Summer Reading Assignment 1

English IV AP Literature and Composition Summer Reading Assignment Packet

2016 Mrs. Piscopo

Summer Reading Assignment 2

SOUTHERN REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

Summer Reading Program 2016 for English IV ~ AP Literature & Composition Mrs. Piscopo

Required reading:

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard The Wild Duck by Henrik Ibsen The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Greetings, This summer reading assignment packet contains information about each author and selection. The packet also contains a vocabulary assignment along with post-reading prompts. These prompts are an opportunity to make connections to the novels through critical thinking. You should also be prepared to explain your responses to the prompts upon request. As you read, you are expected to take notes for review before the school year begins. Please read through the packet before you begin reading the books to familiarize yourself with them. Feel free to annotate, highlight, or otherwise personalize this packet for yourself. The responses, college essay, and vocabulary definitions are due on Friday, September 9, 2016, the same day there will be an in-class assessment on all of the books. I expect you to have questions about the books as you read. I will be available throughout the summer to answer any questions/comments you may have. I will check my e-mail on a semi-regular basis so feel free to contact me through e-mail: [email protected]. I look forward to sharing thoughts and ideas with you next year. Sincerely, Mrs. Piscopo Mrs. Jean Piscopo English Teacher Southern Regional High School

Summer Reading Assignment 3

Song of Solomon By Toni Morrison Summer Reading Guide Genre: African American Literature, Fiction, with elements of magical realism, adventure story, epic, and bildungsroman Setting: Michigan, Pennsylvania, Detroit, 1931-1963 Themes: flight as a means of escape; abandoned women; the alienating effects of racism Motifs: Biblical allusions; names; singing Symbols: Whiteness; artificial roses; gold Protagonists: Milkman Dead Antagonists: Pilate Dead Conflict: Milkman Dead tries to leave home to become independent; hampered by wealth & class Publication date: 1977

Summary In Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison details Milkman Dead’s journey of discovery – a black man’s quest for connection with his family’s past. Milkman was born in 1931, the third child of unhappily married parents – Macon Dead (a businessman) and his wife Ruth (daughter of a prominent black doctor, now dead). As a young man, Milkman got involved with his cousin Hagar, daughter of his father’s eccentric sister, Pilate. When he tried to end things with Hagar, she attempted repeatedly to kill him. Then he learned that his best friend, Guitar Bains, had joined a secret society responsible for a series of revenge killings in which innocent whites were murdered to avenge the murders of blacks. Finally Milkman decided to leave town and told Guitar he was going to find the gold that, according to family history, his father had discovered in a cave as a child while hiding from his own father’s killers. During his trip between Michigan and Virginia, Milkman was surprised to realize that his search for family had overshadowed his pursuit of the gold. And he was shocked to realize that he was being hunted – by Guitar.

About the Author Born in Lorain, Ohio in 1931 (“Chloe Anthony Wofford”), Toni Morrison was the second of four children. After receiving her B.A. in English from Howard University, she obtained her Master’s from Cornell and went on to teach English at various universities (including Yale, Bard, and Rutgers) and served for twenty years as senior editor at Random House (1965-1985). She married an architect from Jamaica in 1958 and divorced in 1964. She has two children. Toni Morrison is the first African-American to win the Nobel Prize (for Literature, 1993). Her award citation describes her as an author “who in novels characterized by visionary force and poetic import, gives life to an essential aspect of American reality.”

Summer Reading Assignment 4

Song of Solomon continued Principal characters

Milkman Dead, an African American man

Hagar, Milkman’s second cousin

Macon Dead, Milkman’s father

Ruth Foster Dead, Milkman’s mother

First Corinthians and Lena, Milkman’s sisters

Pilate Dead, Milkman’s aunt

Guitar Bains, Milkman’s closest friend

Reading Notes: ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

Summer Reading Assignment 5 Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard Summer Reading Guide Genre: Setting: Themes: Mood: Tone: Protagonists: Antagonists: Conflict: Pub. Date:

drama – Theater of the Absurd nondescript terrain on a drab stage; Elsinore Castle in Denmark; boat fate; futility of life; existentialism; real vs. unreal; absurdity; death confused; eccentric darkly humorous; pessimistic Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (Ros and Guil) Claudius; Hamlet person vs. person; person vs. fate; person vs. self 1967

Summary Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, minor characters in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, assume the roles of protagonists as they reveal the story of what happens to them as the plot for Hamlet develops. They vaguely recall being summoned to the castle in Denmark and know their orders have something to do with their childhood friend, Hamlet. However, they are unsure of why they are going and what they are supposed to do when they get there. At times, they are confused about their own identities. During their rambling, sometimes quarrelsome, dialogue, they debate the meaning of life and death and often mix reality and illusion. Their contact with a troupe of tragedians leads to the retelling of the murder of Hamlet’s father and Hamlet’s quest for revenge. Segments from the plot of Hamlet intermingle with the story of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern including their summons to Elsinore Castle, their assignment to determine the source of Hamlet’s despondency, and their eventual orders to escort him to England. Although the two protagonists accidentally discover the letter ordering their deaths, they are powerless to prevent their inevitable fate. About the Playwright Tom Stoppard was born Tomas Straussler in Zlín, Czechoslovakia, July 3, 1937. His family moved to Singapore in 1939 to escape the Nazis. He, his older brother, and his mother were evacuated to India in 1942 to avoid the dangers of World War II. His father, a physician, remained in Singapore and was killed during the Japanese invasion. His mother married a British army officer, Kenneth Stoppard, and the family moved to England in 1946. Stoppard has been married twice and has two sons from each marriage. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1997. Stoppard worked as a reporter until the early 1960s and in late 1962 and early 1963, wrote drama reviews and interviews under his own name and under the pseudonym William Boot. In 1960, he completed his first full-length play, A Walk on the Water, which he refers to as a composite of several plays he admired. He subsequently wrote works for radio, television, and theater. In 1964, he wrote a one-act play that later became Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, which was first performed in August 1966. London Theater critics gave the play top honors in 1967 and Stoppard became known as a leading modern playwright.

Summer Reading Assignment 6 Rosencrantz & Guildenstern… continued Characters Rosencrantz (Ros) – an Elizabethan gentleman traveling to Elsinore Castle; he allows others to make decisions for him and is dependent on Guildenstern. He is apathetic and unconcerned about his own existence and just wants to go home. Guildenstern (Guil) – also an Elizabethan gentleman; he is the stronger and more intelligent of the two protagonists. He seeks explanations for unanswered questions, wants to be important, and is disappointed to discover how unimportant he really is. He is sometimes cynical and easily irritated. the Player – the leader of the troupe of tragedians; he can be absurd, menacing, and/or dramatic and will do anything to make money. His status has been reduced from actor to “comic pornographer.” Alfred – the actor who portrays the feminine roles; he is subservient to the Player. Hamlet – the Prince of Denmark; he is despondent and distraught over the death of his father and seeks revenge against his father’s murderer. Claudius – has become the new King of Denmark after murdering Hamlet’s father and marrying his mother. Gertrude – Hamlet’s mother Polonius – an advisor to Claudius Ophelia – the daughter of Polonius; in love with Hamlet Terms** Theater of the Absurd: a type of drama that presents a view of the absurdity of the human condition by abandoning usual or rational devices and using nonrealistic form; its philosophical base is a form of existentialism which views human beings as moving from the nothingness from which they came to the nothingness in which they will end; presents a pattern of images that present people as bewildered beings in an incomprehensible universe. Existentialism: a term applied to a group of attitudes which emphasizes existence rather than essence, i.e., spirit and soul, and sees the inadequacy of the human reason to explain the mystery of the universe; efforts to act in a meaningless world lead to anguish, loneliness, hopelessness, and despair; the fundamental truth of existentialism is in *Descarteś formula, “I think; therefore, I exist.” *Descartes has been heralded as the first modern philosopher. He is famous for having made an important connection between geometry and algebra, which allowed for the solving of geometrical problems by way of algebraic equations. He is also famous for having promoted a new conception of matter, which allowed for the accounting of physical phenomena by way of mechanical explanations

Pastiche: literary work made up of portions of various works; imitation; spin-off. Parody: humorous imitation of a serious writing. Tragedy: disastrous event: a disastrous circumstance or event, e.g. serious illness, financial ruin, or fatality or a tragic play: a serious play with a tragic theme, often involving a heroic struggle and the downfall of the main character. Reading Notes: ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________

Summer Reading Assignment 7 The Wild Duck by Henrik Ibsen Author Biography Ibsen was born in 1828 in a small town in Norway. When he was fifteen years old, Ibsen left his family's home to begin an apprenticeship as an apothecary. Two years later, Ibsen fathered a child with an older housemaid, and he was obligated to provide financial support over the next fifteen years. In the late 1840s, he began to prepare for university examinations. Once at university in Christiana (present-day Oslo), Ibsen became very involved with journalism. He edited a student paper, contributed articles to another paper, and worked on a satirical journal. He also spent a great deal of time on his writing. He completed and published his first play, Catiline, by 1849, and published poetry in a journal. In 1859, his one-act play, The Warrior's Barrow, becomes the first of his plays to be staged. In 1851, when he was only twenty-three, Ibsen was engaged as playwright in residence at the National Theater in Bergen. Over the next several years, the theater company performed a new Ibsen play each year. By the end of the decade, his plays were also being performed at the Norwegian Theater in Christiana, where he assumed duties as the artistic director. In both of these capacities, Ibsen was expected to produce "national drama," which checked his artistic expression. The bankruptcy of the Norwegian Theater left Ibsen free to write for himself. He was awarded a travel grant by the government, which was only the first of many grants that Ibsen received from the Norwegian government, including an annual stipend. He left Norway for Italy in 1864, and he spent the next twenty-seven years primarily living abroad, only returning to Norway for short visits in 1874 and 1885. Despite his absence from his native country, he remained a well-known figure there. For instance he attended the opening of the Suez Canal as Norway's representative, and in 1873, he was knighted. With A Doll's House (1879), classic Ibsen was born. In his work, Ibsen began the exploration of controversial, social issues. Many of his plays created a furor among European audiences. By the late 1880s, however, Ibsen's work had become more self-analytic and symbolic. Works such as The Master Builder (1892) explore an artist's relation to society and contains an autobiographical element. In 1891, Ibsen returned to Norway to live, and he continued to write plays. On his seventieth birthday, he was honored throughout Scandinavia. Also that year, the first volumes of the collected edition of his works were published in Denmark and Germany. In 1901, he suffered his first stroke. Another stroke two years later left him unable to write or walk. He died in 1906. Introduction In a letter accompanying the manuscript for The Wild Duck, Henrik Ibsen wrote to his publisher, "This new play in many ways occupies a place of its own among my dramas; the method is in various respects a departure from my earlier one. ... The critics, will, I hope, find the points; in any case, they will find plenty to quarrel about, plenty to misinterpret." Ibsen, however, was disappointed in these early expectations. When the play opened in Scandinavia early in 1885, critics paid relatively little attention to it. The play soon traveled throughout the continent. While a few luminaries commended it notably the playwright George Bernard Shaw and the poet Rainer Maria Rilke earliest critics found the play incomprehensible and incoherent. Audiences, as well, showed little positive response to The Wild Duck. In ensuing years, however, and as people began to understand both Ibsen's notion of "tragi-comedy" as well as his insightful characterization, the play began to develop the fine reputation it still holds today. Now popularly regarded as one of Ibsen's more important works, The Wild Duck gains further eminence in its issuance of Ibsen into a new era of writing, one in which symbolism and characterization, as opposed to social realism, gained prominence. With The Wild Duck, an already esteemed playwright showed his continued interest in exploring new interests and concerns through his work.

Summer Reading Assignment 8

The Wild Duck continued Characters* Ekdal - This character was imprisoned, which led to the complete loss of his fortune, reputation, and military rank. Gina Ekdal - This character is a hard-working, kind woman who comes from a lower social class than her husband. Hedvig Ekdal - This character is a sensitive, intelligent girl who is kept out of school because of her failing eyesight. Hjalmar Ekdal - This character lives with his wife and daughter and runs a photographic business, but his wife does most of the work. Old Ekdal - This is another name for the character whose reputation is ruined due to having been imprisoned. Molvik - This character says that he drinks not because he is an alcoholic, but because a demon takes over and makes him do so. Dr. Relling - This character is one of the few characters who sees the world around him clearly but knows the people around him need their illusions. Mrs. Sorby - This character is a widowed housekeeper. Gregers Werle - This character strongly dislikes his father and has spent the past fifteen years in the north, away from his boyhood home. Hakon Werle - This character is a wealthy industrialist who is engaged to the housekeeper at the end of the play. *The name pronunciation key is on page VI in your book. Reading Notes: ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________

Summer Reading Assignment 9 The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka Why should I care about Kafka’s Metamorphosis? (From Shmoop.com) “Are you a fan of X-Men? Love Twilight? Enjoy Batman or Spiderman? Mythical creatures and animal avatars – you could say that all of these are expressions of protest against social convention, against ordinary notions of what human beings should and ought to be. And it’s no wonder that these incredibly popular books and films tap into adolescence as prime terrain for such fantastic transformations. Adolescence is not only a time when you establish your independence from your parents and their expectations, but also a time that comes with a host of psychological and physical changes that can be downright confusing. You could be the most well-adjusted, over-achieving person on the planet, but you’ve probably still had moments in your life where your changing body just seems like it belongs to someone else and has a mind of its own. Welcome to the world of Kafka’s Metamorphosis, a Ferris Bueller’s Day Off gone horribly wrong. That little chirp in Gregor’s voice when he tries to talk? Ever had you vice crack due to those funny little chemicals called hormones? Gregor’s hyperactive crawling on the walls? Ever have difficulty sitting still? Those twitching antennae are an extreme version of a really bad hair day, and Gregor’s picture of a woman in furs is just your early 20th century version of a Victoria’s Secret Catalogue. But what makes Kafka’s story such a classic is that it’s able to move from the universally recognizable experience of adolescent awkwardness to get at the big questions that haunt civilization as we know it. Why should people be “disposed of” as though they were so much “vermin” because they are different from what’s considered “normal”? And how can ordinary people be as cruel as the Samsas, who don’t seem particularly diabolical, but are able to turn their backs on their own family member, to the point of entertaining the idea of extermination – it’s murder, isn’t it? What capacity for cruelty resides in every human being? If Kafka’s story moves so seamlessly between the fantastic and the ordinary, it’s to remind us all to embrace our inner vermin – the very survival of human civilization may depend on it.” How can I get this book?  Check out the book through the school library. We have a limited number of copies – first come, first served.  You can listen to an audio version available for free at: http://librivox.org/the-metamorphosis-by-frnaz-kafka/ Or http://www.learnoutloud.com/Free-Audio-Video/Literature/Short-Stories/Metamorphosis//17038  Read the full text online at: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/5200/5200-h/5200-h.htm OR http://www.planetebook.com/ebooks/The -Metamorphosis.pdf  Procure the book through the local library or purchase your own copy Reading Notes: ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________

Summer Reading Assignment 10 The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka Define each of the following vocabulary words: 1. desisted 2. malingerers 3. superfluous 4. enunciating 5. precursor 6. arbitrary 7. repose 8. fretwork 9. obstinate 10. dunning 11. plausibly 12. unassailable 13. presentiment 14. Indisposition 15. Pell-mell 16. punctuated 17. discernible 18. entreaty 19. availed 20. exasperating 21. impeded 22. palpitating 23. concierge 24. laborious 25. execrate 26. ministrations 27. bogey 28. rucked 29. admonitions 30. mulishness

Summer Reading Assignment 11 After completing the novels, choose one prompt for two books of your choice. Choose a different prompt for each of your chosen books.

1. Character astrology signs. After reading brief descriptions of the astrology or sun signs, figure out which signs you think three of the main characters from your book were born under. Write an explanation of why you think they fit the sign, drawing on their actions, attitudes, and thoughts from the book. 2. Create a childhood for a character. If your main character is an adult, try to figure out what he or she would have been like as a child. Write the story of his or her childhood in such a way that shows why he or she is the way he or she is in the novel. 3. Social worker’s report. If the events in the novel merit it, write up a report as a social worker would on the conditions in the home and whether or not it’s a good environment for a child. Include specific incidences. 4. School counselor’s recommendation letter. Write a summary appraisal from the school counselor’s point of view that assess the character’s academic and personal qualities and promise for study in college. The college is particularly interested in evidence about character, relative maturity, integrity, independence, values, special interest, and any noteworthy talents or qualities. Why do you feel this student would be well-suited to attend college? 5. Radio exchange. Your character calls into a radio show for advice. Choose which show your character would call in to and then create the conversation he or she would have with the radio advice giver. Your written ‘conversation’ should be equivalent to a fifteen to twenty minute interview. 6. Word collage. Write the title of the book in the center of a sheet of paper. Then look through magazines for words, phrases, and sentences that illustrate or tell something about your book. You must represent the theme, setting, plot line, as well as characters. Work to get fifty such words, phrases or sentences so the whole sheet of paper will be covered. The visual impact of the collage should tell a potential reader a great deal about the book. (wordle is not acceptable, work must be original, and no larger than 11” x 17”.)

Summer Reading Assignment 12

7. Yearbook entries. Imagine what three or four characters from your novel were like in high school. Cut out a picture of a person from a magazine to represent each character. Mount one picture per page and under each picture place the following information which you will create: nickname of character; activities, clubs, sports they were in and what years; class mock award such as “class clown”; quotation that shows something about the person and what is important to him or her; favorites such as colors and foods; a book that has had a great impact on him or her; voted “most-likely-to” what?; plans after high school. (no larger than 11” x 17”). 8. Letter exchange. Create a letter exchange between a character and the author or write a series (5 minimum) of self-reflective letters from several characters on what the character learned about himself, others, and life. 9. File a complaint. Adapt the persona of one of the characters who you feel was portrayed in a sexist or racist manner. Write up a complaint explaining what you feel was unjust in your portrayal and explain the actions you would like the author to take to remedy the biased portrayal. 10. Name analysis. Select a few (at least 4) of the characters from the novel. Look up each of their names in a name book or online to see what the name means. Write all the meanings down and then write a short essay for each character explaining in what ways the name is suitable and in what ways the name does not fit the character.

Each project will be worth 25 points based on the 4 point rubric.

College Essay

50 points

When applying for admission to your selected colleges, most colleges will require you to write a personal statement to submit along with your college application. The personal statement is used by most colleges to help them evaluate the type of person you are, which can help differentiate yourself from other applicants who have similar academic backgrounds to yours. This is your opportunity to showcase your written communication skills. Things to keep in mind as you construct your essay: Keep it personal, feel free to be funny or creative but don’t overreach; tell them something they don’t already know; be thoughtful; and proof your work.

Summer Reading Assignment 13

NOTES:

Summer Reading Assignment 14

Book Project Rubric 4 General Appearance, Completeness, & Organization

Creativity

Textual Evidence

Overall Impression

3

2

1

Project is Project is beautifully attractive and constructed with demonstrates masterful use of adequate use of detail and detail and attention to space. literary relationships.

Evidence of Project appears some constructed planning but without inadequate adequate use of space planning and and less than attention to expected detail. attention to detail. Reflects unique Reflects Reflects Does not or inventive creative use of shallow or demonstrate thinking, tying detail to inadequate thoughtful visual elements communicate relationship relationship of project to significant between between underlying element(s) of project and project and themes. the story, story. story. Project provides Project Project Project does strong textual provides some provides little not provide evidence to the textual textual textual book. evidence to the evidence to evidence to the book. the book. book. Goes beyond the Adequate Falls short. Inadequate book. Very representation effort. impressive. of the book.

You will be required to have a 3-ring binder (1” – 1 ½ ”) with dividers for class. It would be advisable to get one and label a section for vocabulary words and literary terms. You should look up all unknown words and record the definitions in your binder.