THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET AP LITERATURE SUMMER READING PROJECT PART 1
This part of the project is focused on The House on Mango Street, a coming-of-age novel by Mexican-American writer Sandra Cisneros. The novel consists of what Cisneros calls “lazy poems,” vignettes that are not quite poems and not quite full stories. Narrated by Esperanza Cordero, a young Latino girl, the novel explores her life growing up in Chicago with Chicanos and Puerto Ricans. The project for this novel will be due September 7/8, 2016 (the second week of school). You may purchase a copy of the novel, or you may use the link below to read the novel online for free. This link also has a free audio version of the novel. House on Mango Street full text online Please type your response below.
Assignment:
1. Personal Connection: Choose a struggle or experience that any character in the novel faces and explain how you can personally relate to this. Note that this connection does not mean you have experienced exactly what the character experienced. It simply means you have felt something similar. For example, you might be able to identify with Juliet’s feelings of betrayal in Romeo and Juliet even though you have likely never been in her exact situation. Identify the character, the struggle or experience, and how you relate to this. Include specific details from the novel and write at least 200 words.
2. Minor Characters: Because this novel is made up of a series of vignettes, many characters are introduced throughout that are minor yet significant because they help capture Esperanza’s experiences growing up on Mango Street.
Choose ten vignettes below and type one meaningful quote and a brief explanation of 3-4 sentences. Your explanation should demonstrate an understanding of not only this character, but also how this character’s experiences reflect the larger themes of the novel. Also look for connections you see among these characters – shared experiences or feelings.
A. “Cathy Queen of Cats” Meaningful Quote: Explanation:
B. “Meme Ortiz” Meaningful Quote: Explanation:
C. “Louie, His Cousin & His Other Cousin” Meaningful Quote: Explanation:
D. “Marin” Meaningful Quote: Explanation:
E. “There Was an Old Woman She Had So Many Children She Didn’t Know What to Do” Meaningful Quote: Explanation:
F. “Alicia Who Sees Mice” Meaningful Quote: Explanation: G. “Darius & the Clouds” Meaningful Quote: Explanation: H. “Papa Who Wakes Up Tired in the Dark” Meaningful Quote: Explanation:
I. “Born Bad” Meaningful Quote: Explanation:
J. “Geraldo No Last Name” Meaningful Quote: Explanation:
K. “No Speak English” Meaningful Quote: Explanation:
L. “Rafaela Who Drinks Coconut & Papaya Juice on Tuesdays” Meaningful Quote: Explanation:
M. “Sally” Meaningful Quote: Explanation:
N. “Minerva Writes Poems” Meaningful Quote: Explanation:
O. “A Smart Cookie” Meaningful Quote: Explanation:
P. “What Sally Said” Meaningful Quote: Explanation:
Q. “Linoleum Roses” Meaningful Quote: Explanation:
Note: You are expected to read the novel in its entirety. The first few weeks of school will consist of activities that relate to this novel. HOW TO READ LITERATURE LIKE A PROFESSOR AP LITERATURE SUMMER READING PROJECT PART 2
This part of the project is focused on a nonfiction book written by a college English professor. You are only required to read the chapters listed below; however, if you feel compelled to read the whole book, we certainly aren’t going to stop you. The project for this book will be due September 7/8, 2016 (the second week of school). You may purchase a copy of the book, or you may use the link below to read the novel online for free. How to Read Literature Like a Professor Please type your response below.
Assignment For each chapter below, type 3 bulleted notes that identify the information you found to be the most important or meaningful in the chapter. Your notes should be in your own words, meaning you should paraphrase the information.
1. “Every Trip is a Quest”
A. B. C.
2. “Nice to Eat with You”
A. B. C.
3. “It’s More Than Just Rain”
A. B. C.
4. “Is That a Symbol?”
A. B. C.
5. “He’s Blind for a Reason, You Know”
A. B. C.
6. “It’s My Symbol and I’ll Cry If I Want To” A. B. C.
7. AP LITERATURE 1ST QUARTER READING PROJECT NOVEL OF YOUR CHOICE
Directions: 1. Choose one novel from the list below that you have not previously read. Because the beginning of senior year can often be very busy due to college applications, we strongly recommend reading this book before the school year begins. Note that you will also have other reading assignments in AP Lit on a daily basis.
2. Complete the brief assignment at the end of this document. This will be due on September 21/22.
Note: In the beginning of the year, you will receive a longer project to complete for this novel in addition to the assignment below. The extended project will be due near the middle of the first quarter (specific date to be decided). You will then have a similar project due for the second, third, and fourth quarters. The reading list will expand as the year progresses, and we strongly encourage you to read at least one work written before 1900 during the year.
Please note that these books may have mature themes as AP Lit is considered a college-level course (think: trigger warnings). We have indicated some of these in red font below.
A Lesson Before Dying* by Ernest Gaines (1993) Difficulty: Easy Length: Short Set in a small Cajun community in the late 1940s. Jefferson, a young black man, is an unwitting party to a liquor store shoot out in which three men are killed; the only survivor, he is convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Grant Wiggins, who left his hometown for the university, has returned to the plantation school to teach. As he struggles with his decision whether to stay or escape to another state, his aunt and Jefferson's godmother persuade him to visit Jefferson in his cell and impart his learning and his pride to Jefferson before his death.
Catch-22* by Joseph Heller (1925) Difficulty: Medium Length: Long Set in the closing months of World War II, Captain John Yossarian, the novel's protagonist, is a bombardier (a member of a fighter plane crew that is in charge of aiming and releasing bombs) in the 256th Squadron of the Army Air Forces, stationed on a fictionalized island off the coast of Italy. Yossarian has one wish: to survive the madness of war. He's convinced that everyone is trying to kill him. Yossarian has to survive the dangerous combat missions he flies, while his commanding officer continues to increase the number of missions his men must complete. This satirical novel uses a distinctive non-chronological third-person omniscient narration, describing events from the points of view of different characters. The separate storylines are out of sequence so that the timeline develops along with the plot.
Frankenstein* by Mary Shelley (1818) Difficulty: Hard Length: Medium A science fiction epistolary novel set in the 18th century that tells the tragic tale of how a scientist creates a monster and then abandons it in horror. This novel examines the ideas of monstrosity, alienation, and the responsibility scientists have for their creations. (We suggest you pair the audio book with the written text, as it often makes the novel more accessible and enjoyable.)
Jane Eyre* by Charlotte Brontë (1847) Difficulty: Medium Length: Long This coming of age novel follows the journey of an impoverished young woman who struggles to maintain her autonomy in the face of oppression, prejudice, and love. This story explores the themes of independence, religion, and social class. This coming of age novel follows the journey of an impoverished young woman who struggles to maintain her autonomy in the face of oppression, prejudice, and love. This story explores the themes of independence, religion, and social class. (We suggest you pair the audio book with the written text, as it often makes the novel more accessible and enjoyable.)
Pride and Prejudice* by Jane Austen (1813) Difficulty: Hard Length: Medium The satirical novel centers on Elizabeth Bennet, the second of the five daughters of a country gentleman, as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education, and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of early 19th-century England. The novel mocks the morals and social structure of the time and the bias against women, with the intent of pointing out the flaws and correcting them. (We suggest you pair the audio book with the written text, as it often makes the novel more accessible and enjoyable.)
Tess of the D’Urbervilles* by Thomas Hardy (1881) Difficulty: Hard Length: Long Using richly poetic language to frame a shattering narrative of love, seduction, betrayal, and murder, Hardy tells the story of Tess Durbeyfield, a beautiful young woman living with her impoverished family in a 19th century English village. After the family learns of their connection to the wealthy d’Urbervilles, they send Tess to claim a portion of their fortune. With a pivotal scene depicting an act of sexual violence, the novel presents a frank look at the sexual hypocrisy of Victorian society. (We suggest you pair the audio book with the written text, as it often makes the novel more accessible and enjoyable.) The Color Purple* by Alice Walker (1982) Difficulty: Medium Length: Medium Taking place mostly in rural Georgia, the story focuses on the life of women of color in the southern United States in the 1930s, addressing numerous issues including their exceedingly low position in American social culture. Celie has grown up in rural Georgia, navigating a childhood of ceaseless physical, sexual, and mental abuse. Not only is she poor and despised by the society around her, she’s badly treated by her family. As a teenager she begins writing letters directly to God in an attempt to transcend a life that often seems too much to bear. Her letters span twenty years and record a journey of self-discovery and empowerment through the guiding light of a few strong women and her own implacable will to find harmony with herself and her home.
The Great Gatsby* by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925) Difficulty: Medium Length: Medium The novel takes place in the summer of 1922 in New York at the height of the Jazz Age as Jay Gatsby, a self-made man, attempts to woo the woman he loves. This novel explores the ideas of the American dream, social class, and moral values.
The Joy Luck Club* by Amy Tan (1989) Difficulty: Medium Length: Long Tells the stories of four immigrant women from China – their hopes, fears, and tragic pasts – as well as the stories of their four American-born daughters. This mother-daughter story encompasses numerous universal themes, such as family, hope, love, sacrifice, strength, and wishes for a better life. The novel reveals the hidden pasts of the older women and their daughters and how their lives are shaped by the clash of Chinese and American cultures as they strive to understand their family bonds and one another.
The Poisonwood Bible* by Barbara Kingsolver (1998) Difficulty: Medium Length: Long This novel is told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it—from garden seeds to Scripture—is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family's tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in post-colonial Africa.
The Secret Life of Bees* by Sue Monk Kidd (2002) Difficulty: Easy Length: Medium This novel, set in South Carolina in 1964, tells the story of 14-year-old white girl, Lily Melissa Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. This coming-of-age story acknowledges the predicament of loss and betrayal.
The Sun Also Rises* by Ernest Hemingway (1926) Difficulty: Medium Length: Short This novel follows a group of American and British expatriates who travel from Paris to Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls and the bullfights. Hemingway presents his notion that the "Lost Generation," considered to have been decadent, dissolute and irretrievably damaged by World War I, was resilient and strong. Additionally, Hemingway investigates the themes of love, death, renewal in nature, and the nature of masculinity.
Things Fall Apart* by Chinua Achebe (1958) Difficulty: Easy Length: Medium This post-colonial novel follows a Nigerian clan leader who, terrified of being like his father, brings destruction and tragedy on himself and his family. This novel explores the ideas of change and tradition, language and culture, as well as the role of masculinity.
Wuthering Heights* by Emily Brontë (1847) Difficulty: Hard Length: Long This gothic novel set in the late 1770s tells the story of a mistreated man who is robbed of true love and his plans to revenge himself on his abusers. This novel explores the themes of social class, the conflicts between nature and culture, and the destructiveness of love. (We suggest you pair the audio book with the written text, as it often makes the novel more accessible and enjoyable.)
Note: If a novel has an asterisk (*) next to the title, it is a work that you may borrow from the English Department for this assignment. All other novels you must acquire on your own.
Complete all of the following after finishing the book. Please type all responses.
1. Complete the chart below by selecting 4 quotations – 1 from each quarter of the book. Include page numbers (or percentages for digital books) for each quotation. That means if your book is 200 pages, you should have one quote from page 1-50, one from 51-100, one from 101-150, and one from 150-200. For each quotation, explain why these quotes are significant. For example, you could explain how they add to the overall meaning of your work. Do they mark a pivotal scene or shift in a character’s perspective? Does this quotation reflect a theme, symbol, characterization, turning point, etc.? Write 3 – 4 sentences for each quotation.
Page # or % Quote Explanation 1st quarter of novel 2nd quarter of novel
3rd quarter of novel
4th quarter of novel
2. Write a personal, informal response to the book. Write a paragraph that includes the following: Did you like it? Why or why not? Did you feel angry, entertained, amused, intrigued, confused, sad, inspired, etc. while reading? Would you recommend it to others? Why or why not? Include specific references to the text in your response. Do not summarize the plot. Write at least 200 words. Include word count.
3. What connections can you make between this book and other things in your life? Write a paragraph that includes the following: Does it remind you of a movie, a television show, a different book, a song, a work of art, or a real life experience? Explain with specific references to the text. Do not summarize the plot. Write at least 200 words. Include word count.
Note: Your responses to the above questions may be informal. We want to read your thoughts and responses; we do NOT want to read summaries and information you found on the Internet. Note that you will be submitting these assignments on TurnItIn.com, an Internet-based plagiarism-prevention service. We expect integrity and honesty from all of our students, and we know you won’t let us down. We can’t wait to meet you and get to know you next year.