English III AP/TJC Summer Reading 2014

Transcription

1 English III AP/TJC Summer Reading 2014 Read each of the following books: Neal Bascomb s The Nazi Hunters (Be sure to get the correct book; there is another with a similar title) Alan Paton s Cry, The Beloved Country I have included information you should read before beginning the books. As you read, mark unfamiliar vocabulary and allusions and annotate the text, making note of setting, characterization, imagery, point of view, theme, and other literary elements you have become familiar with. This activity should become habitual when analyzing literature. Please look at the enclosed Note-Taking vs. Annotation by Nick Otten and the information about basic literary elements before starting your assignments. *You will be tested over both books during the first week of school. Content Disclaimer Whether taken for AP or dual credit, the course is college level as per the requirements of the College Board and Tyler Junior College. Advanced English courses deal with all facets of living; consequently, there will be talk of life, death, and of the various human desires. There will be transgressive language, as well as beautiful language, contained in the works we study. You can expect mature discussion of a variety of subjects as prompted by the work under examination. This course will deal with both fiction and non-fiction works. As we proceed through the school year, you will need to make use of certain materials. The following, though not exhaustive, is a list of items that would be especially helpful if not essential: Pencils/erasers Pens Paper Folder/binder Computer (the library provides access before and after school if necessary) Printer Flash drive I will distribute more specific information about the course and its requirements at the beginning of the school year. Until then, enjoy your summer! Mr. Varvel English III AP/TJC VarvelM@whitehouseisd.org

2 Basic Literary Elements Setting - make notes about the time, place, etc. Characters- make note of each character s name the first time you see it. Also mark the passages that describe the character s: Physical appearance Motivations behind his/her actions Relationships to other characters Personality (especially changes in personality) Plot - events of rising action, climax, falling action and resolution Identify conflict types (Man vs. Man, Man vs. Self, Man vs. Nature, etc.) Make notes periodically at the tops of pages to help you remember Vocabulary-Look up words you do not understand. When you find a definition for the word, you may want to write a synonym out to the side. Tone Tone is the attitude implied in a literary work toward the subject and the audience. The following figures of speech may help when identifying tone in literature. Metaphor -comparison between two otherwise unlike things (i.e. Love is a Rose, Life is a Roller Coaster, All the World s a stage, etc.) Simile comparison of two things often using like or as (i.e. Brave as a lion, Fits like a glove, Moves like a snail, etc) Diction words with significant connotation (beyond the literal meaning) Imagery appeals to any one of the five senses (taste, touch, smell, sight, hearing) Details important and noteworthy facts Language the sound of the text (formal, informal, colloquial/particular geographical location, etc.) Syntax basic sentence structure, punctuation, arrangement of words in a sentence, etc. Point of View - The way the events of a story are communicated from the author to the reader. For further details look up the definitions for 1st, 2nd and 3rd person POV. FOCUS ON QUOTES Quotes can be any length, but try to be clear, concise, and focused in your selections. The following suggestions may be helpful in identifying quotes: Important or Striking Passages Make note of quotes that you find interesting, or that speak to you in some way. Confusing Passages If you find yourself baffled, offended, or puzzled, you may want to write a question in the margin to mark that passage/quote for clarification or discussion at a later time. Thought-Provoking Passages Look for passages that might provoke discussion about book. Make connections to movies, current issues, history, or other pieces of literature Look for commentary on issues of a social, emotional, ethical (moral), or spiritual nature

3 Examination of human nature in general or how the book does or does not hold true today Note-Taking vs. Annotation Most serious readers take notes of some kind when they are carefully considering a text, but many readers are too casual about their note-taking. Later they realize they have taken notes that are incomplete or too random, and then they laboriously start over, re-notating an earlier reading. Others take notes only when cramming for a test, which is often merely "better than nothing." Students can easily improve the depth of their reading and extend their understanding over long periods of time by developing a systematic form of annotating. Such a system is not necessarily difficult and can be completely personal and exceptionally useful. First, what is the difference between annotating and "taking notes"? For some people, the difference is nonexistent or negligible, but in this instance I am referring to a way of making notes directly onto a text such as a book, a handout, or another type of publication. The advantage of having one annotated text instead of a set of note papers plus a text should be clear enough: all the information is together and inseparable, with notes very close to the text for easier understanding, and with fewer pieces to keep organized. What the reader gets from annotating is a deeper initial reading and an understanding of the text that lasts. You can deliberately engage the author in conversation and questions, maybe stopping to argue, pay a compliment, or clarify an important issue much like having a teacher or storyteller with you in the room. If and when you come back to the book, that initial interchange is recorded for you, making an excellent and entirely personal study tool. Below are instructions adapted from a handout that I have used for years with my high school honors students as well as graduate students. Criteria for Successful Annotation Using your annotated copy of the book six weeks after your first reading, you can recall the key information in the book with reasonable thoroughness in a 15- to 30-minute review of your notes and the text. Why Annotate? Annotate any text that you must know well, in detail, and from which you might need to produce evidence that supports your knowledge or reading, such as a book on which you will be tested. Don't assume that you must annotate when you read for pleasure; if you're relaxing with a book, well, relax. Still, some people let's call them "not-abnormal" actually annotate for pleasure. Don't annotate other people's property, which is almost always selfish, often destructive, rude, and possibly illegal. For a book that doesn't belong to you, use adhesive notes for your comments, removing them before you return the text. Don't annotate your own book if it has intrinsic value as an art object or a rarity. Consider doing what teachers do: buy an inexpensive copy of the text for class. Tools: Highlighter, Pencil, and Your Own Text 1. Yellow Highlighter A yellow highlighter allows you to mark exactly what you are interested in. Equally important, the yellow line emphasizes without interfering. Before highlighters, I drew lines under important spots in texts, but

4 underlining is laborious and often distracting. Highlighters in blue and pink and fluorescent colors are even more distracting. The idea is to see the important text more clearly, not give your eyes a psychedelic exercise. While you read, highlight whatever seems to be key information. At first, you will probably highlight too little or too much; with experience, you will choose more effectively which material to highlight. (Choose the following link to view highlighting on sample pages from Walden:) Figure 1: Walden, pp (.pdf/1.6mb) 2. Pencil A pencil is better than a pen because you can make changes. Even geniuses make mistakes, temporary comments, and incomplete notes. While you read, use marginalia marginal notes to mark key material. Marginalia can include check marks, question marks, stars, arrows, brackets, and written words and phrases. Create your own system for marking what is important, interesting, quotable, questionable, and so forth. 3. Your Text Inside the front cover of your book, keep an orderly, legible list of "key information" with page references. Key information in a novel might include themes; passages that relate to the book's title; characters' names; salient quotes; important scenes, passages, and chapters; and maybe key definitions or vocabulary. Remember that key information will vary according to genre and the reader's purpose, so make your own good plan. (Choose the following link to view the inside cover of Walden with sample handwritten notes:) Figure 2: Walden, inside front cover (.pdf/844kb) As you read, section by section, chapter by chapter, consider doing the following, if useful or necessary: At the end of each chapter or section, briefly summarize the material. Title each chapter or section as soon as you finish it, especially if the text does not provide headings for chapters or sections. Make a list of vocabulary words on a back page or the inside back cover. Possible ideas for lists include the author's special jargon and new, unknown, or otherwise interesting words. Just how idiosyncratic and useful can annotating be? A good example is in William Gilbert's De Magnete, Magneticisque Corporibus, et de Magno Magnete Tellure (On the Magnet, Magnetic Bodies, and the Great Magnet the Earth), one of the seminal works of the Renaissance, published in the year Gilbert was the personal physician of Queen Elizabeth I and has been called the father of experimental science in England. Robert B. Downs, in Famous Books Since 1492, writes that in De Magnete, Gilbert annotated the text prior to publication by putting stars of varying sizes in the margins to indicate the relative importance of the discoveries described. Gilbert also included in the original edition a glossary of new scientific terms that he invented. Okay, a self-annotated book on magnetism by a celebrity doctor from the time of Shakespeare, with variable-size stars in the margins and a list (in the back) of his own new vocabulary words that changed science as we know it that's useful idiosyncrasy. References Thoreau, Henry David. Walden. New York: The New American Library of World Literature, Inc., 1960

5 Cry, The Beloved Country Before reading this novel, look up Apartheid this term is crucial to understanding the book. STUDY GUIDE You should read the questions for each group of chapters before reading those chapters because they will get you thinking about the ideas you may be tested over. You are not asked to write out answers, although you may if you wish. Extra credit will not be awarded for writing out responses. Chapters Paragraphs two and three in Chapter 1 sharply contrast. Explain the significance of these two paragraphs in terms of the novel's central theme. (Come back to this later if you can't answer it at first.) 2. Identify Stephen, John, and Gertrude. 3. "Once such a thing is opened, it cannot be shut again." Explain. 4. Why did Stephen Kumalo go to Johannesburg? 5. "The lights... fall... on the grass and stones of a country that sleeps." Explain the symbolic significance of this statement. 6. What does "Umfundisi" mean? 7. "The journey had begun. And now the fear back again...." What fears did Kumalo have? 8. What happened to Kumalo when he first arrived in Johannesburg? 9. Identify Msimangu and Mrs. Lithebe. 10. Describe Gertrude's sickness. 11. Why is Gertrude's sickness upsetting to Kumalo? 12. What is Kumalo's brother John doing in Johannesburg? 13. "The tragedy is not that things are broken. The tragedy is that they are not mended again." Explain what Msimangu meant. 14. "It is fear that rules this land." Who fears whom? Chapters 6 & 7 1. Describe Kumalo's meeting with his sister (when he finds her in Johannesburg). 2. Kumalo bought Gertrude and the child new clothes. Why is that symbolically important? 3. Describe Kumalo's first meeting with his brother John in Johannesburg.

6 4. What is Msimangu's one hope for his country? Chapters Why did Dubauwoodnt Kumalo ask Msimangu to walk instead of taking a bus? 2. Why is the government more afraid of Dubula than Tomlinson or John Kumalo? 3. What did Mrs. Mkize tell them about Absalom? 4. What is the point of Chapter 9 in relationship to the novel's themes? 5. When Kumalo finally reached Pimville, where Absalom was supposed to be living, what did he find? Chapters A certain news headline and article grabbed the attention of the priests at the Mission House. What was the article about? 2. Identify James and Arthur Jarvis. 3. "Cry, the beloved country, these things are not yet at an end." What "things"? 4. "There are voices crying what must be done, a hundred, a thousand voices." Chapter 12 gives several examples of what these "voices" say. What do they say? 5. What news of Absalom does Mrs. Ndlela give Msimangu? 6. To what decisions did Kumalo come in Ezenzeleni? 7. Where does Kumalo finally meet Absalom? Describe their meeting. 8. How does John decide to handle his son's defense? Chapters What is Father Vincent's gift to Kumalo? 2. Why does Father Vincent say sorrow is better than fear? 3. In what way was Kumalo cruel to the girl? 4. To what arrangement do Kumalo and the girl finally agree? 5. Describe the content of the conversation between Mrs. Lithebe and the girl. 6. Identify Mr. Carmichael.

7 Chapters Book II begins with the same sentence as Book I did. Compare and contrast the beginning passages of Book I and Book II. 2. Contrast Jarvis' arrival in Johannesburg with Kumalo's. 3. What was ironic about Arthur Jarvis' death? 4. Why did Arthur Jarvis read about Lincoln? 5. What were Arthur Jarvis' last written words? Chapters Explain the difference between "justice" and "just." 2. "No second Johannesburg is needed upon the earth. One is enough." Explain why not. 3. Why was Jarvis "sick at heart" as he read some of his son's papers? 4. Why did Kumalo appear to be ill when Jarvis opened the door? 5. What was Jarvis' reaction after Kumalo identified himself as the father of his son's murderer? Chapters "There is no applause in prison." Explain the inference regarding John Kumalo. 2. "Nothing is ever quiet except for fools." Explain. 3. Why was the headline about another housebreak-murder "bad news"? 4. What is the verdict for Absalom? 5. Why did Absalom marry the girl even though he was sentenced to death? 6. Explain the significance of the name of Peter for Absalom's son. 7. Why did Gertrude leave? Chapters Describe Kumalo's return home. 2. Why did Kumalo visit the chief? What did he want? 3. Who was the small boy who rode to Kumalo's place? 4. What is the significance of the boy's trying to learn Zulu?

8 5. What was Mr. Jarvis' first gift to the natives of Kumalo's village? Chapters What was Jarvis' second gift to the natives? 2. Who died? 3. What did Kumalo do for Jarvis? What did the natives do for him? 4. When the Bishop came for the confirmations, what did he suggest for Kumalo? 5. Why was Kumalo not transferred? 6. What happened to Absalom? 7. Why did Kumalo go to the mountain? 8. Explain the significance of the fact that the book ends at sunrise. 9. The last paragraph of the novel speaks of "the fear of bondage and the bondage of fear." Explain the relevance of this phrase: The natives live in fear of bondage (being subservient to whites), and whites live in the bondage of fear (fear of the loss of power and of the natives). The Nazi Hunters This book, a non-fiction narrative, recounts the story of the hunt for Adolf Eichmann, the head of operations for the Nazis Final Solution, who disappeared into the German mountains in He was found in Argentina sixteen years later by elite Israeli spies who smuggled him to Israel for one of the most important trials of the twentieth century. This book tells you, in thrilling fashion, everything about the hunt for one of history s most notorious war criminals. The Nazi Hunters is written specifically with a Young Adult audience in mind, so you should not find it difficult to read. Furthermore, your exposure to Holocaust history in 10 th grade should give you adequate background to understand and appreciate the hunt for Eichmann. For the test, you will not be expected to remember minute details. However, you will be expected to have good familiarity with the people, places, and events discussed in the book.