Dear Freshmen:
Welcome to Msgr. McClancy Memorial High School. We wish you great success as you begin to venture on your journey toward great academic achievement here at your high school.
Below is your summer reading assignments. All sources of literature can be found in your local library and/or a bookstore. You are required to purchase a marble notebook, which you can use in your class in
September and to read the following three sources of literature, two novels and one short story, over your vacation:
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The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
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The Pigman by Paul Zindel
“The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe
Using all three sources of the literature: The Outsiders, The Pigman and “The Tell-Tale Heart”, you will write three separate essays on the topic given below in your notebook. Please also write a character outline for each of the main characters in each of the stories.
Essay topic: The great philosopher Aristotle has said, “Conflict creates action and action defines character.” Re-write the quote given. Explain what this statement means when writing your essay. Choose three conflicts from each book that greatly affects the protagonist of the novel. Indicate what actions the character does to overcome these conflicts? Why is it important that the protagonist face these conflicts?
How do the actions of the protagonist define this character? What lesson(s) does the protagonist learn from these conflicts?
Do not summarize the story; rather, use the proper literary elements (characters, setting(s), point of view, or plot) to support your idea, also use proper quotations to help support your ideas.
Follow the proper format guidelines listed below when writing in your notebook:
1.
Write a heading for each essay and character analysis
2.
Each essay is 500 words or more.
3.
Each character analysis is 100 words per character.
4.
Use proper standards of conventional writing.
5.
Spell correctly and check your grammar.
6.
Be neat.
7.
Title each of your essays that relates to the content of the essay.
You are responsible for submitting your notebook to your English teacher during the first full day of classes. Each essay and character analysis will be graded according to department policy, which will count as your first test grades. Please start your freshmen year off on a positive note.
We look forward to the start of your high school career.
Sincerely,
Mr.Mastronardi
English Chairperson