English 3 Summer Reading Packet Items to Complete: Read What is American Dream (below) Read The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams and The Raisin in Sun by Lorraine Hansberry Complete Ecclesiastes worksheet (Section 3) Write a paper explaining American Dreams of main characters (see rubric). Due Monday, August 22 as a test grade. Study Essential Literary Terms Section 1: What is American Dream (loc.gov) James Truslow Adams, in his book The Epic of America, which was written in 1931, stated that American dream is "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to fullest stature of which y are innately capable, and be recognized by ors for what y are, regardless of fortuitous circumstances of birth or position." (p.214 215) The authors of United States Declaration of Independence held certain truths to be self evident: that all Men are created equal, that y are endowed by ir Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among se are life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness." Might this sentiment be considered foundation of American Dream? Were homesteaders who left big cities of east to find happiness and ir piece of land in unknown wilderness pursuing se inalienable Rights? Were immigrants who came to United States looking for ir bit of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, ir Dream? And what did desire of veteran of World War II to settle down, to have a home, a car and a family tell us about this evolving Dream? Is American Dream attainable by all Americans? Some say, that American Dream has become pursuit of material prosperity that people work more hours to get bigger cars, fancier homes, fruits of prosperity for ir families but have less time to enjoy ir prosperity. Ors say that American Dream is beyond grasp of working poor who must work two jobs to insure ir family s survival. Yet ors look toward a new American Dream with less focus on financial gain and more emphasis on living a simple, fulfilling life. Thomas Wolfe said, " to every man, regardless of his birth, his shining, golden opportunity. right to live, to work, to be himself, and to become whatever thing his manhood and his vision can combine to make him." Section 2: Read Works These selections are plays and are meant to be watched as well as read. Feel free to watch m while you follow along in books. You will need to have a copy of books though because you ll use m to write your paper.
Section 3: Ecclesiastes The author of Ecclesiastes is probably Solomon, son of king David. Whoever is writer, he has experienced life from every advantage. He s evidently rich, and discusses different types of lifestyles with which he has experimented. As he discusses se experiences, he uses rhetorical questions to make points about what he has learned. What is function of a rhetorical question? (See what I did re?) Writers employ rhetorical questions for rhetorical effects and we cannot easily quantify impact rendered by a rhetorical question. The idea becomes all more powerful, and our interest is aroused to continue to read and enjoy technical and aestic beauty that a rhetorical question generates. Moreover, it is a requirement in persuasive speeches (literarydevices.net). To determine his perspectives, find question asked in each verse and explain effect that it has on meaning of text. You can determine its effect by asking questions like what does that question make reader think about? or does author answer it himself?. You may use Bible version of your choice. Rhetorical Question Example: Ecc. 1:3 What do people gain from all ir labors at which y toil under sun? Meaning Example: He s making a point that work always has to be redone. There is nothing new under sun. People work so hard only for it to be done again. Ecc. 2:2 Ecc 2:12 Ecc. 2:15
Ecc. 2:25 Ecc. 4:8 Ecc. 5:6 Ecc. 6:6 Ecc. 6:8 Ecc. 7:13 What is author s conclusion about life found in Ecc. 12:13 14?
Section 4: The Paper Discuss American Dreams of main characters in each of plays. Use examples from plays to prove your point. Be sure to explain what American Dream is in introduction and what writer of Ecclesiastes would think of American Dream in conclusion. The paper should be in MLA format, complete with a works cited page. Introduction Thesis Main Body/Point Paragraphs Textual Evidence for Main Point #1 Textual Evidence for Main Point #2 Textual Evidence for Main Point #3 Transitions 4 3 2 1 (a)has substantial amount of sentences, (b)introduces topic, (c)catches attention (a) Is clearly stated, (b) is located in introduction, (c) states purpose (a)have substantial amount of sentences, (b)have topic sentence, (c)have logical support (d)are related to sis (a)supports main point (b) is punctuated correctly (c) is cited correctly (a)supports main point (b) is punctuated correctly (c) is cited correctly (a)supports main point (b) is punctuated correctly (c) is cited correctly Logical transitions occur (a) between paragraphs (b) between sentences Lacks both Lacks all of. Lacks three of...
Grammar Syntax Conclusion MLA Format Has a few errors, but does not demonstrate a recurring error in grammar (a)sentence structure varies, (b) word choice varies (c) appropriate vocabulary (a) restates sis, (b) leaves reader with something to think about, (c) ends strongly Paper is in MLA format Has a recurring error: Has 2 recurring errors: mostly Some Little Total Has 3 recurring errors: Lacks all of Lacks all of /44= Section 5: Essential Literary Terms Knowing se terms is essential to a having a successful school year in English 3. You will see se many times and be expected to write about m and to speak knowledgeably about m. You will also be tested on se within first quarter. 1. Alliteration repetition of beginning consonant sounds in words that are close toger 2. Allusion a reference to something in anor work of literature, Bible, or history 3. Analogy comparison of two things to show that y are alike in certain respects; for example, people often draw an analogy between creating a work of art and giving birth to a child. 4. Antagonist character that opposes protagonist, or main character, in a narrative 5. Archetype a model or pattern (usually for characters or plots) 6. Ballad a songlike poem that tells a story 7. Biography account of a person's life written by anor person 8. Blank verse poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter; iambic means a metric foot (a stressed and an unstressed syllable); pentameter means five metric feet per line 9. Character an individual in a story 10. Cliché an expression that has become overused and no longer is effective 11. Climax point of greatest emotional intensity in a plot 12. Denouement t he final part of a play, movie, or narrative in which strands of plot are drawn toger and matters are explained or resolved 13. Epic a long narrative poem that related deeds of a larger than life hero
14. Essay a short piece of nonfiction prose that examines a single subject from a limited point of view 15. Exposition part of a play or work of fiction in which background to main conflict is introduced 16. Falling action part of a literary plot that occurs after climax has been reached and conflict has been resolved 17. Foreshadowing use of clues to hint at what is going to happen later in plot 18. Free verse poetry that has no regular meter or rhyme scheme 19. Historical fiction narrative with a historical setting and some historical characters, but plot is fictionalized 20. Hyperbole exaggeration for effect 21. Iambic pentameter a common meter in poetry consisting of an unrhymed line with five feet or accents, each foot containing an unaccented syllable and an accented syllable 22. Imagery language that appeals to senses 23. Irony contrast between what is expected and what happens a. verbal irony saying opposite of what is really meant b. situational irony opposite of what is expected is what happens c. dramatic irony reader knows something that characters (or only one character) knows 24. Legend story handed down for generations and popularly believed to have some historical basis 25. Lyric poetry poetry that focuses on expressing emotions or thoughts, rar than telling a story 26. Metaphor figure of speech comparing two seemingly unlike things without using like or as 27. Meter a regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry 28. Narrative type of writing that tells a story 29. Onomatopoeia use of a word whose sound imitates or suggests its meaning 30. Oxymoron fìgure of speech that combines apparently contradictory ideas; for example, cruel kindness 31. Parable a short, allegorical story that teaches a moral or religious lesson about life 32. Personification giving human characteristics to a nonhuman thing or quality 33. Plot series of related events that make up a story or drama 34. Point of vìew vantage point from which a writer tells a story; a. first person POV narrator ís a character in story b. third person objective POV narrator is outside story,telling events seen and heard without any feelings or thoughts "being expressed c. third person limited POV narrator is outside story and can express thoughts and feelings of only one character d. third person omniscient POV narrator is outside story and conveys thoughts and feelings of all characters 35. Protagonist main character in fiction, drama, or narrative poetry
36. Rising action a related series of incidents in a literary plot that build toward point of greatest interest 37. Rhyme similarity between syllable sounds at end of two or more lines 38. Setting time and place of a story or play 39. Simile figure of speech that makes a comparison between two seemingly unlike things by using a connective word such as like or as 40. Soliloquy a long speech in which a character who is usually alone onstage expresses his or her private thoughts or feelings 41. Sonnet a fourteen line lyric poem, usually written in iambic pentameter that has a definite rhyme scheme 42. stanza a group of consecutive lines in a poem that form a single stanza 43. Style manner in which writers or speakers say what y wish to say 44. Symbol a person, place, thing, or event that stands both for itself and for something beyond itself 45. Theme a central idea or insight in a work of literature 46. Tone attitude a writer takes toward a reader, subject, or a character; for example, sarcastic, foreboding, inspiring