English 12 AP Literature Summer Reading Miss Ricci Email: [email protected] (Use this email address to submit your two summer due date assignments, and to ask any questions you may have along the way.). Welcome to senior year and to AP Literature! I am glad that you have chosen to take this collegelevel literature class. The focus of the course will be preparing you for the AP test in May, through literary analysis and sample tests. A large part of the course will focus on British literature. Your summer reading is a sampling of the kinds of activities and readings we will encounter this year. I’d like to tell you a bit about what to expect: 1. This is a literature class, so you must be willing to read the assigned novels and plays. Reading just a part of the book or just reading study aids like Cliff Notes will not prepare you for college and the AP test. If you don’t like to read, this probably isn’t the class for you. 2. A major goal of this class is to prepare you for college. We will work on improving your writing skills, so by the end of the course, you will feel more comfortable about writing for your college classes. 3. We will work on your critical thinking skills. 4. There will be homework most nights. 5. You will be well-prepared to get college credit by doing well on the AP Literature test next May. What is AP Literature? The guiding questions of this course are simple; they are “Why?” and “What is the author’s purpose?” We will read and discuss short and long pieces of literature and ask questions such as: “Why does the character act that way? “How does it affect the author’s purpose?” “Why does the author use this particular image?” “Why is this symbol used? How does it affect the meaning of the work as a whole?” It is good to find examples of literary devices, tone, etc., but in this class we will discover how these examples affect the meaning of the work as a whole, and how they reveal the author’s purpose. This is literary analysis. Summer Reading Literature and Assignments: Literature: You will read each of the following: A. Designated chapters from How to Read Literature Like a Professor (Revised Edition), by Thomas C. Foster (you will use this in conjunction with one of the literary choices below) B. A Shakespearean play (Choose ONE) : Othello or The Tempest C. Choice of one Classical novel from the list provided: Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevski Great Expectations, Charles Dickens The Awakening, Kate Chopin Billy Bud, Herman Melville The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift D. Choice of one Modern novel from the list provided: Beloved, Toni Morrison

The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Edward Albee Woman Warrior, Maxine Hong Kingston Native Speaker, Chang-Rae Lee Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce 1984, George Orwell E. 3 poems (attached)

Assignments: You will decide which play or novel you will use for each of the assignments. You may only use each work once. Everyone will do the same poetry assignment, however. ALL WORK NEEDS TO BE TYPED. The assignments are as follows (the directions are below): 1. Chapters and questions for How to Read Literature Like a Professor, used in conjunction with one of the plays or novels. (Due July 15th by 11:59PM) 2. Essay (due August 12th by 11:59PM) (please use an email account other than gmail, as student Google accounts will be down during this time; it will be back up on the 19th) 3. Novel/Play Analysis Outline (due first day of school) 4. Poetry Analysis (due the first day of school) 1. How to Read Literature Like a Professor (Revised Edition) (Due July 15th) Read and Annotate chapters 1, 3, 10, 21, 24 and 25 in How to Read Literature Like a Professor; then relate these chapters to one of the novel (or the play) that you choose to read. (See instructions below.) Directions: Read chapters 1, 3, 9, 21, 24 and 25. Using quotations from both texts – How to Read Literature... and one of your novels (or the play)– answer the question accompanying the quotation. This should be a well‐written discussion (at least 2-3 paragraphs per question) of the message Foster is expressing in How to Read Literature Like a Professor and the message the author is expressing in their novel. Make sure you label which question you are answering! 1. Every Trip is a Quest (Except When it’s Not) (Chapter 1): ― “The real reason for a quest is always selfknowledge” (Foster 3). In the novel, what is the quest? Choose a character and explain how he/she gains self‐ Knowledge. 2. Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires (Chapter 3): ― “Sometimes the really scary bloodsuckers are entirely human” (Foster 18). Which character in the book can function as a vampire type character and why? How does this effect the novel as a whole?

3. It’s More Than Just Rain or Snow (Chapter 9): ―“It’s never just rain” (Foster 75). Choose a scene where weather or the environment is more than what it seems and explain

the significance. 4. Marked for Greatness (Chapter 21): ―“How many stories do you know in which the hero is different from everyone else in some way. . .” (Foster 195). Who is the hero in the novel? How do you know he/she is the hero? Is there a visible, physical difference between the hero and other characters? Why would this be important? 5. Don’t Read With Your Eyes (Chapter 24): ― “...take the works as they were intended to be taken...” (Foster 228). Choose a quote that reflects the overall meaning of the work. What did you glean from this reading experience? 6. It’s My Symbol and I’ll Cry if I Want To (Chapter 25)---- “How does (the author) use the image? What does he mean to say by it?... We also have another set of tools available: our own good sense and reading savvy.” Choose a symbol in the book and explain what it means and how it helps establish a theme.

2. ESSAY: Using a play or novel from the choices provided, select one of the open-ended essay prompts listed and construct an essay that thoroughly addresses the prompt. The essay should be 2-3 pages in length, using MLA format. We will use this essay as a baseline, as we will practice open-ended responses throughout the year. (Due August 12th) AP Lit and Comp Question 3: Open-Ended Response 1973. An effective literary work does not merely stop or cease; it concludes. In the view of some critics, a work that does not provide the pleasure of significant closure has terminated with an artistic fault. A satisfactory ending is not, however, always conclusive in every sense; significant closure may require the reader to abide with or adjust to ambiguity and uncertainty. In an essay, discuss the ending of a novel and/or play of acknowledged literary merit. Explain precisely how and why the ending appropriately or inappropriately concludes the work. Do not merely summarize the plot. 1985. A critic has said that one important measure of a superior work of literature is its ability to produce in the reader a healthy confusion of pleasure and disquietude. Select a literary work that produces this "healthy confusion." Write an essay in which you explain the sources of the "pleasure and disquietude" experienced by the readers of this work. 1996. The British novelist Fay Weldon offers this observation about happy endings. "The writers, I do believe, who get the best and most lasting response from their readers are the writers who offer a happy ending through moral development. By a happy ending, I do not mean mere fortunate events—a marriage or a last minute rescue from death—but some kind of spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation, even with the self, even at death." Choose a novel and/or play that has this kind of ending Weldon describes. In a well-written essay, identify the "spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation" evident in the ending and explain its significance in the work as a whole. 2004. Critic Roland Barthes has said, "Literature is the question minus the answer." Choose a novel and/or play and, considering Barthes' observation, write an essay in which you analyze a central question the work raises and the extent to which it offers an answer. Explain how the author’s treatment of this question affects your understanding of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

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 and/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 on the work as a whole.

3. NOVEL ANALYSIS OUTLINE: Please complete section I-IV of the outline, and then choose ONE of the additional three sections (for a total of five sections). (A “section” refers to all that is beneath the Roman numerals) for the novel or play of your choice. Be sure to answer all parts of the the sections completely and thoroughly, pointing to textual evidence as much as possible to support your points. Outline format is sufficient. (Due the first day of school) I.

First Reactions A. Immediately after finishing the novel or play, write your reactions. B. Try to relate the action or outcome of the story to your own life or reading experience. 1. Did you see yourself? 2. Did you learn a lesson? 3. Did you remember something from your past that you had forgotten? 4. Were you inspired to write a great novel or paint a picture, or make a new friend? 5. What did you learn that you didn’t know before? II. Plot and Other Elements A. Setting. 1. Time, place, situation. 2. Actual geographic location (you may include a map here.) 3. Time period, history or season (as appropriate) in which the action takes place. 4. General environment of the characters (for example, the religious, mental, moral, B. Characters. List the major characters and include the following for each: 1. Conflicts (internal or external) that motivate and shape the character. 2. 2 or 3 words – key personality traits – that characterize each person (for example, C. Point of View. Which is used? (For example, first person objective/subjective, third person omniscient/limited omniscient.) D. Plot. 1. Summary VERY SHORT (50 words or less) plot line. 2. Identify where the major climax is, what conflict it solved, and the reactions of the 3. List any parallel or recurring events you see. 4. Ending – purpose? E. Opening. Summarize first few pages (beginning scene.)

III. Commentary on Plot and Structure A. What is the significance of the title to the work? B. What effect is created by the opening pages? C. For each character identify the following. What values do they hold? What purpose do they have in the book? How does the society of the story influence each character? D. Was the conclusion a satisfactory ending to the work? Why/ why not? If not, then how would you have ended the work, and why? E. How do each of the settings make the work more interesting?

F. Describe the society of the book (the fictional one created by the author.) IV. Theme and Other Abstract Ideas A. What are the major themes (short phrases for each) of the work? B. How is each of these themes portrayed in the work? C. What are the moral and ethical problems explored in the story? D. Archetypal themes or motif and patterns? Describe. E. List 3 cause/effect relationships found in the story. F. How does the author use imagery, symbolism, allusions, etc. to develop his themes? V. Memorable Lines, Scenes A. Write down any memorable lines from the book that you liked or that illustrated important ideas in the work. (at least five) B. Write a commentary for each set of lines in A. Why is each memorable and how does it enhance the meaning of the work? C. Find quotations that illustrate the author’s skill in establishing mood/tone, imagery, theme, etc. VI. Style and Rhetoric A. Describe the author’s overall style and pick several examples that illustrate it. B. How do the author’s diction, grammar, sentence structure, organization, point of view, etc. deliver the theme, character development, and purpose of the work? C. Which rhetorical devices does the author use to get his/her message across to the reader? (emotional or logical appeal? Both?)

VII. Personal Relevance (Choose 5) A. Write a different ending to the book. Tell why you changed it. B. Tell 5 ways in which the main character is like you. C. How is this work relevant to our time? D. Did this book remind you of anything that has happened to you? What? E. Did this book give you any new ideas about yourself? What? F. Write a letter to a friend recommending this book. G. Tell about a time when something similar in the story happened to you or someone you H. Pretend you are one of the characters in the book. Write a diary about the happenings in I. What changes would have to be made if the book occurred 300 years ago? J. What difference did it make to you (in your life) that you read this book? What do you think enhance the meaning of the work? 4. POETRY ANALYSIS: TPCASTT is a method of analyzing poetry that gives you a guide to work from when you’re trying to figure out what a poem means. It’s an excellent way to “cover the bases”, rather than just asking someone to tell what he/she thinks the poem might mean. Below is a description of what you should analyze in each step. Directions: Analyze each of the poems using the TPCASTT method, step by step. Annotate the poems as you analyze; write notes to yourself, underline/highlight key ideas, figures of speech, interesting diction, etc. Address each of the components of TPCASTT in a typed outline format. Print the poems out so you can annotate them. (Due the first day of school)

Title: Take a look at the title before you even read the poem. What could it mean? Sometimes, the title is very straightforward – that tells you a great deal about what to expect from the poem. Often, the title is somewhat cryptic in nature. That should tell you something about what to expect, too. Paraphrase: What is the literal meaning of the poem? It’s difficult to get the figurative meaning of the poem if you can’t figure out the literal meaning. Connotation: This is the most important part of your analysis; it’s where you should demonstrate the most work. What is the implied meaning, and how does the poet convey this meaning? (Hint: It does NOT simply mean “negative” or “positive” connotation.) Sample ideas to look for: 1. Specific diction 2. Syntax 3. Imagery 4. Symbols and Motifs 5. Poetry terms such as metaphor, simile, hyperbole, alliteration, paradox, allusion, rhyme scheme, etc. 6. In short, any literary device used in the poem fits under the connotation category. Attitude: What is the tone of the poem? Come up with at least two tone words that pinpoint the exact attitude of the poet toward the topic. Shift: There is a shift of some sort in nearly every poem written. It might be a shift in tone, in subject matter, in meaning, in rhyme scheme – anything. Look for the shift, and then decide why the poet has a shift in that particular Title: Take another look at the title. What does it mean to you now that you’ve analyzed the poem? Theme: In a sentence, what is the theme, the poet’s message? In other words, what statement about life is the poet making? Be careful: theme is difficult to nail down, and all too often students put down the subject matter instead of the theme.

#1 – Sonnet 107, William Shakespeare Not mine own fears, nor the prophetic soul Of the wide world dreaming on things to come, Can yet the lease of my true love control, Supposed as forfeit to a confined doom.

The mortal moon hath her eclipse endured, And the sad augurs mock their own presage; Incertainties now crown themselves assured, And peace proclaims olives of endless age. Now with the drops of this most balmy time, My love looks fresh, and Death to me subscribes, Since, spite of him, I’ll live in this poor rhyme, While he insults o’er dull and speechless tribes: And thou in this shalt find thy monument, When tyrants’ crests and tombs of brass are spent.

# 2- “Woman Work” by Maya Angelou (1928-2014) I've got the children to tend The clothes to mend The floor to mop The food to shop Then the chicken to fry The baby to dry I got company to feed The garden to weed I've got shirts to press The tots to dress The can to be cut I gotta clean up this hut Then see about the sick And the cotton to pick. Shine on me, sunshine Rain on me, rain Fall softly, dewdrops And cool my brow again. Storm, blow me from here With your fiercest wind Let me float across the sky 'Til I can rest again. Fall gently, snowflakes Cover me with white Cold icy kisses and Let me rest tonight. Sun, rain, curving sky Mountain, oceans, leaf and stone

Star shine, moon glow You're all that I can call my own.

#3 “My Papa’s Waltz,” Theodore Roethke The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy; But I hung on like death: Such waltzing was not easy. We romped until the pans Slid from the kitchen shelf; My mother's countenance Could not unfrown itself. The hand that held my wrist Was battered on one knuckle; At every step you missed My right ear scraped a buckle. You beat time on my head With a palm caked hard by dirt, Then waltzed me off to bed Still clinging to your shirt.