AP English Language and Composition
INDEPENDENT READING ASSIGNMENT
In order to increase your reading and interpretive skills, you are required to read one book of your choice for AP Language. It must be a grade appropriate, nonfiction book of at least 200 pages. The assignment has two parts and will be submitted through Turnitin.com. Be prepared to bring your book and present a summary and review on the due date of Part 2.
Important Dates:
o Selection of Book & Approval by Teacher: Monday, March 24
o Part 1 submitted to Turnitin.com: April 11 (11:59pm)
o Part 2 submitted to Turnitin.com: April 25 (11:59pm)
WRITING ASSIGNMENT
DIRECTIONS: In order to analyze your independent reading book, supply the following information for each category. If other students in this class are reading the same book as you are, you may discuss the book with them, but your writing must be in your own words and a reflection of your own ideas. This assignment must be typed and single spaced with subtitles for each section. Be concise yet specific. When quotations are included, please provide the page number in parenthetical documentation after the quotation.
PART 1: (Cover the first half of the book. All quotes should come from the first 100 or so pages.) 65 points
· THE AUTHOR AND HIS OR HER TIMES: When was the author born? When did he/she die? When was the book written? Include important biographical background information to understanding the novel; include family, community, national, or world events that influenced either the author or the novel or both; mention any other literary or artistic influences on the author. If necessary, research outside of the book to find more information. (5 points)
· AUDIENCE: Who is the intended audience? Be specific and consider the kind of information, language, and overall approach that the author uses to appeal to this specific audience. (5 points)
· TONE: Discuss the book’s tones (remember that there is rarely only one tone in a work). Use at least 2 direct quotations from the text to support your observations. (10 points)
· THEME: The theme refers to the book’s controlling idea or central insight. Identify the book’s central theme. Identify any prominent secondary themes. Express the theme(s) with a subject and a predicate, not as a word or phrase (i.e.; “loyalty” would be wrong, “loyalty to country often inspires heroic self-sacrifice” would be right). Use at least 2 direct quotations from the text to support your observations. (15 points)
· RHETORICAL APPEALS: How does the author use ethos, pathos, and logos to support the theme or argument of the text? Use at least 3 direct quotations from the text to support your analysis. (15 points)
· MEMORABLE QUOTES: List 3 passages, sentences, or fragments that capture the essence of the story and the style. Discuss the significance of these passages to the entire work. (15 points)
PART 2: (Cover the second half of the book. All quotes should come from the last 100 or so pages.) 65 points
· SIGNIFICANCE OF TITLE: Comment on the book’s title. What message does the author want to convey with the title? Does the meaning of the title change for the reader from pre- to post-reading? (5 points)
· RELEVANCE: Explain how this work is related in some aspect to current events or your personal life. Is this work related in any way to another piece of literature? If so, how? (5 points)
· TONE: Discuss the book’s tones (remember that there is rarely only one tone in a work). Use at least 2 direct quotations from the text to support your observations. (10 points)
· THEME: The theme refers to the book’s controlling idea or central insight. Identify the book’s central theme. Identify any prominent secondary themes. Express the theme(s) with a subject and a predicate, not as a word or phrase (i.e.; “loyalty” would be wrong, “loyalty to country often inspires heroic self-sacrifice” would be right). Use at least 2 direct quotations from the text to support your observations. (15 points)
· RHETORICAL APPEALS: How does the author use ethos, pathos, and logos to support the theme or argument of the text? Use at least 3 direct quotations from the text to support your analysis. (15 points)
· MEMORABLE QUOTES: List 3 passages, sentences, or fragments that capture the essence of the story and the style. Discuss the significance of these passages to the entire work. (15 points)