English AP: Literature & Composition 017 Summer Reading Assignment Here are the details of your summer reading assignment and required responses. You are not required to read these novels in the order listed; however, you might want to consider it. In addition, you will have to either purchase books for the assignment or find them as pdfs in the public domain, online. For physical copies, we would recommend checking a used book store or the discount tables at a new book store. With that said, the books you will have to read are: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain The Crucible by Arthur Miller Candide by Voltaire Also, please be aware that you should actively read these texts. In order to track your analysis and understanding of the text, you will be required to submit your annotations to the shared Google Classroom for Mr. Cuffe and Mr. Long. Please join that Classroom page via the code i6t5loq. As a result of the note-taking, you should be well prepared for the writing process. See the information below and the attached rubric for more information. WRITTEN RESPONSES Please complete all three of the following essays and be ready to submit them upon arrival in September. All responses should be at least 1 ½ - pages (no more than three), typed, double spaced, with no more than a 1 Times New Roman font. Moreover, you should please be sure to not simply summarize the plots. You want to create properly formatted MLA thesis-style papers, with critical thoughts and properly cited evidence from various parts of the texts. Each paper will be worth 1/ of your first major grade for the course. Please do the best you can to complete all of these and see the rubric, below, for an explanation of weights. (See pg. - for essay topics and rubrics)
1. Identify a common theme in Heart of Darkness and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Compare and contrast the way that each work develops the theme that you identify. Support your response with at least three specific examples from each novel.. First, you should conduct some research on McCarthyism and hysteria, in 0th century America. As a result of the combination of the research and your observations of the community of 17th century Salem s management of its witch scare in The Crucible, do you think every day citizens reacted justly to their respective circumstances? Why or why not, and what are at least three specific things that you observe at different points in the play that help you to determine this?. In terms of literature, satire is a form of writing that mocks, ridicules, or points out folly. In Candide, Voltaire mocks an idea credited to Gottfried Leibniz. That is: man lives in the best of all possible worlds. With this said, do you agree or disagree with Voltaire s mockery? Why or why not? Support your response with at least three examples from different points in the novella.
ESSAY RUBRIC Each essay will be worth thirty three points. In order to achieve the best possible score on this assignment, students should be sure to include: Essay Component Possible Points A title that prepares the reader for the topic 1 An introduction with a clear and specific thesis 6 Development of at least 1 ½ - pages of content Evidence of organization and focus; use of transitions An appropriate number of cited, specific details from the texts 6 Critical personal thoughts or outside source info that show how your evidence supports the thesis. 5 Usage of proper MLA format and works cited page Usage of the third-person analytical voice, in present tense. Proper grammar and mechanics Proper spelling and word usage (See pg. 4 for annotations assignment)
Annotations Before handing in your essays, you will be required to write annotations for each novel. The annotations must be submitted one novel at a time by the dates listed below. While there is no expectations for the TOTAL NUMBER of annotations you should have. Remember the following: 1.) You should have annotations for EVERY chapter of your novel. Please indicate page numbers for your annotations as well..) Annotations should follow this criteria (from the attached rubric): -Makes Connections to Text *General notes related to student's opinions of the text *Identify thematic connections to other summer reading texts *Identify thematic connections to other readings from either school or the student s personal reading. *Connections to current events and/or philosophies -Defines Difficult Vocabulary *Identify challenging or unfamiliar terms through definitions *Consider significance of author s word choice -Identifies Important Details *Observations of key elements of characterization *Notation of important events related to essay topics *Analysis of symbolism or author's use of figurative language *Observations related to characterization within the text -Notes Questions *Student poses questions regarding events in the text *Pose questions to indicate deeper thinking of the significance of symbols and/or figurative language *Questions can indicate analytical ideas for essay topics (See pg. 5 for due dates and rubric details)
Please review the attached rubric for more information on expectations for annotations. Annotation Due Dates (Students have the choice of which novel annotations they want to submit on these dates, but all four must be completed by the final August date. Essays are due September. Submit your annotations through Google Classroom.) July 7th July 1st August 4th August 18th Annotation Rubric