A. P. English Language and Composition - Summer Assignment
Self-improvement and intellectual growth are not limited to the hours and minutes you spend
within these walls. Education is a lifelong pursuit, and that includes the summer. This
summer, if you are to take this class, you will be expected to complete the following
mandatory texts:
Fast Food Nation (book) (2002)
By: Eric Schlosser
Supersize Me (documentary film) (2004)
By: Morgan Spurlock
Fast Food Nation is available at the Farmington Public Library, but, if possible, I highly
recommend you purchase a copy of your own. Supersize Me is available at any and all major
video stores.
A.P. 11 primarily focuses on non-fiction work. Documentary filmmaking is by definition
non-fiction. When you return to school in the fall, you will be expected to be able to write an
impromptu essay comparing and contrasting the purpose of the piece and the way in which
the author or filmmaker attempts to achieve this purpose. You will be expected to address
the rhetorical devices and persuasive techniques employed by Schlosser and Spurlock. You
will be required to think. You will be required to make connections. You will be required to
analyze a text and take a position and support that position with evidence. This will be your
first opportunity to display your analytical thinking skills. If you do not complete the texts
and are not prepared to compare them, then I advise you to sign up for another class.
In addition to the mandatory texts mentioned above, I will also require that you choose one
piece of fiction from among the following titles:
Brave New World
by: Aldous Huxley
Slaughterhouse-Five by: Kurt Vonnegut
A Clockwork Orange by: Anthony Burgess
In each of these novels, the author has a purpose and each of these novels makes a statement.
You will be expected to be able to comment on that statement and how the author attempts to
convey it. Some may consider those statements controversial. Therefore, your parents have
the right to veto any book choices that you make. I require that your parents see the list and
guide your choices in a direction that makes everyone most comfortable. If you or your
parents have any questions about the book or film choices, you may send me an email over
the summer. My email address is at the bottom of the page.
I look forward to an interesting, inspiring, and intellectually challenging year. See you in the
fall.
Sincerely,
Michael Cahill
Email: mike.cahill@farmington.k12.mi.us