John F. Kennedy Catholic High School
English 12
Summer 2013 Assignment
“There is no friend as loyal as a book.” – Ernest Hemingway
1) Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
“Frank McCourt, who taught writing for many years in the New York public school
system, waited more than four decades to tell the story of his childhood, and it's been
well worth the wait. With ''Angela's Ashes,'' he has used the storytelling gifts he inherited
from his father to write a book that redeems the pain of his early years with wit and
compassion and grace.” NY Times
2) The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
“The Remains of the Day is a profoundly compelling portrait of the perfect English butler
and of his fading, insular world postwar England. At the end of his three decades of
service at Darlington Hall, Stevens embarks on a country drive, during which he looks
back over his career to reassure himself that he has served humanity by serving “a great
gentleman.” But lurking in his memory are doubts about the true nature of Lord
Darlington’s “greatness” and graver doubts about his own faith in the man he served”googlebooks
You are expected to “READ ACTIVELY,” annotating the text which would entail
underlining pertinent lines and sections and writing notes in the margins or at the
end of the chapters. Please note anything that you feel is important to the story
(important choices and conflicts that characters face, traits of the main characters,
descriptions of the setting, important events of the plot, literary devices used by
authors, etc.) You are also encouraged to make summary notes at the end of each
chapter and include your reactions and any questions that may arise as you read.
During the first full week of school, you will be graded on the following:
1.An in-class discussion of the novels
2.An in-class comprehensive multiple-choice test on both novels- Wednesday,
September 11, 2013