What Memes Are Perfect for AP English Language?

4 min readoctober 18, 2021

Brandon Wu

Brandon Wu

Brandon Wu

Brandon Wu


AP English Language ✍🏽

224 resources
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Introduction

What's poppin! If you need a break from all the chaos from studying, you've come to the right place. Let's look at some fantastic memes created from people all over the internet about AP Lang.
🚨 Quick note: we credited the creators of all of the memes and Tweets in this article unless they asked not to be named. Go show them some love!

1. What is the true purpose of the device?

Finding the function or purpose of a device is highly emphasized across the multiple-choice section of the exam in addition to its importance in the rhetorical analysis essay.
If you need help with rhetorical analysis, Fiveable's AP Lang hub for rhetorical analysis will help you out significantly. There are past replays from teachers and high-scoring students, trivia games testing your knowledge of devices, and even study guides that guide you to scoring a 6/6 on your rhetorical analysis essay!
Fiveable can also assist you with multiple choice. We have over twenty resources in our AP Lang hub, including past practice live streams and slide decks to assist you with strategies to succeed!

2. Trying to find devices in the passage

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2FScreen%20Shot%202020-09-25%20at%208.30-4YkyfzJGWstz.png?alt=media&token=63e773a2-8077-49c0-88a1-c89293baab7f

Image Courtesy of @commiedesgarcn on Twitter

This has happened to many of us (including me!) before: you're staring at a passage and have no idea what to cite as devices in our rhetorical analysis. The backbone of rhetorical analysis is talking about why an author uses a specific strategy and how that device helps them achieve their purpose.
Since the 2020 AP exam was centered on the rhetorical analysis essay and the 6-point rubric, we have tons of resources for you to use and practice to help you succeed. For instance, I did a live review of Identifying What's Worth Analyzing if you need help with determining what devices/strategies you should include in your essay.

3. The author of a passage responds to College Board

This one doesn't even need explaining, and it is probably the craziest thing I've seen about AP Lang in a while. Typically, AP Lang rhetorical analysis prompts are decades-old, but this year was an exception in more ways than one.
The author responded that, since he wrote it, he'd know if he had any rhetorical devices and insisted there were none. This shows that often times, authors are not even aware that they make rhetorical choices, and it's up to students to try to find what strategies the author uses to make their argument more persuasive.

4. Are AP Lang memes even allowed?

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2FScreen%20Shot%202020-09-25%20at%208.32-GojG4dwaeGTH.png?alt=media&token=8e180055-303c-42b3-9797-06c577f4c370

Image Courtesy of @classicotaco on Twitter

If you're taking the test in-person (so every year besides 2020), you'll hear from the proctor that discussion of test content prior to the release of free-response questions online could lead to your score's cancellation. In fact, College Board has actively monitored social media in the past and have asked students to delete their memes, since western U.S. students could potentially see content after eastern U.S. students finish the test.
AP Lang is ripe for memes since you can reference odd multiple choice questions or essay prompts (the wind turbines from 2019 were hilarious)!

5. Hand exhaustion...

So many AP Lang teachers insist that you have to handwrite all your essays throughout the year since you can't type on exam day. You'll get to use the hand cramps at some point, but noticeably whenever you're double-checking your essay, you'll probably see your handwriting progressively worse.
Sidenote: Any left-handed people reading this? 👀 I hope y'all can all relate with the left-hand pinky smudge and how literally everything in this world is designed for right-handed people (binders, scissors, string instruments, doorknobs, you name it!).

6. A pretty good representation of Lang

Besides the students' names that you probably don't recognize, this is very accurate in depicting what AP teachers do not want to see from their students. For instance, "the author uses good diction" is universally regarded as a little bit silly, given that words = diction, and therefore, all authors use diction. (Instead, you should use a more descriptive adjective like suspenseful).
The loud background noise and music on top of the random references to Lang make this a fantastic meme - I rate it 10/10.

7. The worst case scenario on test day

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2FScreen%20Shot%202020-09-25%20at%208.35-qAyb1WkLfLGT.png?alt=media&token=f8b6644d-8442-4d5e-8581-5fd5f2ccc933

Image Courtesy of stream swim team on Twitter

Last but not least, every Lang student's worst nightmare: amnesia. There have been so many times where I get to an essay prompt, and I'm just sitting there like 😐 🙃 . Basically, I'm just gonna start writing and hope that by the end, this makes sense.
Similarly, analysis in AP Lang is crucial for every essay and multiple choice: rhetorical analysis, argument, synthesis, and composition passages! Don't worry, though - you'll feel prepared by the time May rolls around, and all the hard work you've done will pay off.

Wrap-up

Sadly 😢 this is when the memes come to an end, but thanks for stopping by! Hopefully, you got some comedic relief before returning to the hefty work of writing more essays and answering more passages. You're gonna do great on the exam in May, and Fiveable has got your back!
Browse Study Guides By Unit
🧠Exam Skills
📑Exam Review - Synthesis Essay
📝Exam Review - Rhetorical Analysis Essay
💬Exam Review - Argument Essay
🧐 Multiple Choice Questions
📆Big Reviews: Finals & Exam Prep
🥇Unit 1 – Claims, Reasoning, & Evidence
🗂️Unit 2 – Organizing Information for a Specific Audience
👀Unit 3 – Perspectives & How Arguments Relate
🔚Unit 4 – How writers develop arguments, intros, & conclusions
🎀Unit 5 – How a writer brings all parts of an argument together
👥Unit 6 – Position, Perspective, & Bias
🥊Unit 7 – Successful & Unsuccessful Arguments
😎Unit 8 – Stylistic Choices
😈Unit 9 – Developing a Complex Argument