AP Junior Composition
Progressional Essay Questions
The Grapes of Wrath

Directions: All students are to respond to Essays 1 and 5. You must then choose 2 of the remaining 3 essays (choices 2-4) from which to respond. Thus, you will complete 4 essays over the next month.

  1. Many writers use a setting to establish values within a work of literature. For example, the country may be a place of virtue and peace or one of primitivism and ignorance. In Steinbeck’s, TheGrapes of Wrath, setting plays a significant role. Write an essay in which you choose a setting and analyze how the author uses it to convey. Do not merely summarize the plot.

Due Date for Essay 1: Monday, March 16

  1. Choose one of the “general” chapters you have been assigned thus far. Then discuss Steinbeck’s use of (at least) two literary elements in analyzing the chapter’s effect in conveying Steinbeck’s message in the novel.

Due Date for Essay 2: Friday, March 20

  1. Although literary critics have tended to praise the unique in literary characterization, many authors have employed the stereotyped character successfully. Choose such a character from The Grapes of Wrath, and, in a well-written essay, show how the conventional or stereotyped character or characters function to achieve the author's purpose.

Due Date for Essay 3: Wednesday, March 25

  1. Some novels seem to advocate changes in social or political attitudes or in traditions. In The Grapes of Wrath, note briefly the particular attitudes or traditions that Steinbeck apparently wishes to modify. Then, analyze the techniques the author uses to influence the readers or audience’s views. Avoid plot summary.

Due Date for Essay 4: Monday, March 30

  1. How does an individual’s conscience play a role in judging right from wrong? What is the role of the individual in confronting injustice? In an essay that synthesizes and uses for support The Grapes of Wrath as well as “Civil Disobedience,” discuss the role of the individual in confronting injustice. Remember to attribute both direct and indirect citations. Refer to the sources by authors’ last names or by titles. Avoid mere paraphrase or summary.

Due Date for Essay 5: Thursday, April 2

Final Portfolio Directions:

Using essays 1 or 5, utilize the comments, suggestions, from prior drafts. Consider what you have learned over the course of the novel to expand on any ideas and complete an edited version of only one of these essays. This essay should be a level 4 essay, free of mechanical and content errors, and should exemplify focus on “what does the author do and how do they do it?” This essay is a turnitin.com assignment.

Due Date: Tuesday, April 14th