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📚ap english literature review
Building Strong Evidence and Commentary for the Prose Fiction Analysis Essay
Verified for the 2025 AP English Literature exam•Citation:
Understanding Evidence and Commentary
Evidence and commentary is the heart of your analysis, worth up to 4 points on the scoring rubric (Row B). This component evaluates both the evidence you select and how effectively you explain its significance. Success in Row B requires:
- Selecting specific, relevant textual evidence
- Providing commentary that explains how your evidence supports your thesis
- Demonstrating a clear line of reasoning
- Analyzing multiple literary elements or techniques
Selecting Effective Evidence
Types of Evidence
- Direct quotations: Exact words from the text (use for distinctive language)
- Paraphrasing: Restating passages in your own words (use for longer sections)
- Summary: Condensing larger portions of text (use sparingly)
What Makes Evidence Effective?
Evidence should be:
- Specific: Precise words, phrases, or sentences rather than general references
- Relevant: Clearly connected to your thesis and interpretive claims
- Representative: Reflects patterns or significant moments in the text
- Varied: Drawn from different parts of the passage to show comprehensive analysis
Sample Prompt and Thesis
Let's revisit our prompt for the passage from "The Yellow Wallpaper":
Prompt: Read the following excerpt from Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" (1892).
"It is very seldom that mere ordinary people like John and myself secure ancestral halls for the summer.
A colonial mansion, a hereditary estate, I would say a haunted house, and reach the height of romantic felicity—but that would be asking too much of fate!
Still I will proudly declare that there is something queer about it.
Else, why should it be let so cheaply? And why have stood so long untenanted?
John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage.
John is practical in the extreme. He has no patience with faith, an intense horror of superstition, and he scoffs openly at any talk of things not to be felt and seen and put down in figures.
John is a physician, and perhaps—(I would not say it to a living soul, of course, but this is dead paper and a great relief to my mind)—perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster.
You see, he does not believe I am sick!
And what can one do?"
In a well-written essay, analyze how Gilman uses literary elements and techniques to reveal the narrator's complex relationship with her surroundings and circumstances.
Sample Thesis: "Through ironic juxtapositions and secretive parenthetical confessions, Gilman reveals the narrator's growing psychological alienation from both her oppressive physical environment and her dismissive husband."
| Evidence Category | 👎 Weak Evidence | 👍 Strong Evidence | ✅ Why the Strong Evidence Works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setting Description | "The narrator is in a mansion." | "A colonial mansion, a hereditary estate, I would say a haunted house..." | Shows progression of language from neutral to Gothic, revealing narrator's perception of her environment |
| Character Dynamics | "John doesn't believe her." | "John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage." | Reveals power dynamic and resignation while showing how marriage shapes her environment |
| Inner Thoughts | "She writes privately." | "I would not say it to a living soul, of course, but this is dead paper and a great relief to my mind" | Captures contrast between public conformity and private rebellion through parenthetical expression |
| Husband's Authority | "John is a doctor." | "John is practical in the extreme. He has no patience with faith, an intense horror of superstition..." | Specific characterization showing rational worldview that dismisses narrator's perceptions |
Developing Effective Commentary
Commentary is your explanation of how the evidence supports your thesis. It's not enough to simply insert quotations – you must analyze their significance.
Moving Beyond Summary
- 😐 Summary (Weak): "The narrator says John doesn't believe she is sick."
- 🙂 Observation (Basic): "When the narrator states 'he does not believe I am sick!' she shows frustration through the exclamation mark."
- 😁 Analysis (Strong): "The exclamatory statement 'he does not believe I am sick!' reveals the narrator's profound sense of invalidation, highlighting how her medical concerns are dismissed by the very person—her physician husband—who should take them most seriously. This dismissal shapes her relationship with both her health and her domestic environment."
Commentary Techniques
- Identify the technique: Name the specific literary element
- Explain its function: Describe how it works in the passage
- Connect to meaning: Link to the author's larger purpose
- Relate to thesis: Show how it supports your central claim
Sample Evidence-Commentary Pairs
Example 1: Analyzing Diction
- 🔎 Evidence: "It is very seldom that mere ordinary people like John and myself secure ancestral halls for the summer."
- 📝 Commentary: The juxtaposition of "mere ordinary people" with "ancestral halls" creates an immediate tension between the narrator's self-perception and her grand surroundings. Gilman's use of ironic understatement ("very seldom") suggests the narrator recognizes the unusualness of their situation, setting up the disconnect between the supposedly privileged environment and her growing unease within it. This contrast establishes the foundation for the narrator's alienation from her physical surroundings, which become increasingly oppressive despite their apparent grandeur.
Example 2: Analyzing Narrative Structure
- 🔎 Evidence: "John is a physician, and perhaps—(I would not say it to a living soul, of course, but this is dead paper and a great relief to my mind)—perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster."
- 📝 Commentary: Gilman's use of the extended parenthetical aside reveals the narrator's divided consciousness—her public conformity versus her private doubts. By characterizing writing as "dead paper" that provides "great relief," the narrator establishes writing as both an escape from and resistance to her circumstances. The interruption in sentence structure mimics her interrupted agency in the relationship, while the content exposes her growing awareness that her husband's medical authority actually impedes her recovery. This structural technique reveals how the narrator must navigate between outward compliance and inward rebellion within her restricted circumstances.
Building a Coherent Line of Reasoning
A line of reasoning connects your evidence and commentary to your thesis in a logical progression. To create a coherent line of reasoning:
- Organize paragraphs around analytical points (not plot or literary devices)
- Use transitions to connect ideas between sentences and paragraphs
- Maintain focus on how literary elements reveal the narrator's relationship with her surroundings
- Progress logically from one point to the next, building toward your interpretation
Sample Paragraph Structure
- Topic Sentence: States the analytical point (connects to thesis)
- Evidence: Specific textual detail
- Commentary: Explains significance of evidence
- Evidence: Additional supporting detail
- Commentary: Deepens analysis
- Concluding Statement: Reinforces connection to thesis
Next Steps
In our next study guide, you'll learn strategies for achieving Row C (Sophistication) points by developing complex literary arguments, exploring tensions within the text, and contextualizing your interpretation. We'll examine how to move beyond basic analysis to demonstrate a more nuanced understanding of "The Yellow Wallpaper."