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English 3 Honors Summer Guides and Assignments
Summer Assignment One – due the first day of class!
–
How to Read Literature Like a Professor
This is an interesting nonfiction read that should help enlighten you on your journey with
literary analysis. It would probably be best to read this text first. The tasks set forth are
below. You may either type your answers or do them in blue or black pen; do not write on
the back of your paper.
Each chapter does NOT need its own page; however, please label each section that
requires a response. This is worth a homework grade (20%)
Writing Assignments for How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster
(tasks adapted from Donna Anglin)
Introduction: How'd He Do That?
How do memory, symbol, and pattern affect the reading of literature? How does the
recognition of patterns make it easier to read complicated literature? Discuss a time when
your appreciation of a literary work was enhanced by understanding a symbol or pattern.
Chapter 1: Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When It's Not)
List the five aspects of the QUEST and then apply them to something you have read (or
viewed) in the form used on pages 3-5.
Chapter 2: Nice to Eat with You: Acts of Communion
Choose a meal from a literary work and apply the ideas of Chapter 2 to this literary
depiction.
Chapter 3: Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires
What are the essentials of the Vampire story? Apply this to a literary work you have read
or viewed.
Chapter 4: If It's Square, It's a Sonnet
Google and read “If We Must Die” by Claude McKay. Discuss how this poemʼs content
reflects the form.
Chapter 5: Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before?
Define intertextuality. Discuss three examples that have helped you in reading specific
works.
Chapter 6: When in Doubt, It's from Shakespeare...
Discuss a work you are familiar with that alludes to or reflects Shakespeare.
Show how the author uses this connection thematically.
Read pages 44-46 carefully. In these pages, Foster shows how Fugard reflects
Shakespeare through both plot and theme. In your discussion, focus on theme.
English 3 Honors Summer Guides and Assignments
Chapter 7 --...Or the Bible
Class Discussion
Chapter 8: Hanseldee and Greteldum
Think of a work of literature that reflects a fairy tale. Discuss the parallels. Does it create
irony or deepen appreciation? Explain your answer.
Chapter 9: It's Greek to Me
Read the following article: http://www.tree.com/lifestyle/impact-of-greek-mythology-onwestern-culture.aspx and write two instances of how Greek Mythology has impacted
Western Culture
Chapter 10: It's More Than Just Rain or Snow
Discuss the importance of weather in a specific literary work, not in terms of plot.
Apply this to The Great Gatsby
Interlude: Does He Mean That?
Class Discussion
Chapter 11: More Than It's Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence
Present examples of the two kinds of violence found in literature. Show how the effects are
different.
Chapter 12: Is That a Symbol?
Use the process described on page 106 to investigate the symbolism of the green light in
The Great Gatsby and the letter “A” in The Scarlet Letter. Feel free to explore other
symbols.
Chapter 13: It's All Political
Assume that Foster is right and "it is all political." Use his criteria to show that one of the
major works that was assigned to you as a freshman or sophomore is political.
Chapter 14: Yes, She's a Christ Figure, Too
Apply some of the criteria on page 119 to one of the characters in The Scarlet Letter. This
is a particularly apt tool for analyzing film --for example, Star Wars, Cool Hand Luke,
Excalibur, Malcolm X, Braveheart, Spartacus, Gladiator and/or Ben-Hur.
Chapter 15: Flights of Fancy
Select a literary work in which flight signifies escape or freedom. Explain in detail.
Chapter 16: It's All About Sex...
Class Discussion
English 3 Honors Summer Guides and Assignments
Chapter 17: ...Except the Sex
OK ...the sex chapters. The key idea from this chapter is that "scenes in which sex is
coded rather than explicit can work at multiple levels and sometimes be more intense than
literal depictions" (141). In other words, sex is often suggested with much more art and
effort than it is described, and, if the author is
doing his job, it reflects and creates theme or character. Describe a scene in
either The Great Gatsby or The Scarlet Letter in which sex is suggested, but not
described, and discuss how the relationship is suggested and how this implication affects
the theme or develops characterization.
Chapter 18: If She Comes Up, It's Baptism
Think of a "baptism scene" from a significant literary work. How is the character
different after the experience? Discuss.
Chapter 19: Geography Matters...
Discuss at least four different aspects of The Great Gatsby or The Scarlet Letter that
Foster would classify under "geography."
Chapter 20: ...So Does Season
Google and read “After Apple Picking”. Then discuss how Frost uses the season in a
meaningful, traditional, or unusual way.
Interlude: One Story
Write your own definition for archetype. Then identify an archetypal story and apply it to a
literary work with which you are familiar.
Chapter 21: Marked for Greatness
Figure out Harry Potter's scar. If you aren't familiar with Harry Potter, select Roger
Chillingworth from The Scarlet Letter and analyze the physical implications for
characterization.
Chapter 22: He's Blind for a Reason, You Know
Class Discussion
Chapter 23: It's Never Just Heart Disease...
Class Discussion
Chapter 24: ...And Rarely Just Illness
Recall a character that died of a disease in a literary work. Consider how the death reflects
the "principles governing the use of disease in literature" (215-217). Discuss the
effectiveness of the death as related to plot, theme, or symbolism.
Chapter 25: Don't Read with Your Eyes
After reading Chapter 25, choose a scene or episode from a novel, play or epic written
before the twentieth century. Contrast how a reader from the twenty-first century could
English 3 Honors Summer Guides and Assignments
view it with how it might be viewed by a contemporary reader of that time. Focus on
specific assumptions that the author makes: assumptions that would not make it in this
century.
Chapter 26: Is He Serious? And Other Ironies
Select an ironic literary work and explain the multi-vocal nature of the irony in the work.
Chapter 27: A Test Case
Read “The Garden Party” by Katherine Mansfield, the short story starting on page 245.
Complete the exercise on pages 265-266, following the directions exactly. Then compare
your writing with the three examples. How did you do?
What does the essay that follows comparing Laura with Persephone add to your
appreciation of Mansfield's story?
Envoi
Choose a motif not discussed in this book (as the horse reference on page 280) and note
its appearance in two or three different works. What does this idea seem to signify?
Summer Assignment Two
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Study Guide and Activities Background F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in 1896 and died in 1940. He was named after his distant cousin Francis Scott Key, the man who wrote “The Start Spangled Banner.” A few details of his life: • attended Princeton University. • joined the Army to fight in World War I. • was sent to Alabama and met his wife, Zelda. • his wife wouldn’t marry him until he had the money to support her in the way she was accustomed. • after being dismissed from the Army he went to N.Y. to try to sell his first book. • he locked himself in his room revising the book until it was published. The book= This Side of Paradise • This Side of Paradise sold 3,000 copies in three days, catapulting Fitzgerald to instant fame. • magazines began buying short stories as fast as he could write them. • Zelda agreed to marry him. • he became the “golden boy of American Literature.” Be prepared to take an exam on August 27 or 28, 2013 (dates subject to change) English 3 Honors Summer Guides and Assignments
His Works His short stories revolved around a new breed of an American woman -­‐ the young, free-­‐
thinking, independent “flapper” of the Roaring Twenties. He is now ranked as one of the major prose writers of the 20th century. His fiction became the symbol of the frenetic energy of the era. No other writer captured so well the spirit of the Jazz Age, the moral decay of the generation. Who’s Who in The Great Gatsby Nick Carraway -­‐ the novel’s narrator Tom Buchanan -­‐ Daisy’s husband, a rich and brutal man Daisy Buchanan -­‐ Nick’s cousin Jordan Baker -­‐ a beautiful woman who cheats at golf and in life Jay Gatsby -­‐ a racketeer, bootlegger and a romantic idealist. Meyer Wolfsheim -­‐ Gatsby’s business partner, a gambler and racketeer Ewing Klipspringer -­‐ The pianist at Gatsby’s house Dan Cody -­‐ gave “Gatsby” his education As you read, pay attention to… • where each character lives and why • what each character does and why • what each character says and why Assignment: Complete the following statements. You may choose to print this out and write on the document or respond on a separate sheet of paper, highlighting or underlining your response. I will collect these on Monday, August 19, 2013 1. The story is told by _____________________________________________________________________. 2. Nick meets Gatsby when _______________________________________________________________. 3. Jordan Baker’s boredom with life is shown by ____________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________. 4. Daisy believes the best thing a girl can be in this world is _______________________________. 5. Four adjectives which would best describe Gatsby’s parties are _______________________, _________________________, _________________________, and ______________________________________. 6. The area between Long Island and the city is called _____________________________________. 7. Nick sees Gatsby staring across the water at _____________________________________________. 8. Myrtle Wilson may be totally contrasted with Daisy as a ________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________woman. English 3 Honors Summer Guides and Assignments
9. The party at Tom’s city apartment ends abruptly when _________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________. 10. When he attends Gatsby’s party, the only person Nick knows is _______________________. 11. Nick learns from Jordan the story of ______________________________________________________. 12. Daisy did not marry Gatsby because _______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________. 13. The big mystery about Gatsby’s money was ______________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________. 14. Nick made arrangements for a meeting between ________________________________________ at _________________________________________________________________________________________. 15. When they toured Gatsby’s mansion, Daisy is most emotionally affected by ________________________________________________________________________________________________. 16. Gatsby had inherited his money from _____________________________________________________. 17. When the group goes to the city, Tom drives _____________________________________________. 18. Myrtle is jealous when she thinks that ____________________________________________________. 19. Myrtle Wilson is killed by _______________________________________, but _____________________ takes the blame. 20. Wilson shoots Gatsby because _____________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________. Paragraphs – be prepared to write a well-­‐written organized response to the following questions. Your answers should include concrete details that support your comments. 1. Nick says that Tom and Daisy were ‘”careless people.” How does the novel support this statement? 2. How is the reality of Gatsby’s past contrasted to the false image of wealth that he has presented to the world? 3. How does setting play a role in the novel? 4. Define motif and give an example of a motif in the novel. What does it represent? English 3 Honors Summer Guides and Assignments
Summer Assignment Three
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Pre-Reading Material and Activities
An Introduction to Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1964)
Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4th, 1804 (205 years ago!) in Salem, Massachusetts. His
family descended from the earliest settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Hawthorne is related to a John
Hathorne, one of the judges at the 1692 Salem witch trials, the subject of The Crucible (to be read
throughout the school year). Hawthorne (he added a “w” to his name when he began to write) was both
disturbed and fascinated by his kinship with John Hathorne.
His fascination and disturbance could be due to his Puritan ancestry. John Hathorne was a Puritan
judge and another one of his ancestors was a judge known for his persecution of Quakers. Hence, Nathaniel
was haunted by the intolerance and cruelty of these ancestors. His character and his focus as a writer were
shaped by a sense of inherited guilt. He believed that evil was a dominant force in the world, and his fiction
expressed a gloomy vision of human affairs (so do something fun after reading a few chapters).
Hawthorne befriended Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau – two authors of the
Transcendentalist movement, which will be explored further throughout the year. He was appointed
surveyor at the Salem customhouse, which happens to be the location where a previous surveyor, a
nameless narrator, finds a number of documents, among them a manuscript bundled with a scarlet, goldembroidered patch of cloth in the shape of an “A.” The manuscript is specifically found in the customhouse’s
attic and is a work of a past surveyor that gives details of events that occurred some two hundred years before
the narrator’s time. This is what “The Custom-House” (the Introductory to The Scarlet Letter describes).
DO NOT READ “THE CUSTOM HOUSE” – unless you really want to.
The Puritan Influence
The majority of Hawthorne’s work exemplifies America’s Puritan past. The Scarlet Letter is the epitome of
this literary influence. The Puritans were a group of religious reformers who arrived in Massachusetts in the
1630s under the leadership of John Winthrop (whose death is recounted in the novel). They came to America
in search of religious freedom, but were characterized by a strict moral code and a strong work ethic. They
English 3 Honors Summer Guides and Assignments
wanted to “purify” the Church of England ruled by King James. For this, they were persecuted and were forced
to seek a place where they could build “a city upon a hill,” where they were free to practice their belief in the
Bible as the whole word of God in peace. However, their religious sect was known for its intolerance of
dissenting ideas and lifestyles. Settled in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, they lived stern simple lives and
emphasized hard work and religious devotion. Puritans believed that only certain people were predestined by
God to go to heaven. People who behaved unusually were often believed to be controlled by evil forces.
Anticipation Guide
Carefully read each of the following statements. Then identify each as “True” or “False.” Be ready to explain
your choices in class.
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People should never have to sacrifice living happy lives.
When it comes to keeping secrets, the truth will always find a way out.
Adultery is an unforgivable sin.
Some sins are worse than others.
The way a person deals with shame and guilt is a measure of their character.
Public ridicule is an effective form of punishment.
Revenge is justified if the original offense is egregious enough.
True
True
True
True
True
True
True
False
False
False
False
False
False
False
Setting
The Scarlet Letter was written in 1850, but is set in the 1640s in a Puritan village in Boston,
Massachusetts. Nearby is a forest, home of the “Black Man” but also a place of freedom.
Vocabulary (Define these words essential for understanding)
Edifice
inauspicious
Physiognomies
Magistrate
Purport
Town-beadle
Ignominy
(ignominious)
Visage
Pillory
Mien
Phantasmagoric
impediment
discerning
Clad
writhing
sagacity
exhort
discourse
lurid
dewy
rebuke
dismal
verily
Requital
(requited)
quaff
vain
inscrutable
tinge
martyrdom
nigh
plebeian
vigor
imbibed
perpetuate
preternatural
expatiating
infirmity
seer
proffering
veneration
scourge
impalpable
conjectured
pestilence
impute
dell
feeble
necromancy
The Structure of The Scarlet Letter (taken from “Cliff notes”)
All main characters (Hester, Pearl, Dimmesdale and Chillingworth are present in each of these
scaffold scenes).
The First Scaffold Scene
Chapters 1-3 focus on Hester, adultery and the scarlet letter.
English 3 Honors Summer Guides and Assignments
The Second Scaffold Scene
The focus lies on Dimmesdale and his guilt.
The Third Scaffold Scene
Dimmesdale regains his soul, Pearl gains her humanity, Chillingworth loses his victim and Hester loses her
dreams.
Techniques you need to know
Allusion→ a reference in a work of literature to something outside the work, especially to a well-known
historical or literary event, person or other work.
Irony→ when the opposite of what is expected occurs.
Conflict→ A struggle between opposing forces. internal - within a character
external - between a character and an outside force
Symbolism→ A device in literature where an object represents an idea.
While You Read –Activities
As you read, keep referring to the following terms to understand how the author
employs or conveys them. Also, if you have trouble reading the Old English, refer to
http://www.sparknotes.com/nofear/lit/the-scarlet-letter/chapter-1/
Motifs (Recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that help develop major
themes)
Civilization versus the wilderness
In The Scarlet Letter, the town and the surrounding forest represent opposing behavioral systems.
Hawthorne investigates the role of nature in human life-both positive and negative aspects.
Night versus Day
Hawthorne emphasizes the dichotomy between sunlight and darkness.
Evocative Names
The names in this novel often seem to beg to be interpreted symbolically. Think about what each name
makes you think of and what it may represent.
Symbols (objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or
concepts).
The Scarlet Letter
The scarlet letter is meant to be a symbol of shame, but instead it becomes a powerful symbol of
something else. The letter’s meaning shifts as time passes and the novel continues. The instability of the
letter’s apparent meaning calls into question society’s ability to use symbols for repression.
The Meteor
In Chapter XII, a meteor traces out an “A” in the night sky. Different members of the community
interpret the meteor differently.
English 3 Honors Summer Guides and Assignments
Pearl
Although Pearl is a complex character, her main function within the novel is as a symbol. A pearl is a
rare find, something unattainable or extremely hard to find which is symbolic of Dimmesdale and Hester’s
relationship.
The Rosebush Next to the Prison Door
The narrator chooses to begin his story with the image of the rosebush beside the prison door. The
rosebush functions as a paradoxical symbol-it simultaneously represents two opposing abstract ideas.
Themes (Fundamental and often universal central ideas):
Identity and society
Hawthorne portrays the difficulties of developing a strong and independent self within a community-the
conflict between individual needs and societal norms. The novel conveys the contrast between Puritan
morality and passion and individualism and the contrast between Puritan morality and cruelty and pain.
Sin, knowledge and the human condition
The characters contemplate their own sin and guilt on a daily basis. The Puritan community views sin as
a threat to the community that should be punished and suppressed. Characters’ responses to sin reveal
their true personalities.
The Nature of Evil
Hawthorne portrays the destructive power of human characteristics like revenge, selfishness, arrogance,
and possession of another versus the healing power of love, humility and forgiveness. What is the cause of
evil? What is evil? Which character’s actions reflect evil the most?
After You Read - Activities
Quick review – Who said it?
“It irks me nevertheless, that the partner of her iniquity should not, at least, stand on the scaffold by her
side. But he will be known!-he will be known! - he will be known!” Ch. 3
“O wise and pious friend, that a false show can be better-can be more for God’s glory, or man’s welfarethan God’s own truth? Trust me, such men deceive themselves.” Ch. 10
“God gave me the child!....She is my happiness!-she is my torture, none the less!....Ye shall not take her! I
will die first!” Ch. 8
“Shall we not spend our immortal life together? Surely, surely we have ransomed one another, with all this
woe! Thou lookest far into eternity, with those bright dying eyes! Then tell me what thou seest?” Ch. 23
“If thou feelest it to be for thy soul’s peace, and that thy earthly punishment will thereby be made more
effectual to salvation, I charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer!” Ch. 3
“Mother..the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on
your bosom.” Ch. 16
English 3 Honors Summer Guides and Assignments
Pre-AP Practice
Plays and novels frequently argue the issue of the freedom of the individual will as opposed to the
controlling pressures of the environment or the public world. Choose a play or novel in which this theme
is prominent. Write an essay in which you discuss a character that represents this issue, analyzing the
nature of the conflict, its effect upon the character, and the meaning of its resolution at the end of the
work.
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Suggestions:
Write concrete details as precisely as possible and comment on them. Try to use the terms given in
this study guide.
Ask questions; write them down.
Re-read passages you don’t understand.
Paraphrase (put in your own words) passages you still don’t understand.
Approximate test date: on or around September 9
Note: I will not collect answers or definitions to this novel, but you will be given a test that includes these
and other activities, so make flashcards and start thinking.
SPACE FOR NOTES (if needed):