annotations are an effective way for me to actually read the text rather than resort to sparknotes.  There really is no defined cookbook method for how one should annotate, but there are some guidelines I can offer.  When encountering a passage that is at first ambiguous and hard to understand, I like to summarize what I read in small chunks and then try to piece my small chunks together to form that bigger picture. I also write down questions as to what is confusing me, so that I can maybe ask someone about it or come back to it later.  Then when things get a little less hazy and things like archetypes, symbols, and motifs are more obvious, I note these things when they occur. The culmination of these small notes then contribute to my overall conclusion about what the theme in the piece might be.  Elements of DIDLS can be incorporated as well. If one stumbles upon distinctive diction, imagery, details, language, or syntax, one should take note of these things! These annotations could contribute to a class discussion and maybe help one  retain the text for a longer time.

Synthesis 2: Introduce.

After reading a work of literature, one will probably have to write about a topic related to the piece to demonstrate that they actually understood it.

This writing usually takes upon the form of an essay with defined paragraphs. Though one might be inclined to respond in the form of a prose poem or play, the AP board generally frowns upon this method of expression. So stick with the essay form.

In this essay, there should be a well written introductory paragraph that sets the tone for the rest of the essay. Graders are generally reading hundreds of these at the speed of lightening, so the first sentence of the first paragraph better be absolutely riveting. (Maybe not absolutely riveting, but at least somewhat riveting so that the grader doesn't automatically want to give a 1 for downright boringness). This attention grabber sentence should probably relate to the prompt in some way, so that it actually makes sense when its put there, and it should also be something that everyone can relate to.

After a fabulous sentence that grabs the attention of the grader has been written, there should be a sentence providing a connection between the attention grabber and how it pertains to the prompt.  For example, if I were writing an essay about why anorexia isn't a good weight loss method, my attention grabber may be something along the lines of:

"Without gas, a car will not run."

Simple, straightforward, something everyone understands. My connector sentence then may sound like:

"Likewise, if one resorts to anorexia and doesn't fuel themselves with food and nutrients, their bodies will not be able to carry out  daily activities and may gradually deteriorate."

The next sentence in this paragraph will then be the thesis. The thesis is the most important sentence in the entire essay, as it lays out what will be discussed and how assertions will be supported. Observe:

"One should never resort to anorexia as a catalyst to weight loss, as it destroys not just fat cells but bones, muscles, and self-esteem as well."

My assertion is "One should never resort to anorexia as a catalyst to weight loss", and then my points to support it are "bones, muscles, and self-esteem" damage. Though I only touch on these points and do not elaborate on them till the body paragraphs, the reader has a good idea of what I will discuss. Thus, the purpose of my thesis statement has been fulfilled.

Effectively writing an introductory paragraph will yield infinite success. Just like how a house with a faulty blueprint crumbles and topples quickly after it's built, an essay with a bad introduction will immediately falter as one realizes the lack of guidance they've left themselves. Learn how to efficiently write an introduction and one should find the essay writing easier.

Synthesis 1: Read.

In order to be proficient at analyzing and understanding literature, one must take the important first step towards achieving enlightenment: to pick up the actual piece of literature and read it.

Upon doing so, one may find that they dislike this particular novel, poem, prose, or play. This is not uncommon, for there are styles of writing that one may just grow to detest. One may also find, however, that they may grow extremely fond of a certain work or  kindle a fascination deep in their heart for a specific author. These things happen, and one must look upon them with optimism no matter which way the tide turns.

In this course, one should not expect to encounter wonderful pieces that they just absolutely fall in love with. Though this does happen for many, it is not a commonality to find your entire class absolutely infatuated with Pride and Prejudice. One must take the challenge of reading a novel with their head held high, and most importantly finishing this undertaking regardless of personal sentiments.

Look at this way. In any advanced placement history course, one memorizes a bunch of names, dates, places, et cetera et cetera. Generally, this is a burden for many but one does it anyway. Ideally, one will understand how all these proper nouns affect each other, how they can be compared and contrasted, and in the end how everything works in the big picture. Realistically, these connections aren't made till the last minute before the AP exam.

Likewise, while we do have a textbook in this course, it is difficult to see how similar our layout is similar to one of a history class. Just remember: read not so that you appreciate the individual merits of each work, but rather to contribute to your general understanding of literature. I view these pieces of literature not as individual works, but ways for us to foster a general information base for the essays on the AP exam.