AP Literature and Composition Summer Assignments for Rising Seniors Your summer assignments include the items described in detail below:
I. Assigned Reading and Written Double-entry Journal
Read Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and utilize a double-entry journal to write (1) a brief summary and (2) a paragraph analysis following each chapter.
Double-entry Journal Format
Summary
(Indicate the chapter and page numbers. Then write a paragraph summary
capturing interesting details about significant characters and events from the chapter that will support your analysis.)
Analysis
(Present your analysis of Conrad’s development of one or more characters, emerging themes, his purpose for
writing, his style, etc. Be certain that the details that you provide in your summary support your analysis. In addition,
explain how the details in your summary support your analysis.)
Ch. 1, pp. ____ to _____ Ch. 2, pp. ____ to _____ Ch. 3, pp. ____ to _____
Remember, when you are asked to do a “literary analysis” of a text, you are being asked to apply critical reading skills to break down the text into its “parts.” You
determine what central ideas or meaning the writer is trying to convey and the writing techniques he/she is utilizing to achieve that purpose. Reading critically means more than just being moved, informed, or influenced by a piece of writing. Reading critically means analyzing and understanding how the work has achieved its effect.
Below is a list of questions you might ask when you analyze literature. Consider these questions as you construct your paragraph analysis for each chapter:
1. What is the setting from a historical, cultural and/or geographical perspective? How do the setting details contribute to creating a particular mood?
2. What is the tone? What specific words, dialogue, or details contribute to creating that tone?
3. What is an important theme? How does the theme emerge or change over the course of the text?
4. How does the writer arrange his/her ideas? What are the patterns of arrangement?
5. Does the writer present comparisons and contrasts, follow a chronological order or provide extensive descriptions?
6. How would you describe the syntax or sentence structure? Does the writer use fragments or run-ons? Are there noticeable patterns in the sentence structure? Can you make any connections between the patterns and the meaning or ideas the author conveys?
7. How does the writer use diction? Is the author employ jargon, slang, formal, informal, or technical language? Does the language change throughout the piece? How does the language contribute to creating meaning or achieving the writer’s purpose?
8. Is there anything unusual in the writer’s use of punctuation? What punctuation or other techniques of emphasis (italics, capitals, underlining, ellipses, and
parentheses) does the writer use? Is punctuation over or under used? Which marks does the writer use most? When is the punctuation used, and for what effects? For example, an author may use dashes to create a hasty
breathlessness or semicolons to achieve balance or contrast. 9. Are important terms repeated throughout the text? Why?
10. Are there any particularly vivid images that stand out? What effect do these images have on the writer’s attempt to achieve a specific purpose?
11. Are devices used to enhance meaning? Which devices (similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole, etc.) does the writer use? When does he/she use them? Why?
1. Does the writer use devices of humor, puns, irony, sarcasm or understatement? Is the desired effect pleasure, ridicule, or comic relief? How do these devices contribute to creating meaning or achieving a purpose?
II. Typed Double-entry Journal
After writing, you are required to type your double-entry journal using the standard MLA format for your header and your in-text citations. Please refer to the MLA Guide on the Purdue Owl website or any reputable site for guidance.
III. Typed Literary Analysis Essay
Your next task is to compose a 3-page literary analysis essay based on the assigned reading. You may select one or more of the entries from your double-entry journal to aid you in this task. Remember, a literary analysis focuses less on WHAT the author is communicating, and more on HOW an author communicates that idea.
Your essay must include:
● a thought-provoking title
● an introduction with a thesis statement (a claim stating the message the author conveys and points/reasoning identifying the techniques he uses)
● body paragraphs explaining literary techniques and giving specific examples (each topic sentence MUST include a new literary technique that the author uses)
● direct quotes and paraphrasing from the novel (use correct MLA parenthetical documentation)
● a conclusion that restates the big ideas from the body paragraphs and transcends beyond a summary of what you have said in order to emphasize its significance
IV. Typed Literary Terms Booklet
Utilize the enclosed listing to create a typed booklet of literary terms that we will be incorporating into our writing and adding words to throughout the school year.
Your booklet must include all of the literary terms on the list, but you are required to define the 40 boldfaced words. Please note that many of the literary terms are listed in traditional dictionaries with non-literary meanings. Therefore, you must perform extensive research to acquire an appropriate literary definition and example for each term. Do not wait until the last minute to begin this project.
Within the booklet, the terms should be numbered and in alphabetical order. You will type the numbered term as it appears on the list, then add the definition and an example of the term as it is utilized in within literature. Please utilize consistent formatting for the term, definition, and the example to ensure that they are differentiated and easily identified. In addition, please add a creative cover to your typed booklet. When you are finished, you will print a hard copy of your typed booklet.
This booklet will serve as a reference for you to utilize throughout the school year and beyond. Therefore, take your time and make this project as neat as possible.
Literary terms to include in your booklet: 1. Abstract (style) 2. Academic (style) 3. Accent 4. Aesthetic, Aesthetics 5. Allegory 6. Alliteration 7. Allusion 8. Anachronism 9. Analogy 10. Anecdote 11. Antecedent 12. Anthropomorphism 13. Anticlimax 14. Antihero 15. Aphorism 16. Apostrophe 17. Archaism 18. Aside 19. Assonance 20. Atmosphere 21. Ballad 22. Black humor 23. Bombast 24. Burlesque 25. Cacophony 26. Cadence 27. Canto 28. Caricature 29. Catharsis 30. Chorus 31. Colloquialism 32. Conceit 33. Connotation 34. Consonance 35. Couplet 36. Decorum 37. Denotation 38. Diction 39. Dirge 40. Dissonance 41. Doggerel 42. Dramatic irony 43. Dramatic monologue 44. Elegy 45. Enjambment 46. Epic 47. Epitaph 48. Euphemism 49. Euphony 50. Farce 51. Feminine Rhyme 52. Foil 53. Foot 54. Foreshadowing 55. Free verse 56. Gothic novel 57. Hubris 58. Hyperbole 59. Interior monologue 60. Inversion 61. Irony 62. Lampoon 63. Lyric 64. Masculine Rhyme 65. Melodrama 66. Metaphor 67. Metonym 68. Nemesis 69. Objectivity 70. Onomatopoeia 71. Oxymoron 72. Parable 73. Paradox 74. Parallelism 75. Parody 76. Pastoral 77. Pathos 78. Persona 79. Personification 80. Plaint 81. Protagonist 82. Pun 83. Refrain 84. Requiem 85. Rhapsody 86. Rhetorical Question 87. Satire 88. Simile
89. Soliloquy 90. Stanza 91. Stock characters 92. Subjectivity 93. Subjunctive mood 94. Summary 95. Symbolism 96. Theme 97. Thesis 98. Tragic flaw 99. Travesty 100. Truism 101. Utopia 102. Zeugma
V. Typed Poetry Response
Select a poem that you consider to be worthy of study and instruction in AP English Literature and Composition. Then, write a 250+ word response explaining what makes this a “great” poem. There are no additional parameters for this assignment, and there is no “wrong answer!”
Due Date: Tuesday, September 3, 2019. NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED!
Please utilize your PGCPS Google account and complete all typed assignments on Google Docs to ensure that you will have access to your work at school. Remember, all assignments will be due on the first day of school. You will receive assessments that cover the assigned material within the first week of school, and you will be assigned several extension activities that build upon the ideas conveyed within the assigned text. Failure to complete the summer assignments conveys a lack of commitment and will result in a recommendation for your removal from the course and/or a significant impact upon your first quarter grade.
All work must be completed independently, and working together on any summer assignment is unacceptable. You will be held to all academic integrity guidelines. Furthermore, plagiarized/shared work will result in a score of zero and possible disciplinary action to include a recommendation for your removal from the course.
