ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENGLISH LITERATURE & COMPOSITION Summer Reading Assignment Welcome Aboard! You are scheduled to take on the challenge of Advanced Placement English for the 2012-2013 school year, which beckons the crème de le crème every year. AP English is designed to make you a more perceptive reader, to improve your analytical skills, to enhance your writing skills, to push yourself to your maximum potential, and to provide you with an intellectually stimulating voyage through literature. The works included in this course are: short stories, Sound and Sense, Ethan Frome, Cath-22, The Scarlet Letter, Invisible Man, Song of Solomon, To the Lighthouse, Frankenstein, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Wuthering Heights, Crime and Punishment, Great Expectations, Jane Eyre, How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Frankenstein, Othello, King Lear, Hamlet, and Macbeth. In order for the class to get off to a productive start and to exercise your mind for the rigorous journey, your first navigational tools will be to read a sampling of literature: How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Ethan Frome, The Scarlet Letter, Catch-22, Macbeth, Hamlet, and Poem-a-Days this summer. Please pace yourself and read attentively, make sure you take notes while you read guided by the attached discussion questions. After reading, students find it helpful to sometimes work together at the Norwin Public Library, Panera or other establishments that allow students to gather and discuss their school work. In addition, as you read please note anything you find surprising, unclear, or particularly compelling. When taking notes, be sure to record the page number of your references. Keeping track of your references will enable you to find them during class discussion. In addition, you will need to have confidence about your familiarity with the text in order to effectively utilize quotes in your analysis papers. Expect a quiz on these novels next year preceding our class discussion and presume that I will collect your written responses to these discussion questions the first day of school. Discussion Questions should be neatly handwritten or typed. Answers should be thorough, thoughtful, and very specific with quotes and/or page references given for every assertion. The Poem-A-Day Assignment can be accessed on a website created by a fellow AP English colleague. I usually have students complete this activity in April, but I think completing them over the summer will be a nice introduction to poetry and will provide a better opportunity to complete them without the pressure of AP Testing and graduation. The website is: http://homepage.mac.com/mseffie/assignments/poem-aday/daily.html My colleague is changing the site at the end of June, so this assignment needs completed ASAP. There are 30 Days choose 20 to complete. In the meantime, I hope that you have a pleasant summer. Take time to research and visit colleges and universities that interest you because this major turning point in your life is right around the corner. I am hopeful that next year you will be enthusiastic about analyzing these wonderful works of literature, improving your writing skills and working hard to reach our final destination. I look forward to guiding and directing you on your breathtaking journey come autumn. Email: jboyd@norwinsd.org Analysis is to pick apart and dig into its smallest parts to have a greater understanding and appreciation of the work as a whole.
How to Read Literature like a Professor - Thomas C. Foster In Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Red-Headed League," Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson both observe Jabez Wilson carefully, yet their differing interpretations of the same details reveal the difference between a "Good Reader" and a "Bad Reader." Watson can only describe what he sees; Holmes has the knowledge to interpret what he sees, to draw conclusions, and to solve the mystery.understanding literature need no longer be a mystery -- Thomas Foster's book will help transform you from a naive, sometimes confused Watson to an insightful, literary Holmes. Professors and other informed readers see symbols, archetypes, and patterns because those things are there -- if you have learned to look for them. As Foster says, you learn to recognize the literary conventions the "same way you get to Carnegie Hall. Practice." (xiv). Introduction: How'd He Do That? How do memory, symbol, and pattern affect the reading of literature? How does the recognition of patterns make it easier to read complicated literature? Discuss a time when your appreciation of a literary work was enhanced by understanding symbol or pattern. Chapter 1 -- Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When It's Not) List the five aspects of the QUEST and then apply them to something you have read (or viewed) in the form used on pages 3-5. Chapter 2 -- Nice to Eat with You: Acts of Communion Choose a meal from a literary work and apply the ideas of Chapter 2 to this literary depiction. Chapter 3: --Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires What are the essentials of the Vampire story? Apply this to a literary work you have read or viewed. Chapter 4 -- If It's Square, It's a Sonnet Select three sonnets and show which form they are. Discuss how their content reflects the form. (Submit copies of the sonnets, marked to show your analysis). Chapter 5 --Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before? Define intertextuality. Discuss three examples that have helped you in reading specific works. Chapter 6 -- When in Doubt, It's from Shakespeare... Discuss a work that you are familiar with that alludes to or reflects Shakespeare. Show how the author uses this connection thematically. Read pages 44-46 carefully. In these pages, Foster shows how Fugard reflects Shakespeare through both plot and theme. In your discussion, focus on theme. Details make the difference.
Chapter 7 --...Or the Bible Read "Araby". Discuss Biblical allusions that Foster does not mention. Look at the example of the "two great jars." Be creative and imaginative in these connections. Chapter 8 -- Hanseldee and Greteldum Think of a work of literature that reflects a fairy tale. Discuss the parallels. Does it create irony or deepen appreciation? Chapter 9 -- It's Greek to Me Write a free verse poem derived or inspired by characters or situations from Greek mythology. Be prepared to share your poem with the class. Chapter 10 -- It's More Than Just Rain or Snow Discuss the importance of weather in a specific literary work, not in terms of plot. Chapter 11 --...More Than It's Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence Present examples of the two kinds of violence found in literature. Show how the effects are different. Chapter 12 -- Is That a Symbol? Use the process described on page 106 and investigate the symbolism of the fence in "Araby." (Mangan's sister stands behind it.) Chapter 13 -- It's All Political Assume that Foster is right and "it is all political." Use his criteria to show that one of the major works assigned to you as a freshman is political. Chapter 14 -- Yes, She's a Christ Figure, Too Apply the criteria on page 119 to a major character in a significant literary work. Try to choose a character that will have many matches. This is a particularly apt tool for analyzing film -- for example, Star Wars, Cool Hand Luke, Excalibur, Malcolm X, Braveheart, Spartacus, Gladiator and Ben-Hur. Chapter 15 -- Flights of Fancy Select a literary work in which flight signifies escape or freedom. Explain in detail. Chapter 17 --...Except the Sex OK..the sex chapters. The key idea from this chapter is that "scenes in which sex is coded rather than explicit can work at multiple levels and sometimes be more intense that literal depictions" (141). In other words, sex is often suggested with much more art and effort than it is described, and, if the author is doing his job, it reflects and creates theme or character. Choose a novel or movie in which sex is suggested, but not described, and discuss how the relationship is suggested and how this implication affects the theme or develops characterization. Mistakes can be our greatest teachers.
Chapter 18 -- If She Comes Up, It's Baptism Think of a "baptism scene" from a significant literary work. How was the character different after the experience? Discuss. Chapter 19 -- Geography Matters... Discuss at least four different aspects of a specific literary work that Foster would classify under "geography." Chapter 20 --...So Does Season Find a poem that mentions a specific season. Then discuss how the poet uses the season in a meaningful, traditional, or unusual way. (Submit a copy of the poem with your analysis.) Interlude -- One Story Write your own definition for archetype. Then identify an archetypal story and apply it to a literary work with which you are familiar. Chapter 21 -- Marked for Greatness Figure out Harry Potter's scar. If you aren't familiar with Harry Potter, select another character with a physical imperfection and analyze its implications for characterization. Chapter 24 --...And Rarely Just Illness Recall two characters who died of a disease in a literary work. Consider how these deaths reflect the "principles governing the use of disease in literature" (215-217). Discuss the effectiveness of the death as related to plot, theme, or symbolism. Chapter 25 -- Don't Read with Your Eyes After reading Chapter 25, choose a scene or episode from a novel, play or epic written before the twentieth century. Contrast how it could be viewed by a reader from the twenty-first century with how it might be viewed by a contemporary reader. Focus on specific assumptions that the author makes, assumptions that would not make it in this century. Chapter 26 -- Is He Serious? And Other Ironies Select an ironic literary work and explain the multivocal nature of the irony in the work. Chapter 27 -- A Test Case Read "The Garden Party" by Katherine Mansfield, the short story starting on page 245. Complete the exercise on pages 265-266, following the directions exactly. Then compare your writing with the three examples. How did you do? What does the essay that follows comparing Laura with Persephone add to your appreciation of Mansfield's story? Precise and concise analysis is sharp, crisp, insightful and intelligent.
Envoi Choose a motif not discussed in this book (as the horse reference on page 280) and note its appearance in three or four different works. What does this idea seem to signify? Ethan Frome Edith Wharton (choose 5) 1. Compare and contrast Ethan Frome with The Glass Menagerie. 2. Agree or Disagree with the following assertions and explain why. Ethan Frome is right to honor his marital responsibilities. Ethan has the right to his own happiness. Ethan s greatest hindrance to happiness is himself. Suicide is the only solution for Ethan and Mattie. 3. Write a Dear Abby from one of the characters asking for advice. Include the reply. 4. Words relating to sight or vision play an important role. Explain how and why. 5. Find passages in which words related to cold occur and explain their significance. 6. How does the setting contribute significantly to the novella? 7. Find five examples of figurative language that heightens your perception of the story. 8. Is this novella a tragedy? Does the hero contribute to his downfall? What is his tragic flaw? 9. Discuss the importance of the unnamed framed narrator. 10. Is the marriage portrayed old-fashioned or contemporary? Explain. The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne The Scarlet Letter explores the effects of sin, guilt, punishment, and revenge. Below are some themes that run throughout the novel, comment on which one you think is most pervasive: Guilt can destroy a person, body and soul. The punishment imposed on us by others may not be as destructive as the guilt we experience. True repentence must come from within. Revenge destroys the victim and the seeker. Even well-intended deceptions and secrets can lead to destruction. Keys to success: self-discovery and self-confidence.
One must have the courage to be true to one s self. It is by recognizing and dealing with their weaknesses that people grow stronger. The choices people make determine what they become. Within each person is the capacity for both good and evil. Symbols: Comment on the following symbols used in the novel: The scarlet letter itself/ the letter A The names of Pearl, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth The forest The scaffold The prison Sunlight The absence and presence of light Colors and absence of color The rose Rhetorical Devices to achieve purpose Watch for the following as you read. When you find prominent examples of each, actively consider why Hawthorne used it and how he used it. What is his purpose, and how does using rhetorical devices help him convey his purpose to the reader? Contrasts (ie. Good/evil, dark/light, forest/town, color/absence of color, supernatural/ reality, etc.) Duality (ie. How does Pearl s character reflect the duality of the Puritan community?) Ambiguity Allegory Symbolism Description Word Choice (diction) Connotations (especially with names); aka characternym (a name that symbolizes or stands for some aspect of the character s personality) Motif (hand over heart, The Black Man, the color red) Contradiction/ Irony Literature holds a mirror up and makes us take a good, long, hard look at ourselves and others.
Macbeth William Shakespeare (1) Journal Writing-Keep a journal or log. Readers gain significant benefit from keeping a journal or reading log. The journal/log can serve several functions choose 1: (a) a chronological sequence of events of the play, (b) a diary of one of the major characters [recording in diary form what the character is doing and feeling], (c) a character development journal [noting traits, changes, interaction with other characters, interaction with the themes of the play, the character's use of language], (d) writing about one or more of the themes of the play [how they are interpreted by Shakespeare, how they relate to the modern world], (e) writing about one of symbols in the play [selecting one symbol, blood for example, and listing each quote in which it appears and discussing how the symbol furthers the development of plot, character, and theme] (f) a vocabulary journal [listing and defining words of literary and dramatic importance], and/or (g) a response journal [writing about the student's personal interaction with the play]. (2) Responding to Theme-List recurring themes (things are not what they seem, the corruption of power, blind ambition, superstition and its effects on human behavior) that develop as you read. Add notations of act and scene to serve as a guide for later reflection and writing. (3) Imagery and Theme-Shakespeare's use of imagery develops many themes; list these as they appear in the play. For example, the use of clothing begins with "borrowed robes" (I,ii) and continues with clothing representing a disguise of "false face" (I,vii) being repeated many times. Other examples include: flowers/planting, omens and unnatural events (superstitions), darkness, water/cleansing, blood, weather, and sleep/death. (4) Relationship of Characters-Now that you are familiar with the plot, examining characters in terms of their loyalties is interesting and useful. List the characters and diagram their relationships on chart paper. Hamlet- William Shakespeare (choose 5) 1)To what extent does Hamlet correspond to classical or medieval notions of tragedy? What (if anything) is Hamlet's fatal flaw? Why does he hesitate to act after promising his father's ghost that he will avenge his murder? Compare/contrast the protagonist's decisiveness and will to act inmacbeth. 2) Note the various familial relationships in Hamlet. Compare and contrast the family unit of Polonius / Laertes / Ophelia with Hamlet's relationships to the Ghost of Hamlet Sr., to Gertrude and to Claudius. Like Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras are sons confronted with a father's death. To what extent do they function as foils to Hamlet? What do they have in common? How do they differ? Notice the artistry and subtleties that the average reader overlooks.
3) Why does Hamlet wait so long to kill Claudius? What are the reasons for his hesitation? How valid are they? How many times does he have the opportunity to attack Claudius? What are his reasons for not doing so? 4) Hamlet is a play in which nothing can be taken at face value: appearances are frequently deceptive, and many characters engage in play-acting, spying and pretense. What deliberate attempts are made at deception? Are the intended audiences deceived? While some deceptions are perpetrated in order to conceal secrets, others aim to uncover hidden truths. Which are which? To what extent are they successful? Note references to appearances, disguises, pretense, seeming, masks, acting, etc. 5) Pay attention to the treatment of the women characters Gertrude and Ophelia. Is there any basis for the Freudian interpretation of an Oedipal attraction between Hamlet and his mother? Hamlet does seem obsessed with his mother's sexuality. How old is Hamlet? How old do you think Gertrude is? Is Hamlet's disgust at Gertrude's sexuality justified? To what extent is Gertrude guilty? Was she "in on" her husband's murder? Has Claudius confided in her since the murder? How does Hamlet's perception of his mother affect his behavior or attitude toward Ophelia? Why does he tell Ophelia to go to a nunnery? Does Hamlet really love Ophelia? If so, why is he cruel to her? 6) Hamlet claims that his madness is feigned, an "antic disposition" which he puts on for his own purposes (I.v.172). Why would Hamlet want to feign madness? How can an appearance of insanity help him achieve his ends? Is he really sane throughout the play, or does he ever cross the line into madness? What about Ophelia's mad scene? Is it real or feigned? Is there "method in her madness" as well, or is she entirely irrational? Why has she gone mad? (What two reasons do her songs suggest?) 7) Hamlet famously declares that "something is rotten in the state of Denmark." What other natural imagery is used to describe the corruption of the Danish court? What "unnatural" events or behaviors preceded the events recounted in the play? What "unnatural" events or behaviors occur during the play? Compare/contrast with Macbeth. 8) Moral ambiguity? Hamlet and Macbeth recount similar stories (the usurping of a throne) from differing perspectives -- those of perpetrator and avenger. Just as Macbeth was not ALL bad, Hamlet is not ALL good. What are some of his faults or short-comings? Do these constitute a "fatal flaw" (to use the concept and terminology of Aristotle or Bradley)? Why might Shakespeare have chosen to remain in the "grey area" rather than a more "black and white" depiction of Good and Evil? Compare with Shakespeare's depiction of the protagonists in Macbeth. Joseph Heller-Catch-22 (choose any 10) 1.How do Aarfy s physical description and his comments reveal his moral character? 2.Describe the effect that the non-linear chronological structure of the novel has on the reader. Why do you think the author uses this construction? Think outside of the box.
3. Assess the overall effectiveness of Milo s syndicate. What positive and negative effects does it have on the squadron in particular, and the American army in general? 4. List three incidents from the story that support the following theme: Relationships based on self-gratification will not be meaningful. 5. What do the differences between Colonel Korn and Colonel Cathcart tell the reader about the differences between practical reality and the reality imagined by administrative management? 6. Why has Yossarian lost his patriotism? 7. Explain the role of allusion in the story, using at least five examples. 8. Compare and contrast Nurse Cramer and Nurse Duckett. 9. Why does Yossarian fall in love with the chaplain? 10. Compare and contrast Yossarian s relationships with Nurse Duckett and Luciana. 11. Why do you think Yossrian misreads Orr so badly? Give evidence from the text to support your answer. 12. How does Yossarian feel when, despite the fact that the upper military management is focused on infighting and politics, the American army is successful in the war? 13. What kind of language is used to express Yossarain s rebirth as a non-patriot after he returns with his crew from the Bologna raid? 14. What is déjà vu? How does it come into play in the plot of this novel? 15. Why does Nately experience such frustration with the old man in the apartment? Why does this old man remind Nately of his father? 16. Explain how the story of Milo s enterprise turns from literal tale into farce. 17. Identify the tragic elements in Doc Daneeka s death. 18. Compare the characters of Mudd and Doc Daneeka. How are they alike? 19. Explain how detail syntax are used to build up the sense of tragedy in Chapter 39. 20. Cite several examples of Catch-22. Why do you think the author shows both insignificant and serious consequences of Catch-22? Take responsibility --- no blaming, no complaining.
ALL READINGS: *Write a paragraph applying one of Foster s chapters to each of the five reading selections.* *Choose one of the following authentic AP prompts to answer for one of the five reading selections: 2006. Many writers use a country setting to establish values within a work of literature. For example, the country may be a place of virtue and peace or one of primitivism and ignorance. Choose a novel or play in which such a setting plays a significant role. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the country setting functions in the work as a whole. 2006, Form B. In many works of literature, a physical journey - the literal movement from one place to another - plays a central role. Choose a novel, play, or epic poem in which a physical journey is an important element and discuss how the journey adds to the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary. 2007. In many works of literature, past events can affect, positively or negatively, the present activities, attitudes, or values of a character. Choose a novel or play in which a character must contend with some aspect of the past, either personal or societal. Then write an essay in which you show how the character s relationship to the past contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. 2007, Form B. Works of literature often depict acts of betrayal. Friends and even family may betray a protagonist; main characters may likewise be guilty of treachery or may betray their own values. Select a novel or play that includes such acts of betrayal. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze the nature of the betrayal and show how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. 2008. In a literary work, a minor character, often known as a foil, possesses traits that emphasize, by contrast or comparison, the distinctive characteristics and qualities of the main character. For example, the ideas or behavior of a minor character might be used to highlight the weaknesses or strengths of the main character. Choose a novel or play in which a minor character serves as a foil for the main character. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the relation between the minor character and the major character illuminates the meaning of the work. 2008, Form B. In some works of literature, childhood and adolescence are portrayed as times graced by innocence and a sense of wonder; in other works, they are depicted as times of tribulation and terror. Focusing on a single novel or play, explain how its representation of childhood or adolescence shapes the meaning of the work as a whole. 2009. A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works a symbol can express an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. Select a novel or play and, focusing on one symbol, write an essay analyzing how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.
2009, Form B. Many works of literature deal with political or social issues. Choose a novel or play that focuses on a political or social issue. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the author uses literary elements to explore this issue and explain how the issue contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot. 2010. Palestinian American literary theorist and cultural critic Edward Said has written that Exile is strangely compelling to think about but terrible to experience. It is the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place, between the self and its true home: its essential sadness can never be surmounted. Yet Said has also said that exile can become a potent, even enriching experience. Select a novel, play, or epic in which a character experiences such a rift and becomes cut off from home, whether that home is the character s birthplace, family, homeland, or other special place. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the character s experience with exile is both alienating and enriching, and how this experience illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot. 2010, Form B. You can leave home all you want but home will never leave you. -- Sonsyrea Tate Sonsyrea Tate s statement suggests that home may be conceived of as a dwelling, a place, or a state of mind. It may have positive or negative associations, but in either case, it may have a considerable influence on an individual. Choose a novel or play in which a central character leaves home, yet finds that home remains significant. Write a well-developed essay in which you analyze the importance of home to this character and the reasons for its continuing influence. Explain how the character s idea of home illuminates the larger meaning of the work. Do not merely summarize the plot. 2011. In a novel by William Styron, a father tells his son that life is a search for justice. Choose a character from a novel or play who responds in some significant way to justice or injustice. Then write a well-developed essay in which you analyze the character s understanding of justice, the degree to which the character s search for justice is successful, and the significance of this search for the work as a whole. 2011, Form B. In The Writing of Fiction (1925), novelist Edith Wharton states the following: At every stage in the progress of his tale the novelist must rely on what may be called the illuminating incident to reveal and emphasize the inner meaning of each situation. Illuminating incidents are the magic casements of fiction, its vistas on infinity.choose a novel or play that you have studied and write a well-organized essay in which you describe an illuminating episode or moment and explain how it functions as a casement, a window that opens onto the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary. 2012. And, after all, our surroundings influence our lives and characters as much as fate, destiny or any supernatural agency. Pauline Hopkins, Contending Forces Choose a novel or play in which cultural, physical, or geographical surroundings shape psychological or moral traits in a character. Then write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how surroundings affect this character and illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole.
WARNING! THIS JOURNEY IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART! THIS IS A COLLEGE LEVEL CLASS! The following list presents the warning signs of one of the intellectually damaging and insidious diseases, the feared SENIORITIS. Since this disease renders you unfit for AP English and seasickness is likely, I want you to read the list carefully to discover whether you should go to guidance for a drop and add slip immediately. 1) You hear the Sirens Song luring you into calm seas and paradise. 2) You imagine your senior year to be one major social event. 3) You plan to work hard until the college applications are finished. 4) You believe life is a race so high school is a waste of your time; consequently, you thrive on infesting a classroom with your negativity and desire to be done. 5) You break out in hives when you hear: homework, paper, study, project, presentation, deadline, work, explore, interpret, discover, prove, or read. 6) You are anticipating receipt of an honorary degree from Princeton, Harvard and/or Yale with a quadruple major in English Literature and Composition, Curriculum and Instruction, Psychology and Secondary Education. 7) You think being prepared for class consists of visiting pinkmonkey.com, gradesaver.com, sparknotes.com, bookrags.com, etc. 8) You think you can learn exclusively through osmosis as a passive non-participant in your education hoping to sponge off of others. 9) You are adamant that there is one right answer to everything; therefore, you read merely for plot and believe the subtle details are meaningless mumbo-jumbo. 10) You are thinking about majoring in Excuse Creation and Management in college and you are already thinking of ways to cut corners your senior year.
Norwin High School DUE DATE FOR THIS FORM PLEASE RETURN THIS SHEET TO MRS. BOYD IN ROOM 210 NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, MAY 25, 2012. STUDENT ACKNOWLEDGMENT: I have read this packet of summer reading assignments and understand the rigorous requirements for this AP class. I understand that I will be enrolled in a challenging, college-level class that will require consistent study, eager participation, and maturity and ethics commensurate with a college student. I understand that the AP class will help prepare me for the AP Literature and Composition examination given in the spring whether I take the examination or not. Student Signature Date Printed Student Name PARENT ACKNOWLEDGMENT: I have read this packet with my son/daughter and understand the requirements for the AP class. I understand the summer reading requirements and the necessity of my child to complete them. I understand that my child is enrolled in a challenging course with a heavy work load. I understand that the readings contain adult issues and language. Additionally, I understand that if my child chooses to take the AP test offered in the spring, it will cost approximately $85.00. Parent Signature Date Printed Parent Name BOOK #s How to Read Literature like a Professor Hamlet Macbeth The Scarlet Letter Catch-22 Ethan Frome