Summer Reading Language A: Literature Y2 Snedeker esnedeker@gstarschool.org Over the summer you will read 3 texts: Purple Hibiscus-Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie A Poetry Handbook-Mary Oliver Introduction to Theatre of the Absurd- Marin Esslin (attached) Below you will find assignment details for Purple Hibiscus and A Poetry Handbook. For the Introduction chapter included with this document, please annotate accordingly and be prepared for an assessment over Theatre of the Absurd during the first week of school. Please email me with questions and I will attempt to respond promptly. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Expectations/Assignments for Purple Hibiscus: Adichie is a Nigerian writer and this book is a coming-of-age novel about a 15-year old girl named Kambili who has a complicated and abusive father. The book takes place with the background of Nigerian political unrest during the 1990 s. And it also addresses the conflict between traditional Igbo (ee-boh) culture and Western culture in a post-colonial society. It is not necessary to research Nigerian history in order to follow the book, but it might help. This book will be directly paired with Chinhua Achibe s Things Fall Apart. 1. Maintain a list of all the character names and relationships as you read. They re not difficult, but sometimes unfamiliar names are harder to remember and follow. Also, you should write down questions you have as you read so you can ask when you return to school. Nothing is too trivial. It s better that you ask than that you let it go. 2. Below is a list of study questions to aid your analysis of Purple Hibiscus. You will be asked to address several of these questions in detail when you return, so write some notes or responses to each question over the summer. It should help you study for the objective test, and will also help you complete your note taking assignment above. Purple Hibiscus Questions/Prompts: 1. Be prepared to discuss the occurrence and significance of the purple hibiscus flower. What role does it play in the development of character and theme in the book (particularly Jaja and Kambili)? What other meaningful and/or symbolic objects occur in the text?
2. How and in what parts of the text (make note of page numbers) are food and characters eating important aspects of the book s significance and meaning? 3. Pay careful attention to the physical descriptions and actions of the characters. How and in what parts of the text (make note of page numbers) are characters physical attributes, movements, injuries, and deformities important to understanding them and the larger meaning of the book? 4. How and in what parts of text (make note of page numbers) is color used to indicate significant relationships or associations for Kambili the narrator? What might these colors indicate for the reader? 5. Explore the book s varying presentations religious practice and devotion through Papa (Eugene), Aunty Ifeoma, Father Amadi, and Papa-Nnukwu. How does each character s approach to religion differ and what does the totality of the book say about religious devotion, fanaticism, hypocrisy, and piety? How does Biblical allusion contribute to the reader s understanding of the text? 6. A character foil is a literary technique which encourages the reader to compare two characters similarities, and in that comparison to see how they re different. How and in what parts of the text (make note of page numbers) does Adichie use the technique of the character foil to develop characters differing points of view and to emphasize the difficulty of Kambili s growing up? 7. How and in what parts of the text (make note of page numbers) does the Nigerian social and political background of the book help emphasize the personal struggles of the book, particularly in the book s portrayal of Papa (Eugene), Aunty Ifeoma, Amaka, and Kambili? 8. How do different kinds of silence contribute to the reader s understanding of the novel?
A Poetry Handbook- Mary Oliver Journal (for A Poetry Handbook) This assignment is slightly different from the standard reading journal, as this is more of an informational text one that is likely to benefit you if you read it carefully and with pen in hand. Rather than a journal where you respond generally, I would like you to consider the following questions as you work through the text. Journals should be typed, in MLA format. EACH JOURNAL SHOULD BE AT LEAST 2 PARAGRAPHS. Be thorough. You must complete Journals 2-5. Journal 1 is an alternative assignment (extra credit). Alternative assignments are rare in this class, so take full advantage when it is offered. Journal 1: Introduction; Getting Ready; Reading Poems; Imitation (pp. 1 18) Consider the following: Why has Mary Oliver chosen to write this text? What do you hope to learn from it? Choose one of the authors from the beginning of page 17 and find one poem by that poet. You may write it in your journal or just provide the poem and the poet, and share what you like about the poem. Journal 2: Sound; More Devices of Sound (pp. 19 34) Consider the following: Answer Oliver s question, Why is a rock not a stone? How does sound contribute to a poem? How does sound contribute to the poem you selected for journal 1? What else intrigues you about sound devices? Journal 3: The Line (pp. 35 57) Consider the following: The line and rhythm are often the most difficult aspects for contemporary readers of poetry. What is the meter of the poem you selected for journal 1? How would its meaning change if you gave it a different meter? Please include any definitions that give you any difficulty. Which excerpt of a poem or full poem is most enjoyable to you? Why? Journal 4: Some Given Forms; Verse that is Free (pp. 58 75) Consider the following: What differentiates an English Sonnet and an Italian Sonnet? Why do some poets choose to write in forms and others choose to write in Free Verse? When would it be better to write a sonnet? What is enjambment and why do you think it is important? Finally, which poem from these two chapters is most interesting to you? Why? Journal 5: Diction, Tone, Voice; Imagery (pp. 76 108) Consider the following: How does diction, tone, voice, and imagery differ in poetry from its use in prose (the genres of writing you are more used to reading and writing)? Write a few lines that use each of these devices in a way that you think is poetic. What does Negative Capability mean to you (page 80)?