Summer Reading Assignment 2015
Pre-AP/GT English II
For summer reading, Pre-AP English II students will choose one of the following books. All
three books are on the CollegeBoard recommended reading list for AP Literature and
Composition. Since the student will select from the list for himself/herself, if the student or
parent finds the material in one book too mature, the student should choose another book.
-
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston [This novel follows its
protagonist, Janie Crawford, as she grows from a vibrant and voiceless teenager to a
woman in charge of her own life.]
The Chosen by Chaim Potok [This novel follows its protagonists, Reuven Malter and
Danny Saunders, as they mature from boys following their parents to men making their
own decisions about their future.]
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe [This novel follow its protagonist Okonkwo, as he
journeys through a clash of cultures, one ancient and tribal the other with the arrival of
new and modern beliefs.
You will need to read your novel during the summer months so that the lessons during the first
three weeks will be more meaningful.
As you are reading, you will need to follow and the annotation guide making notes in your book
in order to help you comprehend the text and read it with more thought.
Within the first three weeks of the school year, Pre-AP English II will be required to write a style
analysis essay about their author and the stylistic elements he/she uses.
If you have questions, please feel free to contact:
Byron Nelson High School
- Ms. Pryor at spryor@nisdtx.org
- Mr. Tate at jtate@nisdtx.org
Eaton High School
- Mr. Caulder at bcaulder@nisdtx.org
- Mrs. Johnson at rjohnson@nisdtx.org
- Mrs. Woolley at mwoolley@nisdtx.org
Northwest High School
- Mrs. Eberhart at aeberhart@nisdtx.org
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Zora Neale Hurston
OBJECTIVES:
 Understand how Hurston uses diction, imagery, sentence structure, point of view, and other literary devices to
enhance our understanding of characters.
 Become familiar with techniques that create an author’s style.
 Learn to write style analysis paragraphs and to answer AP Literature and Composition Question 3 (once the
year begins).
ASSIGNMENT:
1.
2.
3.
You’ll need your own copy of Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston that you can annotate
and bring to school the first six weeks of school.
Read the book (not the Spark Notes or other “cheater sites.”)
Annotate the items included below. Annotation means to purposefully highlight and take notes.
Chapter One:
 Figurative language. Look for examples of personification, simile, metaphor, hyperbole, and protagonist. Be
sure to label them!
 Write a brief summary on the last page of chapter one about the chapter including a brief discussion of the
conflicts you think Janie already faces. (This should only be two or three sentences.)
Chapter Two:
 This chapter tells about Janie’s past. As you read, look for Janie’s emotions. How does she feel about herself?
How does she feel about the way she fits in (or doesn’t fit in) with others? Jot notes in the margins about how
Janie feels.
Chapter Three:
 By now you’ve begun to notice that the first paragraph of each chapter is different from the rest of each chapter.
Go back to chapters one and two. Look at the opening paragraph of each chapter (and now all chapters) and
write a note about what this opening shows us about Janie.
 Once you finish the chapter, revisit the opening and add to your notes what you actually learned about her.
 How is Janie’s vision of marriage different from the marriage itself?
Chapter Four:
 Figurative language. Look for examples of imagery and simile. Be sure to label them!
 Details are significant facts that help to tell the character’s story. In this chapter, highlight the facts about
Janie’s marriage that show she does not like her marriage.
Chapter Five:
 Figurative language: Look for an example of personification. Be sure to label them!
 Look at the opening paragraph of this chapter. Notice that it is less about Janie than previous opening
paragraphs.
 Chapter Five is longer and could easily be split into three chapters. Notice the white space after the sentence “A
feeling of coldness and fear took hold of her. She felt far away from things and lonely.” This space indicates a
shift of some kind. What do you think has shifted? What do you think Hurston is foreshadowing with this shift?
Note how Janie feels BEFORE that break and how Janie feels AFTER that break.
 Find the next break. How has Janie changed after this break?
Chapter Six:
 Pay close attention to the mule’s funeral. Why do you think we witness this funeral?
 Find the paragraph that begins “Times and scenes like that put Janie to thinking about the inside state of her
marriage.” Read to the end of the paragraph that begins “Janie stood where he left her for unmeasured time and
thought.” This section is filled with diction (specific and individual words that have strong connotative
meaning). Highlight specific words (or phrases of fewer than three words) that show you more about Janie’s
feelings at this time.
Chapter Seven:
 In this chapter, highlight the diction that tells you how Janie feels about Joe, about her marriage, and about
herself.
 Look for ways that Joe has begun to change.
Chapter Eight:
 Figurative language: Look for examples of alliteration. Be sure to label them!
 Study the conversations between Janie and Joe. Does Hurston use more pathos or logos? Look for examples of
each.
Chapter Nine:
 Figurative language: Look for examples of alliteration and personification. Be sure to label them!
 Look for details about Joe’s funeral and the reactions other people had toward Janie.
Chapter Ten:
 Figurative language: Look for examples of imagery and personification. Be sure to label them!
 As Janie meets Tea Cake, look for ways that he is different from her first two husbands. Also look for ways
that she has changed.
Chapter Eleven:
 Figurative language: Look for examples of Biblical allusions and foreshadowing. Be sure to label them!
 In this chapter, mark places that show how Tea Cake treats Janie differently from how her husbands treated her.
Chapter Twelve:
 This chapter reminds us that Janie is telling her story to Pheoby. Mark places that show the relationship
between Janie and Pheoby.
Chapter Thirteen:
 Figurative language: Look for examples of personification. Be sure to label them!
 In Jacksonville, Janie and Tea Cake have their first conflict. Look for the causes of that conflict and its
resolution.
Chapter Fourteen:
 This chapter shows the details of Tea Cake and Janie’s life in the muck. Mark places where he teaches her
something and places where she learns something. Consider her life in Eatonville versus her life in the Muck.
Chapter Fifteen:

This chapter is very short. Look for places where Tea Cake is like Joe in this chapter.
Chapter Sixteen:
 Mrs. Turner is presented as a biased character. Mark places that show her bias.
Chapter Seventeen:
 Study the first paragraph of this chapter. Look for examples of alliteration and make notes as to why you think
Hurston uses alliteration here.
 Mark places that show a sense of community in this chapter.
Chapter Eighteen:
 Figurative language: Look for examples of imagery and personification. Be sure to label them!
 Find and mark the allusion to the title. How does this allusion change your opinion of the title.
 This is a climactic chapter and many important events happen in this chapter. Note the foreshadowing and
details about the hurricane, Tea Cake’s encounter with the dog, and the relationship between Janie and Tea
Cake.
Chapter Nineteen:
 In the first couple of pages of chapter nineteen, Hurston tells about the people who died in the storm. Mark the
details about those people.
 Mark details about Tea Cake’s illness and death.
 Think about public sentiment toward Janie after Jody’s death. Mark places during the trial that
compare/contrast public sentiment toward Janie after Tea Cake’s death.
 Compare Tea Cake’s funeral to Jody’s funeral.
Chapter Twenty:
 Take note of lessons that Janie has learned in her journey. What themes can be created from these life lessons?
The Chosen
Chaim Potok
OBJECTIVES:
 Understand how Potok uses diction, imagery, sentence structure, point of view, and other literary devices to
enhance our understanding of characters.
 Become familiar with techniques that create an author’s style.
 Learn to write style analysis paragraphs and to answer AP Literature and Composition Question 3 (once the
year begins).
ASSIGNMENT:
1.
2.
3.
You’ll need your own copy of The Chosen by Chaim Potok that you can annotate and bring to school the first
six weeks of school.
Read the book (not the Spark Notes or other “cheater sites.”)
Annotate the items included below. Annotation means to purposefully highlight and take notes.
Chapter One:
 Why did the Jews need to prove their athleticism to the gentiles? Why was baseball important to the Jewish
boys? Mark places that prove this.
 Why does the game become a war for Rueven?
 Characterize Danny Saunders appearance when he hit the ball at Rueven. What is the purpose for the crazy
smile?
Chapter Two:
 Characterize Mr. Savo in a couple of sentences. Underline or write down a quote to support your descriptions.
 What is the setting of the story?
Chapter Three:
 What does Mr. Savo think about Reuven’s decision to be a rabbi? Mark places that show this.
 Find a couple of words you are unfamiliar with and underline them. Write their definitions here.
 What is the Reuven’s motivation for forgiving Danny?
 At the end of the chapter, find an example of antithesis involving silence. Mark the text. Infer it’s significance.
Chapter Four:
 What is Mr. Malter’s motivation for wanting Danny and Reuven to be friends?
 What is intriguing or ironic about each boy’s career choice?
 What is the significance of the two minor characters of Billy and Mr. Savo?
 Identify allusions in this chapter and discuss the significance.
 What is the significance of Mr. Savo referring to the nurse as “the old ring post”?
Chapter Five:
 What is the author’s purpose for adding the quote at the beginning of Book Two.
 Identify a shift in tone in the first paragraph.
 What epiphany does the narrator have towards the end of the chapter? Mark the text and explain the
significance.
Chapter Six:
 Underline the passage that talks about the history of Poland.
 What is the author’s purpose for including the history of the division of the Jewish faith?
 Mark any text that may be foreshadowing coming events.
Chapter Seven:
 Focus on imagery from this chapter. Underline examples.
 What is gematriya?
 Figurative language. Look for examples of personification, simile, metaphor, hyperbole, and protagonist. Be
sure to label them!
Chapter Eight:
 How do the boys in Reuven’s class treat him on his first day back to school?
 Why might dreams and subconscious be important to Danny and Rueven?
 Underline the passage with the debate over the Talmud between Danny and his father. What emotional and
mental impact does it have?
Chapter Nine:
 How does the outcome of Billy’s surgery affect Reuven?
 What could the spider and fly represent? Mark it up!
Chapter Ten:
 What is the study of Sigmund Freud symbolic of?
 Figurative language: Look for examples of allusions and foreshadowing. Be sure to label them!
Chapter Eleven:
 Identify changes in tone in this chapter. Mark at least 3 lines to contribute to this change.
 Why does Roosevelt’s death affect Danny so deeply?
 Mark an example of personification in this chapter.
Chapter Twelve:
 Underline all historical references.
 What is it about Freud that Danny finds upsetting?
 Underline 3 lines that allude to David Malters feelings about rebuilding the Jewish culture and waiting for the
Messiah?
Chapter Thirteen:
 Analyze the quote at the beginning of Book Three.
 What is a “Dogmatic Fruedian”?
 What does David Malter say about filling one’s life with meaning?
 What is the cause of the Zionism to split? Find two quotes.
Chapter Fourteen:
 How does Reuven feel about Reb’s ban on friendship? How does Reuven describe silence?
 Characterize the changes in the father. Mark text to support his decline in spirit and physical appearance.
 Why do anti-Zionists cease their campaigning?
 What does Reuven’s response to the Talmud argument symbolize?
Chapter Fifteen:
 What finally made the anti-Zionist league die within the school?
 Silence is a reoccurring motif in the book. Find an example in this chapter.
Chapter Sixteen:
 Mark tone words on the first page of the chapter. What mood is portrayed as a result of the tone?
 Why does Danny continue to defend his father’s use of silence?
 Describe the changes in Reb Saunders. Mark two quotes to support your explanation.
Chapter Seventeen:
 Identify two examples of alliteration on the first page of Chapter 17.
 What are the troubling questions David brings up about Danny’s intentions?
 Summarize the conflict.
Chapter Eighteen:
 Why does Reb feel it’s both a curse and a blessing to have a son like Danny?
 Ultimately, why did the father raise his son in silence, and why does he continue the tradition?
 Figurative language: mark any examples of alliteration, personification, simile, metaphor, etc.
 What is the significance of the title?
 What themes can be created from these life lessons? Using text evidence, create a thematic statement.
Things Fall Apart
Chinua Achebe
OBJECTIVES:
 Understand how Achebe uses diction, imagery, sentence structure, point of view, and other literary
devices to enhance our understanding of characters.
 Become familiar with techniques that create an author’s style.
 Learn to write style analysis paragraphs and to answer AP Literature and Composition Question 3
(once the year begins).
ASSIGNMENT:
1. You’ll need your own copy of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe that you can annotate and bring
to school the first six weeks of school.
2. Read the book (not the Spark Notes or other “cheater sites.”)
3. Annotate the items included below. Annotation means to purposefully highlight and take notes.
Chapter 1:


Figurative language: Look for examples of simile, alliteration, and foreshadowing. Be sure to label them!
Write a brief characterization of Unoka.
Chapter 2:




Figurative Language: Look for examples of antithesis, personification, and onomatopoeia. Be sure to label
them!
What ultimatum is given? Why is it given?
Write a brief characterization of Okonkwo.
What are some of the characteristics of this tribal society?
Chapter 3:


What is the significance of Unoka’s burial rites?
Cite the diction used by the author to exemplify Okonkwo’s tenacity. Be sure to mark these!
Chapter 4:




Explain how Okonkwo approaches relationships.
Explain the circumstances of the “great evil” committed by Okonkwo.
What is Okonkwo’s punishment?
What metaphors are used to show the significance of yams in this society? Be sure to label them!
Chapter 5:


Explain the roles of each family member.
How do the family dynamics impact the roles in the society?
Chapter 6:



Figurative Language: Look for examples of personification and imagery. Be sure to label them!
Explain the duality of Chielo.
How does the wrestling match help the reader better understand the society?
Chapter 7:




Figurative Language: Look for examples of metaphor, allusion, imagery and simile. Be sure to label them!
Explain the significance of sexism in this tribal society.
In this chapter the author juxtaposes a jubilant event of the locusts with that of a tragic death. Explain the
effect of this pairing on the mood of the reader.
Give examples of the diction used by the author to portray the tone in the last two pages of the chapter. Be
sure to mark this!
Chapter 8:


Explain the significance of Okonkwo’s period of mourning.
Mark the many cultural customs that are mentioned throughout this chapter.
Chapter 9:



Why does Ezinma’s illness strike at the heart of Okonkwo?
Why does Ezinma’s illness strike at the heart of Ekwefi?
What role does Okagbue play in this chapter?
Chapter 10:



What type of “communal ceremony” is taking place in this chapter?
What conclusions can be drawn about this culture based upon this ceremony?
Figurative Language: Find examples of personification. Be sure to label them!
Chapter 11:


Figurative Language: Find examples of imagery, simile, and personification. Be sure to label them!
Explain the tone shift in this chapter. (What are the tones? Where does the shift happen? What
event/events cause the shift?)
Chapter 12:

Consider the differences and similarities of the wedding in this society to a wedding in our modern day
society.
Chapter 13:






Label the ceremonial rites of Ezeudu’s funeral.
How does this funeral differ from the funeral of Okonkwo’s father?
What effect does this death have on Okonkwo?
What crime does Okonkwo commit?
What is the punishment?
At the end of the chapter, consider Obierika’s predicament. Why does he mourn?
Chapter 14:



Figurative Language: Find examples of imagery, simile, and metaphor. Be sure to label these!
Explain the reason Okonkwo’s disposition has changed.
Explain why and how Uchendu chides Okonkwo.
Chapter 15:




What drastic news does Obierika bring to Okonkwo and Uchendu?
How did the village come to be destroyed by these “visitors”?
Explain the following quote and its significance to the chapter: “The world has no end, and what is good
among one people is an abomination with others.”
Why is there no need for forgiveness?
Chapter 16:


Why would the priestess refer to the converts as “excrement of the clan” and the “new faith” s the “mad
dog that had come to eat it up”?
Why is Nwoye “captivated”?
Chapter 17:





Figurative Language: Find an example of an allusion. Be sure to label it!
What land did the village leaders agree to give to the missionaries? Why that land?
What causes Nwoye’s hesitation?
Explain why the converts were ignored for the most part.
What has incited Okonkwo’s anger.
Chapter 18:




What has the missionary brought besides religion?
How does the minister’s “firmness…[save] the young church”?
What is Okonkwo’s opinion of the events which transpire?
How does Okoli’s death impact the converts?
Chapter 19:


Okonkwo and his family are going home. How do the rainbow and its descriptions portray the journey of
the last seven years?
How did Okonkwo “call” the clan together?
Chapter 20:





Figurative Language: Find examples of metaphor and metonymy. Be sure to label them!
Explain the metaphor of the clan.
What is the “great abomination” of Okonkwo’s son?
What changes have taken place in Umuofia over the last seven years?
Explain the reference to the title of the book.
Chapter 21:




What are some of the inherent differences between Christiantiy and the polytheistic beliefs of the Umuofia
people?
Explain how British colonialism changed the countries of Africa. (List the basic facts.)
Along with the religion and government, what other entity brought by the white man was appealing to the
tribal people?
Explain the reference to the title of the book.
Chapter 22:




Figurative Language: Find examples of imagery, simile, and personification. Be sure to label them!
Explain the immediate change of tone.
What action by Enoch sent the entire village into “confusion”?
Who is Ajofia and what instructions does he give?
Chapter 23:



Figurative Language: Find examples of euphemism, simile, and imagery. Be sure to label them!
How were the men of Umuofia duped?
Explain the problem with the white men’s justice.
Chapter 24:





How does Okonkwo prepare for war (both mentally and physically)?
What does Okika say will be different about this war?
Explain the metaphor, “We must bale this water now that it is only ankle-deep..”.
What action taken by Okonkwo places Umuofia in grave danger?
Why is Okonkwo so very disappointed at the end of the chapter?
Chapter 25:




What has Okonkwo done? Why has he done it?
Explain the mood of the village men.
At the end of the book the author gives the Commissioner voice. What does that voice tell the reader
regarding the attitude of Colonization?
Explain Okonkwo’s qualities that made him a great leader.