AP Language & Composition Summer Assignment 2014
Mrs. Hall, Mrs. Harwood & Mrs. Simpson
Welcome to AP Language & Composition! The focus of AP Language & Composition is the intensive study of the English language with an emphasis
on analysis of non-fiction and argument. The summer reading assignment is designed to prepare you for the academic rigor of an AP course,
analyze how an author uses language to shape an argument, and write concisely.
Complete the following assignment in addition to your school-wide reading:
1. Read In Cold Blood by Truman Capote with the two focus area questions in mind.
o What is Capote’s main argument?
o How does Capote use pathos to develop his purpose?
2. Complete an 8 entry dialectical journal for each focus area question. See below for instructions on how to complete your dialectical journal.
3. After completing the dialectical journal entries, write a 1-2 paragraph response for each focus area question. Use your entries to craft a
cohesive, concise response that addresses each question and shows your independent analysis. Follow all conventions for a wellconstructed paragraph.
Note: Do not use SparkNotes or other sites to find or verify your work. Trust your reading and critical thinking skills.
Due Date: This assignment is due without exception on the first day of class. Each part of the assignment must be printed and in your possession
at the start of class.
How to Complete Your Dialectical Journal
Dialectic means “the art or practice of arriving at the truth by using conversation involving question and answer.” The “dialectic” was the method
Socrates used to teach his students how to be actively engaged in the struggle to obtain meaning from an unfamiliar and challenging work. A
dialectical journal is a written conversation with yourself about a text that encourages the habit of reflective questioning. You will use a doubleentry form to examine details of a passage and synthesize your understanding of the text.
Choosing Passages
Look for quotes that are significant, powerful, thought provoking or puzzling. Remember that your goal is to uncover the deeper meaning behind
the text. Each passage you choose for this assignment should be related to one of the focus areas.
Responding To the Text
Your responses must be specific and detailed, not summary or paraphrase. Your responses should be between several sentences to a paragraph
long. Your journal must be typed and single-spaced.
Unsatisfactory/Basic Responses
o Give just your personal reactions to the passage
o Discuss the words, ideas, or actions of the author or character(s) without a larger context
o Tell what it reminds you of from your own experiences
o Write about what it makes you think or feel
o Agree or disagree with a character or the author
o Analyze literary terms or elements not connected to the focus areas
Advanced Responses
o Analyze the text for the two focus areas
o Make connections between different characters or events in the text
o Discuss the words, ideas, or actions of the author or subject(s) in connection with a focus area
o Analyze a passage and its relationship to the narrative as a whole
Example:
Excerpt
“But I leaped at the job, because it meant I would
become one of those people who knew what was
really going on. Also, most people in Welch had a
pretty good idea how bad off the Walls family was,
but the truth was, they all had their problem, too—
they were just better at covering them up. I wanted
to let the world know that no one had a perfect life,
that even the people who seemed to have it all had
their secrets” (Walls 269-270).
Analysis
Walls’s reason for taking the job writing about “the behind-the-scenes doings of the
movers and shakers” despite her mother’s concerns reveals her purpose in writing The
Glass Castle as well. During the time in her career she writes about in this passage, she is
one of those people who outwardly appears to have a “perfect life” with her spacious
apartment on Park Avenue, and high-profile connections with professional athletes and
movie producers. In reality, Walls fears what would happen if those people she sees as
above her “found out…who I really was” (Walls 270). By writing The Glass Castle,
Walls, now a well-respected journalist and writer, shows the reader she still struggles
with the consequences of her tumultuous upbringing and unhealthy influences from her
parents.
*Type your entries directly into this template by downloading it from the school website.*
There is space below each focus area to write your 1-2 paragraph response.
Focus Area 1: Author Purpose
What is Capote’s main argument in In Cold Blood?
Excerpt
Analysis: How does Capote’s use of language reveal his argument?
Conclusion: In 1-2 paragraphs, identify Capote’s main argument. Provide support for your claim.
Focus Area 2: Pathos
How does Capote use pathos to develop his purpose?
Excerpt
Analysis: What language in this excerpt reveals Capote’s use of emotional appeal to
develop his purpose?
Conclusion: Write 1-2 paragraphs analyzing Capote’s use of pathos to develop his purpose.