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 collison. 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
5 AP Prompts for Sir Gawain Mr. Rose
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
6 AP Prompts for Sir Gawain Mr. Rose
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 oe 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. Avoid mere plot summary.
