Nogales High School
English 10 Honors
Mr. Keaney
This course is a study of world literary classics and contemporary literature. A variety of genres will be studied and
will provide the basis for integrating reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills.
2013/2014 Syllabus will include but is not limited to:
Antigone by Sophocles (complimented with background knowledge of Greek mythology)
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Works by Edgar Allan Poe
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Works by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Much Ado about Nothing by William Shakespeare; Elizabethan Era
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Literature and Language text (Grade 11 level)
Check out the required texts from the school library or purchase them. I highly recommend purchasing your own
editions, and then you can annotate them and use them in future classes, including university. At the beginning of
each unit, I will offer extra credit to those who have their own copy.
The 2013 Summer Assignment
FOCUS: MYTHOLOGY
Summer text: Mythology by Edith Hamilton (acquire either paperback or hardcover edition)
The assigned summer work is due the first day of classes. No work, no credit.
THE WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT: (this is a separate packet, stapled 8 ½ X 11 paper, no covers or binders)
PLEASE LABEL ALL PARTS CLEARLY. Your Mythology packet must be organized and neatly presented for
full credit. Highlight or label the various sections. Skip lines between sections. Take notes on everything listed.
Mythology notes must be handwritten neatly and accurately.
 Read the Introduction to Classical Mythology and outline the major ideas (8-10 ideas) about Classical Mythology:
The overarching question is: How did the Greek perception of reality change Western Civilization? How
was it indeed a “miracle”? Answer these points in your notes.
Part One: The Gods, the Creation, and the Earliest Heroes
 Read all of Part One: Take detailed notes on The Gods and The Two Great Gods of Earth
 Make a chart of the major Greek/Roman gods/goddesses: with their two names (Greek and Roman; e.g.,
Zeus and Jupiter), the territory (i.e., god of what?), and something informational about them
 How the World and Mankind Were Created: Take notes on all
Part Two: Stories of Love and Adventure
 Take notes on the following: Cupid and Psyche, Eight Brief Tales of Lovers (Pyramus and Thisbe, Orpheus and
Eurydice, Pygmalion and Galatea, Daphne), and Daedalus (from Four Great Adventures)
Part Three: The Great Heroes before the Trojan War
 Read all of Part Three and take detailed notes on Perseus, Theseus, Hercules, and Atalanta
Part Four: The Heroes of the Trojan War
 Read and take notes on The Trojan War and create a “Hero Chart” listing the major warriors (e.g., Achilles) and
what side they were on (Greek or Trojan); list the major gods and goddesses and whose side they were on also
 Take detailed notes on The Fall of Troy
 Take detailed notes on The Adventures of Odysseus
Part Five: The Great Families of Mythology
 Read The Royal House of Thebes and take detailed notes on Oedipus and Antigone
THE CREATIVE ASSIGNMENT: select a being (god, goddess, creature, or other) from Hamilton’s book, and create
on 8 ½ X 11 paper a vibrantly colored representation of the being. Include the being’s Roman and Greek name (if
applicable), weapons or tools associated with the being, and some characteristics of the being. This must be hand-drawn,
not cut and pasted from a website. Be original. Grading based on color, neatness, entire page is filled, and accurate,
appropriate information.
CINEMATIC ASSIGNMENT: Watch one of the following films: Troy, Clash of the Titans (either 1981 or 2010 or
both), Wrath of the Titans, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, or Immortals (viewing any or all of
these films will give a better visual understanding of certain aspects of mythology, but one critique for one film is
required). Write a one- to two-page brief summary and critique of the film. Incorporate MLA format.
OR
Watch a current film from the following: Man of Steel, Iron Man 3, Star Trek: Into Darkness, Epic, or After Earth.
Connect the film you saw with a figure(s) in mythology (e.g., the one vs. the many, good vs. evil, the power of the
journey). Write a one- to two-page brief summary and connect your film of choice to that of a myth’s themes or characters.
Incorporate MLA format.
Do not plagiarize. Be original and use third-person perspective only. Additionally, answer the question: was the film true
to its myth(s)?
Having a sound grasp of mythology will fare you well in literature and beyond. Many mythological allusions are
incorporated into the literature we will read throughout the year, and being able to understand an author’s intent via
mythology displays a student’s insight and keen awareness of thematic parallels.
In summation:
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Notes regarding Hamilton’s Mythology
Gods and goddesses chart
Trojan War hero chart
Artistic representation of a mythology being
Watch and critique/connect to mythology one of the recommended films
 Should you need clarification on MLA format, visit the NHS website under my name, and in the Links area, you will see a link for
MLA format.
 A copy of this summer worksheet is on the Links area also.