Advanced Placement English Language and Composition / American Literature

2017 – 2018 Summer Reading

Welcome to AP English Language and Composition, a course designed by the College Board to help students develop skills in critical reading, writing, and thinking. As this is considered a college-level course, students must go beyond reading for comprehension to analyze how authors use rhetoric and style to communicate effectively. Students will read a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction, from classic works of literature to challenging modern philosophical essays, in order to gain insight into our society’s values and beliefs. At its core, the AP English Language course allows students to explore the art and interpretation of persuasion, and its various applications in communicative arts.

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Summer Texts:

Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion by Jay Heinrichs. ISBN-10: 0385347758

Various essays, available online (see below for details)

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Preparation:

During this course you will annotate each text that we read. It is essential that you master the art of active reading by learning to “write between the lines” and to converse with the text. We strongly recommend that you look over the following sites to review the practices of good annotating.

1. Mortimer Adler’s “How to Mark a Book” at

2. SlowReads.com at

3. Dustin Wax’s “Advice for Students: Taking Notes that Work” at *suggested by Rock Wallis

Annotations should be thoughtful, honest, and should be aimed at helping you recall, clarify, and question the information presented.

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Assignment 1: Thank You for Arguing (Read Part I: Offense, chapters 1-13 only)

Due: Monday, August 14th

Read Part I: Offense (chapters 1-13 only) from Jay Heinrichs’ Thank You for Arguing. Heinrichs’ text enlightens the novice rhetorician about the strategies and techniques involved when creating and sustaining an argument. This is your copy – we expect to see book annotations when you return in the fall. We will refer to this text throughout the year.

1. Annotations: As you read chapters 1-13, use the following questions as a guide to your reading. Annotate as you read. You need not answer these questions explicitly; instead, use these prompts as a guideline for your annotations.

a. What is the author asking the reader to accept as true? What is the author claiming as a falsity?

b. What types of evidence does the author use to present his argument? (Anecdotes, statistics, facts, references to authorities on the subject, author's opinion, comparison/analogy, cause and effect relationship)

c. In what ways does the author make appeals using both logos and pathos?

d. Where does the author acknowledge opposing arguments, if applicable?

2. Responses: Compile a typed list of 6 or more interesting anecdotes or revelations from chapters 1-13 based on your annotations. Include a brief excerpt of the text that inspired the response, including page numbers. Here is where you recount interesting tidbits or epiphanies, especially if you have encountered new concepts. Include parts of the book that provoke an emotional response for you. Include commentary and inferences you make about the text. See “annotations” for response ideas. This should be completed in a journal-like style with adherence to MLA formatting.This will count as a formative.

Please bring your annotated copy of Thank You for Arguing on the first day of class.

Assignment 2: Analyzing an Essay

Due: Monday, August 14th

Our coursework in AP Language will be driven by a focus on nonfiction; however, your initial experience with American nonfiction will be guided by your own interests. Choose one of the aforementioned essays and complete the following assignments:

Essay options (choose one):

“How It Feels to be Colored Me” Zora Neale Hurston

“What Are Masterpieces and Why Are There So Few of Them” by Gertrude Stein “

“Bop” by Langston Hughes

“They All Just Went Away” Joyce Carol Oates

“The Future is Now” Katherine Anne Porter

“The White Album” Joan Didion

“Notes of a Native Son” James Baldwin

1. Annotations: Read and annotate one essay of your choosing. See list above.

2. Responses: Using MLA format, type a 1 page response to the following prompt:

How does the author establish his/her purpose through the use of rhetorical devices and tone?

Bring your typed response to class on Monday, August 14th

This will count as a formative.

Please contact either Mrs. Parisi at or Mrs. Begnaud with any questions.