Junior AP English Summer Reading Assignment
Hello students:
I am looking forward to working with you next year in AP English 3. AP English 3 is a great class, one
that provides wonderful learning opportunities through a wide variety of literature and writing tasks that
will challenge you to think about things in new ways as you grow as readers and writers.
In order to ensure your success at the start of the year you must complete these foundational lessons over
the summer. Encompassed within lie ideas that will form the core of things that we will continue to
explore and develop throughout the course of the year.
Come to class the first day of school in August having completed the following tasks:
1. Read and annotate the attached discussion of Social Contract Theory. Define any words necessary to
ensure a full understanding of the ideas. Annotations will be discussed on the first day of class.
2. Write, in your own words, a brief definition of social contract theory and a discussion detailing the
main points of the theory (150 word maximum). Be sure to define important terms, including the
State of Nature, the Laws of Nature (as opposed to the laws of nature (note lowercase)), coercion,
private property, and others that seem important to a discussion and understanding of the
philosophy. Discuss the ways in which philosophers over the ages have differed in their views of the
theory. This short piece will be evaluated for completion and discussed on the first day of class.
3. Read John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. As you read, look for passages from the text that
reveal aspects of the social contract at work (between family members, between members of a
community, between a government or law enforcement official and an individual). Consider also
passages that reveal a breakdown of the social contract. Mark these passages in your book. Be
prepared to discuss these on the first day of school.
4. Write an essay in which you interpret The Grapes of Wrath as a text that seeks to examine the social
contract in place during depression era America. In what ways does the book examine the role of
government in our lives? How does it reveal important aspects of the implied contract that binds
families and communities together? What ideas does Steinbeck propose about the role of
government in our lives? What are our responsibilities to our neighbors, our families? And,
ultimately, what is Steinbeck’s argument in the text? I will note here that I am looking for a sample
of YOUR ideas. I want to know what YOU think about the text. Therefore, steer clear of
Sparknotes and other websites designed to do your thinking for you. This is not authentic and does
me little good as I attempt to get to know you as a writer. Do YOUR OWN work.
Your essay should be 2 pages maximum, typed in 12 point Times New Roman font. The essay
serves two purposes: to introduce me to you and your writing skills and to demonstrate that you have
read and understood the key issues in the text. Include a clear thesis statement that advances the idea
you will support in the body of your paper and be sure to support this with a thorough discussion
backed up with evidence from the text (quotes). Please turn in a polished piece of writing, an
example of the best work you are capable of producing. That means revise it at least once. Papers
will be collected on the first day of class.