Summer Assignment for English II and Honors English II
2015-2016 School Year
In English II, we will work intensively on the study of World Literature. In order to prepare you for the class, we
ask that students complete the following checklist:
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read Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
read the background included in this handout about four critical approaches
complete the included chart
write two body paragraphs (one standard) that respond to the included writing prompts
* Both the critical approaches charts and prompt responses are due on the first day of school. Points will be
deducted for late submissions
This book can be borrowed from the English Department. Please sign one out from a sophomore English
teacher during exam week. If you borrow a book, you will be held responsible for its return. If you lose it, damage
it, or misplace it, you will need to replace the copy. For those of you who are interested in writing notes or
highlighting passages in your book, you may purchase a copy at your local bookstore (consider used book stores
too for available copies).
We are looking forward to an exciting 2015-2016 school year! Please contact us if you have any questions or
concerns.
Mr. Patrick Ritchie
[email protected]
Ms. Teresa Del Dotto
[email protected]
Critical Approaches
There are several different ways to “look at” or analyze literature. You can use a formalist approach, an
archetypal appoach, a pyschological approach, or a feminist approach.
FORMALIST APPROACH
You spent much of 9th grade English looking at literature with a formalist approach. Using a formalist approach
means you focus on an author’s use of word choice, imagery, symbols, characterization, details, or other elements
to figure out what point the author is trying to make.
ARCHETYPAL APPROACH
You probably spent part of 9th grade English looking at literature with an archetypal approach. (If you didn’t, it’s
ok. We’ll explain it here.) Archetypes are recurring symbols or story patterns (snakes to represent evil, water to
represent rebirth or cleansing, the hero journey story pattern). These symbols and story patterns are used over and
over in our literature such that they become ritualistic. Using an archetypal approach means you focus on an
author’s use of universal patterns to figure out what the author is saying about the human experience.
Hero Journey Archetype
Color Archetypes
Inexperienced hero
Separated from home
Has initial obstacles
Discovers special ability, weapon, or mentor
Establishment of a quest
Initial reluctance about quest but then embarks
Random adventures
Emotional low point /symbolic death
Gains knowledge, is “reborn”
Takes a leap of faith (scared but recommits to quest)
Macro-level triumph / achieves quest
Returns home
Red: passion, love, violence, sacrifice
Yellow: caution
Pink: order, tenderness
Blue: truth, loyalty
Purple: royalty
Green: life, fertility, disease, decay
White: purity, innocence, terror, death
Black: mystery, allure, evil, death
Other Archetypes
water: redemption, growth, rebirth, change
winter: death
spring: birth, life
summer: growth, ripening
autumn: maturity, change
rose: love
dove: peace
wind: life, messenger
feather: lightness, speed
great mother: spiritual and emotional nourishment,
creativity, birth
terrible mother: death, destruction
PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH
You might have spent a little time in 9th grade English looking at literature with a psychological approach. Using a
psychological approach means you focus on the inner workings of the human mind to figure out what the author is
saying about human interaction.
FEMINIST APPROACH
You might have spent a little time in 9th grade English looking at literature with a feminist approach. Using a
feminist apporach means you focus on how the author tends to support or challenge a patriarchal (male dominated)
view of society to figure out what the author is saying about gender roles or the power between the sexes.
Name:_______________________________________________________ Period:____________
Complete the following chart. Be sure to use a different approach to examine each quote and provide at least two
reasons or justifications for applying the particular approach to the quote. The approaches you should use are
formalist, archetypal, psychological, and feminist. Yes, each quote could be evaluated with more than one
approach; your job is to figure out a way to use each approach once.
QUOTE
APPROACH TWO REASONS THAT APPROACH WORKS
WITH THIS QUOTE
Life had taught her that it was not that
easy; there are few prepared to fulfill
their desires whatever the cost, and
the right to determine the course of
one’s own life would take more effort
than she had imagined (169).
1.
…Tita was literally washed into this
1.
2.
world on a great tide of tears that
spilled over the edge of the table and
flooded across the kitchen floor (7).
2.
The truth! The truth! Look, Tita, the
simple truth is that the truth does not
exist; it all depends on a person’s
point of view (191).
1.
2.
Unquestionable, when it came to
dividing, dismantling, dismembering,
desolating, detaching, dispossessing,
destroying, or dominating, Mama
Elena was a pro (97).
1.
2.
THE PARAGRAPH PROMPTS ARE ONE THE BACK!
Honors: For each of the prompts below, write a well developed body paragraph in response (topic
sentence, several pieces of evidence (quoted/ page citation), explanation of the evidence, consclusion
sentence). Be sure to type/ word process and use MLA formatting. Use the link below for
formatting assistance:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
Standard: Choose one of the prompts below and write a well developed body paragraph in response
(topic sentence, several pieces of evidence (quoted or paraphrased), explanation of the evidence,
consclusion sentence). Although legibly, hand-written responses are permitted, typed/ word
processed is suggested.
Psychological prompt:
Tradition is an indispensable force in the functioning of any human society. What is the
novel’s message regarding tradition? (Is it a force for self-actualization? A force of repression?
Other?)
Feminist prompt:
Like Water for Chocolate presents several models for strong, powerful or otherwise
influential women in terms of its developed characters: Mama Elena, Rosaura, Gertrudis and Tita.
Which of these characters in your view does the best job at challening a patriarchal (maledominated) view of society?