Download AP 12 LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION 2014

AP 12 LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION 2014-2015
Thank you for choosing to take a College Board approved course for your Senior
English option! Summer is a time for celebration, relaxation, and reading. Yes- reading.
You like to read, right? If this is not a true statement about you, you may want to
reconsider taking this course. If this is the case, as I suspect it is, you’ve registered for the
perfect course!
For your summer assignment, you are required to read, examine and formulate
perspectives and insights on three texts: How to Read Literature like a Professor by
Thomas C. Foster, the Bible, and Beloved by Toni Morrison.
Any version of Beloved is acceptable. Please use the King James Version of the Bible.
 The writing portion of the summer assignment must be completed and turned in at
your fall registration on Monday, August 11. You will be dropped from the
course if the work is not handed in on this date.
 Make a copy of your assignment for later use in the class.
 Annotated texts will be collected on the first day of school: Beloved, HTRLLAP,
and notes in or on the Bible.
Have a great summer! I look forward to seeing you in the fall!
-Ms. Nolan
Your summer assignment has four parts:
Assignment # 1 “How to Mark a Book” by Mortimer Adler, Ph.D.
Go online and type the title of the essay, “How to Mark a Book.” This essay will instruct
you in the art of annotation, or capturing your thoughts as you read. Practice annotation
this summer so that you are comfortable with and adept at annotation, as it is a
requirement for all texts we read. Annotations are randomly collected and graded for
quality. A good rule of thumb: notes should be written on at least every other page and
definitely at the end of the chapter in the form of a summary. Turn in the annotated
essay at registration on August 11th.
Assignment #2 Read and annotate Beloved by Toni Morrison.
Assignment # 3: Read Bible Selections from King James Version
In Western Literature, there are multiple allusions to biblical texts. Read the
following selections chosen for their value and significance in many
classical and contemporary texts. Selections are from the King James
version, both Old and New Testaments.
While reading...
Literature logs are acceptable should you not feel comfortable marking up a Bible.
Otherwise, annotation and highlighting, or marginal notes are required. Note themes,
symbols, and character motivations.
Old Testament
Genesis 1-3, 4, 6-9, 11 (The Creation, Adam & Eve, Cain & Abel, Babel)
Exodus 13-14, 19-20 (Parting of the Red Sea & The Ten Commandments)
Job 1-3, 7, 10-14, 31, 38-40, 42
New Testament
The Gospel of Matthew (The Story of Jesus) (abridged)
The Gospel of John 11 (The Story of Lazarus)
Book of Revelations (abridged - The Four Horseman, The Seven Seals, the fall
of Babylon)
Assignment #4 Read the following chapters of How to Read Literature Like a
Professor. TYPE your responses to the following prompts. Each response should be one
page double-spaced Times New Roman 12 point font. Use the MLA heading. Cite the
text. Staple together and hand in these pages on registration day on August 11th.
Chapter 1 -- Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When It's Not)
List the five aspects of the QUEST and then apply them to a character in Beloved in the
form used on pages 3-5. Be specific and copious with all of your responses.
Chapter 7 -- ...Or the Bible
Locate, identify, and list at least four Biblical allusions in Beloved. Do not include the
allusions that Foster discusses in chapter seven. After each allusion, write a brief analysis
of how you think these allusions underscore the theme(s), characters’ motivations, and/or
the plot.
Chapter 11 --...More Than It's Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence
Present examples of Foster’s two kinds of violence found in Beloved. Show how the
effects are different. Ponder, in writing, how these examples of violence might
underscore theme(s). Be specific and state the theme(s).
Chapter 12 -- Is That a Symbol?
Use the process described on page 106 and analyze the significance of a symbol in
Beloved.
Chapter 14 -- Yes, She's a Christ Figure, Too
Apply the criteria on page 119 to a major character in Beloved. Analyze the ways in
which this character is a “Christ Figure”. Please scour the Internet for credible
information on Christ’s persecution and resurrection if you are not already familiar with
it.
Chapter 15 -- Flights of Fancy
Select a scene in Beloved in which flight signifies escape or freedom. Analyze the
importance of this scene in terms of the fleeing character’s internal and external conflicts.
Chapter 18 -- If She Comes Up, It's Baptism
Think of a "baptism scene" in Beloved. How was the character different after the
experience? Analyze how this “baptism” underscores a theme in the novel.
Once again: The Required ANNOTATIONS
Students are required to annotate their texts. These notes will prove beneficial for
discussion and review in September when you will complete in-class, AP-style
“timed writing” assignments on Beloved. Upon return to school...
Students will turn in annotated texts. Students will complete a timed-writing assignment
where they will evaluate specific religious allusions as they relate to contemporary
works of fiction, including Beloved.