Dear Honors English 10 Student

Dear Honors English 10 Student:

This summer, before beginning your sophomore English class, you will be expected to read and begin to understand one novel: All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque.

The following study guideline is provided to enhance your understanding of the summer reading assignment and to prepare you for class discussions, essays, and/or multiple choice tests when you return to school. Please avoid the crutch of study aids (like Cliff’s Notes and Spark Notes) as they can prevent you from developing the skills you need to be a successful reader.

As you read the novel, keep a dialectic journal (directions on the back). Your contributions to this journal will be assessed for a grade.

All Quiet on the Western Front Background Information Barely a decade after the First World War, German writer Erich Maria Remarque produced this novel loosely based on his experiences as a journalist. Remarque was stationed to a trench unit during “the war to end all wars,” and at one point carried a friend to safety only to have that friend later die when doctors failed to notice a head wound. Remarque’s mother also died at what he felt was the mercy of inept doctors. One of the first novels of war to be written in an aloof manner—a stark contrast to previous patriotic political rhetoric—All Quiet on the Western Front reveals Remarque’s disillusionment with the medical establishment and with the “heroic” intent of war. In the novel, nineteen-year-old Paul Baumer and his friends ride off to the battlefields of WWI loaded with enthusiasm for adventure, guns, and fighting. They change. In 1930, all works by Remarque were officially banned in Germany; in 1933 All Quiet on the Western Front was consigned to a public burning by Nazis. Today it is widely regarded as a classic exploration of the personal impact of war.

Potential Topics for Essays and Discussion 1. Using events from the novel, support or refute the following statement: The soldiers live or die by pure chance. 2. Analyze the author’s use of specific details, imagery, figurative language, and diction to create a specific tone. 3. Does Paul retain his humanity throughout the novel? Support your opinion. 4. A critic said, “Paul represents the lost innocence of an entire generation of Europeans seduced to war by their elders.” The youths of the 1920’s are often labeled “the lost generation.” Apply specific events and their consequences from the novel to this label. Explain to what extent this label fits Remarque’s characters. 5. Examine the author’s use of contrast. Be prepared to discuss the juxtaposition of scenes.

Enjoy your summer! Please call Grandview High School at 720-886-6586 with any questions. See you in August.

Sincerely, The Grandview English Department The Dialectic Journal

The dialectic journal combines note-taking with commentary. It provides two columns in dialogue with one another. Its purpose is to encourage careful reading and response and to help you keep track of important points in the text as you read. Please use the following to set up your journal.

1. Divide a page in your notebook (or on the computer) into four columns. 2. Label the columns according to the headings in the example below: page, literary element, quote, function. 3. As you read, find specific quotes that are examples for each of following literary elements.

tone imagery conflict: internal and external symbolism setting theme direct/ indirect characterization specific details point of view (first-person) development of conflict resolution of conflict figurative language (such as: metaphors, similes, personification) syntax

Visit http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms.html for literary terms definitions.

You must provide a quote for each literary element.

Include the page number, the device, and the quote for each entry. In the “function” column, you will need to explain how the quote is an example of the literary element and sentence structure you choose. In other words, how does the element or structure function in the quote?

4. You do not need to put the entire quote in your notebook. However, you will need enough to jog your memory and make it clear to the teacher to what section of the novel you are referring. 5. You must have a total of 25 entries that cover the entire book. Please be sure to number each entry.

Example from To Kill a Mockingbird:

Pag Device Quote Function e 1 Personification “Maycomb was an old town, but it was The use of personification in this passage gives the a tired old town when I first knew it.” town life. Ironically, Maycomb is not an energetic town but one that is tired which makes it seem old. The author also probably uses this element to imply that the town has old-fashioned ideals. 42 Imagery “She was a widow, a chameleon lady The author uses imagery to characterize Miss who worked in her flower beds in an Maudie as an elderly lady who loved flowers and old straw hat and men’s coveralls, but blended in with them when she was working in her after her five o’clock bath she would flower garden. appear on the porch . . . “

218 Indirect “Jem, see if you can stand in Bob The author uses this dialogue from Atticus to Characterization Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed illustrate his compassion and fairness towards one his last shred of credibility at that of the antagonists of the story. Atticus differs from trial…He had to take it out on many other characters in his commitment to the somebody and I’d rather it be me than truth and what this teaches his children. that houseful of children out there. You understand?”

As you gather quotes, delve into the text. Attempt to make inferences about why the author chose that particular literary device or sentence structure. Discuss how they function in the text. Your Honors English 10 teachers will be looking for insightful entries that reflect higher levels of critical thinking. Minimum number of entries: 25. Due date: The first day of class.