AP Literature Essays that Scored a 9

Prompt for Q1
The following poem, written by Edward Field, makes use of the Greek myth of Daedalus and
Icarus.* Read the poem carefully. Then write an essay in which you analyze how Field employs
literary devices in adapting the Icarus myth to a contemporary setting.
Icarus
Edward Field

b. 1924

Only the feathers floating around the hat

Showed that anything more spectacular had occurred
Than the usual drowning. The police preferred to ignore
The confusing aspects of the case,
And the witnesses ran off to a gang war.
So the report filed and forgotten in the archives read simply
Drowned, but it was wrong: Icarus
Had swum away, coming at last to the city
Where he rented a house and tended the garden.
That nice Mr. Hicks the neighbors called,
Never dreaming that the gray, respectable suit
Concealed arms that had controlled huge wings
Nor that those sad, defeated eyes had once
Compelled the sun. And had he told them
They would have answered with a shocked,
uncomprehending stare.
No, he could not disturb their neat front yards;
Yet all his books insisted that this was a horrible mistake:
What was he doing aging in a suburb?
Can the genius of the hero fall
To the middling stature of the merely talented?
And nightly Icarus probes his wound
And daily in his workshop, curtains carefully drawn,
Constructs small wings and tries to fly
To the lighting fixture on the ceiling:
Fails every time and hates himself for trying.
He had thought himself a hero, had acted heroically,
And dreamt of his fall, the tragic fall of the hero;
But now rides commuter trains,

Serves on various committees,

And wishes he had drowned.

Modernity has certainly evolved from the time of the ancient Greece. However, the
advancements in technology have not necessarily created a Utopian society. In Icarus, a
poem by Edward Field, a mythological character is placed in the bustling and oxymoronic reality
of the modern world. Figurative language, irony, syntax, and perspectives are essential
elements of Field's relocation of Icarus, whose relocation exposes an alienating and unrelenting
20th century setting.
Irony and contrast are immediately evident as Icarus's story unfolds in the second
millennium of the common era. Beginning be depicting the setting and its inhabitants, the
speaker highlights some oxymorons in current behavior. Witnesses to Icarus's mishap run off to
a gang war, a cruel satire of urban life and ironical reversion of roles in just one line.
Furthermore, Icarus's report at the police station is filed and forgotten, one element denying
the purpose of the other. In addition to this, modern practices appear to contrast those of
Icarus's original setting; in ancient Greece, tales were not written but sang, and they certainly
weren't forgotten. Thus, though lacking mention to the protagonist, the first stanza subtly
implies immediate differences between Icarus's traditional home and his new one.
The second stanza begins with yet another juxtaposition of the original and the modified;
while the foolish Icarus would have been deemed disobedient in his times, he becomes nice
Mr. Hicks in modernity. As the speaker begins to describe Icarus directly, another allusion to
modern tenets is made; Icarus's suit concealed arms, which we soon find out though that
they are not the arms used in gang wars but those with which he attempted flight. Icarus's
neighbors cannot perceive his sadness at the failure of his deed, though, and the gentle time
(and air) traveler does not wish to upset them by revealing the truths. In this case, a metonymic
front yards is used by the speaker to symbolize the suburban lifestyle and moralistic
attitude of the people surrounding Icarus.
In creating the final analogies and contrasts between the past and present Icaruses, the
speaker draws into the tragic hero side of the protagonist and uses it in a rhetorical question at
the end of the second stanza. Unfortunately for Icarus, it seems, he did not fall to his death but
to the middling stature of the merely talented; he cannot find serenity in an environment
where personal judgment (Icarus's neighbors) cannot reconcile with the group activities
(participating in committees and riding commuter trains). Using anaphora, the first two lines of
the third stanza convey Icarus's longing for tragic departure, juxtaposing nightly reflection and
daily attempts at flight. Lacking the success he had in the past, even though it had cost him,
Icarus comes to the conclusion that his role would have been much more satisfactory had he
drowned.
Field employs techniques of content (contrast and irony) and of how the content is
shaped (anaphora and figurative language). In doing so, he conveys both poetically personal

reflections and an effective change of Icarus's setting, shaping this work as an even more tragic
story for the protagonist than his death in had been.

Prompt for Q1
In the following speech from Shakespeare's play Henry VIII, Cardinal Wolsey considers his
sudden downfall from his position as advisor to the king. Spokesman for the king have just left
Wolsey alone on stage. Read the speech carefully. Then write a well-organized essay in which
you analyze how Shakespeare uses elements such as allusion, figurative language, and tone to
convey Wolsey's complex response to his dismissal from court.
The Speech of Wolsey on his downfall. From Henry VIII.
So farewell to the little good you bear me.
Farewell! a long farewell, to all my greatness!
This is the state of man: to-day he puts forth
The tender leaves of hopes; to-morrow blossoms,
And bears his blushing honours thick upon him;
The third day comes a frost, a killing frost,
And, when he thinks, good easy man, full surely
His greatness is a-ripening, nips his root,
And then he falls, as I do. I have ventured,
Like little wanton boys that swim on bladders,
This many summers in a sea of glory,
But far beyond my depth: my high-blown pride
At length broke under me and now has left me,
Weary and old with service, to the mercy
Of a rude stream, that must for ever hide me.
Vain pomp and glory of this world, I hate ye:
I feel my heart new open'd. O, how wretched
Is that poor man that hangs on princes' favours!
There is, betwixt that smile we would aspire to,
That sweet aspect of princes, and their ruin,
More pangs and fears than wars or women have:
And when he falls, he falls like Lucifer,
Never to hope again. H8.III.2. 350-72.
In his play Henry VIII, author William Shakespeare does a remarkable job of conveying the
emotions of his character Cardinal Wolsey, who has just received the shock of his dismissal as

the King's advisor. Shakespeare's description is realistic because it reflects the range of feelings
people often undergo when reeling from an unexpected disappointment. Wolsey's soliloquy
reveals both anger and lamentation as he struggles to come to terms with what has occurred.
Shakespeare portrays both the hostility and despair of Wolsey's reaction through dramatic
diction, figurative language, and a shift in tone.
The words Shakespeare chooses reflect Wolsey's complex reaction because they
represent strong emotion. Wolsey describes himself as "weary," which implies that he has
poured everything he has into his position, leaving him exhausted. "Weary" connotes aging, as
if Wolsey has expended a great amount of time in his dedication to his work. Even more
powerful is the selection of the word "wretched," which Wolsey uses to characterize those such
as himself who have lived their lives depending on the approval of the monarch. The
connotations of "wretched" are despair and utter hopelessness. This negative word choice
suggests that Wolsey has no hope whatsoever for the future, leaving him in a state of utter
desperation. The loaded diction Shakespeare uses illuminates the extremity of Wolsey's
emotional state.
Through figurative language, Shakespeare evokes powerful images that show Wolsey's
anger as well as despair. He uses the metaphor of a delicate flower to represent Wolsey's spirit,
first optimistically putting out "the tender leaves of hopes," then blooming only to be struck by
a "killing frost." This image conveys Wolsey's vulnerability and innocence. The frost, which
symbolizes the king's brash dismissal of Wolsey, is cruel and undeserved. By placing the
sprouting, blooming, and death of the flower within a three-day span, Shakespeare reflects
Wolsey's anger at how suddenly he fell from favor. Shakespeare also uses figurative language to
show Wolsey's hopelessness. Using simile, he likens Wolsey to Satan, the angel who fell out of
God's favor and was banished to Hell, never to return again. This comparison reflects Wolsey's
conviction that he has no reason for hope and must instead expect misery for the rest of his
life. These two powerful uses of imagery portray the two emotions between which Wolsey
vacillates.
Shakespeare also employs a change in tone to convey the complexity of Wolsey's
emotions. At first, the tone is bitter. Wolsey scoffs at the idea of losing "the little good" he gains
from the king. He describes the world as "vain," superficially focused on status, and declares, "I
hate ye!" This tone reveals Wosley's hostility, heis first reaction. Immediately afterwards, his
speech shifts to a tone of hopelessness and despair. He laments the live he has led as a
"wretched" man beholden to the ruler, expressing self-pity through his characterization of
himself as a "poor man." Wolsey concludes by asserting that he will never have any hope for
the future. The change in tone between bitterness and hopelessness reflects the emotions

between which Wolsey is struggling; his initial anger gives way to sadness and self-pity. Through
this change, Shakespeare reflects that emotional reactions are often multifaceted.
Using powerful diction, evaluative figurative language, and a change in tone. Shakespeare
portrays Wolsey's response to his dismissal as both hostile and despairing. The words Wolsey
uses reflect the strength of his emotions, the images he creates fortify this description, and the
shift in tone emphasizes the split between his emotions. By employing these three tactics,
Shakespeare reflects the powerful complexity of Wosley's reaction, and of human emotions as
a whole.
Prompt for Q2
The following passage is an excerpt from "The Other Paris," a short story from Canadian writer
Mavis Gallant. Read the passage carefully. Then, in a well-written essay, explain how the author
uses narrative voice and characterization to provide social commentary.
Sorry, I have not added the passage.

According to society, marriage should be the dream of every young woman, and every
action of the male/female "mating dance" is what society dictates, though couples may intend
otherwise. This entire passage ridicules the awkward and misplaced (not to mention ludicrous)
stress society and culture places on proper marriage. Mavis Gallant's The Other Paris provides
a brilliant social commentary through satire, irony, glorious characterization of two soon-to-bemarried fools, and a thinly veiled tone of underlying contempt.
That a man would propose to a woman after only three weeks and having never spoken
to her about anything other than the office is outweighed in preposterousness only by the fact
that she accepted. It is surely a desperate time for her because she was at the ancient age of
twenty-two and no one had proposed to her before, except an unsuitable medical student
who most likely loved her deeply and would have made her happy, but did not fulfill the
artificial requirements placed by a moronic lecture on marriage, like an interest in Irish settlers.
Because love is a fight imposed by the film industry, of course! The tone throughout the second
and third paragraphs is an amused contempt and open satirization of her excessive folly.
Belonging to the same church is one of the pillars of the married union, but (of course) any such
discussion would be far to embarrassing for either of them. And even though they both were
fully aware champagne would be more than perfectly appropriate, their distance from one
another makes that impossible.
(Continued on the next page)

One of the most important recurring themes is that of pressure by society to get married
soon, for all the wrong reasons. The supreme irony of the entire concept is that a set of criteria,
none of which have to do with emotional attachment, have been developed for successful
marriage. Since these are fleeting it is extremely important to get married as soon as possible
and not fool around with any of that love business. And when these silly, stupid, moronic,
transient, economically-driven criteria are no longer met, the marriage falls apart due to the
lack of emotional attachment, and the whole thing is blamed on not meeting the initial
conditions: circular logic at it's best. Howard and Carol were pushed into marriage thusly, and
will undoubtedly join the ranks of the divorced in a few years all of which is blames on
marriage for love, of course.
And even love itself is inverted by these poor misguided cattle. Even though love is an
illusion, Carol gets about the business of falling in love with great efficiency. Another
wonderful irony of inversion. Carol and Howard believe the conditions of life the fleeting,
transitory ones are the basis of lifelong happiness, while love can be cultured easily. It would
make much more sense to marry for love which lasts forever and adopt the current
circumstances to fit married life, but logic has no place in today's society (of course!).
By illustrating these ironies, inversions, follies, inconsistencies, circular logic, and
downright absurdity, Gallant succeeds in crafting a delicious mockery of not the institution of
marriage but the institution surrounding marriage. The exceptional character development and
witty, biting tone serve to blast holes the size of Iowa into that poor, misguided institution.