AP Literature and Composition Reading and Writing Workshop

Exam Preparation and Review: Mastering Analysis and Argumentation
Workshop Overview
This collaborative workshop prepares students for the AP Literature and Composition Exam by reviewing core texts, analyzing literary passages, and practicing timed essay writing and multiple-choice strategies.
The readings are from public domain classics, ensuring accessibility and alignment with AP curricular frameworks.
Texts Used in This Workshop (with Complete URLs)
  1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (1813)
    Complete text: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1342
  2. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1850)
    Complete text: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/33
  3. Moby-Dick; or, The Whale by Herman Melville (1851)
    Complete text: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2701
  4. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1890)
    Complete text: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/174
  5. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (1847)
    Complete text: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/768
Session 1 – Understanding the Texts: Character and Theme
Group Activity 1: Character Mirrors
Objective: Identify parallels in how major authors use character conflict to reveal social judgment and morality.
Readings:
  • Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 34
“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”
  • The Scarlet Letter, Chapter 2 – “The Market-Place”
“In the crowd, the men, the women, and the children … all turned their heads to look into her face; and at the same moment, there was a great cry of the people: ‘The scarlet letter is her passport into the world!’”
Steps:
  1. Divide into five groups; assign each a protagonist (Elizabeth Bennet, Hester Prynne, Dorian Gray, Captain Ahab, or Catherine Earnshaw).
  2. Create a “Mirror Chart” with two columns: Internal Conflict and Public Judgment.
  3. Discuss how personal desire clashes with moral or social expectation.
  4. Share findings and connect to one universal question: What defines true integrity?
Session 2 – Close Reading and Literary Devices
Group Activity 2: The Symbol Hunt
Objective: Practice recognizing symbols and interpreting how they create meaning on the AP exam.
Texts and Excerpts:
  • The Scarlet Letter, Chapter 16
“The scarlet letter had not done its office.”
  • Moby-Dick, Chapter 132 – “The Symphony”
“O Starbuck! It is a mild, mild wind, and a mild looking sky … but the path to my fixed purpose is laid with iron rails, whereon my soul is grooved to run.”
Steps:
  1. Each group selects one symbol (the scarlet A, the whale, the portrait, the moors, or the letter).
  2. On large paper, illustrate the symbol’s evolution across the text—label with page or chapter references.
  3. Present your “Symbol Map” and explain how it reflects both character arc and theme.
Session 3 – FRQ Practice: Thematic and Character Analysis
Group FRQ Practice Prompt
FRQ 1 – Relationships and Revelation
Choose a novel in which a relationship between two characters exposes deeper themes of class, power, or morality.
Possible pairs:
  • Elizabeth & Darcy (Pride and Prejudice)
  • Hester & Dimmesdale (The Scarlet Letter)
  • Heathcliff & Catherine (Wuthering Heights)
Collaborative Steps:
  1. Groups brainstorm thesis statements and select one.
  2. Each member drafts one body paragraph using a direct quotation.
  3. Rotate papers—peers add commentary lines for synthesis and style refinement.
  4. Re-assemble as a group to craft an improved final essay introduction.
Mini-Write Reflection:
How did discussing multiple interpretations of the same relationship deepen your understanding of authorial purpose?
Session 4 – Multiple-Choice Mastery
Group Activity 3: “The Ahab Obsession Challenge”
Text: Moby-Dick, Chapter 36 – “The Quarter-Deck”
“All visible objects, man, are but as pasteboard masks. But in each event — in the living act, the undoubted deed — there, some unknown but still reasoning thing puts forth the mouldings of its features from behind the unreasoning mask.”
Steps:
  1. Each group answers five instructor-written AP-style multiple-choice questions focusing on tone, imagery, and metaphor.
  2. Discuss how to use context clues, word connotation, and syntax to eliminate incorrect answers.
  3. Groups create one original AP-style question to challenge another group, explaining the correct answer’s rationale.
Follow-Up:
Reflect on how tone and syntax questions differ from theme-based questions in difficulty.
Session 5 – Timed Writing Simulation
Timed Essay Prompt: Character Complexity
Write an essay analyzing how an author creates a complex, dynamic character.
Choose one:
  • The Picture of Dorian Gray (Dorian Gray)
  • Moby-Dick (Captain Ahab)
  • Wuthering Heights (Heathcliff)
Preparation:
Review these excerpts before writing:
  • Dorian Gray, Chapter 11:
“The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.”
  • Moby-Dick, Epilogue:
“And I only am escaped alone to tell thee.”
  • Wuthering Heights, Chapter 34:
“He’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”
Group Roles During Writing Practice:
  • Timekeeper: Ensures adherence to 40-minute pacing.
  • Evidence Collector: Tracks quotations used for support.
  • Thesis Coach: Checks that claims answer the prompt precisely.
  • Peer Reviewer: Provides end-of-session critique on depth and cohesion.
Session 6 – Final Review and Reflection
Group Reflection Circle: “Lessons from the Classics”
Objective: Synthesize insights across all five novels.
Steps:
  1. Groups list three recurring AP themes: Ambition, Guilt, Redemption, or Society’s Judgment.
  2. For each theme, identify one quotation from a different text that best represents it.
  3. Compile these into a collective “Quote Anthology” poster to display in the classroom.
  4. Conclude with a brief written reflection:
    • Which author’s style most challenged your interpretation?
    • How has your understanding of literary analysis evolved?
Optional Extension Activities
  1. “Character on Trial” Debate:
    Hold mock trials for Dorian Gray, Hester Prynne, and Captain Ahab to explore moral culpability.
  2. Creative Synthesis Project:
    Students produce an original short poem, monologue, or visual artwork inspired by the central conflicts of one of the works.
  3. Peer Coaching Session:
    Rotate in pairs to edit thesis statements and evaluate how effectively peers integrate textual evidence into argument.
Skills Reinforced Across All Sessions
  • Close reading and inference
  • Symbol and motif analysis
  • Characterization and theme synthesis
  • Argumentation and essay structure under timed conditions
  • Peer collaboration and constructive feedback
Complete Reading URLs for Student Access
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