Honors English 9

Honors English 9 Independent Reading Assignment

Assignment: As a part of your marking period in Writing Lab, you are required to complete an independent reading and a correlating assignment. THIS IS A MAJOR PART OF YOUR WRITING LAB GRADE.

Pre-approved books can be found on Ms. Pancari’s Teacher Page.

The book must be approved by Friday, September 18 th .

It is YOUR responsibility to notify your teacher the book you have selected. If you fail to meet with your teacher, consequences will ensue. Parents will be contacted and points will be deducted.

INDEPENDENT READING ASSIGNMENT Analysis Questions

Directions: Complete each section as stated.

Section 1: Answer all questions. 1. Every narrative consists of a central problem or issue, which you have learned as the “conflict.” Explain the conflict or issue that is central to your book. 2. What is the setting(s) of your book? Is the setting integral to the plot? Does it have symbolic meaning or is it merely the backdrop? (I.e., Did the story have to take place when or where it did?) 3. Most authors try to create characters that are both realistic and well-drawn. As a part of that, they attempt to create characters that experience growth and change. Choose the/a central character and illustrate how he or she has grown or changed. 4. Theme does not have to be “the moral to a story,” but instead is frequently an abstract concept that develops throughout the novel. Theme impacts every other element of the story, from plot to character to setting. Choose a key line that represents the central theme, including correct page number. Be sure to explain why this quotation is central to the book. 5. Relate your novel to another you have read in at least one of the following areas: plot, character, or theme. Make sure not to simply summarize the plot, describe the characters, or restate any previous answer. Instead, think of this novel in comparison to another in one of the above areas.

Section 2: Answer any three questions. 1. Explain how foreshadowing is used in the novel. Foreshadowing is a writer’s use of hints or clues to suggest events that will occur later in the story. The hints and clues might be included in a character’s dialogue or behavior, or they might be included in details of description. Foreshadowing creates suspense, mystery, and surprise, and makes readers eager to find out what will happen. 2. Explain how irony is used in the novel. Irony is a special kind of contrast between appearance and reality – usually one in which reality is the opposite of what it seems. One type of irony is situational irony, a contrast between what a reader or character expects and what actually exists or happens. Another type of irony is dramatic irony, where the reader or viewer knows something that a character does not know. Verbal irony exists when someone knowingly exaggerates or says one thing and means another. 3. Explain any allusions in the novel. An allusion is an indirect reference to a famous person, place, event, or literary work. 4. Describe how any characters stock characters. In literature, a simplified or stock character who conforms to a fixed pattern or is defined by a single trait is known as a stereotype. Such a character does not usually demonstrate the complexity of a real person. 5. Tone is the voice of the author, which may be developed through word choice, literary devices, themes, and setting. Justify what you believe is the author’s tone in the novel. (Some examples are “tone” may be playful, formal, intimate, angry, serious, ironic, outraged, baffled, tender, serene, depressed.) In some cases, it may be more appropriate to discuss mood.

Section 3: Answer all components. 1. As you read, locate 20-25 difficult vocabulary words in your novel. a. Define each word b. give a synonym c. write the original sentence in which the word occurred

Requirements for answering questions: o Use details, examples, and specific information from your novel to support each answer. o Follow MLA format for heading, font, spacing, margins, and citations. o Each answer must be at least 6 sentences, but should not exceed ten. When appropriate, break your answers up into more than one paragraph. o Answers must be original. Any collaboration, plagiarism, or borrowed materials are prohibited and will result in a zero, as per school policy. o NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Due Date: Wednesday, October 14th