AP ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION SYLLABUS SUBMISSION

COURSE OVERVIEW:

This course is designed to teach beginning-college writing through the fundamentals of rhetorical theory, and follows the curricula requirements defined in the AP English Course Description. We will read and write everyday and continually improve our writing. The types of required writing assignments are varied (several short critical papers, explicating poetry and drama and analytical papers that are also research based). The essays will be based on close textual analysis of structure, style (figurative language, imagery, symbolism, tone, etc), and also the social and historical values surrounding the author and his work.

Students will be expected to read, discuss, and write about literary works from various genres and periods from the sixteenth to twenty-first centuries. We will focus on renowned works of literary merit and get to know a few works particularly well, delving into the faceted world surrounding the work and its author. Students will read short stories, poems, essays, plays, and novels. Vocabulary will be weekly, grammar will be studied on an as-needed basis, and reading and writing will occur daily. “By the end of the AP English Literature and Composition course, students should be able to approach a poem, a prose work, and a play and—proceeding beyond visceral and emotional reactions-respond to it analytically and critically both orally and in writing” (The College Board. AP English Course Description, May 2007, May 2008.6).

Grading for the course will be comprised mainly of essays, tests, and discussions. However, as in all English courses, there will be other projects graded.

The following criteria will be handled on an ongoing basis:

While students should already be overly familiar with many of the basic and main literary elements, we will learn new literary elements/devices each week. Students will be asked to either demonstrate their understanding of the terms or identify the use of the terms in literature. Literary terms and concepts should always be used in analytical writing. The following is only a tentative list; expect it to lengthen as we find more terms in the works that we read.

Adventure novel Anaphora Burlesque

Allegory Antithesis Canon

Alliteration Apostrophe Coming-of-age story

Allusion Assonance Conceit

Analogy Blank Verse Diacope End-stopped Meter Ridicule

Enjambed Metonymy Romance

Epithet Mock Epic Sarcasm

Euphemism Novel Satire

Flashback Novella Setting

Foot Novel of manners Simile

Frame Onomatopoeia Sonnet

Free verse Oxymoron Style

Heroic Couplet Parody Subplot.

Humanism Persona Symbol

Hyperbole Personification Tone

Irony Pseudonym Travesty

Literary quality Pulp fiction Understatement

Metaphor Regional novel Verisimilitude

Metaphysical Poetry Rhyme

We will also have weekly discussions in which students will be asked to contribute to the conversation their understandings of the piece of literature being discussed, their identifications of literary elements within it, and their overall opinions of the piece. Deep discussion and debate encourage close and analytical reading as well as writing.

On a weekly basis there will be writing assignments (analytical, expository, and argumentative) varying from shorter “Study Questions” (explained further on) assignments, to well developed essays, to thoughtful reflections and journals, to other forms of writing such as letter writing and creative writing. To improve student writing, each student will be allotted a particular day of the week to meet and discuss his or her writing with the instructor. On the assigned day, students will be given the opportunity to improve their writing as focus from the instructor is placed on, among many other assets of the individual student’s writing, effective use of rhetoric, fluency, form, correctness, sentence variety, and use of literary terms. While the student and instructor are conferencing, peer editing amongst the other students will take place, again offering the chance for improvement. *For each writing assignment the students and instructor will collaborate to create a 9 point holistic rubric. It will assess diction, syntax, structure, style, specificity, rhetoric and any other elements deemed of pertinence by instructor or student. Rubrics may be used on multiple assignments or new may be made for each assignment, all contingent to the student task at hand.

For each assignment rubrics will be distributed. The instructor and student peers will evaluate the effectiveness of the writing based on adaptations of the Scoring Guide and rubrics. Generally, for each piece, time will be allotted for improvement of the writing through personal, peer, and instructor assessment, allowing for a cogent piece of writing with denotative and connotative accuracy.

As writing progresses, grammar skills and style will be continually honed and practiced using the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers and Writer’s INC: Write for College. Vocabulary quizzes will be weekly and will be taken from relative works of literature.

The following novels will be read prior to the start of or throughout the course. Those to be read during the summer will be indicated by the instructor prior to summer vacation:

Silas Marner by George Eliot

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Watership Down by Richard Adams

The Cathcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

AP ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION REQUIREMENTS:

1. Students must read the assigned four novels over the summer and fall semester. In addition to reading each novel, students must also take notes on each chapter, and find a minimum of five vocabulary words from each book. The notes and vocabulary words will be submitted before the study of each book begins. Notes and vocabulary are mandatory and may be graded.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE SHOULD NOTES, OR SUMMARIES OF NOTES, BE TAKEN FROM OTHER SOURCES, I.E. SPARKNOTES, CLIFFSNOTES OR ANOTHER STUDENT. THIS IS PLAGIARISM AND WILL BE DEALT WITH ACCORDING TO SCHOOL POLICY.

2. All work must be handed in on time. This is a college level course, and therefore, absolutely no late work will be accepted. In all instances, due dates will be given in advance for projects and papers. As a result of the due dates, in the case of absence, any papers or projects will remain due. Daily course work will be completed within the same number of days that were missed. 3. In addition to tests, essays, and reading assignments, students will also be required to participate in all discussions and writing assignments. Whether or not a reflection or discussion will be graded is irrelevant. Students must participate in all activities. Participation will be reflected in the grades of all students.

4. Throughout the course, students should expect to complete a list of “Study Questions” , generally, each week. The guidelines for these assignments are as follows: What is the study question point system? Students receive an “A” (45-50 points) for completed assignments that, to the best of the student’s ability, answer the questions correctly with adequate interpretation, creativity, specificity, and correct grammar. Students receive a “B” (40-44 points) for completed assignments, but there may be some errors in simple interpretation and understanding of the question. Students receive a “C” (35-39 points) if they miss one or two questions (the questions are not answered or the answers are wrong in their entirety) and/or have some errors in simple interpretation. Students receive a “F” (34 -0 points) if they miss several questions, fail to turn in the assignment or turn it in late. There are no “D”’s on “Study Question” assignments. You will be graded according to your effort, detail, and willingness to get deep at times.

5. The grading system is based on previously established guidelines. The following scale will be used: Weighted Grading Reading Comprehension 35% Writing 35% Vocabulary/Grammar/Discussion 20% Presentations/Notes 10%

School Percentage Grading Scale 92.100 A 83.91 B 74.82 C 65.73 D Below 65 F

Introduction to AP English Language and Composition What is literature? Reading, Responding to and Interpreting Literature

Close Reading:

Generally, for this class, whenever you are reading, you should be conducting a close reading. To do a close reading, choose a specific passage and analyze it in fine detail. Comment on points of style and on your reactions as a reader. Close reading is important because it is the foundation for larger analysis. Your thoughts evolve not from someone else's truth about the reading, but from your own observations. The more closely you can observe, the more original and exact your ideas will be. To begin your close reading, ask yourself several specific questions about the passage (is there a mood, style, diction, or any other literary element that jumps out at you?). When you arrive at some answers, you are ready to organize and write. You should organize your close reading like any other kind of essay, paragraph by paragraph, but you can arrange it any way you like.

In Class Review Of:

Essay Writing – Distinction in essay assignment (argumentative, expository, analytical, creative) variations and requirements for different assignments

MLA

In text citations

Literary Elements

Genres

Narrative Voice

UNIT 1: THE VICTORIAN AGE: Silas Marner, George Eliot In addition to reading and discussing the book, students are required to also read the article: Eliot’s Silas Marner, by Ralph Stewart, Acadia University. It is a critical analysis of the book with a different perspective on Eliot’s characterization of each character.

 Notes on Eliot’s time period and biographical information  Discuss the significance of the novel’s epigraph  Identify and analyze foreshadowing events throughout the novel  Define the difference between the religion and superstition within the novel  Read excerpts from: Jude the Obscure by Hardy and selections from Victorian Poetry ed. Valentine Cunningham and Duncan Wu (abridged version) Blackwell Pub. (Browning, Elizabeth Barret Browning, and Tennyson)

Assessment and Composition:

1. List each mention of Molly Farren and of Godfrey’s actions regarding her. What is your assessment of Godfrey? Should he have confessed everything to Nancy before he asked her to marry him? 2. Make a list of the evidence of class distinction made throughout the novel. What class distinctions are evident in our society? Compare the novel to today’s society. 3. From time to time, George Eliot includes statements of general truths about life. List two of these aphorisms. Explain how they are operated in both today’s society and the novel.

Interpretation of lines and quotes Multiple choice and essay test Identify one theme and assert it by identifying three literary elements

Comparison of The Crucible and Silas Marner We will watch the original format of The Crucible (a drama) and discuss the implications of religion and superstition on members of society.

Write a journal discussing the similarities and differences between the two works. Think about the female characters in each and the stresses the society places upon each.

UNIT 2: Senior Project The Senior Project is a state mandated assignment that all Pennsylvania students must complete before they graduate. It is to be completed in this semester and is an ongoing project throughout the course of the semester. There will be periodic lessons on how to prepare for, research, write, and complete the entire project. Students are to pick a topic of their choice, spend great amounts of time researching it and prepare an exhibition of the topic and overall project to be presented to a class and the instructor.

The following areas will be improved on in class: Research methods MLA citations, works cited page, correct in-text citing Thesis workshop Note taking and outlining Public speaking skills

Of the topic, the student will complete: A written presentation An exhibition An oral presentation A self evaluation

UNIT 3: MAN: Savage Beast: Lord of the Flies, William Golding and The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

 Thematic discussion: Loss of Innocence, Civilization vs. Savagery, Man's inhumanity to man; the need for social order; friendship; loneliness and the need for companionship; the dark side of human beings.  Identification of symbols: The Conch Shell, Piggy’s Glasses, The Signal Fire, The Beast, The Lord of the Flies-The Jungle as a metaphor, Packingtown and the stockyards, cans of rotten meat  Read: “The Rocking Horse Winner” by D.H. Lawrence and selected poems by Dylan Thomas  Discussion of Human Rights  Excerpts from Paradise Lost, Milton

Assessment and Composition: 1. Describe the religious imagery in Lord of the Flies: the forces of good and evil, a fall from grace, a savior, and eventual redemption. How does Golding’s depiction of the island compare to the Garden of Eden? 2. Some readers of Lord of the Flies have argued that each and every one of the boys’ actions is nothing more than an attempt to survive in difficult conditions. Think about the mounting of the sow’s head, Simon’s ascent up the mountain, and the murder of Piggy, in particular, as well as any other key scenes that stand out to you. Is it fair to say that the boys’ actions were merely the result of the human survival instinct? Why or why not? If so, can you use these examples to draw from general conclusions about the human instinct to survive? 3. Lord of the Flies has been called a “fable in which the characters are symbols for abstract ideas.” Explain this statement by analyzing each of the major characters (Ralph, Jack, Piggy, Simon and Roger) in terms of his distinctive character traits and the human quality he might symbolize. 4. Defend and or criticize Ralph’s actions as a leader. What were his motivations? Did he contribute to the tragedy in any way? Could he have acted to prevent any of the deaths? What could he have done differently? 5. Suppose the plot of Lord of the Flies involved a planeload of stranded girls, or a mixed group of girls and boy, instead of all boys. Do you think the same violent and cruel tendencies would have emerged on the island? Explain your answer in detail. 6. Events happen on two levels throughout this novel. What happens on the literal level in the book? What does this development mean on a symbolic level? What happens literally to the boys; and what is the author suggesting metaphorically about the structures of civilization?

The Jungle

Based on the novel, write a thoughtful, reflective, well-argued journal on the immigrant experience in the United States between Reconstruction and the First World War. What difficulties did immigrants face in the United States? How did their social and economic lives change? Did they find a promised land of milk and honey? How did their experiences differ from those who already lived in the country?

FINAL: -Argumentative essay test, clear thesis, supporting paragraphs, textual evidence, strong conclusion: pick one of the study questions that you have already answered and elaborate it into a full argumentative essay. Find a stance to support and prove your answer using examples from the text. If you are struggling to find an issue to argue try this: are both Lord of the Flies and The Jungle examples of the inherent evil revealed in mankind?

UNIT 4: Watership Down, Richard Adams There will be no “Study Questions” to complete this week. Instead, as we discuss the book, students are to choose one essay topic to write a rough and final draft for. Both will be graded and returned with opportunities to rewrite and work major ideas within the student’s essay. Students will present their essay and the main ideas within it to the class

"The rabbits became strange in many ways, different from other rabbits. They knew well enough what was happening. But even to themselves they pretended that all was well, for the food was good, they were protected, they had nothing to fear but the one fear; and that struck here and there, never enough at a time to drive them away. They forgot the ways of wild rabbits. They forgot El-ahrairah, for what use had they for tricks and cunning, living in the enemy's warren and paying his price?"

 Interpretation of major quotes  Themes: home, leadership, nature  Characterization of Hazel, Bigwig, and Fiver  Expository Essays: selected readings from Walden and Thoreau-relations to nature

Assessment and Composition:

Essay Options:

1. Write a paper discussing the significance of the novel's ending. There is some controversy as to whether Hazel, upon his death, is met by El-ahrairah or the Black Rabbit of Inlé. What do you think? Why do you suppose the author chose to end the story by skipping ahead and recounting Hazel's death instead of ending it in the present? 2. Analyze the structure of General Woundwort's warren. How is it alike and different from a traditional military structure? 3. Research Watership Down, which is an actual area in England, and compare it to the landscape depicted in the book. 4. An animated movie based on the book Watership Down was produced in 1978. Compare the book and the movie, discussing the similarities and differences between the two. 5. Most of the action in Watership Down centers around the rabbits' search for a new home. Compare this story to another great journey epic such as The Grapes of Wrath. What motivates one to better his or her way of life, even if it means enduring hardships and making sacrifices?

UNIT 5: The Independent Novel and American Novel

Choose a classic American author from the provided list (or choose one to have approved by instructor), underline key passages, make notes in the margins on post its, make interpretive observations on theme, characterization, setting, style, and connect the work to outside literature (avoid plot summary). Write a critical essay on the author (his works, the narrative voice, tone, diction, style of writing, themes in writing, time period in which he wrote in, how these topics are presented in his works, etc.).

 Overview (notes, documentaries, discussion of, and readings of) American Literature  Its connection with the broader tradition of English literature  Introduction to and discussion of: o Colonial literature: read poetry selections by: Anne Bradstreet, Edward Taylor, and Michael Wigglesworth (particularly The Day of Doom) o Early U.S. literature o American lyric o Realism (Twain and James) o Turn of the century o Post-World War II o Contemporary American fiction

Assessment and Composition:

-Formal essay evaluating other works and the American author of choice and a presentation to the class, a brief overview of the author and his works. As always, standard methods of MLA formatting should be used and literary criticisms should be referenced.

UNIT 6: Unique American Style and Gothic Literature We will begin by studying the impact of the War of 1812 on literature. In reading the following works, students will be able to identify the change in authorial voice, point of view, and style in American literature. At this point in literature a desire to produce uniquely American work evolved and authors like: Washington Irving, William Cullen Bryant, James Fenimore Cooper, and Edgar Allan Poe developed works that were strikingly different than what the public audience was once used to. Literature became satirical, humorous, romantic, nature-inspired, psychological, mysterious, and fantasy centered.

What is Gothic Literature? -traditional elements of -horror and romance -origins of gothic (architecture)

Assessment and Composition:

Independently Read: Edgar Allan Poe: The Masque of the Red Death," "The Pit and the Pendulum," and "The Fall of the House of Usher" Washington Irving: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip van Winkle

-Select one of the works read and discuss how it reflects the change in American literature and elements of the newly unique American style that followed the War of 1812.

Brief study of American Lyric Selections and the study of Walt Whitman and Leaves of Grass (main focus on Song of Myself)

Whitman writes: "These are really the thoughts of all men in all ages and lands, they are not original with me...." Journal: After studying his works, is this true? What specific lines lead you to agree or disagree with the claims of his own thoughts and opinions? What literary elements are present in the work that impact your interpretation of Whitman’s work?

UNIT 7: The Turn of the Century: The Great Gatsby and “The Wasteland” After World War I, American writers expressed the disillusionment of American citizens. T.S. Eliot wrote heavy, intense, and sometimes grotesque poetry. In "The Waste Land" he portrayed World War I society in fragmented, haunted images. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald conveyed the pleasure-hungry, defiant mood of the 1920s to his audience.

Independent and Group Discussion of both works (selections of “The Waste Land”)

Assessment and Composition:

Study Questions:

The Great Gatsby

1. Does this novel have villains and heroes? Why, why not? If yes, who fits into these categories and why? 2. Nick is both part of the action and acting as an objective commentator. Does this narration style work? Why, why not? 3. Why are we still reading a book written in the 1920's? What gives a book its longevity? And which of its themes are eternal in the American psyche.

“The Waste Land” Review

1. Identify instances of satire and prophecy 2. In what ways does Eliot experiment with the dramatic monologue throughout his work?

Focus for final unit essay: How can we correlate the works of Gatsby and Eliot? How do the two depict the time in which they lived and wrote? How are they similar and dissimilar?

UNIT 8: Post World War II and The Cathcher in the Rye From the end of World War II until, approximately, the late 1960s and early 1970s some of the most popular works in American history were published. It was at this time that J.D. Salinger wrote The Cathcer in the Rye. It remains controversial for its use of profanity and portrayal of sexuality. It was the thirteenth most frequently challenged book of the 1990s according to the American Library Association. The novel was chosen by TIME Magazine as one of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present.

Major Topics:

Censorship-then and now Setting/Time Period First/Last Chapters: Where is he? Compare and Contrast Is Holden a reliable narrator? What are the parrallels between Ackley and Holden? Sally vs. Jane Psychological unrest

Assement and Composition: -In small groups, pick seven of the eleven words, each is either an image, symbol, and/or motif. Determine which each phrase is and identify its possible meaning(s): Holden’s red hat, Pencey Prep, Central Park, museums, movies, unmade phone calls, Allie’s ball glove, erasing profanity, ducks in the park, “Little Shirley Beans” record, and the carrousel

Read all of the following poems: “Grown Up” by Edna St. Vincent Millay, “Spring and Fall: To a Young Child” by Gerard Manley Hopkins, “The Untrustworthy Speaker” by Louise Gluck

Choose one of the poems to do a close reading of. How does it relate to the novel? What are the correlations between the two? Are there similar literary elements in each work that allude to a specific theme or idea? Write an analytical essay that addresses these concepts. Review class notes and discussion about the time period the novel was written in. Think about the messages of the authors. We will hold in class consultations to review the student’s writing and make improvements. One essay may be submitted twice. As always, standard methods of MLA formatting should be used and literary criticisms should be referenced.

UNIT 9: The Epic, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Beowulf

Notes and in class work on:  Anglo Saxon history  Character Maps  Definition of an epic  Medieval Civilization  Motifs: monsters, the oral tradition, the mead hall  Symbols and Themes  Read excerpts from The Odyssey, The Epic of Gilgamesh, and The Holy Bible

Assessment and Composition:

The questions following Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight will all be discussed in class. However, from each grouping the student must choose one question and develop a full essay to respond to it with. We will hold in class consultations to review the student’s writing and make improvements. One essay may be submitted twice. As always, standard methods of MLA formatting should be used and literary criticisms should be referenced.

Beowulf-Discussion Topics and Plausible Essay Questions

1. What are some of the differences between the poet's world and that of the characters in the poem? What are the continuities between these worlds? Is there irony in our vision of this past age? How does the poet create a distance between the characters and himself and how does he express their own sense of a distant past? 2. Is Beowulf an epic? What sort of social order produces "epic" poetry? What values does the poem promote, and how does it promote them? What sorts of conflicts with or resistances to the ideology of epic can be expressed? What sorts are found within the poem itself? 3. Look at the religious references in Beowulf--what are the names for God? What biblical events are mentioned, and who mentions them? What specifically pagan practices (sacrifice, burial, augury, etc.) are described? How do the characters see their relationship to God (or the gods)? Why would a Christian author write a poem about a pagan hero? Does the heroic code expressed in Beowulf conflict with a Christian sensibility? 4. What is the status of gold and gift-giving in the poem? Who gives gifts, who receives them, and why? Are the modern concepts of wealth, payment, monetary worth and greed appropriate for the world of Beowulf? 5. The manuscript text of Beowulf is divided into forty-three numbered sections (plus an unnumbered prologue); most critics, however, view the structure of the poem as either two- part (Young Beowulf/Old Beowulf) or three-part (the three battles). What grounds do critics have for these arguments? What are some of the ways the poem suggests its structure? What signals does the reader find to indicate endings and beginnings of sections and larger units? 6. Why are there so many stories-within-the-story in the poem? What is the relation between the "digressions" and the main narrative in Beowulf? 7. Every culture makes distinctions between what is inside the social order and what is outside--between the human and the non-human (a category which can include animals, plants, natural processes, monsters and the miraculous). Cultures organize themselves to exclude these `outside' things; social organization also works to control certain violent human tendencies inside the culture (anger, lust, fear, greed, etc.). How does the social world depicted in the poem do this? That is, what does it exclude, and why? What is its attitude towards the "outside" of culture? How does it control the forces that threaten social stability within the hall? 8. In between every story and its audience stands a narrator who tells the story; the narrator has certain attitudes, opinions, interests and objectives which direct the audience's understanding of the story. Describe the relationship between the narrator and the story, and between the narrator and the audience, in Beowulf.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

1. Identify at least three possible symbols used in this work. Explain their significance. 2. How might the appearance of the Green Knight exhibit characteristics of romance? 3. Explore the differences between being confident and being egotistical. Which term do you think best describes the Green Knight? 4. Think about how the surface conflict between Gawain and the Green Knight represents multiple conflicts beneath the surface. What might these other conflicts be? 5. How does the initial depiction of the Green Knight’s lady contrast with the chivalric ideal of women? 6. What is the climax of this work? 7. What does Sir Gawain’s agreement to remain silent about the gift suggest about his character? Overall, how is he characterized throughout the work? 8. How well does Sir Gawain fulfill the Green Knight’s challenge?

UNIT 10: The Middle Ages

 Overview of Medieval history  Biographical information about Geoffrey Chaucer  Fourteenth century poetry  Read and analyze Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales

Assessment and Composition:

Objective test on historical information, and the themes, symbols, and characters of Canterbury Tales

1.) Using Chaucer’s Prologue to The Canterbury Tales, describe the rising middle class of thirteenth and fourteenth century England. In the essay, include the variety of occupations, the degree of wealth, the level of education, and the beginnings of political power represented among the pilgrims.

2.) Compare and contrast at least two sets of characters from the Prologue. What is the significance of these characters? OR (Consider this a separate question, but based on a similar idea) -----Select three characters from the Prologue whom Chaucer seems to be satirizing (i.e., the Wife of Bath, the Summoner, the Prioress, the Knight, or the Pardoner). Using some direct quotations, explain the satire and its significance. 3.) Discuss how Chaucer uses The Pardoner to point out some of the more foolish and deceptive aspects of other characters in the tale as well. 4.) The Pardoner’s Tale is considered a moral tale. What does this mean; and what is the specific moral conveyed by Chaucer? Why and how is the tale ironic in its meaning? 5.) In the tale of the Wife of Bath, Chaucer seems to be exploring two themes. One is that happy marriages only result from women’s sovereignty over men and the other is that the Wife identifies experience and authority as an alternative means of understanding the truth. In detail, prove and explain how these are themes in the work.

UNIT 11: DRAMA Shakespearean Tragedies—Hamlet and Macbeth Notes on:  The basics of drama: theme, structure, spectacle, song, character, plot, soliloquy, aside  The relativity of drama in everyday life  Drama in the modern and postmodern age  Drama as a literary text, writing about drama, responding to drama

Assessment and Composition:

With a partner, create a video or PowerPoint presentation that identifies and interprets either the Freudian/Oedipal complexities, or the feminist portrayals and characteristics within the Shakespeare tragedies of Hamlet and Macbeth. Use specific quotes and literary elements from both of the plays, and be distinctly interpretive with regard to your thesis on the topic you choose.

UNIT 12: The Short Story Notes on:  Review of the basics of fiction: theme, structure, setting, character, plot, dialogue, point-of- view  Traditions of the short story through social and cultural values Readings: Hemingway, “Hills Like White Elephants”; Atwood, “Happy Endings”; Jackson, “The Lottery”; Orwell, “Shooting an Elephant”

Short Composition: In groups, identify the theme or meaning by exploring the authorial choices of the work (style, diction, syntax, sound, figurative language, etc.). Choose one story to analytically write about. As always, standard methods of MLA formatting should be used and literary criticisms should be referenced.

References

Adams, Richard. Watership Down Applebee, Arthur N., ed. The Language of Literature: American Literature. Boston: McDougal Littell, 2002. Applebee, Arthur N., ed. The Language of Literature: British Literature. Boston: McDougal Littell, 2002. Barnet, Sylvan, and William E. Cain A Short Guide to Writing About Literature. 10th ed. New York: Pearson/Longman. 2005. Culler, Jonathan. Literary Theory. A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997. Eliot, George. Silas Marner Fitzgerald, F.Scott. The Great Gatsby Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th ed. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2003. Glencoe Grammar and Composition Handbook. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000. Golding, William. Lord of the Flies Salinger, J.D.. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951 Sebranek, Patrick, Verne Meyer, and Dave Kemper. Writers INC: Write for College: A Student Handbook. Wilmington, Mass.: Write Source, Great Source Education Group, 1997. Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle