Developing Textually Substantiated Arguments

Readers establish and communicate their interpretations of literature through arguments supported by evidence. In this lesson, we will work on developing two paragraphs over two separate prose prompts that include:

a claim that requires defense with evidence from the text
the evidence itself

We will also use the AP English Literature Prose Rubric as a guide for our writing.

Using Rubrics to Improve Writing

Download a copy of the FRQ Rubrics from AP Central.

To write with a purpose, the AP scoring rubrics can be very helpful. For these two paragraphs, we will be looking at three points: 1 point for the claim and 2 points for the evidence. At this point, it might be helpful to review a video that provides an in-depth explanation of thesis statements as related to page 1 of the College Board rubrics.

The above video is used courtesy of the Advanced Placement YouTube channel.

How To Earn Points

How to earn the claim point

You need to make a defensible claim that offers a plausible interpretation of the poem. A sentence that is unrelated to the prompt, a summary of the poem, or only focused on one aspect of the poem cannot earn a thesis point.

The thesis point is perhaps the most important point for your essay because it creates a foundation for the rest of your essay.

How to develop the evidence points (0-2)

For the upcoming paragraphs, the following will apply.

0 - No evidence
1 - The author summarizes evidence from the text, but there is no connection to a thesis. It’s essentially well-summarized random evidence.
2 - The author presents a specific piece of evidence and then directly connects it back to the thesis.

Practicing the Evidence Points

For this practice activity, there are three paragraphs of the same length. Each one has a different score from 1-3. Can you accurately grade each response? Note that these paragraphs refer to the poem “Ozymandias” from Lesson 3: Activity 1. The prompt is - How does the speaker create a complex relationship between time and the statue? Below the paragraphs is a set of sample grades for each example.

Response 1
Response 2
Response 3

In Shelly’s “Ozymandias,” the speaker highlights the inexorable passage of time and the ultimate futility of human endeavors in the face of nature’s eternal forces. The speaker establishes a contrast between the ruined statue of “Ozymandias” and the barren desert landscape that surrounds it. The statue is described with mock epic descriptions such as “vast and trunkless legs,” “shattered visage,” and “colossal wreck.” Each description has a contrast between the statue (i.e., legs, visage, colossal), and a word that undercuts this greatness (i.e., trunkless, shattered, wreck). Furthermore, these parts of the statue have become nothing more than victims of the “lone and level sand” that now buries the statue. With this contrast between the greatness of the statue and the harsh reality of its destruction, the speaker can emphasize that time and decay ultimately overcome even the greatest of human monuments.

In Shelly’s “Ozymandias” the speaker uses several literary devices such as alliteration, contrasts and irony to show the complex relationship between time and the statue. The poem starts with a description of a man who meets a traveler “from an antique land,” which means that the poem is dealing with ancient material. The conversation between the two focuses upon the destroyed statue. As the speaker notes the “shatter visage,” “the frown,” and wrinkled lip,” he comes to the relationship that these are representations of the great king Ozymandias, “King of Kings.” This use of alliteration helps to emphasize the fact that Ozymandias a great king. As the poem ends the speaker then notices the juxtaposition between the “Wreck” and the desert landscape of “lone and level sands [that] stretch far away.”

In Shelly’s “Ozymandias” the speaker highlights the inexorable passage of time and the ultimate futility of human endeavors in the face of nature’s eternal forces. The poem starts with a description of a man who meets a traveler “from an antique land,” which means that the poem is dealing with ancient material. The conversation between the two focuses upon the destroyed statue. As the speaker notes the “shatter visage,” “the frown,” and wrinkled lip,” he comes to the relationship that these are representations of the great king Ozymandias, “King of Kings.” This use of alliteration helps to emphasize the fact that Ozymandias a great king. As the poem ends the speaker then notices the juxtaposition between the “Wreck” and the desert landscape of “lone and level sands [that] stretch far away.”

Sample Scoring

**Sample Scoring with Explanation**
Response 1 Scoring	Response 2 Scoring	Response 3 Scoring
Thesis: 1 point. The first sentence makes a defensible interpretation of the meaning of the poem. Evidence: 2 points. The author identifies a specific literary device with contrasts. There is also carefully selected textual evidence in the form of multiple short quotations. The paragraph has commentary that explains the relationship of the textual evidence to the thesis. Finally, the commentary is much longer than the evidence, which suggests more analysis than summary. Score = 3	Thesis: 0 points. Although specific literary devices are mentioned in the opening sentence, a specific relationship between time and the statue is never identified. Evidence: 1 point. Two or the three literary devices mentioned in the opening sentence are mentioned (irony is not), but they are never linked to a specific thesis. Nowhere in the essay is there a direct statement of the relationship between time and the statue. Score = 1	Thesis: 1 point. The first sentence makes a defensible interpretation of the meaning of the poem. Evidence: 1 point. Although the author identifies two literary devices (i.e., alliteration and juxtaposition), the paragraph never explains how these devices help to create the overall theme of the poem. There is a lot of focused summary in the poem with shorter quotations; however, none of the evidence is ever directly related back to the overall thesis statement. This essay has evidence, but without commentary, the evidence can only earn 1 point. A revision such as the following would award the second evidence point: As the speaker notes the “shattered visage,” “the frown,” and "wrinkled lip,” he comes to the realization that these are representations of the great king Ozymandias, “King of Kings.” This relationship between the description of the statue and the King’s name emphasizes (keyword to shift to analysis) the greatness that the King sought for himself with the creation of the statue; however, since the statue is now in ruins, the speaker also suggestions that it is merely a symbol of the pointlessness of preserving one’s fame in the face of natural forces. Score = 2

Reflection on Poetry FRQ

The AP Rubrics are very specific about what constitutes an effective thesis statement and how supporting evidence must relate back to the thesis statement. Having a defensible claim is the foundation of a quality essay because it helps the student to select relevant evidence to support your analysis.

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