AP English Literature & Composition
Summer Reading & Writing Assignments 2015
Paul VI Catholic High School
Summer Reading:
1. “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird,” a poem by Wallace Stevens [see link below] and
Candide by Voltaire
2. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
3. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Objectives: To consider a variety of literary genres from the 18th-21st centuries and to explore
different ways of writing about literature.
Summer Writing:
You will complete two (2) writing assignments as your summer reading work. Trust
your own readings and avoid the temptation to use study guides. In the words of Emi Parker
Burke, from her May 2014 Panther Press article, “SparkNotes Hurts, Not Helps,
Students”: “Imagination is the power by which we capture sense experiences so that our
intellects may contemplate them and draw out concepts and principles. . . If you let yourself be
spoon-fed shallow ideas and don’t nourish your imagination, it will shrivel and starve your
intellect” (3).
All sources used must be cited correctly. All essays for this course will be in MLA
format. Purdue Owl or a style guide such as Rules for Writers are helpful resources. Include intext citations and a works cited page.
Create an electronic version of each of these assignments. You will submit them to turnitin.com
on the first day of class. Also, bring the following to the first class: 2 hard copies of your poem.
1. Read Voltaire’s 18th century satire Candide. Compose a poem titled “Thirteen Ways of
Looking at Candide.” Model this creative reflection after Wallace Stevens’ “Thirteen Ways of
Looking at a Blackbird.” Think of this poem as an exploration of perspective and point of view.
You may access the poem at ( http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/stevens13ways.html ). You can also find it in your anthology, edited by Jago, Literature and
Composition, p. 1108. I recommend looking at those study questions found in the textbook to
better understand this poem. Stevens said this poem that is “not meant to be a collection of
epigrams or of ideas, but of sensations.” Consider the different perspectives and sensations
offered in Voltaire’s satire. Avoid constructing a narrative poem. In other words, don’t
summarize the plot of Candide in poetic form.
2. Wuthering Heights (1847) by Emily Bronte is a classic British novel in the gothic tradition
popular in the 19th century. The story is told within a “narrative frame” which shifts between
past and present. Lockwood, a new tenant of a house called Thrushcross Grange, provides a
narrative voice which we hear in the narrative present. Nelly Dean, a housekeeper, tells
Lockwood, and the reader, the history of Wuthering Heights. Keep in mind that while she may
be a reliable participant-narrator she is also one who filters the story, coloring it with her own
values, opinions, and perspectives.
•
In a formal essay of at least 750 words, answer the following question: Is Wuthering
Heights primarily a novel about love?
If you do not think this is a novel about love, begin by claiming that it is a novel about
something else---revenge, rebellion, social/economic class, sin-- or whatever else. Discuss how
that subject differs from love. Refer to specific elements of the novel to support an argument
why your chosen topic is more important than the idea of love. You should discuss specific
characters, relationships, scenes, settings, and images. Remember to use direct quotations and
correct MLA citation format.
If you do think this is a novel about love, begin by describing what kind of love Bronte is
presenting. Then choose specific characters, relationships, scenes, settings, and images that
illustrate this love. Show how the book as a whole develops the theme of love by comparing and
contrasting different loves in the story. Also, discuss your understanding of the novel’s ending
as a resolution of the theme of love. Remember to use direct quotations and correct MLA
citation format.
• Prepare this essay as an electronic document which you will submit to turnitin.com on the
fist day of class.
3. The Awakening by Kate Chopin (1851-1904) is a novel considered controversial for its
depiction of a woman who rejects the roles expected of her by the social standards of her
time. Chopin’s tragic protagonist, Edna Pontelier, is a Kentucky-born Presbyterian who marries
into the racially segregated Creole society of New Orleans. Chopin is an artist who was
writing at the same time that many intellectuals- male and female- were
questioning conventional expectations for women. Please complete your reading of this story
by September 9, 2015.
Questions may be addressed to msullivan@pvipanther.net.
Rubrics below:
Successful poems about Candide will model “13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird” in the
following ways:
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Number of stanzas (5)
Similar line lengths and sentence patterns within the stanzas.(15)
A musical quality--Sound devices (10)
A cinematic quality- visual and auditory imagery (10)
Narrative elements of the satire become abstract (the poem doesn’t simply summarize
the story.) (25)
Concrete details from{Voltaire are used. (25)
Overall creativity (10)
Grading Rubric for Wuthering Heights Essay
9-8 [100-90] These detailed, well-written essays take a stance on whether the primary theme of
the novel is love, and they persuasively support an interpretive argument with apt and specific
examples to show how the author conveys her theme. Specific literary elements are explicitly
discussed.(For example: rhetorical style, characterization, symbolism, imagery, motifs, etc).
These higher level essays compare differences within a range of thematic elements.They exhibit
the ability to sustain control over a thesis while discussing a literary work with understanding
and insight. The best essays will demonstrate the ability to write with clarity and sophistication.
7-6[89-84] These competent essays also take a stance on whether the primary theme of the novel
is love, and they plausibly support an interpretive argument with apt and specific examples to
show how the author conveys her theme. Although these essays may contain some insight, they
are less thorough, less perceptive, or less specific than that of essays in the 9-8 range.
References to the text may be fewer or less aptly chosen than those in the best essays. These
essays demonstrate the ability to express ideas clearly, but they do not exhibit the same level of
mastery, maturity, or control as the very best essays. They are likely to be briefer, less incisive,
and less well supported than the 9-8 essays.
5 [83-80] These adequate essays are characterized by clear understanding of the text but the
analysis tends to be superficial. They may refer to a theme in the novel and offer a reasonable
argument, but they do not accomplish the analytic and comparative tasks in sufficient depth or
with sufficient development. The essays may rely on unsubstantiated generalizations, or the
methods by which the author conveys the theme may not be soundly explored. Discussion,
though not inaccurate, tends to be thin and may rely more on plot summary than do upper-half
essays.
4 -3 [79-70] These lower-half essays reveal an incomplete or oversimplified understanding of the
work or do not discuss love at all. They may fail to link evidence to an interpretation of meaning
in the text. Their assertions may suggest a misreading (that is, the interpretation may be
implausible or irrelevant). The essays may rely almost entirely on paraphrase. Often wordy and
repetitious, the writing may reveal uncertain control of the elements of college-level composition
and may contain recurrent stylistic flaws. Essays that contain significant misreading and/or inept
writing will receive a 3.
2[69-65] These essays compound the weaknesses of the essays in the 4-3 range. They may
seriously misread the text, and often they are unacceptably brief. Although some attempt may be
made to answer the question, the observations are presented with little clarity, organization, or
support from the text. Essays may be poorly written on several counts and may contain
distracting errors in grammar and mechanics.
1 [64-60] These are essays that contain little coherent writing or discussion of the text and/or
only reference the task.