AP English Language & Composition
Summer Assignment 2016
“What a man thinks of himself, that is which determines, or rather indicates, his fate.”
~ Henry David Thoreau
“Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign. But stories can also be used to empower, and to humanize.
Stories can break the dignity of a people. But stories can also repair that broken dignity.”
~ Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Who am I? The question of identity looms large, especially as you stand on the cusp of your senior year.
According to a linguistics-applied perspective, identity is “a set of essential characteristics unique to individuals . . .
unchanging across contexts” (Hall). This perspective views individuals as, “stable, coherent, internally uniform beings . .
.agents of free will, and thus, autonomous decision-maker[s]” (Hall). However, from a sociocultural perspective, “identity
is not seen as singular, fixed, and intrinsic to the individual. Rather, it is viewed as socially constituted, a reflexive,
dynamic product of the social, historical and political contexts of an individual’s lived experience” (Hall)1.
Perhaps identity is fate – our identities are within us from birth and we are merely realizing them. Perhaps we have free
will – and from tabula rasa we invent ourselves. Perhaps we are wax and our identities are molded by our contexts:
gender roles, social class, religion, race, geographics, school, family, workplace. Perhaps the answer to who we are is not
so simple.
This summer, we would like you to begin considering the following question:
To what extent do individuals have the power to create their own
identities,
and to what extent is one’s identity dictated by one’s contexts?
1 Hall, Joan Kelly. “Chapter 2: Language and Identity.” Teaching and Researching: Language and Culture (Applied Linguistics in Action). 2nd Ed. London:
Routledge, 2013. Web. 4 May 2016.
First, read King of the World by David Remnick (1998). In King of the World, Remnick examines the identity of
one of the world’s iconic figures: Muhammed Ali. Track his argument as you read. Then, write a short essay (3 pages
maximum, double spaced) that examines one element of Remnick’s argument. Writing Prompt: Choose one aspect of
Muhammed Ali’s identity and explain to what extent this aspect of his identity was dictated to him by his contexts and to
what extent he was able – through his own agency – to create this identity. Identities you might consider include: masculinity,
beauty, race, education, and religion.
Demonstrate your ability to:
Summarize complex material.
Demonstrate your ability by doing the following:
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Highlight key passages in King of the World to track how Remnick both explicitly and
implicitly develops his argument about identity. Write in the margin to denote the
significance of your choices. Use the guiding question to determine what is
significant.
At the end of each Part (One – Four), write a short summary to track how Remnick
develops his central argument about identity. Also, track names, places, and dates.
Personally, I created a separate page to track these things.
Examine the author’s reasoning
 Analyze how an author
conveys his message.
 Evaluate an argument and
decide if it is accurate,
authoritative, and
convincing.
Annotate the author’s intentional use of
 Content (details included).
 Organization of content (what comes first, middle, last).
 Modes of development (definition, comparison, description, narration, cause-effect,
argumentation).
 Stylistic devices (word choice, tone, figurative language, and syntax).
 Elements of argumentation (claim, evidence, and assumptions, ethos, pathos, and
logos).
 And, track your own reactions to the reading. Agree or disagree with, react to, and
build onto the ideas presented by the author.
Second, now that you have examined how a professional writer responds to the question “To what extent do
individuals have the power to create their own identities and to what extent is one’s identity dictated by one’s
contexts?” you try it. Complete focused research in response to the central question, and write a short argument essay.
1) As a focus, choose ONE topic or person who interests you. Here are some suggestions to help you brainstorm:
Racial Identity: W.E.B. DuBouis & Book T. Washington’s divergent theories about racial identity; Rachel Dolezal; Eminem; Serena
Williams, Amy Tam, Jhumpra Lahiri.
Academic Identity: Being an honors student; being illiterate.
Sports Identity: Ronda Rousey; Johnny Manziel; the debate over paying college athletes. Are they students, athletes, employees?
Geographic Identity: The Clayton bubble; what does it mean to be a migrant? an immigrant? an illegal immigrant?
Gender Identity: The debate surrounding transgender people and public restrooms; David Sedaris; Roxanne Gay.
Political Identity: Hillary Clinton; Donald Trump.
2) Conduct research on your topic or person. Access, read, and take notes on four sources such as newspaper articles,
journal articles (use the CHS database), credible websites, credible podcasts, documentaries, etc.
Demonstrate your ability to:
Compare different author’s
arguments about the same
topic.
Demonstrate your ability by doing the following:
Annotate or take notes to indicate the similarities, differences, and intersections between
the author’s arguments.
3) Create a Works Cited page in MLA format that includes all of your sources.
If you need help with the Works Cited page, use the MLA guide at the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL).
4)
Write a coherent, well-developed essay (3 pages maximum, double spaced) on your topic or person that answers
the question: To what extent do individuals have the power to create their own identities and to what extent is
one’s identity dictated by one’s contexts?
If the organization of this essay is a challenge, consider using Aristotle’s basic structure for argument.
Exordium: introduce the subject and gain the audience’s attention.
Narratio: establish the context of your argument.
Partitio: write your claim.
Confirmatio: support your claim with logical reasoning and factual evidence.
Refutatio: acknowledge then respond to opposing ideas
Peroratio: briefly summarize your case and inspire the audience to act.
Submit your work on the first day of class (16 August 2016).
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Annotated copy of King of the World.
Your short (3 page max) essay in response to Remnick’s argument.
Your short (3 page max) essay in response to your own research topic.
Works Cited.
We will check email over the summer. Please copy both of us if you have a question.
Amy Hamilton
amyhamilton@claytonschools.net
Katie Storms
katiestorms@claytonschools.net
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Please complete this form, cut on the dotted line and return to Mrs. Hamilton or Ms. Storms indicating that you
received this assignment.
Name
Email address you will be checking over the summer.
I have received the summer project and I understand that it is due on the first day of class, Tuesday,
August 16th.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Signature
Date