Advanced Placement Literature and Composition
Summer Reading Assignment 2014
Mrs. Coates
Over the summer, I’d like you to keep your analytical skills sharp!
Please complete the assignments below. I recommend you DO NOT
wait until the end of August to work on these assignments. They will
take some thoughtful work and should not be rushed.
BOTH ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2nd, 2014
Part I- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison: Reading/Double-Entry
Journal
Read this poetic novel closely. Please mark significant passages with Post-Its as
you read. Consider the following:
Language use – What poetic devices does Morrison employ? What do
you notice about dialect/dialogue? Mark sections that read more like
poetry than prose; why might certain sections be more poetic?
Structure – Why might Morrison have organized the novel into seasons?
What do you make of the chapter introductions that bleed together? Note
shifts in narration – how does it change your perspective as a reader? Is
the plot linear? Thematic? Why do you think Morrison chose this
narrative structure?
Characterization – Who would you say is the protagonist? What/who
might be the antagonists? Which characters do you find sympathetic and
why? Are any of the characters familiar from other works of literature; are
they stereotypes/stock characters?
Themes – What does Morrison seem to be telling you? About beauty?
Race? Self-worth? Read the “Afterword” of the novel to get some ideas
about Morrison’s message(s).
The passages you marked will become the left-hand column of a double-entry
journal. This journal will be collected and reviewed for a grade. Please write
neatly so I can read and understand your thoughts on the novel.
Part II- An Introduction to Close Reading
“That’s the purpose of close reading: to analyze not just what a piece
of literature means but how that meaning comes about.”
Read Chapter 2 of Literature and Composition: Reading, Writing, Thinking by
Carol Jago et al (a copy of the chapter has been provided for you). This chapter
will teach you how to examine a text in the way you need to read to be successful
on the Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition exam in May. In
addition to introducing you to key terms and skills, the chapter will provide you
with step-by-step instructions and models for writing close-reading essays about
literature. After thoroughly reading this chapter, you will write ONE essay based
on the models and instructions you have read. These essays will be graded using
the attached rubric, which is modeled after the rubric used to score the essays on
the AP Literature exam. Please choose ONE of the following prompts:
Essay #1: Compare/Contrast Task
~read pp. 130-132 in the back of your packet
~Essay prompt: In a well-developed essay, compare and
contrast the two poems “In Response to…” by Dwight Okita and
“Immigrants” by Pat Mora. Use pp. 50-57 to help you format your
essay.
Essay #2: Close Analysis Task
~read pp.673-674 in the back of your packet
~ Essay prompt: In a well-developed essay, analyze how
Byron uses poetic and literary devices in “She Walks in Beauty” to
reveal his theme. Be sure to state directly what theme Byron has
developed. Use
pp. 41-48 to guide you.
Your essay should be typed in 12-point Times New Roman font,
double-spaced.
If you are confused, in need of redirection or clarification, or just
feel like making a comment or connection while completing any part
of these assignments, PLEASE email me! I check my Copiague email
periodically over the summer and will get back to you as quickly as I
can. Don’t wallow in confusion and/or despair! Ask for help!
mcoates@copiague.net
How to Use a Double-Entry Journal
The purpose of a double-entry (or dialectical) journal is to
keep you engaged and actively conversing with a text as you
read. How many times have you read a page or two of a
book and realized you have no idea what you just read? It
happens to everyone – by taking note of important passages
as you read and writing a bit about those passages, you will
be better able to stay involved with your reading. Writing
about the book as you go along will also help you find
deeper meaning in the text.
Here’s what to do:
1. Use Post-It notes to mark passage as you read.
2. Transcribe the direct quotations from the novel into the lefthand column of your double-entry journal. You may do this
immediately while reading or wait until the end of a chapter
or section so you don’t have to stop reading.
3. Respond to each chosen quotation in the right-hand column.
You can use the questions to consider I gave you on page one
of the summer reading assignment to guide you, or you can
connect the novel to your life, other books, history, etc. This
is a place for you to record confusion or critiques of the text
as well. You may find that you can answer your own
questions as you continue to read or that your confusion may
clear up later on, but this is a good place to record your
reactions as they happen.
Here’s how to set up your journal:
Quotations from the Text
Page
#
My Responses
You can do this by hand on loose leaf or type it up and fill it in. 