English III
Summer Assignment 2014
Meyer/White
40 points
English III is a study of American literature. Throughout the year, we will read American works
that reflect the American experience and identity at various points in our history. Some of the
essential questions that we will address in the course include:
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What is the American Dream?
Is the American Dream accessible to everyone?
What are the forces that affect our progress toward our dreams?
What is worth fighting or sacrificing for?
How are immigrant and/or minority experiences reflected in American literature?
In order to begin contemplating these questions, you must read one book, choosing between
the non-fiction book Zeitoun by Dave Eggers or the novel The Absolutely True Diary of a PartTime Indian by Sherman Alexie. Each book addresses discrimination faced by minorities
pursuing their American Dream, and raises questions about the accessibility of the American
Dream.
In order to prepare for the discussions that will begin the school year, you must read actively
and do the following tasks:
1. Keep a TYPED reader’s journal. The journal will contain 15 direct passages from the
book (including page numbers) that relate to either incidents of discrimination or the
central character’s attempts to attain his concept of the American Dream. After each
passage, briefly explain what each one reveals about the character and/or his social
environment. Each passage/explanation will be worth two points, for a total of 30
points.
2. Then, after your list of passages, you must write a paragraph, worth 10 points, that
reflects your understanding of the American Dream based upon your reading of the
book.
This assignment is due on Friday, September 5, and must be typed in order to be accepted.
Reviews of both books are attached. If you have any questions about the assignment, you can
reach us at:
Dr. Meyer: mmeyer@veronaschools.org
Mr. White: twhite@veronaschools.org
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
Editorial Reviews
From Bookmarks Magazine
The New York Times Book Review called Zeitoun "the stuff of great narrative fiction," and critics
agreed that Eggers tells Zeitoun's tragic story without the postmodern trickery and tirades he
has exhibited in previous works. Instead, he allows the story to tell itself while imbuing
Zeitoun's tragedy with deep sympathy and emotion. Although Eggers didn't witness Hurricane
Katrina's devastation firsthand, he captures the experience through Zeitoun's eyes and
approaches his subject very intimately. A few critics noted that while this perspective was
convincing, it required "faith on the part of the reader that everything in the book happened as
it appears here" (San Francisco Chronicle). But this was a minor complaint in an overall
unforgettable story.
Plot summary from Wikipedia:
Abdulrahman Zeitoun is a Muslim who grew up in Syria. After a few years of apprenticeship in
the Syrian port city of Jableh, Zeitoun spent twenty years working at sea as a muscleman,
engineer and fisherman. During this time he traveled the world and eventually settled in the
United States in 1988. There he met his wife Kathy, a native of Baton Rouge who had converted
to Islam, with whom he founded their business, Zeitoun Painting Contractors LLC.
In late August 2005, as Hurricane Katrina approached the city, Kathy and their four children left
New Orleans for Baton Rouge. Zeitoun stayed behind to watch over their home, ongoing job
sites and rental properties. Once the storm made landfall, their neighborhood (although miles
from the nearest levees) was flooded up to the second floor of most houses. Zeitoun began to
explore the city in a secondhand canoe, distributing what supplies he had, ferrying neighbors to
higher ground and caring for abandoned dogs.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 7–10—Exploring Indian identity, both self and tribal, Alexie's first young
adult novel is a semiautobiographical chronicle of Arnold Spirit, aka Junior, a Spokane Indian
from Wellpinit, WA. The bright 14-year-old was born with water on the brain, is regularly the
target of bullies, and loves to draw. He says, "I think the world is a series of broken dams and
floods, and my cartoons are tiny little lifeboats." He expects disaster when he transfers from
the reservation school to the rich, white school in Reardan, but soon finds himself making
friends with both geeky and popular students and starting on the basketball team. Meeting his
old classmates on the court, Junior grapples with questions about what constitutes one's
community, identity, and tribe. The daily struggles of reservation life and the tragic deaths of
the protagonist's grandmother, dog, and older sister would be all but unbearable without the
humor and resilience of spirit with which Junior faces the world. The many characters, on and
off the rez, with whom he has dealings are portrayed with compassion and verve, particularly
the adults in his extended family. Forney's simple pencil cartoons fit perfectly within the story
and reflect the burgeoning artist within Junior. Reluctant readers can even skim the pictures
and construct their own story based exclusively on Forney's illustrations. The teen's
determination to both improve himself and overcome poverty, despite the handicaps of birth,
circumstances, and race, delivers a positive message in a low-key manner. Alexie's tale of selfdiscovery is a first purchase for all libraries.—Chris Shoemaker, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Arnold Spirit, a goofy-looking dork with a decent jumpshot, spends his time lamenting life on
the "poor-ass" Spokane Indian reservation, drawing cartoons (which accompany, and often
provide more insight than, the narrative), and, along with his aptly named pal Rowdy, laughing
those laughs over anything and nothing that affix best friends so intricately together. When a
teacher pleads with Arnold to want more, to escape the hopelessness of the rez, Arnold
switches to a rich white school and immediately becomes as much an outcast in his own
community as he is a curiosity in his new one. He weathers the typical teenage indignations and
triumphs like a champ but soon faces far more trying ordeals as his home life begins to crumble
and decay amidst the suffocating mire of alcoholism on the reservation. Alexie's humor and
prose are easygoing and well suited to his young audience, and he doesn't pull many punches
as he levels his eye at stereotypes both warranted and inapt. A few of the plotlines fade to gray
by the end, but this ultimately affirms the incredible power of best friends to hurt and heal in
equal measure. Younger teens looking for the strength to lift themselves out of rough situations
would do well to start here. Chipman, Ian