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Eagle River High School AP Language & Composition Summer Reading Assignment
The following assignments are to be completed over summer break, and will be expected
complete the first day you arrive in my classroom for AP Language and Composition. Putting
thought into these assignments now will mean getting ahead in the long run. Be proactive, and
get started early!
Should you have any questions, contact me via email, and I will do my best to provide a timely
response.
Mr. Almon
almon_luke@asdk12.org
Required Reading
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
(–ordered and will be available at The Book Shelf)
McCourt’s memoir will provide an entry point to the school year and a means for you to begin
writing about non-fiction, the predominant genre in AP Language and Composition courses. As
you read, you will be keeping a journal: (see directions below).
“A Modest Proposal” by Jonathon Swift
from: 50 Essays
(–ordered and will be available at The Book Shelf)
Swift’s essay is amongst the most famous of all satirical works. This essay is a forerunner to
many modern satires, such as: “The Colbert Report”, “The Daily Show” and “The Onion.”
Swift’s subjects are the impoverished Irish, the same subjects McCourt writes about almost two
centuries later in his memoir. Notice the common thematic material in both. You need to carry
out a rhetorical analysis of Swift’s essay (see directions below.)
NOTE: This essay is located in 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology, edited by Samuel Cohen, a
book you will need to purchase for the first day of class, and a book you will be using almost
constantly throughout the first semester. Purchase a copy over the summer in order to complete
this reading assignment and to be prepared for the first several weeks of class.
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“What is Poverty” by Jo Goodwin Parker
This short essay is an autobiographical account of living in poverty. It will provide a third source
of commentary on the core subject of your summer readings. As you will notice, the author
requested anonymity. Think about how her desired anonymity affects the authority and validity
of the essay. You need to complete a rhetorical analysis of Parker’s piece (see directions below.)
The full text essay may be found at the web address below:
https://www.msu.edu/~jdowell/135/JGParker.html
Recommended Reading
AP Language and Composition focuses on close reading and analysis of the devices (rhetoric)
which authors use to get their messages across to their intended audience/s. It will behoove you
to begin reading some short pieces from authoritative periodicals, which deal with timely issues.
There are many ways to accomplish this, among them, read The New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly,
and any major newspapers; also listen to radio, especially National Public Radio (KSKA 91.1
FM locally). Pay attention to any major speech—political speeches are rife with rhetoric. Being
an informed reader coming into the class will make you both a better writer, and an able
consumer/critic of nonfiction.
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Angela’s Ashes Journal Assignment
You will complete this journal assignment concurrently with reading the book. This journal may
be handwritten, as you might want to read in different places, where you won’t always have
access to computers. However, if you would like to type it, I’m not going to stop you. This
journal is designed to encourage you to become an active and critical reader, a skill you must
possess, and which we will be practicing all year in class. In essence, your journal should be a
reflection of the way you interact with the book—the questions you ask, your opinions of the
characters, observations you make, how the book may or may not reflect situations in your life,
and many others. Below are some ideas to get you started, but they should not limit you.
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
Comment on McCourt’s writing style, referring to specific words, phrases, and/or
passages from the memoir. (Consult the list of figures of speech to get ideas.) You
may also comment on his word choice, sentence types, or anything else about his
writing that strikes you.
Pick a passage that has striking imagery, and comment on how that imagery affects
the passage as a whole.
Comment on a character. What traits does he/she have that are getting in the way or
contributing to his/her success? Does this character remind you of someone you
know? Yourself, perhaps? Talk about more than their hat size, please.
Comment on your personal reaction to the book. How does it affect you? What do
you think about it? Do you like/dislike it as a whole? Why?
Write about how you can personally relate to the story. Can you relate to the
characters’ struggles and triumphs? Do you see a part of yourself in one or more of
the characters? How do the characters’ journeys relate to your own?
Write and answer four interpretive (subjective, in between the lines) questions and
answer them.
Select a quote or passage that seems important, or strikes you, and comment on why
you selected it.
Comment on the author’s or a character’s tone (emotion toward a scene or other
character)—list at least 10 words from the section and discuss their effect on the
mood.
Do some creative writing—this one is wide open, but you may choose to write some
of your own limericks or songs, like the ones the characters so often sing in the book.
Talk to a character, give them suggestions on what they should do, or what they
should change, ask them a question—act as if they are going to heed your advice!
Explain a pattern you see develop in the book—repeated images, colors, symbols,
people and others. List some of the words that reveal the pattern.
You must vary your journal entries; do not just stick to one of the options above. You will need
to use all of the options more than once in order to complete the journal. Remember, this is
predominantly an effort grade—it will be apparent if you spent the time to do it well or rushed it
the last weekend before school starts! Start early and enjoy the summer.
There are 19 chapters—you must complete at least 3 entries for the first 18 chapters and 1 entry
on the last chapter, a total of 58. All entries should be cited with chapter and page number.
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Rhetorical Analyses for “A Modest Proposal” & “What is Poverty?”
The Swift and Parker essays are meant to serve as companion pieces to McCourt’s memoir
because they deal directly with at least one of the major issues in the book. It would be ideal to
read these after you have finished the memoir.
To complete the rhetorical analysis over each essay you will need to become well acquainted
with the vocabulary list attached to this assignment, and then look for the figures of speech in
each of the essays. You must reflect on each author’s use of figures of speech/rhetorical devices
in a well-written essay, no longer than two pages in length, typed, double spaced, in Times New
Roman font.
This is your opportunity to make a favorable impression with your writing. I want to see how
well you pull together the elements of the authors’ writing, and communicate those in your own
analytical writing.
It may be helpful to ask some of the following questions before reading and writing:

How does the author use figures of speech to communicate his/her purpose to the
audience?

What are the most common devices in the author’s essay and why did he/she choose
these devices over others to include in the essay?

How does the author’s word choice affect the tone of the essay?

How does the author’s choice of figures of speech reflect their thoughts and opinions on
the subject of his/her essay?

Explain how the use of figures of speech determines what audience is most likely to read
and relate to the essay as a whole.

What are common figures of speech among the three pieces you read? Do these common
devices achieve the same effect in each or serve different purposes for different authors?

For Swift, you may also choose to answer one of the questions, which follow the reading
in 50 Essays:
Remember to follow the formatting instructions above!
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NARRATIVE Style/Language—
-Figures of speech (tropes)
Analogy – a literary device employed to serve as a basis for comparison
Simile – an indirect comparison that uses the words like or as to link the different items in the
comparison (her eyes were like the stars of heaven)
Metaphor – a direct comparison between dissimilar things
(Her eyes were the stars lighting up the night)
Personification – the assigning of human qualities to inanimate objects or concepts
Allusion – a reference to a notable person, place, or event contained in a text
(The Herculian task daunted him, “Let Heaven requite it with the serpent’s curse”)
Images/imagery – an impression or visual effect created by an author through the use of
language that appeals to the senses
Pun – a play on words that often has a comic effect. Associated with wit and cleverness
Euphemism – a more acceptable and usually more pleasant way of saying something that might
be inappropriate or uncomfortable (Sanitation engineer – “putting the dog to sleep”)
Metonymy – a figure of speech in which a representative term is used for a larger idea
(the white house released a statement today)
Synecdoche – a figure of speech that utilizes a part as representative of the whole
(all hands on deck, lend me your ears, I need a hand)
Periphrasis – the use of circumlocution
Apostrophe – a figure of speech in which someone absent or dead or something nonhuman is
addressed as if it were alive and present and could reply
-Symbol/symbolism – something in a literary text that stands for something else
Motif – the repetition or variation of an image or idea in a literary text used to develop theme or
character
Archetype – a character type or an image that recurs consistently enough in life and literature to
be considered universal (paradise as a garden)
-Irony – an unexpected twist or contrast between what happens and what was intended or
expected to happen
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Oxymoron – an image of contradictory terms
Paradox – a statement that, while apparently self-contradictory, is nonetheless essentially true
Dramatic irony – centers around the ignorance of those involved; whereas, the audience is
aware of the circumstance (“Honest Iago”)
Situational irony – a situation in which what happens is different from what the reader expects
or what the characters expect
RHETORICAL Style/Language—
ATTITUDE = speaker’s situation + opinion. Attitude is contextual and biased. The definition
has to be articulated in at least one sentence.
TONE – means by which attitude is conveyed. Tone can often be described in one word—an
adjective—but it needs to be a tone of voice you can actually hear
*I highly encourage you to search for further rhetorical terms using the Internet and other
reputable sources—this is a list to get you started, but should not put a limit on the rhetorical
strategies you choose to analyze in your two short essays!
*Remember, commenting on the author’s tone, attitude, word choice, and sentence types are all
permissible, in addition to the terms listed above.