Honors Communication Arts II
Blue Valley North High School
Summer Reading Assignment
2012
Dear Freshmen,
Welcome to HCAII, the course which helps further develop reading and writing skills in order to be prepared for CA
APIII. Knowing that a focus of the HCAI/CAI course is archetypes, we would like to further your study of the concept of
the hero and the tragic hero. We will begin the year revisiting characterization and how characterization lends itself to
historical and societal contexts in the literature we will study throughout the year.
Our reading selection: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Directions: As you read, take thoughtful notes. If you purchase your own copy, mark, highlight, and annotate as you
read. Circle vocabulary you don’t understand or have never seen; pose questions you would like to have answered.
Respond to your readings personally, academically, and critically. Any and all notes and markings will help you in our
first discussions about the book and your first writings in the class. On the first day, you will need to turn in two
assignments:
1) A dialectic journal. In reading the novel, you will focus on characterization (see back side). As you are reading,
follow the characterization of four characters. Chart their actions, dialogue, physical attributes, and interaction with
other characters. You will need at least 10 entries per character. These entries should represent the character
throughout the book, so you should not limit your entries to the first part of the book. (Remember this is an honors
class, so you should go beyond the obvious – just don’t focus on their dialogue.)
Create a three column chart. You will cite the page number, the corresponding textual reference of the
characterization (the actual sentence or phrase), and your analysis of that reference and what insight it gives to the
role of that character in the book. For the journal format, see the example below. This journal must be typed and
will be submitted to Turnitin.com during the first days of class.
2) Questions for Further Understanding and Discussion. On a typed sheet of paper (separate from your dialectic
journal), list 5 questions you feel would help yourself and others comprehend the novel with more understanding.
These questions should not address plot, but address Achebe’s purpose in writing this novel and the essential truths
found in this novel.
We look forward to having you in class next year. Enjoy your summer reading.
Sincerely,
Your Pre-AP HCAII teachers.
Here is an unsatisfactory example and an exemplary example of a journal entry:
Page #
Passage
Analysis/Significance
160
“Pop’s advice was more practical. Roy
visited the manager in his office after
the next (fruitless) game.”
Pop is Roy’s mentor.
“Pop’s advice was more practical. Roy
visited the manager in his office after
the next (fruitless) game.”
Pop is Roy’s mentor throughout the novel and
advises Roy to avoid being involved with his niece
Memo. When Roy loses his focus on baseball, Pop
is there, giving him practical advice to help Roy
reach his goal.
This entry shows analysis – much better.
160
This is underdeveloped – states the obvious.
Elements of Characterization
Characterization is the term we use to discuss the ways an author reveals his or her characters in a work of
fiction. Careful readers can not only recognize or list a character’s traits, but can also explain how the author
communicates these character qualities. Authors generally reveal characters through either direct
characterization or indirect characterization.
 Direct Characterization tells the reader about the character directly.
Example: “The patient boy and quiet girl were both well-mannered and did not disobey
their mother.”
Explanation: The author is directly telling the reader the personality of these two
children. The boy is “patient” and the girl is “quiet.” Both are “well
mannered.”
 Indirect Characterization shows things that reveal the personality of a character. As
you read, look for examples indirect characterization in any of the following places:
Description
Dialogue
Thoughts
Effect on others toward the
character.
Actions
What does the author directly tell us
about the character’s appearance? How
do others describe this character? Look
for physical descriptors.
What does the character say? How
does the character speak?
Do you have access to a character’s
inner thoughts? If so, what do these
thoughts suggest about the character?
Are these thoughts generally positive?
Negative?
How do other characters feel or behave
around this character, or react to his or
her actions or words?
What does the character do? How does
the character behave? Are the
character’s actions brave? Rebellious?