SENIOR A. P. SUMMER READING 2013
1. Read Old School by Tobias Wolff. The attached prompts are meant to guide your reading and
target areas for discussion. They may also assist you in choosing quotations. You do not have to
provide written responses for the prompts.
As you read, underline likely quotations to consider as one of your three required quotations with
commentary or your fourth quotation, one which you do not understand at all or only partially
but you feel is significant. These quotations are due on the first day of school. An excellent
quotation is complex, lengthy enough to express more than one idea, and compelling, leading the
reader to think deeply, to interpret, and to question.
You are welcome to combine different passages or use two shorter related quotations as one.
For the first three quotations, type the full quotation with page numbers and provide detailed,
reflective commentary underneath each. What is the context of the quote? How does it develop
character? What, if any, literary devices are evident? How is the quote related to the larger
theme(s) of the novel? Remember, you are reflecting on this quote after finishing and thinking
about the novel, and that should be evident in your commentary.
So, you are to have three quotations with commentary and one quotation without commentary,
due the first day of school.
2. Read one book of your choice from my 1st Nine Weeks Independent Reading List and
complete a data sheet on the work. During the 1st Nine Weeks, you will be required to read
another book from this particular list, so you may want to read ahead and do another data sheet.
(I recommend that you xerox several copies of the data sheets so you have plenty on hand.)
Each Nine Weeks, you will select a book, so you would do well to read as many as you can in
the summer. I will take your data sheets early and record them in their appropriate place. You
also have the option each Nine Weeks of reading one work in addition to the required single
book for an extra grade. Those Aextra@ books can come from any of my lists. Since our reading
schedule is intense during the year, it=s a good idea to get some of your reading done in the
summer.
PROMPTS FOR TOBIAS WOLFF’S OLD SCHOOL
1. In the opening of the novel (pp. 3-top of p. 6), Wolff gives us the values and motivations of
the teachers, the headmaster, and the students at the school. For the most part, they are the
values the school tries to inculcate in its students. What are these values, and how do we know?
2. One theme (or two related themes) Wolff develops throughout the novel is the importance of
the “old school” virtues of honesty, integrity, authenticity, and the difficulty of attaining them,
retaining them, and protecting ourselves from the effects of our loss of innocence, or our “Fall.”
What details are in this first section entitled “Class Picture” that express these interrelated
themes?
3. Look carefully at the last 3 paragraphs of “Class Picture.” What point is Wolff making?
4. What is Wolff doing with the character of Big Jeff? (What is his role in the novel?) (See pp.
33-35 and elsewhere.)
5. Another important theme in the novel, and one related to the honesty-authenticity theme, is the
value and power of literature. At the end of “On Fire,” the narrator is moved to write a poem.
What leads him to do so, and why doesn’t he submit it to the contest? How does this incident
express this theme? How is it related to the honesty theme?
6. How is the character of Robert Frost as he is described in the novel and the poetry he’s written
related to both themes? (honesty/authenticity and the value and power of literature)
7. How is the character of Ayn Rand as she is described in the novel related to both themes?
8. In his sickness, the narrator begins to reassess his ideas, values, and judgments.
(See pp. 91-last full paragraph p.94) What new conclusions does he come to?
9. Discuss the narrator’s reassessment of Hemingway’s short stories from In Our Time. (See
bottom of p. 94-last full paragraph p. 98)
10. Why does Wolff title a chapter “Forked Tongue”? What important change has the narrator
undergone after reading Hemingway’s stories?
11. Why does Wolff title a chapter “When in Disgrace with Fortune”? (Google it.)
12. Look carefully at the long quotation which begins with the 4th paragraph on p. 131, AWe=re
not here to talk about essays . . .,@ to p. 132 ending with “. . . superior piece of writing that is.”
Discuss its meanings. Pay attention to the setting.
13. How does “Summer Dance” and its reception express both themes mentioned earlier?
14. Discuss the meaning of the last two full paragraphs on p. 156.
15. How does the narrator’s meeting with Susan Friedman emphasize the difference between
their characters and their approaches to the meaning and purposes of writing? Each of them
embodies certain ideals. What are they, and what is their essential difference?
16. The book’s final chapter departs from the narrator’s story and moves to Mr. Ramsey’s story
about Dean Makepeace, who had allowed himself to be thought of as a friend of Hemingway.
How does this story work as a coda to the novel? (In music, a coda brings the movement or
piece to a formal close.) What is the effect of the shift in perspective?
17. Discuss the allusion made at the end of the novel and its relevance. One theme or topic these
prompts have not focused on, and I’m sure there are others, is the importance of mentors,
especially father-son type relationships. How is this brought out in the novel?
18. The novel certainly concerns itself with writing as a vocation, but it is also concerned with
teaching as a vocation. What does Wolff have to say about teachers and teaching and how does
this topic fit in thematically?
19. In what ways is humor expressed in this novel, and what kind of humor is it? What
situations and descriptions are comical?
20 Explain the relevance of the epigraph from Mark Strand at the beginning.
ADVICE ON COMPLETING DATA SHEETS FOR FULL CREDIT
Preliminary Advice
Notice the point values for each section of the sheet.. Use pen or pencil. Do not type
your responses. Stay within the spaces, if possible. The point is often to condense and
refine what you have to say after you have thought about it.
Relevant Historical Information
Works are created in historical contexts. If, after research, you are unable to come up
with any relevant details, look at the author’s life and try to approach the item from that
direction. Resorting to biography should be a rare occurrence.
Biographical Information about the Author
In this small space, put the details that are most compelling. Birth and death dates should
appear, but look for what is most significant about the author’s life that led him or her to
write this work. Don’t necessarily record the first facts you find.
Evaluation
Be candid about whether you liked a book or not. I take books off of the list that nobody
likes or everyone is offended by. Don’t hesitate to throw a book down that bores you and
pick up a book that you are interested in. You have many books to choose from, and
Amazon.com is a great place to read reviews and decide whether you want to give a book
a chance. Nevertheless, if you do complete a book that you didn’t like, feel free to
explain why it didn’t seem worth the effort.
Plot Summary
Try to keep your plot summary within the space provided. Record the major plot events.
Author=s Style and Example
1. Diction
Are most of the words monosyllabic or polysyllabic?
Are the words mainly colloquial (slang), informal (conversational), formal (literary), or
archaic
(old-fashioned)?
Are the words mainly denotative (containing an exact meaning) or connotative
(suggesting
meanings)?
Are the words mainly concrete (specific) or abstract (general)?
Are the words mainly euphonious (pleasant sounding) or cacophonous (harsh
sounding)?
2. Sentence Structure
Are most of the sentences telegraphic (less than 5 words), medium (approx. 18 words),
or long and involved (30 words or more)? Are many of the sentences simple,
compound, complex, or compound-complex? Are many of the sentences loose (make
sense before the end as in the following: “We reached Edmonton that morning after a
turbulent flight and some exciting experiences.” ? Are many of the sentences periodic
(make sense only at the end, for example: “That morning, after a turbulent flight and
some exciting experiences, we reached Edmonton”? Do most of the sentences follow the
natural order of a sentence (subject precedes predicate) or do they follow an inverted
order? Does the author use parallel structure (sentences or parts of sentence are similar
in structure, for example: “He was walking, running, and jumping for joy.”? Does the
author use repetition for rhythm or emphasis, for example: “ . . . government for the
people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”?
Does the author use figurative language?
Memorable Quotes
Choose at least four substantial quotes that will lead to interesting commentary on the
meaning of the work. You should use all or most of this space.
Characters
Mention only major characters, so you may need only a portion of this page.
Setting
Mention only the major setting (time and place)
Significance of the Opening and Closing Scenes
Think about these key parts of the work whose full meaning is not apparent until the
reader is finished and has reflected on the meaning of the work. It is insufficient to
describe how the opening introduces us to setting, characters, etc., or how the ending
brings the work to a conclusion. All openings open as all closings close. Look at the
details and discuss why the writer chose those particular details for this work.
AP Questions (Years)
Refer to enclosed packet of AP Questions used on the Open Question on the exam. Read
them and decide which years’ questions could be answered by using your independent
book and record those years.
Symbols
If you noticed any symbols, put them here and explain what is being symbolized or how
the symbol works. For example, the light at the end of Daisy and Tom’s pier in The
Great Gatsby becomes a sort of guiding, if unreliable beacon, for Gatsby as he navigates
toward his disastrous end.
Paper Topics
List themes and topics that you could, if asked to do so, develop into a paper or a
discussion topic. These items may be phrased as topics and/or questions. For example:
How does Fitzgerald feel about Gatsby? Is there evidence of sympathy there? What is
Fitzgerald saying about women? Nick’s Role in the Novel