If you decide to take on the challenge of AP English Literature, you will be in the good hands of our ELA department stars— Jack Graham and Donald Parm, Olympia’s “Lit” teachers. In Mr. Parm’s AP Literature class, you will be exposed to a variety of literature including Shakespearean tragedies, American classics, along with small publishers. The knowledge you take away from the variety of texts will help you grow as a reader, writer, and person.
One of the first books you will be introduced to is George Orwell’s 1984, which was published in the mid 1900’s and would soon grow to be one of the most influential books of the century. The book follows the life of Winston Smith, a middle aged man living in a society where every aspect of their lives are controlled by the government. Winston, who often commits “thoughtcrimes” — any thought that goes against what the party says is true. For anyone suspected of committing a crime against the party, the punishment is “vaporization” which means the party makes you and every record of you disappear. To avoid such a fate, Winston secretly allies himself with people who he believes to be against the party, but he will soon realize how wrong he truly was. The book examines the deep psychological effects of authoritarian government control, such as the ability to turn the people who are close against each other. An important takeaway from 1984 is the extensive outlook on how governments operate to control the masses, and how to recognize these tactics in your everyday life.
Following 1984, you will begin reading The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespere. In the book, young Hamlet is the heir to the throne of Denmark when his father passes away under mysterious circumstances. It is later revealed that the sudden remarriage of his mother, Gertrude, to his uncle, Claudias, was not mere coincidence. When Hamlet’s father, Old Hamlet, comes back as a ghost, the true killer is revealed and Hamlet is set on vengeance. Old Hamlet’s return will serve as the catalyst that will push the protagonist into a state of insanity. Hamlet’s impact will remain in the history books and our lexicons forever. It is thanks to Shakespeare’s work that we have these iconic quotes, like “Every dog has its day,” “To be or not to be: that is the question,” and “Neither a borrower nor a lender”. Hamlet and Shakespearean plays will go on to be the inspiration for many great artists— Charles Dickens, T.S. Eliot, and John Steinbeck, to name a few. What you will gain from reading this tragedy is an appreciation for classical literature, improvement in your poetry analysis and confidence in your ability to tackle complex reading.
The last and my personal favorite from the AP English Literature catalogue is yet another Shakespearean work, The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice. The main theme of this tragedy is manipulation and deception. Iago, the main antagonist of the story, serves as the advisor, sort of a right-hand man to our protagonist, Othello, the general of the Venetian army. Thanks to his rank, Iago is able to easily manipulate situations to Othello’s detriment. This quality of his is first depicted when he manipulates Cassio.the lieutenant, whose position he wanted, into becoming belligerently drunk, leading Othello to fire him, clearing the spot for Iago himself. Another instance of our antagonist using deception to his advantage is him planting the seed and slowly nurturing the rumour about Desdemona’s ( Othello’s wife) infidelity. He does this by manipulating her to petition Othello for Cassio’s reinstatement as the lieutenant. Desdmona’s constant advocacy on behalf of Cassio does nothing but anger Othello because he is sure his wife is having an affair. The nail in the coffin comes when Othello discovers the handkerchief he originally gifted to Desdmona Cassio’s possession. Iago’s cruel orchestration inevitably leads to Othello being driven into madness. To any student that will end up reading this book, you will learn about how human nature fuels prejudice and how jealousy can be the cause of your downfall.
To all the juniors on the fence about whether or not they should take AP Lit, I would tell them it isn’t as bad as people say and you should sign up .
