AP English and Composition
Summer Reading and Essays
A Letter to the Student:
Dear student,
Welcome to AP English and Composition. Here I have provided for you a list of readings that will challenge you to think about the world around you and question the status quo. The purpose of AP English and Composition is to encourage students to think critically, think analytically, and communicate clearly both in writing and speech. The essay assignment below is designed to help you make important connections between works of literature. Also, you must complete a book review on the classic novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger.
Essay Outline:
● There are three statements about literature. Support one of the following statements and explain how that statement proves true in regards to your chosen novels using specific citations from the two works.
● Your response should reflect your thoughts, observations, and analysis of the novels you chose for this class. For this project, research is discouraged. Your response should be original.
● Do not summarize; do not give full plot information; critically analyze the novels.
● 6 paragraphs (2 body paragraphs from your chosen work of fiction and two paragraphs from your chosen nonfiction work , conclusion) and a Works Cited page, which should include BOTH of your books.
● Three citations per body paragraph
● Times New Roman, 12 point font, double-spaced
● Use MLA format for in-text citations and Works Cited page -if you need help please use the Purdue Owl Website as some MLA information has changed
● Due Date: The first day of school. ~Make sure it is printed AND e-mailed upon your arrival. YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO PRINT IN CLASS
● Please Email me if you do not understand the assignment, or if you have any questions at . I will check my email periodically throughout the Summer. The week before the assignment is due is too late. Do your best.
Statement One:
“A story must be exceptional enough to justify its telling; it must have something more unusual to relate than the ordinary experience of every average man and woman” --- Thomas Hardy
Statement Two:
“What lasts is what is written. We look to literature to find the essence of an age” --- Peter Brodie
Statement Three:
"Thus all art is propaganda and ever must be, despite the wailing of the purists ... I do not care a damn for any art that is not used for propaganda"--- W.E.B. DuBois
Classics Fiction: choose one
1. Animal Farm by George Orwell
2. Beloved by Toni Morrison
3. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
4. 1984 by George Orwell
5. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
6. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
7. Slaughter House-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
8. Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
9. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
10. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
11. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
12. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Non-Fiction: choose one
1. Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin
2. Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah
3. Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama
4. Hustle: The Myth, Life, and Lies of Pete Rose by Michael Sokolove
5. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
6. Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza
7. Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 by Marcus Luttrell
8. Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston
9. The Diary of Ann Frank by Anne Frank
10. Soldier Girls by Helen Thorpe
11. I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai
Book Review:
Write a book review with a minimum of three pages for The Catcher in the Rye. Support your opinion by analyzing the book from a critical, thematic perspective. Remember, you are making an argument for or against the book, so please be sure that your argument is logical and supported. Below is the Purdue OWL explanation of a well written book review. All colleges use Purdue OWL as their writing guide for students. PAY ATTENTION TO THIS SITE!!!!
Writing a Book Review from Purdue OWL
Summary:
This resource discusses book reviews and how to write them.
Contributors:Allen Brizee
Last Edited: 2016-01-13 10:37:33
Book reviews typically evaluate recently-written works. They offer a brief description of the text’s key points and often provide a short appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of the work.
Readers sometimes confuse book reviews with book reports, but the two are not identical. Book reports commonly describe what happens in a work; their focus is primarily on giving an account of the major plot, characters, and/or main idea of the work. Most often, book reports are a K-12 assignment and range from 250 to 500 words. If you are looking to write a book report, please see the OWL resource, Writing a Book Report.
By contrast, book reviews are most often a college assignment, but they also appear in many professional works: magazines, newspapers, and academic journals. They typically range from 500-750 words, but may be longer or shorter. A book review gives readers a sneak peek at what a book is like, whether or not the reviewer enjoyed it, and details on purchasing the book.
Before You Read
Before you begin to read, consider the elements you will need to included in your review. The following items may help:
● Author: Who is the author? What else has s/he written? Has this author won any awards? What is the author’s typical style?
● Genre: What type of book is this: fiction, nonfiction, romance, poetry, youth fiction, etc.? Who is the intended audience for this work? What is the purpose of the work?
● Title: Where does the title fit in? How is it applied in the work? Does it adequately encapsulate the message of the text? Is it interesting? Uninteresting?
● Preface/Introduction/Table of Contents: Does the author provide any revealing information about the text in the preface/introduction? Does a “guest author” provide the introduction? What judgments or preconceptions do the author and/or “guest author” provide? How is the book arranged: sections, chapters?
● Book Jacket/Cover/Printing: Book jackets are like mini-reviews. Does the book jacket provide any interesting details or spark your interest in some way? Are there pictures, maps, or graphs? Do the binding, page cut, or typescript contribute or take away from the work?
As You Read
As you read, determine how you will structure the summary portion or background structure of your review. Be ready to take notes on the book’s key points, characters, and/or themes.
● Characters: Are there characters in the work? Who are the principal characters? How do they affect the story? Do you empathize with them?
● Themes/Motifs/Style: What themes or motifs stand out? How do they contribute to the work? Are they effective or not? How would you describe this author’s particular style? Is it accessible to all readers or just some?
● Argument: How is the work’s argument set up? What support does the author give for her/findings? Does the work fulfill its purpose/support its argument?
● Key Ideas: What is the main idea of the work? What makes it good, different, or groundbreaking?
● Quotes: What quotes stand out? How can you demonstrate the author’s talent or the feel of the book through a quote?
When You Are Ready to Write
Begin with a short summary or background of the work, but do not give too much away. Many reviews limit themselves only to the first couple of chapters or lead the reader up to the rising action of the work. Reviewers of nonfiction texts will provide the basic idea of the book’s argument without too much detailed.
The final portion of your review will detail your opinion of the work. When you are ready to begin your review, consider the following:
● Establish a Background, Remember your Audience: Remember that your audience has not read the work; with this in mind, be sure to introduce characters and principals carefully and deliberately. What kind of summary can you provide of the main points or main characters that will help your readers gauge their interest? Does the author’s text adequately reach the intended audience? Will some readers be lost or find the text too easy?
● Minor principals/characters: Deal only with the most pressing issues in the book. You will not be able to cover every character or idea. What principals/characters did you agree or disagree with? What other things might the author have researched or considered?
● Organize: The purpose of the review is to critically evaluate the text, not just inform the readers about it. Leave plenty room for your evaluation by ensuring that your summary is brief. Determine what kind of balance to strike between your summary information and your evaluation. If you are writing your review for a class, ask your instructor. Often the ratio is half and half.
● Your Evaluation: Choose one or a few points to discuss about the book. What worked well for you? How does this work compare with others by the same author or other books in the same genre? What major themes, motifs, or terms does the book introduce, and how effective are they? Did the book appeal to you on an emotional or logical way?
● Publisher/Price: Most book reviews include the publisher and price of the book at the end of the article. Some reviews also include the year published and ISBN.