AP Literature Open-ended Prompts (1970-2013)
1970. Choose
a character from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an
essay in which you (a) briefly describe the standards of the fictional society
in which the character exists and (b) show how the character is affected by and
responds to those standards. In your
essay do not merely summarize the plot.
1971. The
significance of a title such as The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is so easy to discover. However, in other works (for example, Measure for Measure) the full
significance of the title becomes apparent to the reader only gradually. Choose two works and show how the
significance of their respective titles is developed through the authors’ use
of devices such as contrast, repetition, allusion, and point of view.
1972. In
retrospect, the reader often discovers that the first chapter of a novel or the
opening scene of a drama introduces some of the major themes of the work. Write an essay about the opening scene of a
drama or the first chapter of a novel in which you explain how it functions in
this way.
1973. An
effective literary work does not merely stop or cease; it concludes. In the view of some critics, a work that
does not provide the pleasure of significant closure has terminated with an
artistic fault. A satisfactory ending is
not, however, always conclusive in every sense; significant closure may require
the reader to abide with or adjust to ambiguity and uncertainty. In an essay, discuss the ending of a novel
or play of acknowledged literary merit.
Explain precisely how and why the ending appropriately or
inappropriately concludes the work. Do
not merely summarize the plot.
1974. Choose
a work of literature written before 1900.
Write an essay in which you present arguments for and against the works
relevance for a person in 1974. Your own
position should emerge in the course of your essay. You may refer to works of literature written
after 1900 for the purpose of contrast or comparison.
1975. Although
literary critics have tended to praise the unique in literary
characterizations, many authors have employed the stereotyped character
successfully. Select one work of
acknowledged literary merit and in a well-written essay, show how the
conventional or stereotyped character or characters function to achieve the
author’s purpose.
1975, #2.
Unlike the novelist, the writer of a play does not use his own voice and
only rarely uses a narrator’s voice to guide the audience’s responses to
character and action. Select a play you have read and write an essay in which
you explain the techniques the playwright uses to guide his audience’s
responses to the central characters and the action. You might consider the
effect on the audience of things like setting, the use of comparable and
contrasting characters, and the characters’ responses to each other. Support
your argument with specific references to the play. Do not give a plot summary.
1976. The
conflict created when the will of an individual opposes the will of the
majority is the recurring theme of many novels, plays, and essays. Select the work of an essayist who is in
opposition to his or her society; or from a work of recognized literary merit,
select a fictional character who is in opposition to his or her society. In a critical essay, analyze the conflict and
discuss the moral and ethical implications for both the individual and the
society. Do not summarize the plot or
action of the work you choose.
1977. A
character’s attempt to recapture the past is important in many plays, novels,
and poems. Choose a literary work in which a character views the past with such
feelings as reverence, bitterness, or longing. Show with clear evidence from
the work how the character’s view of the past is used to develop a theme in the
work. You may base your essay on a work by one of the following authors, or you
may choose a work of another author of comparable literary excellence.
1977, #2. In
some novels and plays certain parallel or recurring events prove to be
significant. In an essay, describe the
major similarities and differences in a sequence of parallel or recurring
events in a novel or play and discuss the significance of such events. Do not merely summarize the plot.
1978. Choose
an implausible or strikingly unrealistic incident or character in a work of
fiction or drama of recognized literary merit.
Write an essay that explains how the incident or character is related to
the more realistic of plausible elements in the rest of the work. Avoid plot summary.
1979. Choose
a complex and important character in a novel or a play of recognized literary
merit who might on the basis of the character’s actions alone be considered
evil or immoral. In a well-organized
essay, explain both how and why the full presentation of the character in the
work makes us react more sympathetically than we otherwise might. Avoid plot summary.
1980. A
recurring theme in literature is the classic war between a passion and
responsibility. For instance, a personal
cause, a love, a desire for revenge, a determination to redress a wrong, or
some other emotion or drive may conflict with moral duty. Choose a literary work in which a character
confronts the demands of a private passion that conflicts with his or her
responsibilities. In a well-written
essay show clearly the nature of the conflict, its effects upon the character,
and its significance to the work.
1981. The
meaning of some literary works is often enhanced by sustained allusion to
myths, the Bible, or other works of literature.
Select a literary work that makes use of such a sustained
reference. Then write a well-organized
essay in which you explain the allusion that predominates in the work and
analyze how it enhances the work’s meaning.
1982. In
great literature, no scene of violence exists for its own sake. Choose a work of literary merit that
confronts the reader or audience with a scene or scenes of violence. In a well-organized essay, explain how the
scene or scenes contribute to the meaning of the complete work. Avoid plot summary.
1982 Bulletin #1.
“The struggle to achieve dominance over others frequently appears in
fiction.” Choose a novel in which such a struggle for dominance occurs, and
write an essay showing for what purposes the author uses the struggle. Do not
merely retell the story.
1982 Bulletin #2. “In many plays a character has a
misconception of himself or his world. Destroying or perpetuating this illusion
contributes to a central theme of the play.” Choose a play with a major
character to whom this statement applies, and write an essay in which you
consider the following:
(1) What the character’s illusion
is and how it differs from reality as presented in the play.
(2) How the destruction or
perpetuation of the illusion develops a theme of the play.
Do not merely retell the story.
1983. From
a novel or play of literary merit, select an important character who is a
villain. Then, in a well-organized
essay, analyze the nature of the character’s villainy and show how it enhances
meaning in the work. Do not merely
summarize the plot.
1984. Select
a line or so of poetry, or a moment or scene in a novel, epic poem, or play
that you find especially memorable.
Write an essay in which you identify the line or the passage, explain
its relationship to the work in which it is found, and analyze the reasons for
its effectiveness.
1985. A
critic has said that one important measure of a superior work of literature is
its ability to produce in the reader a healthy confusion of pleasure and
disquietude. Select a literary work that
produces this “healthy confusion.” Write an essay in which you explain the
sources of the “pleasure and disquietude” experienced by the readers of the
work.
1986. Some
works of literature use the element of time in a distinct way. The chronological sequence of events may be
altered, or time may be suspended or accelerated. Choose a novel, an epic, or a play of
recognized literary merit and show how the author’s manipulation of time
contributes to the effectiveness of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.
1987. Some
novels and plays seem to advocate changes in social or political attitudes or
in traditions. Choose such a novel or
play and note briefly the particular attitudes or traditions that the author
apparently wishes to modify. Then
analyze the techniques the author uses to influence the reader’s or audience’s
views. Avoid plot summary.
1988. Choose
a distinguished novel or play in which some of the most significant events are
mental or psychological; for example, awakenings, discoveries, changes in
consciousness. In a well-organized
essay, describe how the author manages to give these internal events the sense
of excitement, suspense, and climax usually associated with external
action. Do not merely summarize the plot.
1989. In
questioning the value of literary realism, Flannery O’Connor has written, “I am
interested in making a good case for distortion because I am coming to believe
that it is the only way to make people see.” Write an essay in which you “make
a good case for distortion,” as distinct from literary realism. Analyze how important elements of the work
you choose are “distorted” and explain how these distortions contribute to the
effectiveness of the work. Avoid plot
summary.
1990. Choose
a novel or play that depicts a conflict between a parent (or a parental figure)
and a son or daughter. Write an essay in
which you analyze the sources of the conflict and explain how the conflict
contributes to the meaning of the work.
Avoid plot summary.
1991. Many
plays and novels use contrasting places (for example, two countries, two cities
or towns, two houses, or the land and the sea) to represent opposed forces or
ideas that are central to the meaning of the work. Choose a novel or play that contrasts two
such places. Write an essay explaining
how the places differ, what each place represents, and how their contrast
contributes to the meaning of the work.
1992. In a
novel or play, a confidant (male) or a confidante (female) is a character,
often a friend or relative of the hero or heroine, whose role is to be present
when the hero or heroine needs a sympathetic listener to confide in. Frequently the result is, as Henry James
remarked, that the confidant or confidante can be as much “the reader’s friend
as the protagonist’s.” However, the author sometimes uses this character for
other purposes as well. Choose a
confidant or confidante from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and
write an essay in which you discuss the various ways this character functions
in the work. You may write your essay
on one of the following novels or plays or on another of comparable
quality. Do not write on a poem or short
story.
1993. “The
true test of comedy is that it shall awaken thoughtful laughter.” Choose a novel, play, or long poem in which a
scene or character awakens “thoughtful laughter” in the reader. Write an essay in which you show why this
laughter is “thoughtful” and how it contributes to the meaning of the work.
1994. In some works of literature, a character who
appears briefly, or does not appear at all, is a significant presence. Choose a novel or play of literary merit and
write an essay in which you show how such a character functions in the work. You may wish to discuss how the character affects
action, theme, or the development of other characters. Avoid plot summary.
1995. Writers
often highlight the values of a culture or a society by using characters who
are alienated from that culture or society because of gender, race, class, or
creed. Choose a novel or a play in which
such a character plays a significant role and show how that character’s
alienation reveals the surrounding society’s assumptions or moral values.
1996. The
British novelist Fay Weldon offers this observation about happy endings. “The writers, I do believe, who get the best
and most lasting response from their readers are the writers who offer a happy
ending through moral development. By a happy
ending, I do not mean mere fortunate events—a marriage or a last minute rescue
from death--but some kind of spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation,
even with the self, even at death.” Choose a novel or play that has the kind of
ending Weldon describes. In a
well-written essay, identify the “spiritual reassessment or moral
reconciliation” evident in the ending and explain its significance in the work
as a whole.
1997. Novels
and plays often include scenes of weddings, funerals, parties, and other social
occasions. Such scenes may reveal the
values of the characters and the society in which they live. Select a novel or play that includes such a
scene and, in a focused essay, discuss the contribution the scene makes to the
meaning of the work as a whole. You may
choose a work from the list below or another novel or play of literary merit.
1998. In
his essay “Walking,” Henry David Thoreau offers the following assessment of
literature: “In literature it is only the wild that attracts us. Dullness is
but another name for tameness. It is the
uncivilized free and wild thinking in Hamlet
and The Iliad, in all scriptures
and mythologies, not learned in schools, that delights us.”
From the works that you have
studied in school, choose a novel, play, or epic poem that you may initially
have thought was conventional and tame but that you now value for its
“uncivilized free and wild thinking.”
Write an essay in which you explain what constitutes its “uncivilized
free and wild thinking” and how that thinking is central to the value of the work
as a whole. Support your ideas with
specific references to the work you choose.
1999. The
eighteenth-century British novelist Laurence Sterne wrote, “No body, but he who
has felt it, can conceive what a plaguing thing it is to have a man’s mind torn
asunder by two projects of equal strength, both obstinately pulling in a
contrary direction at the same time.”
From a novel or play choose a character
(not necessarily the protagonist) whose mind is pulled in conflicting
directions by two compelling desires, ambitions, obligations, or influences. Then, in a well-organized essay, identify
each of the two conflicting forces and explain how this conflict with one
character illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. You may use one of the novels or plays listed
below or another novel or work of similar literary quality.
2000. Many
works of literature not readily identified with the mystery or detective story
genre nonetheless involve the investigation of a mystery. In these works, the solution to the mystery
may be less important than the knowledge gained in the process of its
investigation. Choose a novel or play in
which one or more of the characters confront a mystery. Then write an essay in which you identify the
mystery and explain how the investigation illuminates the meaning of the work
as a whole. Do not merely summarize the
plot.
2001. One
definition of madness is “mental delusion or the eccentric behavior arising
from it.” But Emily Dickinson wrote
Much madness is divinest Sense—
To a discerning Eye—
Novelists and playwrights have often seen madness with a
“discerning Eye.” Select a novel or play in which a character’s apparent
madness or irrational behavior plays an important role. Then write a
well-organized essay in which you explain what this delusion or eccentric
behavior consists of and how it might be judged reasonable. Explain the
significance of the “madness” to the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize
the plot.
2002. Morally
ambiguous characters – characters whose behavior discourages readers from
identifying them as purely evil or purely good – are at the heart of many works
of literature. Choose a novel or play in which a morally ambiguous character
plays a pivotal role. Then write an essay in which you explain how the
character can be viewed as morally ambiguous and why his or her moral ambiguity
is significant to the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.
2002, Form B. Often
in literature, a character’s success in achieving goals depends on keeping a
secret and divulging it only at the right moment, if at all. Choose a novel or
play of literary merit that requires a character to keep a secret. In a
well-organized essay, briefly explain the necessity for secrecy and how the
character’s choice to reveal or keep the secret affects the plot and
contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. You may select a work from
the list below, or you may choose another work of recognized literary merit
suitable to the topic. Do NOT write about a short story, poem, or film.
2003. According
to critic Northrop Frye, “Tragic heroes are so much the highest points in their
human landscape that they seem the inevitable conductors of the power about
them, great trees more likely to be struck by lightning than a clump of grass.
Conductors may of course be instruments as well as victims of the divisive
lightning.” Select a novel or play in which a tragic figure functions as an
instrument of the suffering of others. Then write an essay in which you explain
how the suffering brought upon others by that figure contributes to the tragic vision
of the work as a whole.
2003, Form B. Novels
and plays often depict characters caught between colliding cultures --
national, regional, ethnic, religious, institutional. Such collisions can call
a character’s sense of identity into question. Select a novel or play in which
a character responds to such a cultural collision. Then write a well-organized
essay in which you describe the character’s response and explain its relevance
to the work as a whole.
2004. Critic
Roland Barthes has said, “Literature is the question minus the answer.” Choose
a novel, or play, and, considering Barthes’ observation, write an essay in
which you analyze a central question the work raises and the extent to which it
offers answers. Explain how the author’s treatment of this question affects
your understanding of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.
2004, Form B. The
most important themes in literature are sometimes developed in scenes in which
a death or deaths take place. Choose a novel or play and write a well-organized
essay in which you show how a specific death scene helps to illuminate the
meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.
2005. In
Kate Chopin’s The Awakening (1899),
protagonist Edna Pontellier is said to possess “That outward existence which
conforms, the inward life that questions.” In a novel or play that you have
studied, identify a character who outwardly conforms while questioning
inwardly. Then write an essay in which you analyze how this tension between
outward conformity and inward questioning contributes to the meaning of the
work. Avoid mere plot summary.
2005, Form B. One
of the strongest human drives seems to be a desire for power. Write an essay in
which you discuss how a character in a novel or a drama struggles to free himself
or herself from the power of others or seeks to gain power over others. Be sure
to demonstrate in your essay how the author uses this power struggle to enhance
the meaning of the work.
2006. Many
writers use a country setting to establish values within a work of literature.
For example, the country may be a place of virtue and peace or one of
primitivism and ignorance. Choose a novel or play in which such a setting plays
a significant role. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the country setting
functions in the work as a whole.
2006, Form B. In
many works of literature, a physical journey – the literal movement from one
place to another – plays a central role. Choose a novel, play, or epic poem in
which a physical journey is an important element and discuss how the journey
adds to the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.
2007. In
many works of literature, past events can affect, positively or negatively, the
present activities, attitudes, or values of a character. Choose a novel or play
in which a character must contend with some aspect of the past, either personal
or societal. Then write an essay in which you show how the character’s
relationship to the past contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
2007, Form B. Works
of literature often depict acts of betrayal. Friends and even family may betray
a protagonist; main characters may likewise be guilty of treachery or may
betray their own values. Select a novel or play that includes such acts of
betrayal. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze the nature of the betrayal and
show how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
2008. In
a literary work, a minor character, often known as a foil, possesses traits
that emphasize, by contrast or comparison, the distinctive characteristics and
qualities of the main character. For example, the ideas or behavior of a minor
character might be used to highlight the weaknesses or strengths of the main
character. Choose a novel or play in which a minor character serves as a foil
for the main character. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the
relation between the minor character and the major character illuminates the
meaning of the work.
2008, Form B. In
some works of literature, childhood and adolescence are portrayed as times
graced by innocence and a sense of wonder; in other works, they are depicted as
times of tribulation and terror. Focusing on a single novel or play, explain
how its representation of childhood or adolescence shapes the meaning of the work
as a whole.
2009. A
symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates
a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works a symbol can express
an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. Select a novel or play
and, focusing on one symbol, write an essay analyzing how that symbol functions
in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a
whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.
2009, Form B. Many
works of literature deal with political or social issues. Choose a novel or
play that focuses on a political or social issue. Then write an essay in which
you analyze how the author uses literary elements to explore this issue and
explain how the issue contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. Do not
merely summarize the plot.
2010. Palestinian American literary theorist
and cultural critic Edward Said has written that “Exile is strangely compelling
to think about but terrible to experience. It is the unhealable rift forced between
a human being and a native place, between the self and its true home: its
essential sadness can never be surmounted.” Yet Said has also said that exile
can become “a potent, even enriching” experience. Select a novel, play, or epic
in which a character experiences such a rift and becomes cut off from “home,”
whether that home is the character’s birthplace, family, homeland, or other
special place. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the character’s
experience with exile is both alienating and enriching, and how this experience
illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the
plot.
2010, Form B. “You
can leave home all you want, but home will never leave you.” —Sonsyrea Tate
Sonsyrea
Tate’s statement suggests that “home” may be conceived of as a dwelling, a
place, or a state of mind. It may have positive or negative associations, but
in either case, it may have a considerable influence on an individual. Choose a
novel or play in which a central character leaves home yet finds that home
remains significant. Write a well-developed essay in which you analyze the
importance of “home” to this character and the reasons for its continuing
influence. Explain how the character’s idea of home illuminates the larger
meaning of the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.
2011. In
a novel by William Styron, a father tells his son that life “is a search for
justice.”
Choose
a character from a novel or play who responds in some significant way to
justice or injustice. Then write a well-developed essay in which you analyze
the character’s understanding of justice, the degree to which the character’s
search for justice is successful, and the significance of this search for the
work as a whole.
2011, Form B. In
The Writing of Fiction (1925),
novelist Edith Wharton states the following:
At every stage in the progress of his
tale the novelist must rely on what may be called the illuminating incident to
reveal and emphasize the inner meaning of each situation. Illuminating
incidents are the magic casements of fiction, its vistas on infinity.
Choose a novel or play that you have studied and write a
well-organized essay in which you describe an “illuminating” episode or moment
and explain how it functions as a “casement,” a window that opens onto the
meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.
2012. “And, after all, our surroundings
influence our lives and characters as much as fate, destiny or any supernatural
agency.” Pauline Hopkins, Contending
Forces
Choose a novel or play in which cultural, physical, or
geographical surroundings shape psychological or moral traits in a character.
Then write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how surroundings affect
this character and illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole.
2013. A
bildungsroman, or coming-of-age novel, recounts the psychological or moral development
of its protagonist from youth to maturity, when this character recognizes his
or her place in the world. Select a single pivotal moment in the psychological
or moral development of the protagonist of a bildungsroman. Then write a
well-organized essay that analyzes how that single moment shapes the meaning of
the work as a whole.
2014. It has often been said that what we value can be determined only by what we sacrifice. Consider how this statement applies to a character from a novel or play. Select a character that has deliberately sacrificed, surrendered, or forfeited something in a way that highlights that character’s values. Then write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how the particular sacrifice illuminates the character’s values and provides a deeper understanding of the meaning of the work as a whole.
2015. In literary works, cruelty often functions as a crucial motivation or a major social or political factor. Select a novel, play, or epic poem in which acts of cruelty are important to the theme. Then write a well-developed essay analyzing how cruelty functions in the work as a whole and what the cruelty reveals about the perpetrator and/or victim.
