English III: Gateway and AP
I. Read The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest Gaines and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.
After reading both novels, choose one of the following themes or issues:
 Loneliness
 Hopes and Dreams
 Dignity and Pride
 The American Dream
 Develop your own theme which you see in both works
After choosing a theme to discuss, find an event from history that relates to your theme. Obvious choices
would be the pursuit of the American Dream and the frustration slaves would have endured in not being able to
pursue the American Dream. Dig deeper than the obvious. For example, you might find a specific group of
immigrants and relate their frustrated American Dream to that of the characters in the novels.
In a five-paragraph essay you should discuss your conclusions about the connections between the two novels
and your historical example. You should have an introductory paragraph that introduces the novels, the theme
that will be discussed, and the historical connection. The last sentence of this paragraph should be your thesis
that ties together the three concepts. Each of the three body paragraphs should discuss ONE of the novels OR
the historical event. Each body paragraph that discusses one of the novels should include at least two quotes.
The conclusion should bring the paper to a close and make your final arguments about how these three
concepts work together.
Your essay should be in 12-point Times New Roman, double-spaced, and include a MLA heading. Your essay is
due the first day of school and you should submit it to turnitin.com.
II. Choose ONE of the following topics, research it, and write a short (1 ½ to 2 pages), documented paper that
discusses your findings compared information you learned about internment camps in Farewell to Manzanar.
Use MLA format and make specific references to the book.
1. Earl Warren pushed interring the Japanese and later apologized for his role. Discuss his position on
internment camps, his reasoning, and how you think it affected his decision to write Brown vs. Board.
of Education.
2. There were two internment camps in Arkansas. Compare them to the camps located in other areas of
the country.
3. Two conflicting court decisions were handed down in 1944: Korematsu vs. the United States and Ex
parte Endo. Discuss the situation that led to the conflicting decision and your thoughts on how and why
the Supreme Court justified these two different decisions.
III. Play of Choice - Answer the following. Each answer should be a developed paragraph.
1. What was your favorite scene. Describe it and explain why it was your favorite. For instance, did it help
you understand something better or remind you of another scene in literature? BE SPECIFIC!
EXPLAIN!
2. Explain how people might relate this book to their own lives.
3. Compare one theme or idea in this play that you have encountered in other books, poems, stories or
movies you have read or seen. BE SPECIFIC.
4. Explain why you would or would not recommend this book to someone else. You MUST include
specifics.
PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT ALL WORK IS YOUR OWN. YOU WILL SUBMIT EACH
ASSIGNMENT TO TURNITIN.COM. The Class ID is 9979933 and the enrollment password is
bmcguire. Please print a receipt for each submission and staple it to your work.