“Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It
enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires
and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that
our lives have already become.”
~C. S. Lewis
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The best way to prepare for the AP Literature test is to read, read,
read, and read more from the AP novel canon. And aside from
test preparation, the depth and breadth of good literature in this
group of novels is amazing! As part of your literature study this
year you will read at least two independent AP Literature novels
per quarter.
ASSIGNMENT: Read at least two AP Literature novels (from the list
given) each quarter. Choose a novel that you have not read
before. Complete a dialectical journal (at least 20 entries) as you
read the novel and complete the novel project for that quarter.
GRADING: Dialectical Journal will be worth 30 pts.
Novel Project will be worth 20 pts.
DUE DATES:
Dialectical Journal:___________________
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Novel Project:_______________________
DIALECTICAL JOURNALS:
The term “Dialectic” means “the art or practice of arriving at the
truth by using conversation involving question and answer.”
Think of your dialectical journal as a series of conversations with
the texts we read during this course. The process is meant to
help you develop a better understanding of the texts we read.
Use your journal to incorporate your personal responses to the
texts, your ideas about the themes we cover and our class
discussions. You will find that it is a useful way to process what
you’re reading, prepare yourself for group discussion, and gather
textual evidence for your Literary Analysis assignments.
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PROCEDURE:
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As you read, choose passages that stand out to you and record them in the left-hand column
of a T-chart (ALWAYS include page numbers).
In the right column, write your response to the text (ideas/insights, questions, reflections,
analysis, and comments on each passage)
Label your responses. The following is a list of sample codes:
◦ (CH) Characterization – Analyze details or dialog the author gives you to build his/her
characters.
◦ (C) Connect – Make a connection to your life, the world, or another text
◦ (P) Predict – Anticipate what will occur based on what’s in the passage
◦ (L) Literary Device – analyze the author’s craft using literary terminology
◦ (R) Reflect – Think deeply about what the passage means in a broad sense – not just to the
characters in the story. What conclusions can you draw about the world, about human
nature, or just the way things work?
◦ (T) Theme - Determine the author’s overall message about some aspect of life through a
close reading of a passage.
◦ (M) Mood – Determine the mood or tone of a scene and explain how that might be
important.
CHOOSING PASSAGES
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FROM THE
TEXT:
Look for quotes that seem significant, powerful, thought provoking or
puzzling.
For example, you might record:
- Effective &/or creative use of stylistic or literary devices
- Passages that remind you of your own life or something you’ve seen before
- Structural shifts or turns in the plot
- A passage that makes you realize something you hadn’t seen before
- Examples of patterns: recurring images, ideas, colors, symbols or motifs.
- Passages with confusing language or unfamiliar vocabulary
- Events you find surprising or confusing
- Passages that illustrate a particular character or setting
- If you find an extremely long passage that moves you, don’t hesitate to use
it, just employ ellipses (…) to shorten your writing load. You’ll have the page
number so that if you decide to share your entry, the class can easily find
and read along.
RESPONDING TO
THE
TEXT:
- You can respond to the text in a variety of ways. The most important
thing to remember is that your observations should be specific and
detailed. You can write as much as you want for each entry. You can use
loose-leaf paper for your journals or download the template from the my
website: Dialectical Journal Word Template, and type your responses on
the computer.
To Get Started: Beginner Responses
◦ - Raise questions about the beliefs and values implied in the text
◦ - Give your personal reactions to the passage
◦ - Discuss the words, ideas, or actions of the author or character(s)
◦ - Tell what it reminds you of from your own experiences
◦ - Write about what it makes you think or feel
◦ - Agree or disagree with a character or the author
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The Target: Higher Level Responses
◦ *Analyze the text for use of literary devices (tone, structure,
style, imagery) and how they contribute to the Theme
◦ *Make connections between different characters or events in
the text
◦ *Make connections to a different text (or film, song, etc.)
◦ *Discuss the words, ideas, or actions of the author or
character(s)
◦ *Consider an event or description from the perspective of a
different character
◦ *Analyze a passage and its relationship to the story as a
whole
HOMEWORK This Weekend:
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 Look over the list, and following student summaries, and decide
which two novels you would like to read this quarter.
Things to Consider:
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 If you are planning on taking the AP Literature test you should
choose from the novels that are used most on it (9-21 times).
 You will have approximately 1 month to read each novel on your
own and complete a dialectical journal with at least 20 entries.
 You must procure the novels on your own – my classroom
library, school library, online, etc.
 You should begin reading your first novel next week.
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Choose one of the following multimedia projects to
complete for one of the two AP Lit. novels you are
reading this quarter. You will send a link to your final
project to Ms. Smith by the Q1 DUE DATE: Friday,
10/23.
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1. POWERPOINT/GOOGLE SLIDES/PREZI PRESENTATION
 2. TWITTER ACCOUNT
 3. YOUTUBE VIDEO
 4. WEBPAGE (WEEBLY, BLOGGER)
 5. FACEBOOK PAGE
PROJECT REQUIREMENTS :
1.) Author biography (2-3 paragraphs)
2.) Genre & literary time period overview (2-3 paragraphs)
3.) Summary of plot (4-5 paragraphs)
4.) Main characters sketches (1 paragraph per character)
5.) Setting map visual (time, place)
6.) Major themes with explanation (1 paragraph each)
7.) Important quotations (at least 3) with explanation (1 paragraph each)
8.) Literary analysis thesis statements for an analysis essay (at least 3)
9.) Writing Style: explain the author’s style of writing using literary terms
(diction, syntax, tone) (2-3 paragraphs)
10.) Your review of the novel overall with explanation (2-3 paragraphs)
The book begins with Ultima a folk
healer moving in to live with the
Marez family. Antonio at this time
is in engrossed in knowing his
destiny, whether to be a priest
which is his mother's choice or
something else like a cowboy
which is his fathers choice. He
then starts a religious study and
become concerned with the good
and evil in the world. His life
changes when Ultima inspires
Antonio to question authority and
see the world from a new
perspective which has a profound
effect on his concepts of divinity
and fate.
Major Themes
-importance of moral independence
-loss of innocence
-good vs evil
-religion
-influence of culture on identity
Thesis Statements:
The golden carp’s apocalyptic prophecies frighten and
sadden Antonio at first because it seems so
inevitable, but after the end, the world is reborn
which comforts Antonio.
Throughout the book Antonio changes from a
innocent shy kid into older mature boy with great
understanding and wisdom through many
frightening experiences he had to endure.
Catcher in the Rye begins with the
main character, Holden Caulfield,
being expelled from his prep
school for failing 4 out of five
classes. After a few encounters
with his acquaintances in the prep
school he ventures into the city. In
the city Holden travels around
reflecting on the phoniness of the
adult world. He meets up with
several different people and has a
number of encounters in which he
points out much of the fakeness of
the city. However he refuses to
realize his own hypocrisy.
Major themes:
Angst
Innocence
Phoniness
Hypocrisy
Thesis Statements:
Holdens hat is a representation of his inner
hypocrisy and contradiction.
To Holden, phoniness represents everything
that is wrong with the adult world.
1984
By George Orwell
1984 is a dystopian novel set in the then future of
1984. In this world the entire population of the earth is
controlled by 3 superpowers who hold absolute
control over their populace. They maintain their power
through brainwashing the people and continuously
changing history to fit their needs. Everything that
disagrees with them is erased The main ideas of this
book revolve around whether or not objective reality
exists, and the power of ignorance and self-deceit to
control reality.
Themes:
Authority
Sexuality
Freedom
Ruling
Power
Reality
Thesis Statements:
The most prevalent themes of
1984 are authority, sexuality and
reality.
1984 is about the existence of
objective reality, and the ability
to alter it.
The story starts with the meeting of two different
families. John and Florence Dowell, and Edward and
Lenora Ashburnham. Florence and Edward make up a
heart condition to be together and have an affair.
Everything gets messed up when Nancy, the ward to
the Ashburnhams, shows up. Edward starts to fall for
her. Florence sees Edward talking to Nancy and runs
back to John. When she gets back to John, she sees
John talking to another guy she had an affair with.
thinking that John knows everything she commits
suicide.
When Edward figures out that Florence is dead, he
starts going after Nancy. Lenora tells Nancy all about
Edwards adultery, and how terrible of a person he is.
Nacy then goes to India to spite Edward. When Edward
receives word from Nancy that she likes it in India, he
slits his throat with a pen
The biggest theme in the story is the differences
between appearance and reality. on the outside
they are all nice people but in reality, they all are
untruthful.
In the novel The Good Soldier, the author
symbolically connects the characters to a
shuttlecock. The characters are all being hit back
and forth emotionally be the other characters in
the book.
Rats start dying in the street of Oran, Algeria. Suddenly a
Plague strikes the city, but the only one who truly knows
what is going on is Dr. Rieux. Eventually the city gets
quarantined, and people are stuck on both sides of the
wall. At first the city is full of people who only care about
themselves and looting is prevalent. Father Praneloux
gives a sermon saying that this plague is an act of god,
punishing the city for its sins.
After several months, the population of the city starts to
think of everybody as a whole. A young child is stricken
by the plague and Pranenloux has to rethink his faith. He
gives another sermon, but this times says that if you live
or die is a test of faith, and not based on sins. Eventually
the plague goes away, but the amount of death and
despair leaves the citizens of the city in ruin.
The major themes in this book are Religion vs
Science, Human nature during crisis, and
struggle against the inevitable.
In the novel The Plague, the author shows the
similarities and differences in science and
religion through the characters Dr. Rieux and
Father Paneloux.
Themes:
By: Khaled Hosseini
Amir and Hassan are friends living in Afghanistan,
however Hassan is the poor son of Amir’s servant. Amir
is constantly trying to make his father, Baba, proud of
him and in an attempt to do this he wants to win the kite
runner competition. During the competition, he sees
Amir getting raped by Assef, but instead of stopping the
rape of his friend he continues to get the kite to try to
make his dad proud. The rest of the novel takes place
later in Amir’s life in the US as he struggles to deal with
his past actions. After finding out Hassan is dead, he
adopts his son and travels back to Afghanistan to get
revenge on Assef.
Redemption
Life in Afghanistan
Society’s social classes
Dealing with the past
Irony is the main literary device used
throughout the novel to develop Amir’s
character and decisions.
The past continuously effects the motivation
for every character. Throughout the novel,
past decisions are what eventually creates
the climax of the book.
Told by Iris Chase, this story is a series of
flashbacks to her childhood. She reflects on
her sister’s suicide. Also, it tells the story of
daily life with the Chase sisters from their
birth to Laura’s death and how their family
was very prominent in society but lost a lot of
money during the Great Depression. The
reader learns that Iris feels responsible for
Laura’s suicide because she finds out that
Laura was having an affair with her husband.
This leads Iris to have an extremely troubled
life and pushes away most of her loved ones.
At the time of Iris’ death, she does not have
many people left close to her.
Major Themes
1. Sacrifice (Iris vs. her family)
2. Death (Laura, Mrs. Chase, Richard)
3. Reality vs. Fantasy
4. Self vs. Society
Thesis Statements
1. Iris believes that she is responsible for Laura’s death because
she finds out about Laura’s affair, her being raped by Richard,
and Iris’ anger towards her own sister.
2. Margaret Atwood conveys the somber tone of this novel
through her short syntax, to-the-point metaphors and series of
flashbacks that the novel consists of.
SUMMARY:
THESIS STATEMENTS:
Briony Tallis lives in England with her family. When
she witnesses a rape, she falsely accuses Robbie
Turner, the lover of Cecilia, her older sister. Robbie
is from a lower social class, so everyone believes
Briony, and Robbie is sent to jail. Cecilia remains
loyal to Robbie, despite her family’s anger. Five
years later Robbie is serving in France during WWII,
and it is his love for Cecilia that keeps him going. In
the end, Robbie and Cecilia are reunited, and live
together in London. However, a surprise twist
ending reveals that everything is not as it seems.
1). The whole conflict of Atonement stems from
Briony’s misunderstanding of events, and this
leads to sorrow and pain for many characters.
2). Briony does atone for her actions through
honoring Robbie and Cecilia’s love by keeping
them alive and happy in her account.
MAJOR THEMES:
Guilt, Atonement, Perception, Misunderstanding, War,
Identity, Social Class, Innocence, Literary Tradition
Cecilia and Robbie
THESIS STATEMENTS:
1) The corrupting influence of money can
dissolve even the strongest of bonds.
SUMMARY:
This is a story of a young man, the adopted son of a humble
blacksmith. At a tender age, the young man runs into an
escaped convict when out on a walk, and provides him with
food and drink. Pip later becomes the playmate of young
Estella, adopted daughter of an eccentric old woman named
Miss Havisham. Pip falls in love with the aloof Estella at this
point. Pip comes into a great deal of money, and he
assumes it to be from Miss Havisham, and that she intends
him for her daughter. Her designs turn out to be most cruel,
as she seeks to torment Pip with her beauty. Near the end,
Pip learns that the true source of his money is the convict
from his youth.
2)Social caste means little, the poorest of men
can become rich, and the richest and greatest
of men can fall on hard times.
MAJOR THEMES:
One-sided love, the corrupting power of money, the
importance of good deeds, arrogance, greed, vengeance
Pip from the 2011 Masterpiece rendition of Great
Expectations
MAJOR THEMES:
Racism, politics, morality,
THESIS STATEMENTS:
1) Through his powerful use of symbolism, Ellison is
able to show his readers what life was like for black
people, rather than simply telling them.
SUMMARY:
The narrator is told by his dying grandfather to live a meek life, subservient to
the white man, in order to wear them down.. The narrator takes this advice to
heart, hating himself even as he writes speeches about how black people
should be meek. He goes on to college. While there, he is tasked with showing
a rich white man around. he shows this man, Norton, the wrong places. He is
banished from the school, sent with letters of recommendation and told that if
he works hard, he can come back. He is later shown that these letters tell of
how he will never be welcomed back, and that he must be kept under the
hopeful delusion that he can someday return. The one who revealed this to
him, Mr. Emmerson, gives him a job at a paint factory. After a factory accident
that leaves him shaken up in the head, he is given severance and leaves. He
moves around a couple times, ending up renting from a kind black lady. After
giving a stirring speech at the site of an eviction, he is given a job as a political
speaker. where he is given a new name. Sharp divisions between his
organization and another lead to turmoil, and eventually to race rioting. As
events go down, he realized that his organization engineered the division in
order to spark rioting to further their goals. His political opponents call him a
traitor, and try to kill him, but he escapes, only to be locked in an underground
coal cellar by the police. It is after this that he decides to go back to living
underground, and to give up his political influence.
2) “A house divided against itself cannot stand”, the
black community was divided against itself, the differing
political view prevented them from accomplishing
anything truly meaningful.
Summary
The Red Badge of Courage is the story of Henry Fleming, a teenager who enlists
with the Union Army in the hopes of fulfilling his dreams of glory. Shortly after
enlisting, the reality of his decision sets in. He has not yet experienced battle and
the more their company waits, the more doubt and fear begins to creep into his
mind. His biggest doubt is his own courage, for he fears he will flee from battle
when it comes. Their first battle, Henry stays his ground and fires blindly at the
enemy , but never once sees his enemy. When the second wave comes, Henry’s fear
of death overwhelmes him and he flees from the field. The guilt and self-hatred he
feels for abandoning the men and fleeing follows him into his next battle, where he
Major Themes
Courage, Transformation, Warfare,
Masculinity, Transformation, Duty
Thesis Statements
manages to turn it into anger. Henry becomes a leader, fighting boldly at the side of
his lieutenant, and becomes a confident, assertive soldier who becomes, basically, a
fighting machine. Henry leads the men and restores moral by saving their flag
from falling with their flag-bearer and by stealing the enemy’s flag. His experiences
in this last battle lead him to discover that he came through the “red sickness” of
battle and has proved himself a man by not fleeing again today and being
successful.
The Red Badge of Courage is a book about facing your
fears, bravery in the face of despair, and friendship
throughout stressful times.
In The Red Badge of Courage, the main character, Henry,
matured as a soldier greatly throughout the course of the
book.
by Charles Frazier
Summary
Cold Mountain tells the story of a wounded Confederate
soldier, Inman, who was wounded in his last battle. He
knows that the second he recovers, he will be returned to the
battlefield again, and deserts while he still has the chance.
Inman strugges on his journey home to Cold Mountain,
North Carolina, and back to the woman he left behind, Ada.
Along the way, he meets a lone line of interesting and
colorful characters, often having to escape the Home Guard,
a military group assigned to find all deserters from the army.
Back home, in Cold Mountain, Ada is learning the ropes of
mnaging her deceased father’s farm. Originally from the
city, Ada has no idea how to manage the farm on her own but luckily help comes in the form of a girl named Ruby, a
drifter who assists and teaches Ada along the way.
Themes
Isolation, Retribution, Forgiveness, Loss of
Innocence, Kindness, Love Conquers All
Thesis Statements
In the story Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier,
the protagonists, Inman and Ada, learn several
important life lessons through their separate
journeys.
The main character, Inman, in the story Cold
Mountain by Charles Frazier, learns on his
journey home from the war that nature is
beautiful, even with all the carnage he has seen,
because it led him home to the love of his life.
Summary: Jane Eyre is an orphan raised by her cruel
aunt. She is sent to Lowood school, where she lives for
eight years as both a student and teacher. She then
becomes a governess at Thornfield, where she teaches a
young french girl named Adèle. Jane falls in love with
the owner of Thornfield Hall, Edward Rochester.
Rochester is rash, rich and mysterious and despite his
and Jane’s difference in social class they decide to get
married. As they are about to exchange their vows it is
discovered that Rochester is already married and his
wife is still alive. Rochester does not deny this and they
make their way back to Thornfield where the truth
comes out that his wife, Bertha, is alive but crazy and
mentally unstable. Jane flees from Thornfield and is
taken in by St. John and his sisters. Jane inherits a large
sum of money from her deceased uncle who she never
knew and St. John urges her to become his wife and
move to India. Jane denys this new marriage proposal
and leaves to find Rochester. She discovers Thornfield
hall was burned to the ground and Bertha was lost in
the flames. Jane finds Rochester still alive in Ferndean,
but blind and one handed. At the end Jane writes that
they have been happily married for ten years and they
Themes:
- Love vs. Autonomy
- Religion
- Social Class
- Gender Relations
- Love/ Passion
- Madness
Thesis Statements
1. The novel, “Jane Eyre,” illustrates how
Jane's independence is threatened by male
suppression, religious authority, social
norms, and her self-doubt.
2. “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte unravels
the life of a young girl named Jane and her
fight between living the life society has
stereotypically laid out for her or use her
independent mind she's been given to break
away and be greater than what the world feels
she's capable of.
Summary: “The Things They Carried.” is a
collection of O’briens experiences in the Vietnam
war. Some of the stories from the book are true and
others were made up by O’brien. The story is not in
chronological order and it jumps around from
O’briens perspective to a third person narrative.
The novels characters are what make this book
believable and interesting. One of the short stories
from the book looks back into O’brien’s past when
he was drafted for the war. This moment from his
passed illuminated a difficult decision and the
problem many young, male americans faced during
that time of serving their country or running away
and saving their own lives. This book brings up
many ideas like what a “true war story” is and the
emotional baggage soldiers carry during and after
the war.
Thesis Statements:
1. “The Things They Carried,”
provides insight into the minds of
soldiers and enlightens the reader into
the emotional and psychological costs
of war.
2. “In The Things They Carried,” by
Tim O’Brien, O’Brien shows the
reader that storytelling is extremely
powerful in the ways that it can help
a person deal with physical and
emotional burdens.
Themes:
-Physical and emotional
burdens
- Shame as motivation
- The truth
- Storytelling
- Morality
- Isolation
- Death
Summary: During the second half of World War II, a soldier named Yossarian is stationed with his Air Force squadron on
the island of Pianosa, near the Italian coast in the Mediterranean Sea. He and his squadron are sent on countless
missions that are brutal and dangerous. The government has set up a Catch-22, a technique which uses circular
reasoning to form an illogical prison that keeps the soldiers risking their lives every day. An example of this is exposed
when Yossarian figures out that you can be discharged if your are insane. He tells doctor that he is insane, but it is told
that only sane people are able to claim insanity. Eventually, Yossarian is given a choice by Colonels Cathcart and Korn:
either face a court martial or be honorably discharged (however the second option comes with the agreement that
Yossarian is to testify to the good practice of the Colonels in sending the men on all of the suicide missions). Realizing
that one option would lead to his imprisonment and the other to letting his friends continue to horrible missions,
Yossarian flees to neutral Sweden.
Major Themes: The absolute power of bureaucracy, the loss of religious faith, and the inevitability of death.
Thesis Statements: 1) Name and explain one example of a Catch-22 that Yossarian faces during his time in Italy.
2) What does Catch-22 say about death, especially from Yossarian’s point of view?
Left, Yossarian on one of his many missions.
Although determined to quit the Air Force, he is
trapped into staying by the Catch-22 the
government has set up for the military. Right, a
WW2 bomber.
Summary
The Jungle revolves around Jurgis Rudkus and
the rest of his family who have immigrated to
Chicago from Lithuania in pursuit of the
American Dream. However, they get quite the
opposite when they work and live in
Packingtown, a cruel and brutal meat packing
industry. Jurgis and his family are slowly
destroyed their harsh living circumstances,
where they are surrounded by unsafe working
conditions, poverty, corruption, greed, and
rape. At the end of the book, Jurgis has been
separated from what was left of his family and
comes across a socialist rally. This inspires him
to join the socialist party and fight for the rights
of the workers. The capitalist reality of
Packingtown was that a few corrupt rich people
own the factories while honest workers are
oppressed, and Jurgis devotes his life
to stop this.
Major Themes: Socialism/Capitalism, the American
Dream
Thesis Statements
1) Upton Sinclair uses corruption, poverty, and the
alternative of socialism to depict the negative effects
of capitalism.
2) The fallacy of the American Dream is exposed in
“The Jungle” by the destruction of Jurgis’ Lithuanian
immigrant family.
The unsanitary
work
environment in
the meat
industry was
fixed after the
release of “The
Jungle”
Summary
The story begins with a flashback from the
protagonist, Amir. He was a boy living in
Afghanistan with his father, Babi, and their
two servants, Ali and his son, Hassan. Thier
servants are Hazaras, an ethnic minority.
When Amir and Hassan are running a kite in
the annual kite-fighting contest, Hassan gets
the kite, but he is trapped and raped by three
older boys. Amir runs away, pretends it never
happens and later, from guilt, frames Hassan
for stealing and causes him to leave. The
flashback ends and 26 years later, after Amir
has moved to America, he is called back to
Pakistan to see a dying friend. The friend tells
his that the Taliban had killed Hassan and
Hassan’s wife and left their son, Sohrab, at an
orphanage. He sends Hassan to rescue Sohrab
and take him back to Pakistan where he will
be taken care of. Amir rescues him and takes
him back to America where he teaches him
kite-running.
Major Themes
Redemption, father-son relationships,
persistence of the past.
Thesis
In Kite Runner, the protagonist, Amir, is
constantly searching for a way to achieve
redemption for his horrific past. He achieves
his redemption when he rescues Sohrab from
the abusive Taliban orphanage after returning
to his homeland of Afghanistan.
Summary
The story is about an ambitious inventor
named Victor Frankenstein. Victor
started out like any normal kid in
Geneva, with his parents adopting a girl
named Elizabeth for him to marry when
he was older. He goes to college and
figures out how to bring a dead body
back to life. Victor is horrified by his new
monster, abandons the monster, and
falls ill for a few months. After Victor’s
brother is murdered, he leaves to the
swiss alps for a vacation and runs into
his monster who confesses to killing his
brother. When the monster fled he found
himself alone, hideous, and unwanted.
The monster killed Victor’s brother out
of revenge and wants Victor to make
him a female companion. Victor agrees
but destroys the second monster for fear
that the two would bring destruction to
humanity. The monsters sees him
destroy his companion and swears
revenge. Victor and Elizabeth get
married but the monster kills her out of
revenge. Victor now seeks revenge on
the monster and chases him down all
over the world.
Major themes: the dangers of great
knowledge, secrecy, belonging, monstrosity.
Some of the major themes in the
book are the importance that life,
love, and sin have on each person’s
life.
The use of symbols in William
Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying give the
reader a connection to the story.
Some examples of symbols are the
fish, Jewel’s horse, and the buzzards.
Throughout
William
Faulkner’s As I Lay
Dying the utilization of
stream
of
consciousness gives
the reader different
perspectives and tell
different aspects of the
story:
this
can
primarily
be
seen
through the characters
Cash,
Darl,
and
Vandraman.
Plot
The story As I Lay Dying centers on the Bundren family and their quest to
bring their mother to Jefferson to bury her. Along the way they encounter
several obstacles that hinder their journey. The story is told through point of
view narrative. It is primarily told from the perspectives of the Bundren
children: Cash, Darl, and Vandraman. The story has some chapters told by
Anse Bundren, Dewey Dell Bundren, Addie Bundren, and Vernon Tull to
name a few. Each of the characters gives a different account of the
situations in the story. It begins at the Bundren home where Addie is on her
deathbed. This section of the story is used to establish the personalities of
the characters. Here the reader learns that Anse is selfish and lazy, Darl is
a little odd and a dreamer, Dewey Dell is lost, Vandraman is an innocent
child, Cash is hardworking and honest, and Jewel is separate from all the
other children. Once Addie dies they embark on the journey to Jefferson.
They come across a flooded river and despite the warnings of Tull they
attempt to cross anyway, causing them to lose the team and Cash to break
his leg. Anse insists that they continue even though Cash has a broken leg
and in order to replace the team he uses Cash’s money and sells Jewel’s
horse. They reach a small town where Dewey Dell goes to find a doctor in
secret in an attempt to get an abortion. She is refused and they must leave
the town because Addie is rotting and the coffin smells vile.The family
stops for the night in a barn. In an attempt to free them of this situation Darl
lights the barn on fire with Addie inside. Jewel manages to pull Addie out
and they leave to Jefferson. Once the family finally arrives in Jefferson they
bury Addie. The police take Darl to the penitentiary. Dewey Dell tries to go
to a different doctor. The man tricks her: he gives her fake medication
promising it will work in exchange for sex. Cash has to have his leg
amputated because it is gangrene. Anse ignores the misfortune of his
children and takes Dewey Dell’s abortion money to buy new teeth. Anse
returns with new teeth and a new wife. The story ends with the family
driving away in a carriage.
The Remains of the
Day
By Kazuo Ishiguro
Some of the themes are the
blurred line between duty and
doing the “right” thing, regret,
and loss.
Plot—The story follows Stevens the butler on a trip around England to
meet up with his old colleague Miss Kenton. On this trip Stevens recalls
memories from his time serving Lord Darlington, specifically during
WWII. Lord Darlington was a Nazi sympathizer and despite the
subconscious knowledge of this Stevens does his job dutifully. During
the present day Stevens is working for an American who is improper and
he is unable to converse with him comfortably as it was never his place
before. He travels on this road trip to see Miss Kenton because he
believes that she is unhappy in her marriage and wants to come back to
work at the house. Throughout the story it is implied that Stevens always
knew that Lord Darlington was working with the Nazi’s but it was never
his place to question. This idea truly resonates when Stevens has to fire
two maids simply because they are Jewish. During the trip he reflects if
his life was ever actually his own and if he did the right thing doing his
job perfectly and never questioning Lord Darlington. Once he arrives to
visit Miss Kenton they discuss the past and she reveals that she had/has
feelings for him. It is implied throughout the story that Stevens regrets
many of the decisions that he made in his life. Stevens chooses to leave
and return to his employer with his sole purpose being mastering the art
of witty banter.
Thesis Statements-In Ishiguro’s The
Remains of the Day the emotion of
regret can be seen through the
character Stevens as he reflects on his
life, his relationships, and his work.
The principles of duty are established
in Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day
through the protagonist Stevens, the
maid Miss Kenton, and Stevens father.
by Jonathan Swift
Summary of plot- Gulliver the protagonist and narrator of
this novel goes on four different voyages each of which
ending in a storm. Gulliver ends up in the imaginary
countries of Lilliput, Blefusces, Brobdingdang, Laputan and
Houghnhmns and gains a new perspective on his life and
humankind at each. His first voyage brings him to Lilliput
where the people are tiny compared to him. The second
voyage is to Brobdingag where the people are giants
compared to Gulliver. His third voyage is to Laputa where the
people are dedicated to mathematics and music and are bad
at practical things. Then from there he goes to a island called
Glubbdubdrib which is occupied by sorcerers and he runs
into ghosts of famous historical figures. Gulliver then returns
to England but soon after sets off again on another voyage.
This time Gulliver is the captain of his ship but is soon
overthrown and marooned on island. This island contains two
creatures, The Yahoos and the Houynhmns. The Yahoos are
beast like creatures who are violent, deceitful and disgusting,
they also have human like features. The Houynhmns are
gentle and reasonable creatures who do not have problems
but look like horses. Gulliver gets used to Houynhmn life and
realizes the true depth of human awfulness, unfortunately
because he looks like a Yahoo the Houynhmns kick him out.
He then returns home depressed, he is disgusted at the
family he has as they remind him of Yahoos and recoils
Thesis Statements1) Gulliver is seen as an outsider in the lands he traveled to and
no matter if hes twice the size or half the size of the inhabitants he
is treated differently. This treatment gives him a better perspective
on himself and society.
2)Jonathan Swift the author of Gulliver's Travels pays great
attention to the real world, the over descriptive bodily functions
add to the bit of satire in the novel but also are there to remind the
reader of the imperfectness and mortality of human kind.
Major Themes- Man vs Right, Individual vs. Society, The limits of
human understanding, the flaws of society and how knowledge,
understanding and communication is important.
Summary-
Major Themes-
This story is told through the eyes of a
poor uneducated African American
women living in a racist and sexist
southern USA named Celie. Celie is
raped, abused and impregnated by a
man who is in the novel believed to be
her father called Mr. ___ at age 14 and
forced into marriage. Her kids are
taken away from her and her sister
fled to Africa. Celie ends up turning to
god and writing him letters. She starts
to see god as another man in her life
who could abuse her until she meets
Shug Avery. Shug is a blues singer
and at first seen as Mr._____’s
mistress but then becomes close
friends with Celie and eventually
lovers. Shug helps Celie find her
independence and shows her that a
new way to think about god. Celie
ends up moving to Tennessee and
gaining independence she then
returns to Georgia after a while as an
entrepreneur and finds out Mr. _____
was in fact not her father and has
undergone a transformation causing
them to become friendly. Celie then
inherits her family home and starts a
new and prosperous life.
The power of narrative and voice, the power of
strong female relationships, the cyclical nature of
racism and secism and the importance of a
disruption of traditional gender roles
by Alice Walker
Thesis Statements1) In the novel The Color Purple most
male characters are abusive and
overpowering. Due to Celies experience
with men like this she finds her freedom
and independency.
2)The two different mediums of writing in
the novel, The Color Purple create two
different views into the characters and
themes of the novel. The spoken
narrative shows connections through
each character and the written narrative
gives readers a view into a specific
characters ideas and actions.
Heart of Darkness tells the
story of Marlow, an ivory
transporter from the congo.
Along his journey he
becomes more and more
interested with Kurts, and
evil genius imperialistic ivory
agent. Marlow is shocked to
see what he finds when he
arrives at the congo. The
European traders from
London had essentially
overtaken the culture of the
natives. Imperialism along
with evil has essentially
overtaken the congo and
Marlow is forced to accept
the surroundings.
Thesis Statements:
1) The recurring motif of darkness
contributes to the theme of
exposure of evil through the
seclusion of the area, the unknown
happenings of evil and the
description of settings as always
cloaked in gloom.
2) Kurtz is overtaken by imperialism
due to the idea of deeds being done
in the dark, lack of law and the
release of evil in human nature.
Themes:
Imperialism
Uncontrollable evil
Hypocrisy of power
Jurgis is a lithuanian immigrant
who lives in Chicago with his
family. They seek the wonderful
American dream but face
unexpected events. They work at
a meat packaging factory and
soon enough life crumbles around
them. Living condition become
harsh and one day Jurgis comes
across a rally of socialists. At the
end he abandons his family and
devotes his time to protest with
the socialist party so more than
just a few rich people own these
factories.
By Upton Sinclair
Thesis statement:
In Upton Sinclair’s “The
Jungle”, the difficulties
of immigration is shown
through the living
conditions which is
partly affected by rallies
of socialism vs.
capitalism.
Themes include: Socialism overcoming capitalism, immigration lifestyle and troubles,
the (unexpected) American dream
The Autobiography of an Ex- Colored Man
By: James Weldon Johnson
Summary:
The ex- colored man was raised in a
different environment than other
blacks. His mother protected him
greatly and when she passed he
began to live as part of the black life.
When he grew up he played piano
for white parties. He showed
devotion to white gentlemen and
even formed friendships with them.
Later, she witnessed a lynching of a
black man and his eyes opened to
racism. He later marries a white
woman and has never revealed
himself to be black; he was always
seen as white man.
Themes: Racism, identity, diversity, art
and culture, self awareness, and self
interest.
-Photograph of James Weldon
Johnson
Thesis: Johnson believes that he can find his
true identity by either pursuing and believing
in his African- American music or by living like
a middle class white man.
Thesis Statements:
●
In The Handmaid’s Tale, language is
suggested to be an incredible tool of
power, suggested through the ban of
women’s education, dehumanizing labels
used to refer to the deformed, and the
biblical terms closely intertwined
within politics of the society.
●
In the novel, Atwood suggests the
existence of both a dark and light side
to the new Republic: one in which
safety and security is finally
accomplished in society as a whole, and
the other in which this “safety” harms
the individual.
by Margaret Atwood
Plot: The Republic of Gilead has
replaced what used to be the
United States, completely
reshaping society and evoking
the rights of women. No longer
allowed to own property, work,
or even read, women are deemed
as property. After an
unspecified nuclear disaster,
conception rates are at an all
time low, and high-status
couples with trouble conceiving
may be issued a Handmaid, a
woman with viable ovaries with
whom the husband can have
ceremonial and impersonal sex
with within his wife’s
presence. The novel closely
follows the experience of a
handmaid named Offred as she
struggles through experiences
in her past and present.
Welfare of the whole
vs. the individual
Bodies serving political
purposes
Thesis Statements:
by Margaret Atwood
Plot: Searching for her father in the Canadian
wilderness, the unnamed narrator, her quiet
boyfriend Joe, and their married friends David
and Anna spend a week off the grid searching
for signs. Through the introspective
observations of the narrator, we explore the
nature of love and relationships and the way in
which man controls nature and women.
Ultimately, the narrator undergoes a drastic
psychological transformation, just barely
emerging on the other side.
●
The relationship between David and Anna
represents the way in which sex can be
wielded as both a weapon of spite and a form
of control.
●
In Surfacing, Atwood uses the relationships of
David and Anna and the narrator and Joe to
represent two differing types of control:
emotional and physical.
The idea of the “natural woman”
Sex as a tool of power
Man’s control of nature and women
Summary: The Awakening is the story of Edna
Pontellier’s transformation from an obedient
housewife to a fiercely independent woman. It is set
in and around Grand Isle and New Orleans in the
late 1800s. While vacationing with her family, Edna
feels a change begin to take place in how she shows
herself to the rest of the world. She falls in love with
Robert, a much younger man, but he soon leaves in
fear of an affair. Edna begins to devote herself to art,
and continues to become more independent. When
Robert returns, she completely releases her hold on
social conventions and wants to leave her family to
be with him, but, before she can convince him to
stay, she leaves to help her friend, who is giving
birth. Edna’s friend tells her that she is being selfish
and should think of her children, and, when Enda
returns to where Robert was, he is gone. In his place
is a note of farewell. She then realizes that not even
Robert would have been enough to satisfy her
newfound strength and passion, and she becomes
intensely lonely, and she drowns herself in the ocean.
Major Themes: solitude as a result of independence, the
effects of self-expression, and the question of
whether to follow society’s wishes
Thesis Statements:
Edna’s suicide is a final act of independence, not only
because it was her own choice, but because it was
non-aggressive and she was completely rational.
Although Mademoiselle Reisz and Madame Ratignolle
were both wonderful role-models, Edna couldn’t
entirely exemplify either of them; she was already
married and had children, unlike Reisz, and she
didn’t like her children or like taking care of them,
like Ratignolle. This ultimately led to her decision to
kill herself.
Summary:
The odd chapters tell the 15 year old Kafka's story
as he runs away from his father's house to escape
an Oedipal curse and to embark upon a quest to
find his mother and sister. After a series of
adventures, he finds shelter in a quiet, private
library in Takamatsu, run by the distant and aloof
Miss Saeki and the androgynous Oshima. There he
spends his days reading the unabridged Richard
Francis Burton translation of A Thousand and One
Nights and the collected works of Natsume Sōseki
until the police begin inquiring after him in
connection with a brutal murder.
Major Themes: Murder, adventure, suspense,
humor.
Thesis Statements:
1.)In Kafka on The Shore by
Haruki Murakami, Kafka learns
a lot of important life lessons on
his journeys.
2.) What is the meaning of love
and self perseverance in the
novel?
Plot summary: The patients in the mental ward
are cowed and repressed by Nurse Ratched,
the head nurse. McMurphy tries to rally all the
patients together in a rebellion against her
authority by asserting individualism and
sexuality, while Ratched tries to show the
patients what a terrible person and influence
McMurphy is, shaming all the patients back
under her control. There are several events in
which McMurphy tries to band all against her,
but in the end his plots are thwarted and the
nurse ends up ruling the mental institute.
Major Themes: women as castrators, society’s
destruction of natural impulses, the
importance of expressing one’s sexuality, and
society’s often false diagnosis of insanity
Thesis Statements:
1) I believe neither McMurphy nor Ratched truly
wins “the battle” at the end, as it sets in sort
of a standstill, leaving the reader to decide
further on the victor based on their opinion
on what the outcome of the ward is.
2) I think our modern system of insane asylums
keep people confined and do not cure its
occupants, especially if they are similar to that
which the book describes, because there is no
true mental attempt to cure anyone but only
to confine them.
First the story is introduced by the narrator. Then we
see Hester and her illegitimate child, Pearl being
publicly shamed. Chillingworth is Hesters lost
husband. Chillingworth lets her know and they
keep it a secret. Chillingworth starts taking care
of Dimmesdale full time because he is very sick.
Chillingworth suspects something more is going
on between Hester and Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale
is Pearl’s father and the family is going to run
away to Europe together. When Hester and Pearl
are on the town scaffold, Dimmesdale confesses
and then dies. Chillingworth later dies, Hester and
Pearl move away. Years later, Hester moves back
and Pearl (now married) writes her letters. When
Hester dies, she is buried with Dimmesdale in a
special scarlet letter coffin.
Major theme: What is the root of evil?
Thesis: Hawthorne uses the contrast of settings in
scenes of the forest, scaffold and Europe to
characterize sin.
SUMMARY: Guy Montag is a fireman whose
job is to burn books, which have been
banned by the government because of the
power they can contain. A seventeen-yearold girl named Clarisse McClellan opens his
eyes to everything wrong with the world
around him, and he begins to have some
curiosity about books. When Guy’s boss, fire
chief Beatty, discovers this, Guy is forced to
burn his own home,
THEMES: Man vs. Society
Summary
Anna Karenina follows two characters, Anna and Levin,
as they pursue existential satisfaction. The story starts
with Anna’s effort to counsel her brother and his wife
while Levin is courty a woman named Kitty. Anna ends
up having an affair with Vronsky, the man that Kitty
rejects Levin’s proposal for. After a while, Anna’s
husband finds out about the affair and they go back
and forth about a divorce. During this time Kitty is in
Germany, and Levin is trying to reform his estate and
find meaning in his life. Kitty and Levin meet again in
Moscow and Kitty accepts his proposal. Levin learns
that marriage isn’t quite what he thought it’d be and
Anna becomes more of a social outcast because of her
ongoing affair. Levin goes through a gambling and
drinking phase but eventually finds happiness in his
life as the good he can put into it. Anna becomes
increasingly estranged and throws herself under a
train when meeting Vronsky.
Themes: societal hypocrisy, love, family life,
adultery, social isolation, and existential
meaning.
Thesis Statements:
1) Tolstoy uses death, social isolation, and
emotional disorders to condemn certain ways
of living.
2)Anna Karenina depicts two lives headed in
opposite directions to tell us that a happy life
can be found by accepting some unhappiness
as normal.