Summer Reading Assignment: Honors English I Harun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie ISBN:

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1 Summer Reading Assignment: Honors English I Harun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie ISBN: We will begin our year with a discussion of Haroun and the Sea of Stories by the nobel prize winning author Salman Rushdie. To help you organize your thoughts about the novel and facilitate class discussion, complete the two column journal below and respond to the open essay prompt afterwards. I have also included a list of common literary term s that you should familiarize yourself with to prepare for high school level discussion of literature. Below you are asked to notice and make notes about three important instances in the novel. These are moments in the novel that you think are important for the story, characters, or ideas. These might be moments that change the novel s story permanently. In the left column summarize the instance and include the page number. In the right hand column answer the questions provided. Use complete sentences as you write. Important Instance Notes (include page numbers) My first instance is on page How does this relate to the whole book? What does it tell us about the characters? Story? Why is it important? What happens? How would you feel if you were in the story? How is it similar or different from your life? What lessons about life can we learn about this moment?

2 My second instance is on page How does this relate to the whole book? What does it tell us about the characters? Story? Why is it important? What happens? How would you feel if you were in the story? How is it similar or different from your life? What lessons about life can we learn about this moment?

3 My third instance is on page How does this relate to the whole book? What does it tell us about the characters? Story? Why is it important? What happens? How would you feel if you were in the story? How is it similar or different from your life? What lessons about life can we learn about this moment?

4 Essay Prompt What is the use of telling stories that aren t even true? This question is asked throughout the novel Haroun and the Sea of Stories. Please answer this question in a well written essay that includes specifics from your own readings, experiences, and life. This essay should be typed and MLA formatted. For guidelines on MLA formatting please see the following site: Sample%20MLA%20Formatted%20Paper. pdf *Please be sure to bring your copy of the text and your summer work to the first day of class.* Common Literary Terms Alliteration the repetition of initial consonant sounds. Used to draw attention to certain words or ideas, to imitate sounds, and create musical effects Allegory a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. Analogy a comparison between two or more things that are similar in some way, but unlike in others Antagonist a character or force in conflict with the main character (protagonist) Connotation set of ideas associated with a word, in addition to its explicit meaning. It can be personal, based on individual experiences Denotation the dictionary meaning of a word, independent of other associations that the word may have. Example : lake denotation is an inland body of water. Connotations might be Vacation spot and place where fishing is good. Dialogue spoken conversation between characters Fable a story in which mythical creatures, animals, or even inanimate objects (e.g forces of nature) are anthropomorphized to tell a morality tale Fiction prose writing that tells about imaginary characters and events

5 Figurative Language writing or speech that is not to be taken literally Metaphor something is described as though it were something else, points out similarity between two unlike things Simile a comparison of two unlike things, using like or as Personification a nonhuman subject is given human characteristics Folklore the traditional beliefs, customs, and stories of a community, passed through the generations by word of mouth. Flashback scene within a story that interrupts the sequence of events and relates to events that happened in the past Foreshadow clues that hint at what might happen later in the story Genre a division or type of literature Poetry lyric poetry, concrete poetry, dramatic poetry, narrative poetry, epic poetry Prose fiction (novels and short stories) and nonfiction (biography, autobiography, letters, essays, and reports) Drama serious drama and tragedy, comic drama, melodrama, and farce Hero/Heroine a character whose actions are inspiring or noble. They struggle to overcome the obstacle and problems that stand in their way. Imagery author s use of words or phrases that appeal to one or more of the five senses Irony surprising, interesting, or amusing contradictions Moral a lesson taught by a literary work. Moral must be made by the reader based on other elements in the story. Narrator a speaker or character that tells a story Narrator s perspective the way he or she see things Third person narrator stands outside the action and speaks about it First person narrator one who tells a story and participates in the action Nonfiction prose writing that presents and explains ideas or that tells about real people, places, objects, and events Onomatopoeia the use of words that imitate sounds Plot the sequence of events in which each event results from a previous one and causes the next. Usually involves both characters and a central conflict. Exposition begins the plot, introduces the setting, characters, and basic situation Rising action introduces the central conflict, events which lead up to the turning point, the climax

6 Climax the turning point, the high point of interest or suspense Falling action events which lead to the end of the central conflict Resolution, conclusion, or denouement any events which occur during the falling action, bring about the end of the story Point of View (POV) the perspective or vantage point, from which a story is told. First person told by the narrator in the story who uses the first person pronoun I Third person a narrator outside the story, uses third person pronouns he, and she, no use of I telling the story Omniscient the narrator knows and tells about what each character feels and thinks Limited the narrator relates the inner thoughts and feelings of one characters; and everything is viewed from this character s perspective Prose the ordinary form of written language fiction and nonfiction Protagonist the main character in a literary work Sensory Language writing or speech that appeals to one of more of the senses. Setting the time and place of the action of a story Symbol anything that stands for or represents something else Theme a central message, concern, or purpose in a literary work. It is not a summary of the plot. It is a generalization, or general statement about human beings or about life. Indirectly the reader must figure out what the theme is by looking carefully at what the work reveals about people or about life