AP English 11 Summer Assignments
ASSIGNMENT #1 - Read The Pearl by John Steinbeck. Write a five-paragraph paper on one of the provided essay prompts. Make sure your essay has a thesis and text support for the thesis. This paper is due no later than July 24, 2018. You may email it to [email protected] or bring a hard copy to KHS on July 24. I will be in the front lobby from 11 a.m. until noon.
ASSIGNMENT #2 - Read The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. Complete the guided reading questions, which are due on the first day of school, August 23, 2018.
ASSIGNMENT #3 - Before June 12, send an email address to [email protected] that you will check over the summer. I will send you a link to this website and ask you to check various postings throughout the coming months. This will include background on the authors and books you are reading, helpful tips on writing strategies, a review of literary devices, and a recommended reading list from the College Board. There may also be some bonus point activities thrown in along the way.
All work must be typed, double-spaced, 11-point font.
Work is due no later than the stated deadlines. Books must be returned with the assignments. Late work will receive a letter cut for each day late. Students failing to complete these assignments successfully will begin the course with zero grades.
If you have questions about the assignments or the class, you may reach me by e-mail. ([email protected])
ASSIGNMENT #2 - Read The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. Complete the guided reading questions, which are due on the first day of school, August 23, 2018.
ASSIGNMENT #3 - Before June 12, send an email address to [email protected] that you will check over the summer. I will send you a link to this website and ask you to check various postings throughout the coming months. This will include background on the authors and books you are reading, helpful tips on writing strategies, a review of literary devices, and a recommended reading list from the College Board. There may also be some bonus point activities thrown in along the way.
All work must be typed, double-spaced, 11-point font.
Work is due no later than the stated deadlines. Books must be returned with the assignments. Late work will receive a letter cut for each day late. Students failing to complete these assignments successfully will begin the course with zero grades.
If you have questions about the assignments or the class, you may reach me by e-mail. ([email protected])
Essay Prompts for THE PEARL
1. The pearl is obviously the central symbol in the novella. Its appearance and significance change during the course of the story, and it means different things to different characters. Describe the pearl's differing representations in the story.
2. Illusion - the false perception of truth or reality - is a motif that appears frequently in The Pearl. Discuss the role of illusions in the story, and explain their significance in developing the themes of the novella. Name several examples of people and situations in the story that are not as they appear?
3. Examine the power of knowledge in the story. Kino wants his son to have knowledge, a lack of which keeps his people in a state of oppression. How do the townspeople take advantage of their knowledge - and use it to manipulate Kino's people?
4. How are Juana and Kino different? How do they react differently to the pearl, and what do their feelings concerning it reveal about each one's outlook on life?
5. How does the pearl change Kino? He is compared several times to an animal, especially toward the end of the novella. What is the author suggesting by these comparisons? What qualities are more human? What qualities are more animalistic? How does this relate to his transformation?
6. Juana believes that "it is not good to want a thing too much." Why does she think so? What does she mean? Do ambition and greed change our relationships with those around us? What is the negative side of wanting something? How does this contrast with the concepts of the American Dream?
7. Consider the role of fate vs. action in the story. What is accidental? What do people control?
8. Discuss Steinbeck's presentation of colonialism. How is the town described? Which characters represent the town, and how are they described? How does Kino feel about those who exercise power over him and his family? How has white colonial rule affected the lives of his people? What does this reveal about the loyalty to their ancient heritage felt by Kino and his people?
2. Illusion - the false perception of truth or reality - is a motif that appears frequently in The Pearl. Discuss the role of illusions in the story, and explain their significance in developing the themes of the novella. Name several examples of people and situations in the story that are not as they appear?
3. Examine the power of knowledge in the story. Kino wants his son to have knowledge, a lack of which keeps his people in a state of oppression. How do the townspeople take advantage of their knowledge - and use it to manipulate Kino's people?
4. How are Juana and Kino different? How do they react differently to the pearl, and what do their feelings concerning it reveal about each one's outlook on life?
5. How does the pearl change Kino? He is compared several times to an animal, especially toward the end of the novella. What is the author suggesting by these comparisons? What qualities are more human? What qualities are more animalistic? How does this relate to his transformation?
6. Juana believes that "it is not good to want a thing too much." Why does she think so? What does she mean? Do ambition and greed change our relationships with those around us? What is the negative side of wanting something? How does this contrast with the concepts of the American Dream?
7. Consider the role of fate vs. action in the story. What is accidental? What do people control?
8. Discuss Steinbeck's presentation of colonialism. How is the town described? Which characters represent the town, and how are they described? How does Kino feel about those who exercise power over him and his family? How has white colonial rule affected the lives of his people? What does this reveal about the loyalty to their ancient heritage felt by Kino and his people?
Guided Reading Questions for THE GLASS CASTLE
1. The first story Walls tells of her childhood is that of burning herself severely at age three, and of her father taking her away from the hospital. Why do you think she opens with that story? How does it set the stage for the rest of the memoir?
2. Rex Walls often asks his children, “Have I ever let you down?” Why was this question, and its required response, so important to him and to his children? On what occasions does he actually not let them down?
3. Jeannette’s mother insists that, no matter what, “life with your father was never boring.” What kind of man is Rex Walls? What were his strengths and weaknesses, his flaws and contradictions?
4. Discuss the type of person Rose Mary Walls is. What do you think of her description of herself as an “excitement addict”?
5. Although it portrays an incredibly difficult life, The Glass Castle is not sad or self-pitying. Explain what you think is the tone of the book, and discuss how Walls achieves this effect.
6. Describe Jeannette’s relationships with her siblings. Discuss the roles they play in each others’ lives.
7. In college, Jeannette is singled out by a professor as not understanding the plight of homeless people. Instead of defending herself, she keeps quiet. Why do you think she does this?
8. The two major sections of the memoir, one set in the desert and one in West Virginia, feel distinct from one another. What effect does such a big move have on the family, and on your reading of the story? How would you describe the shift in the book’s tone?
9. Were you surprised to learn that, as adults, Jeannette and her siblings remain close to their parents? Why or why not? Why do you think they stay close?
10. What character traits do you think Jeannette inherited from her parents? Offer supporting examples. How do those traits shape her life?
11. Despite everything, Jeannette refuses to condemn her parents. Were you able, as a reader, to remain equally nonjudgmental? Why or why not?
12. Which scenes in the book are the most memorable to you? Most shocking? Most inspiring? Funniest? Explain your answers.
13. Discuss the metaphor of the glass castle, and what it signifies to Jeannette and to her father. What does it signify that, just before leaving for New York, Jeannette tells her father she doesn’t believe he will ever build it? Explain.
All answers should demonstrate a careful reading of the book and a mastery of composition skills and Standard English usage.
2. Rex Walls often asks his children, “Have I ever let you down?” Why was this question, and its required response, so important to him and to his children? On what occasions does he actually not let them down?
3. Jeannette’s mother insists that, no matter what, “life with your father was never boring.” What kind of man is Rex Walls? What were his strengths and weaknesses, his flaws and contradictions?
4. Discuss the type of person Rose Mary Walls is. What do you think of her description of herself as an “excitement addict”?
5. Although it portrays an incredibly difficult life, The Glass Castle is not sad or self-pitying. Explain what you think is the tone of the book, and discuss how Walls achieves this effect.
6. Describe Jeannette’s relationships with her siblings. Discuss the roles they play in each others’ lives.
7. In college, Jeannette is singled out by a professor as not understanding the plight of homeless people. Instead of defending herself, she keeps quiet. Why do you think she does this?
8. The two major sections of the memoir, one set in the desert and one in West Virginia, feel distinct from one another. What effect does such a big move have on the family, and on your reading of the story? How would you describe the shift in the book’s tone?
9. Were you surprised to learn that, as adults, Jeannette and her siblings remain close to their parents? Why or why not? Why do you think they stay close?
10. What character traits do you think Jeannette inherited from her parents? Offer supporting examples. How do those traits shape her life?
11. Despite everything, Jeannette refuses to condemn her parents. Were you able, as a reader, to remain equally nonjudgmental? Why or why not?
12. Which scenes in the book are the most memorable to you? Most shocking? Most inspiring? Funniest? Explain your answers.
13. Discuss the metaphor of the glass castle, and what it signifies to Jeannette and to her father. What does it signify that, just before leaving for New York, Jeannette tells her father she doesn’t believe he will ever build it? Explain.
All answers should demonstrate a careful reading of the book and a mastery of composition skills and Standard English usage.