English III

AP Language and Composition Summer Assignment

Summer reading

1. Read chapter 1 in The Language of Composition
2. Read the handout on the rhetorical situation
3. Read over the tropes and schemes on p. 58 in The Language of Composition
4. Read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair (novel)
5. Read the following non-fiction pieces:

Excerpt from The Narrative of Fredrick Douglass (handout)

John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address (p. 52-54) in The Language of Composition

Chief Seattle’s speech from 1854 (handout)

The excerpt from Gary Soto’s A Summer Life (handout)

“Corn-Pone Opinions” by Mark Twain (p. 717-720) in The Language of Composition

Summer assignment

The Language of Composition

1. Take notes on chapter 1 in The Language of Composition. Make sure you understand the definition of rhetoric, the rhetorical triangle, and the rhetorical appeals: logos, ethos, and pathos.

The Jungle (fiction)

1. Annotate the text as you read. It is easier to effectively annotate if you purchase your own copy of the novel; however, you can still annotate if you borrow a book: use loose leaf paper or sticky notes. Refer to your handout on annotating for more detailed instructions.
2. Complete a Major Works Data Sheet (MWDS)
3. Select 5 passages from the novel that exemplify one of the following rhetorical style elements: imagery, figurative language (metaphor/simile), diction, syntax, tone, personification, and symbol. Each passage should be no more than 500 words. You do not have to choose one passage for each element, but you must select at least one passage for at least three different elements. For example, you could discuss imagery, metaphor/simile, and personification in one passage. Make sure you choose your passages carefully; pick passages that “say” something to you, the reader.

All non-fiction selections

1. Annotate the text as you read. If the excerpt or piece is in the LOC, you will have to use loose-leaf paper or sticky notes. Refer to your handout on annotating for more detailed instructions.
2. Apply the rhetorical triangle, the rhetorical appeals, and the rhetorical situation to all pieces of non-fiction. In addition, pick 3 passages from each selection and analyze each for rhetorical style elements. Refer to your glossary of terms.

Make sure you read all reading assignments closely. If you rely on Sparknotes or any other site on the Internet, you will be ill-prepared. In addition to the assignments outlined above, you will be tested and/or write an in-class essay on the material shortly after school starts. Please access http://classjump.com/t/teresa for any information you may need.

English III Honors Summer Assignment

Read both A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway and The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane. Complete the essay below comparing the two novels, and then choose a second essay that focuses on the individual novels. The second essay is your choice; you may choose the option on A Farewell to Arms or the essay on Red Badge. The choice does not matter to the point value of the assignment. Please use MLA Format for all of the essays.

Essay 1: (everyone must do this one)

In a well-developed, typed essay (500-1000 words), compare the two novels. Crane has been called a forerunner of Ernest Hemingway. Having read both novels, compare the plot, theme, dialogue, and philosophy of war of Red Badge to A Farewell to Arms.  

Essay 2: Options: (Choose only one)

1. Crane was deeply influenced by the 19^th century French Impressionist painters such as Manet, Monet, Degas, Renoir, and others who denied convention. Such artists strove to convey their impressions of an object rather than portray it in exact detail. They were especially interested in creating atmosphere. Study an impressionist artist and one of his pieces. Concentrating on use of color, detail, and brushstroke, compare the art technique to Crane’s impressionistic style of writing. Please include a printed copy of the art piece along with the essay.
2. Study samples of Crane’s poetry, then write 3-5 poems about war. Try to follow his symbolistic, imagistic style. Each poem should be at least 10 lines long, in whatever style of poetry you choose.
3. “Perhaps wars weren’t won anymore,” Henry muses. “Maybe they went on forever. Maybe it was another Hundred Years’ War” (p. 118). The tactics and strategy of war have changed since Hemingway wrote A Farewell to Arms. Research the facts of World War I in Italy, military technology, and strategy. Write a historical essay on how actual events have been depicted in the novel. How does Hemingway’s tale follow or diverge from the actual events of the war? How might this affect an interpretation of the novel?
4. Locate a print or copy of a Civil War or WWI photograph of actual soldiers. Study one man’s facial expression, stance, clothing, etc. Then imagine an episode in his life. Write a short story or essay about him and his war experiences. (at least 750 words)

English III CPI Summer Assignment

Read The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane. Be ready for a test upon the first day of school. Complete the following assignment due the first day of class.

Write a short story about a time in your life when you felt, like Henry, that you did not control your life or that you were searching for yourself. Did you behave similarly to Henry? (750-1000 words.)

English III CPII Summer Assignment

Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is the novel that should be purchased. In addition, you are to purchase a spiral notebook that will be used as a journal as you read.

Your journal entries should begin by the 17^th of June in order that you finish the novel in a timely fashion. Each evening you should plan to read 8-10 pages. Following the reading for the evening, summarize the pages and record in the spiral notebook. Date each daily entry on a separate page just as a diary or journal. Make sure that your summaries are complete. Write well-constructed paragraphs made up of complete sentences. Give attention to spelling and punctuation.