AP Language and Composition (APLaC)
Calling all students enrolled in AP Language and Composition for next year!
I can’t wait to begin our time together in a rewarding and challenging AP English experience. We
have an opportunity to explore writing, text, and language together in new ways. In order to begin
our year of study effectively, you’ll need to do some summer reading. Please plan to read George
Orwell’s 1984 over the summer. If you read 1984 during this school year, please contact me for an
alternate assignment (a non-fiction text). You can find copies at the local library or bookstore, or
simply borrow a copy from someone you know. This book provides intriguing commentary about
the power of language and its impact on thought. Orwell’s work is often referenced on AP exams, as
well as in many college level English courses. Be sure to read the book thoughtfully and carefully,
since we will be discussing it at length when school begins in September. Your first timed writing,
seminar, and online discussion posting will be about the book the second week of school. An
understanding of the book courtesy of Sparknotes.com won’t be sufficient for our purposes - read
the book completely and carefully.
Your summer work with this book will take two forms:
1.
Careful readers interact with the text as they read. As you read, please respond to the
questions listed below. Each response should insightfully incorporate two specific characters and
their role in Orwell’s message. Include 3 quotes (with pg. number) in each of your responses to
defend or illuminate your thinking. Be sure your quotes span the complete book – not just the first
or last 50 pages.
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What does Orwell believe are the connections between language/ word choice and thought
/individual expression?
How are written language and verbal expression important to human interaction and
behavior?
How does Orwell examine the importance of words or language in society through this
novel? (For example, the idea of Newspeak)
What warning does Orwell provide readers about thought being manipulated and coercion
being possible through language?
What parallels might we draw between the world of 1984 and our own world today?
The commentary in your responses should reflect insightful analytical thinking connecting the quotes
and their related concepts when applicable to contemporary American society or the world as we
know it. Please avoid plot summary in your commentary – it detracts from your analysis. Using
analytical information recycled from online/ outside resources without giving appropriate credit or
documentation may result in total forfeiture of credit. Translation: do your OWN thinking.
2.
You will also need to find two periodical sources (newspaper, magazine, online article, etc.)
about topics related to those found in the book (see bullets above for ideas). You will then write one
typed page (minimum) that incorporates the content of these sources to support an argument that
emerges in 1984. In essence, you are writing an argument that is connected to 1984 – you are also
synthesizing text support from the novel and your outside sources.
Your thesis should include an argument about how an aspect of 1984 applies to contemporary life.
For example, you might choose to explore the role of media on truth as a topic for your thesis, and
then tie in 1984 and your outside sources in your paper. Be sure to include text references from each
of the three sources in your response. A Works Cited page should also be attached to your essay.
Plan to bring your responses, your sources, your essay, and your book the first day of class. In the
days of early September, we will use the book to open our discussion of why words and language
truly matter in our lives.
In addition to 1984, choose a memoir from the attached list to read. The memoir reading will be
due in late September. While we won’t be working with the memoir reading until late September,
many APLaC students find summer the best time to read their memoirs to be ready. September can be a really
busy time. Use sticky notes as you read to record critical commentary throughout the book. This
commentary might include observations, questions, connections, etc. Plan to be ready to present
your book and to complete a memoir project in late-September.
If you would like to clarify something about the summer reading assignment or would like to say
hello, feel free to come by Room 146 and chat. I also have a limited number of copies of 1984, if
you’d like to borrow a copy before summer begins.
Have a terrific summer, and happy reading!
Oressa Phelps, AP Language & Composition
p.s. If you’re curious about the course and the AP Language and Composition exam, you can peruse
AP Central at collegeboard.com for additional information.
Memoir List
(Choose one – if you have another title in mind, stop by and see me before school ends.)
Some of these books are more graphic than others. Please make a thoughtful choice.
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The Color of Water – James McBride
The Glass Castle – Jeanette Walls
The Middle Place – Kelly Corrigan
Reading Lolita in Tehran – Azar Nafisi
Angela’s Ashes, ‘Tis, or Teacher Man – Frank McCourt
Black Boy – Richard Wright
The Liars’ Club – Mary Karr
A Long Way Gone –Ishmael Beah
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass – Frederick Douglass
Lipstick Jihad: Memoirs of Growing Up Iranian in America…- Azadeh Moaveni
All Over but the Shoutin' - Rick Bragg
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius – David Eggers
The Heart of a Woman – Maya Angelou
Tuesdays with Morrie – Mitch Albom
Beautiful Boy – David Scheff
Half a Life – Darin Strauss
Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor E. Frankl
Dreams from My Father – Barack Obama
Faith of My Fathers: A Family Memoir – John McCain
Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight : An African Childhood - Alexandra Fuller
On Writing – Stephen King
The Year of Magical Thinking – Joan Didion
This Boy’s Life – Tobias Wolff
The Woman Warrior – Maxine Hong Kingston
Farewell to Manzanar – Jeanne W. Houston
This House of Sky – Ivan Doig
One Writer’s Beginnings – Eudora Welty
Again, if you have another interesting memoir in mind, stop by my room (146), and let’s chat!
Be sure to do some research into the titles on this list to find one that fits best you as a
reader. Their subject matter and styles vary widely. You can find quick reviews, summaries,
and excerpts on barnesandnoble.com or amazon.com.
If you have read one of these titles in the past, please choose a different one from the list
above. Be sure your choice is not reflected on your past quarterly reading logs.