AP Language and Composition Summer Assignment
Welcome to AP Language and Composition! I
certainly hope that you enjoy your summer, but that
you also take some time to prepare for the 2015-2016
school year by completing your AP summer
assignments. Make sure you read, write, and rest-up
this summer so that you are prepared for the upcoming
school year.
Summer Assignment Part I:
Read Incidents in
the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs.
This text may be purchased at most book stores
or on-line; it also has a free e-book. In addition, if you
have a Nook or Kindle, or other e-reader, this text is
typically free. The site below will allow you to read the
entire text, chapter by chapter.
http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/Harriet_Jacobs/Inci
dents_in_the_Life_of_a_Slave_Girl/
*During the first week of school you will be required to
complete a timed writing on this text. It will be graded
according to the AP writing rubric and will count as an
assessment grade. In addition, you will have a reading
comprehension test on plot, characters, literary
elements, and conflicts in the text.
Summer Assignment Part II:
sections (or quizzes as you will see). You are to choose
20 rhetorical terms/devices and create a dictionary by:
1) Defining the term in your own words. Yes, a
definition is given for each of the terms, but
creating a working definition that you
understand and can use will be essential to
your success in the course and on the AP exam.
2) Find an example of each chosen term in
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.
a) Quote the example and page number
b) Explain how your example/quote
embodies the rhetorical device. What is
the author’s reason for (purpose)
choosing this device? How does it
function in the text?
3) Please look at the example entry that is
below. Your responses must be thorough!
http://www.powayusd.com/pusdwvhs/AP/20102011/Docs/Summer%20Assignments/RhetoricalTermsLi
st.pdf (Please disregard the top part of the document
that says “Purpose, Test Format, Missed Test”.)
SAMPLE Rhetorical Devices
Dictionary Entry
Anaphora:
the repetition of a word or phrase at
the beginning of a sentence.
Example:
“Let there be justice for all.
Let there be peace for all.
Create a rhetorical
Let there be work, bread, water and
salt for all.
devices dictionary.
DUE DATE: THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS
An extremely important part of the AP
Language and Composition exam is not only being able
to identify rhetorical devices, but also understanding
why and how they are used by authors. In order to
prepare for this, part of your summer assignment
requires you to begin a rhetorical devices dictionary.
The link below will take you to a lengthy list of
rhetorical terms that are specific to the AP Language
and Composition Exam. This list is divided into 5
Let each know that for each the body,
the mind and the soul have been freed
to fulfill themselves.” (Nelson
Mandela’s inaugural speech, Paragraph
27-30)
Function:
Nelson Mandela’s inauguration speech
uses anaphora to express his hope for
the people of South Africa. Mandela’s
tone is inspirational, uplifting, and
commanding. In this segment, he
speaks of the hope that South Africa
will build peace, prosperity, and
democracy—launching an era without
racism and iniquity. The repetition of
AP Language and Composition Summer Assignment
“Let there be” makes this section
sound like a biblical command, creating
inspiration to all who hear or read his
speech and setting a mood of change.
The anaphora reinforces that “peace,”
“justice,” “work,” “bread,” “water,” and
“salt” are essential to human rights,
and the repeated word “let” suggests
that these essential rights will now be
permitted for all. Finally, by beginning
the fourth sentence with “Let each
know,” Mandela echoes the earlier
commands, while asserting that these
rights are no longer mere wishes: now,
each man and woman in South Africa
will have the opportunities so long
denied to them. Through his use of
anaphora, Mandela creates an
inaugural speech that truly conveys the
pride and possibilities he feels for
South Africa upon his election.
Summer Assignment Part III: WRITE and
a) What did I know about writing before reading
this book?
b) What is my writing style?
c) What do I now know about writing that I did
not before?
d) Choose one topic/concept from the book
that made a real impact on you. What was it?
Why did it affect you in this way?
e) What will you change about your writing as a
result of reading this book?
I do not want to put too many parameters on this paper
because I really just want to see how you write. I want
to learn about your sense of style, as well as the level of
your syntactical knowledge. The only requirements are:
a) Answer all of the above questions
b) Type the essay
c) Write at least three pages, double-spaced.
READ some more!
Find a book about nonfiction writing. If possible,
I would like you to purchase this book. I want it to be
YOUR book. I want you to write in it: underline,
highlight, and take notes in the margin. This can be any
book about NF writing. Find something you want to
read! (Some are listed below, but you are not limited to
these).
1) Read the book. Annotate as you read. This means
that you read with a “pen in hand”. If you are not sure
what to annotate go to the link below. The purpose of
annotating is to have an interaction with the book.
When we write, we think; when we think, we learn
(there is a rhetorical device somewhere in that
statement ).
How do I annotate? Go to this site:
http://faculty.bucks.edu/specpop/annotate.htm
…or this one from College Board (the organization
responsible for AP)
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/
teachers_corner/197454.html
2) Write an essay that explains what you learned about
writing as a result of reading this book. Some questions
you will want to answer:
~On Writing by Stephen King (actually about
fiction but there is a lot of good information in
this book)
~Ernest Hemingway on Writing by Hemingway
~The Elements of Style by William Strunk
available on-line)
~On Writing Well by William Zinsser
~Junk English by Ken Smith
~Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly
Effective Prose by Constance Hale
~The Writer's Portable Mentor: A Guide to Art,
Craft, and the Writing Life by Priscilla Long
If you have any questions, feel
free to email me. I will check it at
least weekly.
mpboyd@lf.k12.de.us