Pre-AP/AP English III: Summer Reading Assignment for the 2014-15 School Year Dr. Susan Klein Read all of this assignment before starting on it. The instructions are very specific, and you may not receive full credit if you do not follow them exactly. Due date: Students should bring the completed assignment with them on the first day of school. There will be a penalty for assignments turned in one day late. The assignment will not be accepted after the second day of school. Assignment: Read one of the novels listed below and complete all of the assigned tasks. Your paper must be typed, and responses should be numbered to correspond to the assignment. The instructions are very specific—and you should read them carefully and follow them precisely in order to get full credit for the assignment. The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton (1920) All the Pretty Horses, by Cormac McCarthy (1992) The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd (2002) Use of outside sources: The purpose of this assignment is not to have you find the “correct” answers to the questions. Rather, this assignment is intended to have you complete a thoughtful reading of a novel of literary merit, reflect on this literary work, and then share your thoughts and observations through your writing. For this reason, the use of outside sources such as SparkNotes, CliffNotes, GradeSaver, etc. is not authorized. In other words, do not read them—before, during, or after your completion of this assignment. The use of unauthorized outside sources may result in a grade penalty, including the possibility of a grade of zero. (Keep in mind that I have read all of these sources, and it will be very easy for me to recognize their use in student responses.) See information below about reading reviews to help you select the book you want to read. Movies: All three of the books have been made into movies. In fact, that it one of the reasons that I chose them. Over the course of the semester, you will complete an assignment involving a comparison between the book and the movie. For this reason, I strongly recommend that you not watch the movie version of your selected novel. 1. All of the novels listed above have been judged to be “works of literary merit,” which means they have become or likely will become “classics,” literary works that are deemed worthy of reading and study for many years to come. While a work may be considered a classic for a variety of reasons, I would like you to limit your focus to one area—the development of a universal theme (or themes). A focus on theme is a focus on ideas expressed in the work—ideas or truths that are developed through the story but that have relevance to the world outside of the story. In a true classic, these ideas or truths can be said to resonate for readers beyond the time and place of the work, which is why they continue to be worthy of study. When you finish the novel, write a coherent and concise response to the following question: In terms of the ideas developed through the story, what makes the novel a work of literary merit? As you plan and write your response to this question, be sure to adhere to the following guidelines: . You are not being asked to tell whether or not you liked the book or to judge whether or not the work has merit. Whether you liked it or not, it has been deemed a classic. You are being asked to recognize and explain why. . Because this response is not a personal opinion, you should not use the first person (I, me) in your response. . While you are not required to incorporate specific passages from the novel, you do need to use specific evidence to support your response. This means that you need to explain—by giving details from the plot—how the novel develops the idea or ideas on which you choose to focus. . Do not simply write a summary of the plot. . Length: Approximately 300 words 2. For this part of the assignment, I do want your opinion. As you finish the novel, consider the following questions: Did you enjoy the novel? Did you find the story engaging? Would you recommend the book to others? Is this book appropriate for a summer reading assignment for AP English students? (You do not necessarily have to answer all of the questions in your review.) Bring your observations together into a concise and coherent review of the novel. As you plan and write your review, be sure to adhere to the following guidelines: . Because this response is a personal opinion, you may use the first person (I, me) in your response, but you may instead choose to write in a more objective style. . While you are not required to incorporate specific passages from the novel, you do need to use specific evidence to support your response. This means that you need to explain why you did or did not enjoy the novel, why it is or is not an appropriate reading assignment, etc. . Do not simply write a summary of the plot. . Length: Approximately 300 words 3. For this part of the assignment, you will need to give specific passages from the novel. As you read the novel, identify noteworthy passages. These passages may be of interest because of the ideas they express, the way they are written, the insights they reveal about a character or situation, etc. Select four of these passages and do the following: Copy the passage exactly as written in the book. Give the page number(s) in parenthesis following the passage. For each passage, write a paragraph explaining what is significant or interesting about it. As you plan and write your response, keep the following in mind: . The four passages should cover the entire novel. Select one from approximately each fourth of the book. . If you are reading an electronic version of the book that does not have page numbers, use whatever reference is provided (such as location numbers). . I do not have a specific requirement for the length of the passages—except that each must be at least a sentence. Each passage should be long enough to illustrate whatever you discuss in your commentary. However, I’m not expecting you to copy huge chunks of the book. . Follow each quoted passage with a paragraph that provides a clear and concise explanation of what makes the passage noteworthy. Class activities and assignments: In addition to completing this assignment, you can also expect additional activities and assignments related to your selected novel. These may include a quiz on the novel, group and/or individual presentations, and writing assignments. (The quiz will be during the first two weeks of class, and I will announce the date ahead of time so that you may review the novel.) More Information about the Novel Choices Although you are not allowed to use outside sources as described above, you may read short descriptions or reviews to help you select the book you want to read. Good sources for such reviews include Amazon.com., Barnesandnoble.com, and Goodreads.com. The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton (1920) “Winner of the 1921 Pulitzer Prize, The Age of Innocence is Edith Wharton’s masterful portrait of desire and betrayal during the sumptuous Golden Age of Old New York, a time when society people ‘dreaded scandal more than disease.’ This is Newland Archer’s world as he prepares to marry the beautiful but conventional May Welland. But when the mysterious Countess Ellen Olenska returns to New York after a disastrous marriage, Archer falls deeply in love with her. Torn between duty and passion, Archer struggles to make a decision that will either courageously define his life—or mercilessly destroy it” (Goodreads.com). If you enjoy reading Jane Austen or watching Downton Abbey, you might like this novel. It is widely available free (or at a very low cost) as a digital download. All the Pretty Horses, by Cormac McCarthy (1992) “Part bildungsroman, part horse opera, part meditation on courage and loyalty, this beautifully crafted novel won the National Book Award in 1992. The plot is simple enough. John Grady Cole, a 16-year-old dispossessed Texan, crosses the Rio Grande into Mexico in 1949, accompanied by his pal Lacey Rawlins. The two precocious horsemen pick up a sidekick—a laughable but deadly marksman named Jimmy Blevins—encounter various adventures on their way south and finally arrive at a paradisiacal hacienda where Cole falls into an ill-fated romance” (Amazon.com). The book includes quite a bit of (PG-13 level) profanity and violence, both of which are integral to the story and the realistic portrayal of the characters. There is an implied (not explicit) sexual relationship. NOTE: There are conversations in Spanish throughout the book. If you just skim past these, you will not really miss any of the plot—so it is not necessary to have them translated. However, if you feel you need to know what is being said, the use of Google Translate or a similar program or service is allowed. The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd (2002) “In Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees, 14-year-old Lily Owen, neglected by her father and isolated on their South Carolina peach farm, spends hours imagining a blissful infancy when she was loved and nurtured by her mother, Deborah, whom she barely remembers. These consoling fantasies are her heart's answer to the family story that as a child, in unclear circumstances, Lily accidentally shot and killed her mother. All Lily has left of Deborah is a strange image of a Black Madonna, with the words ‘Tiburon, South Carolina’ scrawled on the back. The search for a mother, and the need to mother oneself, are crucial elements in this well-written coming-of-age story set in the early 1960s against a background of racial violence and unrest.” (Amazon.com). The book includes some (PG-13 level) profanity. For additional information about availability and links to more reviews, go to my page at Alexander Central’s Web site. (Alexander Central High School/Staff & Faculty/Klein, Susan) Basis for Novel Selections All of the selections for this assignment have been referenced as works of literary merit on the open-ended essay question on the AP Literature and Composition exam, a broad question that asks students to write a response using a novel or play that they have read in the past. (This is the test that students take in AP English IV.) In addition to reinforcing the status of these works as classics, this designates them as appropriate reading assignments for AP-level high school students and as approved curriculum for an Advanced Placement English course.