Sophomore Summer Project Guide and Directions
2013
Carmac McCarthy Biography
(1933-...), is an American novelist known for his intense,
often violent stories about individuals in conflict with
nature and society. McCarthy won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize
for fiction for his novel The Road (2006), a story about a
man and his son struggling to survive in a bleak world
devastated by an unnamed disaster, possibly a nuclear war.
Charles Joseph McCarthy, Jr., was born on July 20,
1933, in Providence, Rhode Island. His family nicknamed
him Cormac, the Irish equivalent of Charles. He moved to
Tennessee at the age of 4 with his family. McCarthy's first
four novels—The Orchard Keeper (1965), Outer
Dark (1968), Child of God (1973), andSuttree (1979)—
were set in Tennessee. The stories involve such dark themes as murder, poverty, and insanity,
leading some critics to compare McCarthy to the Southern writers William Faulkner and
Flannery O’Connor.
McCarthy moved to El Paso, Texas, in 1976 and shifted the location of his fiction to the
Southwest and Mexico. He won praise for his “Border Trilogy,” consisting of All the Pretty
Horses (1992), The Crossing (1994), and Cities of the Plain (1998). The trilogy is noted for its
lyrical portrayal of the harsh Southwestern landscape and for its brutal action. McCarthy's other
novels include Blood Meridian (1985) and No Country for Old Men (2005), both also set in the
Southwest.
Citation Information:
Marshall, Donald G. "McCarthy, Cormac." World Book Student. World Book, 2013. Web. 3 June
2013.
Directions: Read through this information and jot down any thoughts and ideas that come to your
mind before, during, and after reading this document in the space below.
Information about Mexico
During and after World War II. Mexico's economy grew rapidly in the 1940's. Manuel Ávila
Camacho, who was president from 1940 to 1946, did much to encourage industrial progress.
World War II (1939-1945) also contributed to industrial growth. Mexico entered the war on the
side of the Allies in 1942 (see Back in Time: Mexico (1942)). It sent an air force unit to the
Philippines to fight the Japanese. About 250,000 Mexican immigrants also fought in the U.S.
Army. However, Mexico’s contribution to the war effort was mostly economic. The country
supplied raw materials and many laborers to the United States. It also made military equipment
in factories that the United States had helped set up. The value of Mexican exports had nearly
doubled when the war ended in 1945.
The economy continued to improve after the war. Industry and other economic activities
expanded through the 1960's. Aided by generous government assistance, new factories made
such products as automobiles, cement, chemicals, clothing, electrical appliances, processed
foods, and steel. The government expanded highway, irrigation, and railroad systems. Many new
buildings went up, especially in the capital. Agricultural exports to the United States increased,
and a growing number of foreign tourists visited Mexico.
The late 1900's. During the late 1960's, many Mexicans, especially students, accused the
government of human rights violations and other abuses of power. On Oct. 2, 1968, soldiers fired
on a crowd of student demonstrators in Mexico City's Tlatelolco district. Hundreds of people
were killed. During the 1970's and early 1980's, many people involved in antigovernment
movements disappeared and were presumably killed. Many Mexicans and members of human
rights groups blamed military and security forces for the disappearances.
Worldwide problems of recession and inflation led to a decrease in economic production
and sharp price increases in Mexico during the 1970's. In 1976, Mexico devalued (lowered the
value of) its currency, the peso, twice. The devaluations were efforts to stabilize the economy by
reducing the cost of Mexican exports and thus making them more competitive abroad.
See Devaluation. See also Back in Time: Mexico (1977); Mexico (1978).
Luis Echeverría Álvarez, who was president of Mexico from 1970 to 1976, increased
government control over foreign-owned businesses. He also took steps that strained Mexico's
friendship with the United States. For example, he improved Mexico's relations with socialist
governments in Cuba and Chile in spite of U.S. opposition to those governments. Illegal
immigration of Mexicans into the United States, plus drug smuggling from Mexico to the United
States, caused more problems between the two countries.
José López Portillo became president in 1976. He reduced government controls over both
foreign and domestic businesses to encourage private investment in Mexico. Vast petroleum
deposits were discovered in and near the Gulf of Mexico in the 1970’s. Mexico became a major
oil exporter. Its relations with the United States also improved. In the late 1970's, the government
greatly increased spending on public works and industry to create more jobs.
Citation Information:
Buchenau, Jürgen. "Mexico." World Book Student. World Book, 2013. Web. 3 June 2013.
Characters
John Grady Cole - A sixteen-year-old man; the central figure in All the Pretty Horses. We
know almost nothing about Cole's physical appearance, only that by the end of the
novel he is badly scarred across the face and chest. Laconic and pensive, he seems
prematurely aged. He lives his life according to a strict, almost ritualistic code, valuing
honor, intelligence, responsibility, justice, loyalty, and skill. Above all other things, he
loves horses, with which he is preternaturally gifted, and the cowboy life, the solitude
and dignity of the West. The novel follows Cole's journey as he flees the Texas ranch on
which he grew up and travels with his companions Rawlins and Blevins south into
Mexico; on a psychological level, it depicts what happens to Cole's romantic vision of
the West.
Lacey Rawlins - Lacey Rawlins is John Grady Cole's best friend and his companion on
the trip into Mexico. We know little about Rawlins physically, just that at age seventeen
he is tall and thin, with long arms. Rawlins is louder, more impatient and less
introspective than Cole; he is also the less intelligent and less skilled member of the
partnership. While he is faithful to Cole, he does not subscribe to Cole's code of
absolute loyalty and strictly moral action, and he lacks the iron will that drives Cole to
tirelessly pursue his romantic dreams. Rawlins and Cole stick together until their ordeal
in the Mexican jail: afterwards, Rawlins returns to Texas.
Jimmy Blevins - A thirteen-year-old runaway who follows John Grady Cole and Rawlins
to Mexico. His real name, which is not Blevins, is never revealed. He is hypersensitive
to mockery and insult, anything impinging on his dignity. This sensitivity led him to run
away from his abusive stepfather, and it also leads to his death: he returns to reclaim
his stolen horse and gun, and is captured and eventually executed by the cruel captain.
Alejandra - The daughter of Don Hector, the owner of the Mexican ranch on which
John Grady Cole and Rawlins find work. She is quite beautiful: dark- haired, blue-eyed,
pale and thin. There is always an attitude of sorrow about her, of tragedy waiting to
happen. Alejandra and Cole fall in love and start an illicit affair. The discovery of the
affair results in Don Hector turning Cole in to the Mexican police. When Cole returns
from jail he spends one more passionate, tragic day with Alejandra: but she cannot
bring herself to abandon her family and follow him to America. She has been
manipulated by her cynical great-aunt, Alfonsa.
Don Hector - Don Hector Rocha y Villareal is the owner of the hacienda, or ranch,
where John Grady Cole and Rawlins find work. Don Hector, a member of the Mexican
aristocracy, is intelligent and cultured, seeming both practical and kind. He is impressed
by Cole, and promotes him to the position of breeder. But when he discovers that Cole
has been having an illicit affair with his daughter Alejandra, Don Hector is unforgiving,
turning the Americans over to the lawless Mexican police. It is for fear of losing Don
Hector's love--as well as for fear of her scheming great-aunt Alfonsa's manipulative
power- -that Alejandra abandons Cole.
Alfonsa - Alfonsa is Alejandra's grandaunt. She lives at the ranch of her nephew, Don
Hector. An intelligent and intuitive student of human nature, Alfonsa had an aristocratic
upbringing and a cosmopolitan, European education. In her youth she was what she
calls a "freethinker," allied with the forces that would bring about the Mexican civil war
on behalf of the oppressed and poverty-stricken working class. She fell in love with one
of the revolutionary leaders, but was prevented from marrying him by her disapproving
family. Her personal sorrows, instead of making her more sensitive, have made her
cynical and manipulative. It is she who pays the bribe to get Cole and Rawlins out of jail,
but at the price of making Alejandra swear never to see Cole again.
Antonio - Antonio is a cowboy who works on Don Hector's ranch with John Grady Cole.
He is the brother of the ranch's foreman, Armondo. More than any of the other
Mexicans, he becomes Cole's friend, working with Cole to breed the horses and giving
him counsel and help in Cole's pursuit of Alejandra both before and after Cole's
imprisonment.
The Captain - The captain--whose name, Raul, is almost never used-- is the sadistic,
corrupt lawman in the town of Encantada. The captain is the man who wrongly accuses
Cole and Rawlins of being outlaws, and tortures Rawlins to confess to crimes he did not
commit. Later, after accepting a bribe from the charro, a relative of the man Blevins
killed, the captain murders Blevins. When Cole returns after being released from prison,
he takes the captain as his hostage. The captain exemplifies the corruption and cruelty
rampant in this lawless part of Mexico.
John Grady Cole's father - We never learn the name of John Grady Cole's father. At
the beginning of the novel, Cole's father is dying, possibly of lung cancer (although we
never find out for certain). The father was a prisoner of war during World War II, and
came back from it a changed man; afterward, he and John Grady's mother--a flighty,
promiscuous women who ran off to become an actress--were never reunited. He is a
lonely, silent man.
John Grady Cole's mother - John Grady Cole's nameless mother appears only in the
opening pages of the novel, and only briefly. John Grady's mother has divorced John
Grady's father; their marriage was never strong, and for a while during his infancy and
early childhood, John Grady's mother left him to be raised by Louisa. At the time the
narrative begins, John Grady's mother is only thirty-six years old, and wants to start
another life away from the solitude of the ranch, which has become lonely and
unprofitable. She and her son are virtual strangers.
Perez - The wealthy and powerful prisoner who tries to force John Grady and Rawlins
to ally themselves with him or pay him bribes to arrange for their freedom. When the
Americans refuse, he has Rawlins stabbed, and--presumably, although we are never
told for certain--pays an assassin to try to kill John Grady.
The charro - A citizen of Encantada. Like the captain, the charro is only referred to by
his title, not by his name, Luis. He pays the captain a bribe to execute Blevins, who
killed a relative of his. When John Grady Cole returns to Encantada, he forces the
charro to show him where he has hidden the American horses.
Armondo - The foreman on Don Hector's ranch.
Maria - The kind, quiet cook at Don Hector's ranch. Though she never says so
explicitly, she seems deeply sympathetic toward John Grady Cole.
Louisa - Louisa is the cook at the Grady ranch where John Grady Cole grew up. She
raised Cole when his mother ran away and went to California.
Vocabulary Journal
Directions: in a spiral, define the words below, using the definition that is indicated by the part
of speech next to the word.
1. Ribald (adj)
2. Elliptic (adj)
3. Ardent (adj)
4. Primogeniture (n)
5. Circumspect (adj)
6. Javelina (n)
7. Suture (n)
8. Marauder (n)
9. Nopal (n)
10. Rivulet (n)
11. Impropriety (n)
12. Rowl (n)
13. Desiccated (adj)
14. Effigy (n)
15. Plodding (v)
16. Chaparral (n)
17. Gorgon (n)
18. Bedlam (n)
19. Retinue (n)
20. Tendril (n)
21. Inoculating (n)
22. Hackamore (n)
23. Tractable (adj)
24. Circumspection (n)
Reading Journal
Directions:
1. You may use the same spiral as your vocabulary journal
2. Write at least 8 reflective entries for each section of the novel.
a. Include 4 direct quotes that stood out to you and explain why they stood out.
b. Each entry should indicate the page to which you are referring.
c. They should be organized by section and numbered accordingly.
d. They can be personally related to your life, or observations of the characters,
plot, themes, symbols, and motifs.
Essay Assignment
Choose one of the following essay options, and write at least a 5 paragraph (introduction, 3
body paragraphs, and a conclusion) essay in MLA format.
Use the web address below to ensure you use correct formatting.
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20090701095636_747.pdf
Option 1:
Course Overview
The Preparatory Advanced Placement English II course is designed to teach
rudimentary college writing skills through the fundamentals of rhetorical theory, and
follows the curricular requirements described in the AP English Literature and
Composition Course Description to ensure students’ writings reinforce their reading [C1].
The course will engage students in daily discussions regarding critical aspects of writing,
including: invention and artistry, voice, structure, style (diction, mechanics, figurative
language) [C5]. This course will function as a continuous workshop in which students will
discuss, critique, research, analyze and evaluate works of literature and their own written
products. Students will write to understand, explain, and evaluate literature [C4].
Deliberate reading and critical analysis of American and British works of recognized
literary merit will be intensively studied. The genres discussed in the course will include
poetry, drama, fiction and expository works by authors recommended in the AP English
Literature and Composition Course Description [C2]. Students will analyze and evaluate
literature on the basis of structure, style, themes, and the social and historical values
each literary work encompasses [C3]. Students will analyze the multiple meanings of
literature and will write interpretations of literature in the form of formal analysis and
timed, in-class responses [C3, C4]. Throughout the writing process the teacher will
provide instruction and feedback to the students, specifically in the areas of word choice
and vocabulary, sentence structure, coherence and logical progression of arguments,
and effective use of rhetoric [C5].
Grading Policy
Course Work
Percent of Final Grade
Examinations,
60%
Formal Writings,
Projects
Vocabulary,
40%
Annotations,
Informal Writings, Daily work
Numerical Averages Letter Grade
Numerical Averages
Letter Grade
90-100
A
80-89
B
70-79
C
C1: The AP teacher
has read the most
recent AP English
Course Description,
available.
C2: The course
includes an intensive
study of
representative works
such as those by
authors cited in the
AP English Course
Description.
C3: The course
teaches
students to write an
interpretation of a
piece of literature that
is based on a careful
observation of textual
details.
C4: Students have
frequent opportunities
to write and revise
formal, extended
analysis, and time, inclass responses.
Students will write to
understand, explain,
and evaluate.
C5: The AP teacher
provides instruction
and feedback on
students’ writing
assignments, both
before and after
students revise their
work.
60-69
D
Below 60
F
Plagiarism Policy
By definition, plagiarism is “the false presentation of someone else's writing as one's own. In the case of
copyrighted work, plagiarism is illegal; using another person's ideas or creative work without giving credit
to that person.”
Documented Plagiarism will result in a zero on the assignment and parent notification of the incident.
Suspected plagiarism will be reviewed by a committee of teachers based on a comparison of the
student’s work. If the committee rules that plagiarism is suspected, parents will be notified and the
student will be asked to redo the assignment in the teacher’s presence at a time designated outside of the
regular school day. If the student does not make up the assignment by the given date, a zero will be
awarded.
Late Work Policy
As outlined in the Royal High School Student Code of Conduct, late work is not accepted in Pre-AP or AP
courses. All work should be turned in on time. Please let the teacher know if there are any extenuating
circumstances, so arrangements can be made. Taking a Pre-AP class shows a willingness to work hard
and finish on time.
Summer Workshop Dates
These dates are set aside for students who might need some guidance on their summer project. A
teacher will be available to help, answer questions, and provide some examples. Please come by and
share some of your thinking, you could even earn some extra credit!
 June 27, 2012 from 12pm-2pm
 July 19, 2012 from 1pm-3pm
 August 12, 2012 from 10am 12pm
Summer Project
Requirements




All the Pretty Horse by Carmac McCarthy
Vocabulary Journal
Reading Journal
One Essay
Grade Weight of Summer Project

The overall project will be weighted as one major grade for the first six weeks,
which will account for 20% of the student’s overall average during the first
grading cycle of the 2013-2014 school year.
Due Date

At the beginning of the class period on the third day of school in Aug.
Work turned in after this time will be considered late, and not accepted