热门标签: AP
2022-11-28 阅读量:825 留美汇
AP英语文学与写作(后面简称“AP文学”)不但要求学生具有很高的文学修养水平,而且也要求学生具有很强的阅读理解和写作能力。这一点尤其体现在Free Answer Questions(FAQs)里面。
FAQs要求学生写三篇文章:第一篇,读一首诗歌或节选,并写文学分析性文章;第二篇类似,读一篇小说的节选,并写文学分析性文章;第三篇,则是给一小段提示(prompt),写对这段prompt的看法,其中要求用到一部经典文学作品来证明这个看法。 在今年的特殊情况下,College Board宣布只考第二篇文章。下面,我就来给同学们详细解说一下如何考试时快速写出一篇组织完好、条理清晰的文章。
难点分析
这道题的难度在于学生对文学分析的手法不熟悉,或者熟悉手法但是对小说的理解较弱。我通常告诉学生,一定要非常熟练掌握小说里面必有的几个手法的分析,例如description of details、theme、contrast等等。
1真题解析
以2019年的题目为例说明一下这几个手法是如何运用并变成文字的。
2019年,官方提供的是William Dean Howells在1885年写的The Rise of Silas Lapham节选,要求用文学手法来分析一对小姐妹在家庭和社会上的复杂经历。
这篇文章里面有不少contrast,details包括姐妹俩的穿着与外界不一样,想法与外界不一样,于是可以得出一个推论:姐妹俩与众不同,但能自我满足。同时,她们又与家人相互依靠,穿着、想法只为了取悦自己或家人。又可以得出一个推论:这家人是社会的一股“清流”,不随波逐流,能独立于世,过着平静而又满足的生活。我们再结合社会上的现实,考虑一下小说通常所具备的批判现实的效果,于是可以大胆地点评说作者是借助这对姐妹来讽刺批判社会上的随波逐流、放弃自我的风气。
2参考答案
具体写作的时候,谨记“夹叙夹议”的写法才是自然又高级的写法,中间分析的段落跟随标准的分析段落结构,即topic sentence + excerpt + analysis + concluding sentence。譬如上面的分析,就可以写成:
Tip
Howell has a careful selection of contrasting detail to show how these sisters are different from other girls of that time period. In fact, the excerpt opens with “They were not girls who…” which implies that these sisters deviated from the societal norm. The younger sister Irene “dressed herself very stylish, and spent hours on her toilet every day”, which was not so others could see and admire her, but simply for her own contentment because the Laphams “lived richly to themselves.” Howell shows how in theory there is nothing particularly destructive about the mindset that family can rely on each other and live for each other. In account of the elder daughter, Howell shows how she “went to many church lectures on a vast variety of secular subjects” and “[made] fun of nearly everything,” her wit deterred potential suitors, differentiating her from the marriage-obsessed girls of her day. Through highlighting the sisters’ odd social behavior but apparent contentment and peace, Howell criticizes how most girls and families are obsessed with impressing others and climbing up the social ladder.
我希望以上的分析让大家更了解AP文学考察的第二篇文章的写作基本思路。
备考建议
今年CB官方宣布:学生在家考试是开卷的。我不建议大家考试时上网搜索,因为考试时间非常有限。但是我强烈推荐同学们可以准备好一些笔记在手边做参考,例如一些有用的句型和表达、一些写得比较好的参考文章。