WHY ANNOTATE
When you read a difficult text, you’re not usually reading for pleasure. You want to understand the text
and you want to read it as quickly as possible (especially on the AP Lit exam). Difficult texts are not easy
to understand quickly, so annotating or marking the text as you read can help you grasp the key ideas and
help you more easily reconnect with your thoughts when you take a second look.
For example, if you are reading a poem and immediately recognize the dominant tone—mark that down.
If the tone shifts in the last stanza—note that as well. If a question that follows the passage asks you to
identify the tone, you’ll most likely be able to answer it without rereading the text—all because you
annotated!