Blog #3: AP English Literature Benchmark Prose Essay & Reflection/Revisions & Reflection

Prose Essay

          In the "The Beet Queen" by Louise Erdrich, the author subtly indicates how environment follows the children'slife through bleak setting imagery and specific selection detail.

           Although one could argue that Erdrich's literary choices, in conjunction with the environment, are a coincidence, that is simply not accurate. Throughout the course of the narrative, the situation becomes more desperate and confusing for the children. That isn't to say the imagery starts off cheery as Erdrich states, "cold spring morning in 1932...their lips were violet...feet so numb...scraped their palms." Argus did not get off to a strong start after leaving the freight, which the 'cold' spring morning predicted would happen. Sure enough, Argus' experience after leaving the freight was cold and negative to say the least. Later the narrator determined that the night caused "the chill to reach deep." The environment is directly affecting their condition. 

          The environment not only affects the plot, but is the plot. The main discussion points of this passage are centered around what can be found in nature: tree branch, the night, small trees, sudden snow, flowers, to name a few. The fate of the two children is directly tied to the environment. When their local environment is in a state of havoc, it can be a sure-fire bet that so is the character's current state.

          This is evidenced by the last paragraph where later that summer, "leaves fall away... bore no blossoms." An active reader could predict in this instant that all may not be well. The child even used nature in more symbolism as "struck out with the tree branch" to 'drop' the dog in the "sudden snow".

This shows what defining day it was for Karl and Mary. Karl choosing to leave home for the boxcar indicates he was not comfortable in this new environment. The environment impacted him so much that he chose to leave. Perhaps he realized this thought, through the sensation of "his face pressed in the flowers."

         There is almost no dialogue in this passage, so the author had to utilize proper imagery that makes the mind truly think. Also, the fact that almost every detail centered around a fixture of nature demonstrates carefully selected selection of details.

Reflection: Over the last few days, we have discussed various essays for the prompt, "The Beat Queen" by Louise Erdrich. Since this essay was more difficult than the poetry essay, I will be taking a look at where my writing faltered. Reading this essay, it is clear my thoughts are all over the place, and not particularly insightful. It wasn't until the last 10 or so minutes of class that I started to interpret the prose passage with more success. Much of the evidence I used was unimportant or had analysis attached that was 'off'', which led to repetitive points. I chalk that up to being unfocused, my first prose essay, and not knowing where to start. I also think I tried to answer the prompt too much, by relating analysis back to the environment even when it didn't add any depth to my writing. Overall, I give myself a 3 on this occasion due to having textual support, being unfocused, and having an altogether unconvincing argument. In the future, I should complete a lot more pre-writing so my thoughts are more organized.

Reflection for Yash: A score of 5 seems about right for this essay. As others have mentioned, the writing is informative and correct, but lacks a deeper level of interpretation. In the future, it might be useful to develop a more dynamic thesis. This would give more of an opportunity for discussion in the body paragraphs, thus making the overall essay more complete. Extensive pre-writing may help you make connections inside the text as well. Having examined your essay, it was a solid first attempt, and it's clear you have a great foundation for the future.