Sample Student Response to Question 1 on the 2017 AP® English Literature and Composition Exam

Question

The following is a sample student response to Question 1 on the 2017 AP® English Literature and Composition Exam.

The speaker in “The Myth of Music” is most likely the poet, Rachel M. Harper, considering the poem is for her father, who is the subject of poem. In this poem, music symbolizes the poet as a child and represents happy memories.

Harper uses comparisons to show music was central to her as a child. She says music is her inheritance and compares it to art, history, and fact. She uses imagery to build on the importance of music. It is on the walls, records, and in myths, and defines family. The beginning has a lot of imagery related to music. We hear a title track, tones and a horn, and her own singing. In this way, music is not just stated to be important, it is really part of what she and the readers experience.

Then the happy memories are cut off: “In six months, when my mother / is 2,000 miles away, deciding if she wants to come home, / I will have forgotten / this moment.” This shows how music wasn’t part of this unhappy times in her childhood, only part of happy ones.

Later, Harper begins to remember music, and happiness returns. Music is a declaration of her father’s love, even if that wasn’t true for her mother. The tone of the end is remembering childhood. The poem began with a specific happy memory with her brother, followed by a fearful break in the family’s music. The end shows that happy childhood memories are still important to Harper. The sound imagery is back, and the poet says that her father’s love and music remain with her.

Imagery, comparisons, and tone all express how music defined Harper’s happy childhood. They also define her love for her father, to whom she says “I will not share this air / with anyone / but you.”

So Both Andrew Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress" and Matthew Arnold's "Dover Beach" capture the differences in thoughts and perspectives of the period of creation within each poem. The poem by Marvell is from the carpe diem tradition of a century focusing on the enjoyment of life and time: the earlier, the better. On the other hand, Arnold's poem reflects increasing confusion and searching for meaning in a fast-changing world.
Marvell's poem left an impression that to me became almost one of reluctance the demands that the mistress take action regarding time being what it was, which was somewhat fleeting;however, Arnold's "Dover Beach," a title in and of itself meant to reflect almost serene type of calmness evocative of salt water lapping on seashore and seashores but that grew darkly ominous deeper inside of it. The poem opens at the beginning with a dreamy, slow sequence in which he tells his mistress that if they were not short of time, he would wait for her. He reminds her that time is running out and that she should enjoy beauty and love while they still can: "Love you ten years before the Flood, / And you should, if you please, refuse / Till the conversion of the Jews." It hints at the enormous length of time the speaker would endure for her, yet brings forth the urgency of their love within the scope of their limited life span.
So, essentially, with the change in tone the speaker implies the inevitable or destined failure of an ideal world. The speaker overstates his speech by appealing that "Time is but a fling." As a metaphor, "long love's day," Marvell presents the need to seize the time. Arnold employs the metaphor of the moving sea to speak metaphorically of faith's decline. As the speaker apparently changes tack, Arnold portrays the "Sea of Faith" as receding, abandoning the world to confusion and doubt: "The Sea of Faith / Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore / Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled." This picture of receding faith echoes the speaker's reflection on the loss of certainty in the world.
Both poets describe time and transition, but they do so in very different manners. The tone of Marvell is urgent, yet laced with jollity, as he invites his mistress to act, to enjoy life while it can be enjoyed. Arnold, on the other hand, is melancholy and contemplative, observing a world's loss of faith, and the alienationn resulting from such a loss. In "To His Coy Mistress," the tonal shift from calm and idealistic to urgent and pleading marks the progressive consciousness of the running-out-of-time reality. Arnold's "Dover Beach" develops from peaceful serenity to a mood of uncertainty as the speaker reflects on the erosion of faith and modern turmoil it engenders.
While reading the two poems, I have learned that "To His Coy Mistress" is more than the pleadings of a lover. Rather, it reflects upon the brevity of time and the necessity to live in the present. In contrast, "Dover Beach" is more about the sea literally but symbolically depicting an emotional disturbance experienced by an individual living in a world losing its ground on faith. While Marvell presses the need to seize the moment on account of shortness of time, Arnold broods over dissolution of certainty and resultant bemusement. First is candid, tersely expressed and matter-of-fact; second is reflective emotive almost and drooping with a sense of deprivation.
Both use time, yet differently. Whereas Marvell presses for action and enjoyment in life due to life's shortness, Arnold projects the melancholy and doubts of living in a world where faith and belief are fast eroding. The tone of Marvell's poem is passionate and insistent, though Arnold's tone is pensive,reflecting existential unrest at that time. While "To His Coy Mistress" argues the living of life's moments, "Dover Beach" reflects on the existential doubts and confusion that come when that certainty is lost, at least from my observation.

Answer 1

The student response presents a thoughtful comparison between Andrew Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress" and Matthew Arnold's "Dover Beach," focusing on how each poem reflects the attitudes and emotional landscapes of their respective eras.

The initial assertion about the differences in perspective is effective, setting the stage for a detailed exploration of the themes. The student effectively contrasts Marvell's carpe diem approach with Arnold's more somber reflection on faith and meaning in a changing world, capturing the essence of both poems' tones.

The analysis of Marvell’s poem offers a solid understanding of its urgent plea for the mistress to seize the moment. The student highlights the playful yet serious tone, noting the paradox of love's urgency against the backdrop of time's fleeting nature. The use of quotations, such as “Love you ten years before the Flood,” supports the argument that Marvell is grappling with the idea of time, urging his lover to embrace life's pleasures before they slip away.

In discussing Arnold’s "Dover Beach," the student aptly conveys the transition from serene imagery to a more foreboding sentiment. The metaphor of the "Sea of Faith" receding is a strong point, illustrating the decline of certainty and belief in the modern world. The analysis here is reflective, emphasizing the melancholic tone and the emotional disturbance that arises from the loss of faith, which stands in stark contrast to the vitality of Marvell's message.

The conclusion effectively synthesizes the main points, reiterating the fundamental differences in how each poet approaches the concept of time and existence. The contrast of Marvell's insistent, passionate tone with Arnold's pensive, reflective style encapsulates the core of their respective messages. By engaging with the broader existential themes at play, the student reveals a deeper understanding of the implications of both poems beyond their immediate contexts.

Overall, this response demonstrates a clear grasp of literary analysis, articulating the distinct themes, tones, and messages of the poems with clarity and supporting evidence. The comparison not only highlights individual elements of each work but also underscores the broader cultural and philosophical questions they raise, making for a compelling analysis.