Same three components as Unit 1: a claim requiring textual defence, the textual evidence, and details identified in combination.
Original practice poem: memory and a house
This poem was written for teaching. It is not an extract from an AP paper.
Memory is a house.
I polish the key each morning,
but pass the locked rooms
without a sound.
At dusk I leave the door ajar.
Worked analysis. Memory is the main subject and a house is the comparison subject. “Polish
the key each morning” suggests continuing attachment, while “but” turns towards avoidance of
“locked rooms”. Together these details present a past the speaker maintains but does not fully
revisit. The final door “ajar” suggests a tentative opening; it does not establish a complete
recovery. Context supports restricted access and attachment, rather than every possible quality
of a house. Naming “metaphor” alone does not explain that interpretation.
Practice. Explain how “but” and the final line complicate the speaker's attitude. Use the
actual words rather than assuming that a house always represents safety or confinement.