English IV Standard Summer Reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom Directions: This assignment is due the first week of school in August. It is required to be typed in MLA format, printed and submitted to your teacher as well as Submitted to Vericite. All work is to be done individually no group work, study teams, etc. Teachers will interpret what you turn in as your ideas alone ideas of others presented as your own is plagiarism. Name: Teacher: Class: Date: The 1st Lesson (pgs. 32-50) What do you think about the Blue Man s story, his relationship with his father, and his taking silver nitrate? What, if anything, does this have to do with Eddie? Why does he say to Eddie, This is not your heaven; it s mine? How does the Blue Man die? What effect does it have on you when you look at the story from different points of view his and Eddie s? Share any events that you have been involved in that could have been viewed entirely differently from another s point of view. 3. Discuss what it means that There are no random acts. That we are all connected. That you can no more separate one life from another than you can separate a breeze from the wind. Describe at least one event in your life that may have changed who you have become if it had happened differently.
The 2nd Lesson (pgs. 56-96) Give a detailed description of Eddie s experience at war. What did the captain do that changed Eddie s life? 3. In The Second Lesson, what lesson did the captain teach Eddie? Which of the first two lessons do you think is more important to you, the Blue Man s or the Captain s? Explain why.
The 3rd Lesson (pgs. 98-144) What was Eddie s relationship with his father like? Give two specific examples supporting your claim. You have peace when you make it with yourself. Do you agree or disagree with this idea? Explain your opinion. 3. The beginning of the chapter establishes a metaphor about parents damaging their children like glass. On page 109, Albom writes of the final handprint on Eddie s glass. Explain your interpretation of this extended metaphor.
The 4th Lesson (pgs. 146-178) Why does Marguerite want to be in a place where there are only weddings? Explain Marguerite s accident. (pages 162-163) 3. Eddie s fourth lesson is that love lives beyond mere physical presence, and it lives not just in our hearts but also in our memories. Love is specific. Love is forever. Love has multiple forms. What is your opinion of these statements? Give specific reasons to support your opinion.
The 5th Lesson (pgs. 179-194) Why do you think Today is Eddie s Birthday on page 183 covers more than 30 years worth of birthdays in two pages? What does that tell us about Eddie s life from age 51 on? On page 191, Eddie says, I was sad because I didn t do anything with my life. I was nothing. I accomplished nothing. What do you think of this assessment of his life? Give specific examples to support your claim. 3. On the final page of the novel, Albom writes that each affects the other and the other affects the next, and the world is full of stories, but the stories are all one. Now that you ve finished the novel, what do you think about this statement?
Literary/Grammar Terms Below is a list of literary and grammar terms of which you should already be familiar. I will not be going over these terms in class, so please keep this copy in your portfolio as these terms will be referenced throughout the course. Alliteration- the repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables Assonance- the repetition of vowel sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables 3. Antecedent- noun replaced by the pronoun 4. Conflict- the opposition of persons or forces that gives rise to the dramatic action in a drama or fiction 5. Denouement/resolution- the final outcome or ending of a literary work. 6. Exposition- meaning, purpose, or beginning of a literary work. 7. Hyperbole- A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect 8. Onomatopoeia- The formation or use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions to which they refer. 9. Parallelism- expressing similar or related ideas in similar grammatical structure. 10. Personification- A figure of speech in which inanimate objects or abstractions are endowed with human qualities 1 Point of View- The attitude or outlook of a narrator or character in a piece of literature 1 Satire- a literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn 13. Simile- comparison using like or as 14. Antagonist- one that contends with or opposes another; opposite to protagonist 15. Climax- the point of highest dramatic tension or a major turning point in the action 16. Falling Action- The events of a dramatic or narrative plot following the climax 17. Foreshadowing- To present an indication or a suggestion of beforehand 18. Mood- a prevailing attitude, disposition, or distinctive atmosphere or context created from a literary work 19. Oxymoron- a combination of contradictory or incongruous words 20. Protagonist- the principal character in a literary work; opposite to antagonist 2 Rising Action- events of a dramatic or narrative plot preceding the climax
2 First person narration- the story is narrated by one character, who refers to him/ herself in the first person (using I or we ) 23. Omniscient narration- an all knowing narrator: Having total knowledge; knowing what all the characters are thinking, feeling, and doing. 24. Dynamic Character- major character in a work of fiction who encounters conflict and is changed by it; character who is more fully developed; synonymous with round character 25. Static Character- minor characters in a work of fiction who do not undergo substantial change or growth in the course of a story; synonymous with flat character 26. Imagery language that attracts the five senses 27. Metaphor- comparison where two dissimilar things become the same 28. Repetition language or image that repeats for a specific purpose or effect 29. Plot the structure/storyline of a work of fiction 30. Symbol represents a larger message; can be an image, person, place, etc 3 Setting- the location and time of the story 3 Tone the author s attitude revealed through specific diction