SUMMER READING: ENGLISH II
The purpose of the English
Department’s Summer Reading Program is to encourage and, hopefully, to
instill a love of reading. For this reason, all students entering grades 9, 10,
11, and 12 are to read one book of their choosing before returning to
school in the fall. This book
• must
be approved by the parent/guardian.
• must
be at least 150 pages long.
• must
be at the student’s reading level.
• must
not have been made into a film (or film equivalent).
• must
not be one that the student has previously read.
• must
not be one of the books read to satisfy the requirements of any other
department’s (e.g. social studies, science) Summer Reading program.
NOTE: Honors-level students must
complete separate and specific requirements. This information was
distributed to students upon conclusion of the 2005-2006 school year.
SUMMER READING: ENGLISH III HAT
Assignment I:
Read How to Read
Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster and annotate
it thoroughly. Review the attached informational worksheet on
annotating prior to reading.
Assignment II:
1. In great
literature, writers often create cultural, governmental, and other
social situations in order to make important and even revolutionary
statements on the nature of humanity. In a well-organized essay, define
the situation and the statement that the author is making, and explain
how the author’s choice of that situation contributes to the effective
communication of the statement.
2. 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.
3. Choose a character and write an essay in which you (a) briefly
describe the standards of the fictional society in which the character
exists and (b) show how the character is affected by and responds to
those standards. In your essay do not merely summarize the plot.
4. A recurring theme in literature is the
classic war between a passion and responsibility. For instance, a
personal cause, a love, a desire for revenge, a determination to redress
a wrong, or some other emotion or drive may conflict with moral duty.
Choose a literary work in which a character confronts the demands of a
private passion that conflicts with his or her responsibilities. In a
well-written essay show clearly the nature of the conflict, its effects
upon the character, and its significance to the work.
5. Some novels and plays seem to advocate
changes in social or political attitudes or in traditions. Choose such
a novel or play and note briefly the particular attitudes or traditions
that the author apparently wishes to modify. Then analyze the
techniques the author uses to influence the reader's or audience's
views.
*Please note that this essay is an analysis. Therefore, you should
avoid mere plot summary. Also note that I did not include a page
requirement. Use your own judgment when writing the paper, but know
that I expect you to answer the question wholly and thoroughly,
using specific references to the text, including quotes (cite the pages
on which the quotes are found) and textual examples that support your
assertions. Type the essay (Times New Roman 12, double spaced) in MLA
format.
All work is due on the first day of school. Please bring a hard copy
as well as a soft copy (save to First Class, USB, etc.), as we will
submit the essays to Turnitin.com
during the first week of school.
If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact me
at jpetitbon@cox.net.
BOOK
SUMMARIES
Anna Karenina
- Married to a
powerful government minister, Anna Karenina falls deeply in love with a
wealthy army officer, the elegant Count Vronsky. Desperate to find truth
and meaning in her life, she defies the conventions of Russian society
and leaves her husband and son to live with her lover. Condemned and
ostracized by her peers and prone to fits of jealousy that alienate
Vronsky, Anna finds herself unable to escape an increasingly hopeless
situation.
Emma - Emma Woodhouse is perfectly
content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage.
Nothing, however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic
lives of others. But when she attempts to arrange a suitable match for
Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have
consequences that she never expected.
Frankenstein - At once a
Gothic thriller, a passionate romance, and a cautionary tale about the
dangers of science, Frankenstein tells the story of committed
science student Victor Frankenstein. Frankenstein assembles a human
being from stolen body parts but, upon bringing it to life, he recoils
in horror at the creature’s hideousness. Tormented by isolation and
loneliness, the once-innocent creature turns to evil as he learns to
loathe himself and hate his creator.
Great Expectations-
Pip is an orphan whose path crosses an
escaped convict, and his life is never the same again. From the decaying
mansion of Miss Havisham and her cold, beautiful ward, Estella, to a new
world of unexpected wealth, Pip must struggle to find his way.
Mysterious forces are at work, shaping his life in a conspiracy of love,
fear, fate, and chance.
Grendel
- Based on the old Anglo-Saxon epic, Grendel, a large bearlike monster,
has spent the last twelve years locked in a war against a band of
humans. The main action of Grendel takes place in the last year of that
war, but the novel skips back in time in order to illuminate the origins
of the conflict as well as Grendel’s personal history.
On the
Beach
-
In
southern Australia the last survivors of a nuclear war await the deadly
radiation that has already claimed the entire population of the northern
hemisphere. Peter and Mary Holmes and John Osborn confront the grim
reality of nuclear war and its aftermath while exhibiting courage when
all hope is gone.
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch
- In 1945 the
author wrote a letter criticizing Stalin. For this “crime” he was
arrested, imprisoned for eight years, and then detained for additional
three years in a labor camp. His experiences form the basis for this
book depicting man’s struggle to survive and to preserve his humanity in
the Gulag.
Stolen Lives-
The author and her family
spent more than twenty years in prison at the hands of the Moroccan
government. In 1972, her father, the King of Morocco’s highest aide, was
arrested and executed for his alleged part in a plot to assassinate the
King. Oufkir, who spent many years living at the Palace as a companion
to Princess Amina, suddenly found herself betrayed by the person she had
come to regard as a father figure. Oufkir recounts the long years that
she, her five siblings, and her mother spent imprisoned in the worst of
conditions.
Wild Sargasso Sea
- Born into an oppressive, colonialist society, Creole heiress
Antoinette Cosway meets a young Englishman. After their marriage
disturbing rumors circulate, poisoning her husband against her. Caught
between his demands and her own precarious sense of belonging,
Antoinette is driven towards madness.
InfInformation on
this page is from barnesandnoble.com and readinggroupguides.com
ANNOTATION
ToTo annotate is to provide critical or
explanatory notes for a literary work.
Reading critically
calls for you to analyze a text as you read, developing your ability to
make connections between ideas in the text and your own. When you are
reading, annotating a text—writing your notes, ideas, and questions on
the text itself—can help you read more thoughtfully. Annotations make
it easy to find important information quickly when you look back and
review a text. They help you familiarize yourself with both the content
and organization of what you read. They provide a way to begin engaging
ideas and issues directly through comments, questions, associations, or
other reactions that occur to you as you read. In all these ways,
annotating a text makes the reading process an active one, not just
background for writing assignments, but an integral first step in the
reading and writing process.
Suggestions
for Annotating A Text
