Why Study AP Literature and Composition? The Great Books of the Western World: Blog post about how you’re doing yourself a favor by studying AP Literature and Composition.
The Great Books of the Western World is a 52-volume set of books covering the history of western literature, including works from ancient times to the 20th century. The set includes literary works in translation, biographies, and reference materials.
The AP Lit and Comp course that uses this collection as its textbook has some clear benefits for students who are serious about the subject matter, to say nothing of the college credit that they can earn by taking the course and performing well on the exam.
Here are some of them:
You Can Earn College Credit If You Take AP Lit and Comp
If you are willing to work hard, you can earn up to 3 credits (the equivalent of a full semester’s worth) toward your degree by taking AP Lit and Comp, which will help you get into college sooner (and save you money). This is especially helpful if your school doesn’t have a good program for English or composition.
Students who take the class at many schools do not have to write an essay for their final exam; instead they have one where they have to respond to a prompt
AP Literature and Composition is the only course I’ve taken that still surprises me with new things to learn. Throughout my three years at Harker, my teachers have repeatedly impressed me with their enthusiasm for the subjects they teach, and those subjects are not only interesting, but immensely important.
Books like The Odyssey and To Kill a Mockingbird have had a profound impact on who I am as a person and what I believe. The way in which we read these books is no less important than what we read. AP Literature teaches you how to think critically about literature, how to analyze its structure, form, and themes; it also lets you explore topics ranging from gender roles to war.
AP Lit & Comp also forces you to write regularly (and revise) in a way that no other class does; in fact, your writing is graded frequently throughout the year, which means that it must be clear, concise, and engaging. This is invaluable experience for any young writer. And the more you practice during high school, the more comfortable you become writing for an audience of one or more people; this skill will be crucial once you reach college and start writing essays for classes like English 101 (Introduction to College Writing).
By taking AP Lit & Comp at H
If you’re a high school senior and you’re reading this blog, there’s a very good chance that you’ve already decided to study AP Literature or Composition next year. And if that’s the case, I think it’s a great decision.
But if you’re not sure whether to take the class, I’d like to explain why AP English Literature and Composition is an excellent choice.
First of all, it’s fun. In fact, it can be more fun than any other high school class you’ll take*. These are the books that define our culture; they’re important for anyone to read for pleasure and understanding.
And even if you don’t read them for fun, Literature and Composition is still a great course. It will help you learn how to analyze complex works of art and communicate your ideas about them in writing. And it’s one of the few high school classes where you have to do both of those things! It’s not just your opinion vs. the teacher’s (or even your opinion vs. another student’s); it’s your analysis of the text against the text itself.
And because you have such a wide range of texts to choose from (no other English class lets you read “The Odyssey” or “The Great G
A lot of people are under the impression that AP Literature and Composition is too difficult for them to take on. That’s not true! There are a lot of reasons why you should consider taking AP Literature and Composition, but the biggest one is that if you do well on the exam, you will get college credit at most colleges and universities.
(See our page on the benefits of AP Literature and Composition.)
You might be thinking to yourself, “I can’t handle a college class because I’m in high school.” But AP classes give you a head start on college. You’ll learn how to study, how to write papers, and how to prepare for tests. You’ll also have access to college-level resources like databases, books in your school’s library, and online professors who will answer your questions about the subject matter or give you feedback on papers. And since colleges accept AP test scores as evidence of your ability to handle college work, they’ll know that when they admit you, they’re not accepting someone too far behind. In fact, if you do well enough on the exam, they may even grant you advanced placement into some of their introductory courses!
For more information about why you should take AP Lit & Comp (including interviews with students
I was reading through the blog of a company called Great Books of the Western World. They sell a set of very expensive books. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a list of their titles, and I’m not sure why they’re called “great,” but here is how they describe themselves:
Great Books of the Western World is an organization dedicated to making the great books of the western world available to everyone in its original form and at as low a price as possible. We believe that everyone should be able to read these great works, which have had such a profound influence on the development of our civilization.
The organization is based in Orange County, California and made up of men from all walks of life who have come together for this one purpose.
I would like to tell you about what we do and why we do it. Our work is centered around two goals: finding a way to make the great books available to everyone, and finding funding for this work so that it can continue without interruption or distraction.
The first goal is simply stated: we want everyone in the world to have access to these books. We want people everywhere to be able to read them in their entirety, free from any outside influences that might corrupt them, or present them in an inaccurate
There’s a saying among writers that goes, “It’s easier to become a better writer than it is to become a good writer.” As clichéd as it might sound, I think there is something profound buried in that statement.
If you are reading this (and I assume you are, since you are the one writing it), I can only assume that you want to become a better writer. That is, I can only assume that you want to improve your command of language, your ability to capture the imagination of your readers and convey your ideas with clarity and style.
The most effective way of developing these qualities, I believe, is by reading. Not just any reading. If you want to develop as a writer, you must read the great works of literature: The Odyssey, Paradise Lost, Pride and Prejudice and War and Peace. And if you are serious about developing as a writer, you need to get off the internet and spend time reading these books for school.
What does this have to do with AP Literature? Well, AP Literature is the easiest way to force yourself into an active relationship with some of the greatest works of literature ever written.
And yes, I said “force.” You may not be used to reading much on a daily basis