So, let's sum up today's test. Terms used: Hyperbole, Personification, Rhetoric, Simile, Metaphor, Allusion, Invective, Infinitive, Irony, Onomatopoeia. As you can see, they hit upon at least ten of the terms we've been exposed to in class. Okay, I failed to give you Metonymy. So learn it: Metonymy is the use of word substitution. "The pen is mightier than the sword" states that "writing" is mightier than "military power." In the test passage, the author refers to whiskey as "the bloody monster that defiles innocence" and as "philosophic wine;" both examples of metonymy. Sounds a lot like Metaphor, doesn't it?

And add Figurative Language:

Here's rock icon Frank Zappa speaking about the guitar using figurative language: If ever there's an obscene noise to be made on an instrument, it's going to come out of a guitar. On a saxophone you can play sleaze, but on a guitar you can be truly obscene. . . Let's be realistic about this, the guitar can be the single most blasphemous device on the face of the earth. That's why I like it... The disgusting stink of a too-loud electric guitar: now that's my idea of a good time.

Figurative language is all of these: Metaphor, Simile, Hyperbole, Oxymoron (oops, better add this one too), any kind of language that uses colorful, enthusiastic, "over the top" speech. That last line, that's Irony, right? How 'bout the "stink of too-loud guitar"?

The Art of Blah: Don't forget the use of blah blah blah in your efforts to read a passage quickly and more effectively. I mean actually say the words "blah blah blah" to yourself as you read, particularly when the author is making a long list of examples as in the first passage. But the Art of Blah was also effectively used reading the passage that was the basis of your first essay. Here the author was writing about his love of books. Each of the paragraphs could have been skimmed more effectively using this trick, especially since many of us share this love of the tactile and ownership aspects of printed matter.

My first paragraph: Americans love the tactile, what can be felt or turned over in our hands. In our technological society, many of us download and "rip" CDs of our favorite music through the internet. But something is missing: the album cover, the artwork, the lyrics. The tactile sense of it is gone; part of the experience is stripped away. Fortunately we have not gone this route with books. As he points out in his radio address, retired university professor and lover of books, William Lyon Phelps, it is not merely a book's content, but its look, its feel, its sense of place. By drawing the reader in to this seemingly private conversation, this reflection of passion for printed matter, Professor Phelps utilizes many techniques of style and elements of language.

I'm taking chances here (and the AP test may or may not be the place for that; it depends on your comfort with the question), and since my opening paragraph is 100 words, it means I'm in for a long essay (am I up to it?). There is no stated number of words, so if I can do it, I'll try. My intro is good but wordy, so now I have to be succinct and to the point (I've only got 40 minutes, remember). And remember, the question was really what elements of language the author use to convey his passion. Hopefully you understood that what they're after (the infamous THEY), is his style. It's conversational. It's elegant storytelling. It draws upon the reader's experience and his memories of childhood, and creates a vast array of imagery. He refers to his books as "intimate friends." Hmmm, personification. Hit upon some of the key elements of style and you ace this essay.


That second essay was difficult, break it down. What the author was saying was simple enough: there is no independence for the slave, no cause for celebration on July 4th. But the prompt also requires us to consider diction (is it straight forward or does it use a lot of jargon), syntax (the grammatical arrangement of words), figurative language (see above) and tone (what is the author's tone of voice?). How would you address this portion of the question? We realize quickly that the author is not speaking highly of Independence Day and the assuant celebration. But how does his essay try to effect us. It uses guilt, it questions our beliefs and visions, our point of view, it chastises and approaches us in a dynamic manner. So, the tone is didactic (it's trying to teach), it begins with questions, that's a technique of syntax, it uses figurative (colorful) language that we all can understand (mostly). Pick a couple things. Go with it.

Just so you don't forget. THIS IS A LANGUAGE TEST. That means that the essay questions will focus not so much on what is being said, but on HOW it is said. In both essays, the HOW is of as much importance as what happened. This is an important difference in how you should approach the test. Make sure you answer or touch upon each aspect of what is asked in the prompt. I'm very pleased that so many of you have done exactly this on your essays. But for those of you who failed to address the elements of language that the authors used, this may indeed be the difference between passing and failing the exam.

One last thing. Don't forget to approach your essay as if the reader does not know the question. Think about your favorite magazine. Does the article you've decided to read begin with a question? You may have lots of questions yourself, and want them answered, but the article begins with some kind of interest grabber, allusion, or direct approach to an implied question (those the reader may have instinctively). Many of you began your essays with lines like: "The man uses many rhetorical techniques in conveying his distaste for the Fourth of July." That's true, but it's wasted on the reader since the reader doesn't know the question, who the man is, and has not read the passage. Since we do not have a name to supply the unknowing reader, this essay could have begun: In the early years of our nation, many Abolitionists believed that our celebration of "Independence Day" was a mockery of those in slavery. In a fiery speech aimed at a public that was more than anything naive of the fate of African Americans, one Abolitionist wrote "I hear the wail of millions."

Go, therefore, people, with confidence in yourselves; a passing score is within you. Think.