| Marking Your Text |
| The novels we read in AP English are not usually "quick reads" because they require thought, rereading, and discussion to get to the root of their meaning. One can, of course, choose to read our AP novels as pleasure reading and never stop to mark the text, but the knowledge gained from teh text and the understanding of it will be greatly diminished. We need to become experts on our texts. We need to consume them. Therefore, we mark the texts as we read. This process may be uncomfortable for you at first, but I am listing some tips for marking the text so that you will have a good idea of how to get started. You may find that you develop your own style of marking as move through the novels for the course: That will be a sign of your success with the process. Here's how to get started: First, read the on-line Sparknotes about the novel - specifically the Theme, Motif, Symbol page. Record these on the inside front cover of your text and create abbreviation symbols for each. For example, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, hair is a motif that occurs regularly. I would write an "H" in the margin next to each occurrence. I might then write a brief note, such as, "Janie lets hair down - freedom," so that I could record my thoughts about the significance of the event. Second, create a system for other literary devices or interesting moments that you may want to mark: key setting descriptions, meaningful quotes, plot complications, significant objects (the kitchen knife that was mentioned that may end up becoming a weapon later), foreshadowing (hard to pick out on a first read, so you may need to go back to mark these moments), confusing events, and exciting moments that you will want to discuss in class. Third, be diligent to mark the text as you read. I rarely have a page that goes by without a mark on it. I often have multiple marks per page. Remember as you are reading that everything an author writes in the novel is there for a reason - QUESTION EVERYTHING. This semester, we are in the business of studying the novels, not just reading them for pleasure. The more we get out of them, the better our discussions will be and the more thoughtful our essays will be. |