AENG 121/ Reading Literature
2013-2014
Room 250
Lansingburgh High School
Mrs. Fazziola
jfazziol@lansingburgh.org
Welcome to AP English Literature and Composition. You are about to embark on what
is sure to be a difficult, yet rewarding journey. This year you will push your reading and
writing skills to their limits as you critically analyze, interpret, and evaluate works of
literature (short story, poetry, drama and novels). You will develop understandings of the
texts by oral and written responses to the readings. The work of this course will foster
the growth of skills necessary to achieve a higher awareness of literature and the values
and connections it has for readers.
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This is an AP class, which adheres to the curriculum described in the AP English Course
Description.
Requirements:
Readings must be completed before the day upon which they are due to be discussed.
Please note that every assigned reading is subject to an unannounced quiz or an in-class
writing response.
Participation in the class discussions is of primary importance and is an important factor
in the final grade for the course.
Attendance is mandatory. It is your responsibility to come to me or one of your
classmates to find out what we did in class and what you are responsible for. It is a good
idea to have the phone number of school or one of your classmates at home so you don’t
have to wait until the next school day to find out exactly what you missed.
C4—Students have frequent opportunities to write and rewrite formal, extended analyses and timed, in-class responses in all of the
following modes: writing to understand, writing to explain, and writing to evaluate.
• Periodic quizzes on reading
• In class shorter writing assignments
• Preparation for the AP Literature and Composition Exam
• Formal essay writing, evaluation, and revising
Learning Objectives for General Education Humanities Courses
(http://www.albany.edu/gened/dp_humanities.shtml)
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Humanities courses teach students to analyze and interpret texts, ideas, artifacts,
and discourse systems, and the human values, traditions, and beliefs that they
reflect.
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Humanities courses enable students to demonstrate knowledge of the
assumptions, methods of study, and theories of at least one of the disciplines
within the humanities.
Depending on the discipline, humanities courses will enable students to
demonstrate some or all of the following:
o an understanding of the objects of study as expressions of the cultural
contexts of the people who created them
o an understanding of the continuing relevance of the objects of study to the
present and to the world outside the university
o an ability to employ the terms and understand the conventions particular to
the discipline
o an ability to analyze and assess the strengths and weaknesses of ideas and
positions along with the reasons or arguments that can be given for and
against them
o an understanding of the nature of the texts, artifacts, ideas, or discourse of
the discipline and of the assumptions that underlie this understanding,
including those relating to issues of tradition and canon
Grading:
Final grades will be calculated based on an evaluation of the written assignments,
midterm, active class participation, quizzes, in-class written responses, and the final
exam.
This course is graded A-E and there are no S/U options.
Tests: 100 points
Essays: 100 points
Papers: 200 points
Quizzes: 50 points
Homework: 10-20 points
Passes:
Students may use no more than five passes per quarter. Students who use less than five
passes may redeem unused passes for bonus points on a test of his/her choice each
quarter (not to exceed five points per quarter).
Other Course Policies:
Academic dishonesty refers to any form of plagiarism. It will not be tolerated and will
result in a failing grade for the paper and/or the course. If you are uncertain about this
policy or what constitutes academic dishonesty, please see me before submitting a paper.
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All written work must be submitted “on time” which means the beginning of the class for
the due date. If you submit written work later than this time, it will be penalized a grade
each day. It is your responsibility to see that your work is handed in punctually. If your
printer is broken, please e-mail your work to my school e-mail address (see pg. 1 for email).
All written work prepared outside of the classroom should be considered formal writing
and should follow MLA style guidelines. Our librarian is wealth of information
regarding MLA (and of course you can come to me for info). [c5]
C5—The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments, both before and after students revise their
work.
Please feel free to contact me outside of class time. I am more than happy to talk to you
about the reading and your written assignments.
C5—The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments, both before and after students revise their
work.
Unit 1: The Short Story
Approximate number of weeks = 6
 “‘Mericans” by Sandra Cisneros 9/19 89
 “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien 9/20 97
 “This is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” by Sherman Alexie
9/21 129
 “Neighbors” by Ray Carver 9/24 137
 “How to Become a Writer” by Lorrie Moore 9/25 148
 “Cathedral” by Ray Carver 9/27 174
 “Miss Brill” by Katherine Mansfield 9/28 196
 “Luck” by Mark Twain 10/1 213
 “Araby” by James Joyce 10/2 246
 “Swaddling Clothes” by Yukio Mishima 10/3 256
 “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison 10/5 274
 “Saboteur” by Ha Jin 10/9 284
 “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates
10/10 303
 “The Story of an Hour” by Katherine Mansfield 10/12 337
 “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway 10/15 350
 “A Hunger Artist” by Franz Kafka 10/16 398
 “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
10/18 406
 “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin 10/19 443 [c2]
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Students will present the literary elements and techniques used by the authors of
these short stories in class. Students will discuss characters, setting, plot, point of
view, theme, style, irony, symbolism and foreshadowing. Students will create
in-class discussion questions, which the class will use to gain an in depth
understanding of the story and its devices. To create a thorough understanding of
the story for both the presenter and the class, students must create a visual
representation of the story and find a poem or song that illustrates the theme
which corresponds to the short story [c3].
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In addition to the journals, quizzes, and presentations during the short story unit,
students will write a paper based on their own original thesis statement. Students
are required to write about a story separate from the story they presented on in
class [c4,5].
C2—The course includes an intensive study of representative works of both British and American writers. This specific unit focuses
on the short story genre. It is intense and students see the evolution of the short story from the eighteenth century to the modern era.
C3—Students write an interpretation of a piece of literature that is based on a careful observation of textual details.
C4—Students have frequent opportunities to write and rewrite formal, extended analyses and timed, in-class responses in all of the
following modes: writing to understand, writing to explain, and writing to evaluate.
C5—The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments, both before and after students revise their
work.
Unit 2: Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis – the short novel
Approximate number of weeks = 4
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Close reading of The Metamorphosis
Students will read the text outside of class and prepare to discuss the text in
class.
Students will research Franz Kafka’s own life and determine how his own
experiences may have affected his writing.
Students will develop an original thesis idea on the subject of The
Metamorphosis.
Possible essay topics include but are not limited to:
o Kafka’s presentation of various characters as “vermin” in “The
Metamorphosis”
o Kafka’s balance between unreal and realistic elements within “The
Metamorphosis” and the intended effect of Kafka’s technique
o How “The Metamorphosis” can be interpreted as “horrific” [c4]
C2—The course includes an intensive study of representative works of both British and American writers. This specific unit focuses
on the short story genre. It is intense and students see the evolution of the short story from the eighteenth century to the modern era.
C4—Students have frequent opportunities to write and rewrite formal, extended analyses and timed, in-class responses in all of the
following modes: writing to understand, writing to explain, and writing to evaluate
Unit 3: Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn—the Bildungsroman
Approximate number of weeks = 5
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Students will continue to practice the close reading techniques that they learned
during the short story and short fiction units. In addition, students will read The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, keeping in mind Huck’s coming of age and his
(along with the reader’s) constant struggle with morality.
Students will answer questions while providing textual evidence and analysis of
the text. Example questions are:
o Examine Huck’s morality. Do you see evidence that Huck knows the
difference between right and wrong? Is there always a difference between
right and wrong? (Think about lying, stealing, murder, trickery, etc.)
o The widow is a powerful influence in Huck’s life whether or not he wants
her to be. Prove or disprove this statement.
o In Chapter 15 Jim and Huck are conversing. AT this point are they
equals? Who wins the argument in this chapter? Think about Jim’s
comments referring to King Solomon. Where do you think Jim learned
about King Solomon and why do you think Jim is so adamant in his
opinion of Solomon?
o Examine Huck’s relationship with Jim. How does Huck reconcile the fact
that Jim is both his friend and Black? Think about Huck’s attitude toward
other Black people and how his attitude toward Jim changes at the end of
chapter 15.
o The plot of HF is circular. Huck ends up in the same place that he started,
but the novel is not stagnant because the true change is within Huck
himself. Discuss.
Students will have the opportunity to prewrite before selecting an essay topic. In
their own terms, they will define conscience, morality, and sympathy and explain
how these three separate terms apply to Huck Finn.
Students will write and revise their Huckleberry Finn paper by selecting a critical
analysis and either agreeing or disagreeing with it. Some critics with whom
students may agree or disagree are Bobbie Ann Mason, Janet Holmgren McKay,
Lionel Trilling, Chadwick Hansen, David Bradley and Julius Lester.
C2—The course includes an intensive study of representative works of both British and American writers as well as works written in
several genres from the sixteenth century to contemporary times.
Unit 4: James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man—continuing the
bildungsroman on the other side of the ocean
Approximate number of weeks = 5
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Who would think that Huckleberry Finn and Stephen Dedalus would have so
many similarities?
Students will read Portrait closely and actively. As students read, they will take
copious notes and answer discussion questions that I provide for them.
Students will read the Daedalus Myth, applying outside reading to the novel.
Students will continue journals, quizzing, and in-class writing assignments.
Writing Assignment: a formal analysis/ literary paper explaining how A Portrait
of the Artist as a Young Man is a bildungsroman. [c3,5]
Timed write on bildungsroman (in class) [c4]
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C2— The course includes an intensive study of representative works of both British and American writers as well as works written in
several genres from the sixteenth century to contemporary times.
C3—Students write an interpretation of a piece of literature that is based on a careful observation of textual details.
C4—Students have frequent opportunities to write and rewrite formal, extended analyses and timed, in-class responses in all of the
following modes: writing to understand, writing to explain, and writing to evaluate.
C5—The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments, both before and after students revise their
work.
Unit 5: Johnny Got His Gun Dalton Trumbo
Approximate number of weeks = 5
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Students read a different sort of war novel. Our students have a strong
background in history, and their understanding of World War I and the tragedy
caused by the war assist them as we analyze the text [c2].
Students analyze individual scenes from the text, examining how Trumbo utilizes
flashback to reveal Joe’s (protagonist) present state. How does the technique of
flashback enhance the reader’s experience with the novel?
Johnny Got His Gun project: Recreate a scene from the novel Johnny Got His
Gun
o be creative
o be thorough… don’t rush
o select a scene that you find thought provoking and essential to
understanding the novel
o write a two page paper, explain why and how the scene you selected is an
integral part of the novel
o This scene will be video taped after school or on your own. If you do not
have access to a video camera, please contact your teacher to set up a date
to have your group’s skit taped [c3].
C2—The course includes an intensive study of representative works of both British and American writers as well as works written in
several genres from the sixteenth century to contemporary times.
C3—Students write an interpretation of a piece of literature that is based on a careful observation of textual details.
(This break ends English 121 and continues English 12AP)
Unit 6: The Tragedy of King Lear William Shakespeare
Approximate number of weeks = 4
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After reading poetry and two bildungsroman novels, students are ready to take on
Shakespeare’s tragedy about a man not beginning his life, but tragically ending it.
Students will read sections of King Lear in class, performing different parts of
the play.
Students will analyze how the fact that Lear’s tale is told through drama rather
than prose increases the efficacy of the story.
Students will discuss how Lear is a typical tragic hero (see Aristotle’s Poetics).
Paper: Students will write a paper discussing the idea that through castigation,
characters in King Lear can be redeemed. Students will argue for or against this
statement, citing evidence from Shakespeare’s text.
C2—The course includes an intensive study of representative works of both British and American writers as well as works written in
several genres from the sixteenth century to contemporary times.
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C3—Students write an interpretation of a piece of literature that is based on a careful observation of textual details.
C4—Students have frequent opportunities to write and rewrite formal, extended analyses and timed, in-class responses in all of the
following modes: writing to understand, writing to explain, and writing to evaluate.
Unit 7: Poetry
Approximate number of weeks = 4
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Reading Poems—the experience of poetry
The Interpretation of Poetry
o Robert Frost “Stopping by Woods on a Snowing Evening”
The Evaluation of Poetry
o Adrienne Rich “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers”
The Act of Reading Poetry
o Theodore Roethke “My Papa’s Waltz”
Students will learn about
o Narrative Poetry
o Lyric Poetry
Students will employ lessons learned during previous units to identify voice,
diction, imagery, figures of speech, symbolism and allegory.
Students will explicate selected poems and write four short (2 page) papers on
two separate poems. Papers are due on the last day of each week of the unit. The
first of these papers allows students to provide an interpretation of the poem [c3].
As students become more comfortable with explication and analysis, the papers
become increasingly more complicated, moving from interpretation to
evaluation. Writing creates thinking, so as students write about the poetry, they
increase their understanding of often difficult poems.
C2— The course includes an intensive study of representative works of both British and American writers as well as works written in
several genres from the sixteenth century to contemporary times.
C3—Students write an interpretation of a piece of literature that is based on a careful observation of textual details.
C4—Students have frequent opportunities to write and rewrite formal, extended analyses and timed, in-class responses in all of the
following modes: writing to understand, writing to explain, and writing to evaluate.
Unit 8: Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad and Apocalypse Now Francis Ford
Coppola
Approximate number of weeks = 4
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Students will read “Heart of Darkness” and watch Coppola’s Apocalypse Now
after school over two days with the teacher [c2].
Students will carefully identify and analyze symbolism throughout “Heart of
Darkness”. Some of the symbols we will discuss are:
o the Congo River
o Ivory
o “white worsted”
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o Kurtz’s painting
o the candle on the steamship
o the General Manager
o Kurtz’s painting
o fog
o Kurtz
As they did with The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, students will analyze the
value of a text that contains racist sentiments. Some students’ first instinct is to
reject work that uses racist language, but we will instead work toward an
understanding of the text within the context of the time period in which it was
written. This is by no means condones racism under any circumstances.
During Apocalypse Now, students will note the similarities in symbolism between
Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” and Coppola’s Apocalypse Now.
Students will write a 10 pg paper analyzing “Heart of Darkness” and Apocalypse
Now. Possible subjects include:
o the horror within “Heart of Darkness” and Apocalypse Now
o how both works are critiques of imperialism
o how Francis Ford Coppola pulled from Heart of Darkness to tell the story
of Apocalypse Now [c4]
C2— The course includes an intensive study of representative works of both British and American writers as well as works written in
several genres from the sixteenth century to contemporary times.
C4—Students have frequent opportunities to write and rewrite formal, extended analyses and timed, in-class responses in all of the
following modes: writing to understand, writing to explain, and writing to evaluate.
Unit 9: Review for AP Exam
This unit will take one week.
Unit 10: This I Believe
 Now that the exam is over, I ask students to think about their own beliefs—not
religious beliefs or political beliefs—but what they believe in their hearts.
 Students will write a narrative modeled after Edward R. Murrow’s series This I
Believe from the 1950s.
 Students will read previously published Believe essays before they write their
own.
 Students will share their completed This I Believe essays in class.
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