AP English III Summer Reading

AP Language and CompositionSummer Reading AssignmentDr. Lisa WielandFirst of all, WELCOME to AP English Language and Composition. I am looking forward toworking with you next year. This will be a RIGOROUS, CHALLENGING class, but if you stickwith me and do the work as assigned to the best of your ability, you should learn and develop tremendously. In the class, you’ll learn that EVERYTHING’S AN ARGUMENT! If you think about it, even poetry and fiction arepersuasive in that they offer some kind of opinion. When school begins in the fall, we will look closely at writing bystudying Rhetoric (the art of expression and the persuasive use of language) and reading classic and modern essays.To prepare for this, you are to read 2 books this summer and complete several assignments with them (the details ofthese assignments are below.) All work must be typed!Believe it or not, I expect you to have all this finished by the first day of school. All of it will be graded onthoroughness, insight, and clear, organized writing. These assignments will be worth a total of 225 points in the majorcategory. (The rubric is later in this assignment.).If you have any questions or problems with the work, please feel free to call me (454-4022) or email me atlisa.wieland@ahsrockets.org. Now, I will be out of town a couple of times this summer, and I may not check my emailEVERY day, but I will do my best to get in touch with you in a timely manner.Assignment #1: How to Mark a Book (essay)Read the attached (short) essay, “How to Mark a Book” by Mortimer Adler before you readanything else! I expect you to annotate everything you read this summer and will check yourannotations of Nickel and Dimed and of the novel you read and will give you a 25 point grade onyour annotations.Assignment #2: Junior Summer Reading (fiction)Choose 1 of the books from the list below. In order to do this assignment, you’ll need buy the bookso you can write in it and/or take careful notes as you read. When we read fiction this year, wewon’t be analyzing it quite in the way that you have before. Rather, we’ll be focusing on thewriter’s purpose and how he or she usesrhetorical strategies (such as word choice, tone,style, etc) to achieve that purpose.1. Read the book carefully. As you read,take notes in the margins aboutimportant ideas, questions you have,etc.2. As you read, look for the author’srhetorical strategies.. Use the attachedlist of rhetorical strategies to help youlocate rhetorical strategies and markand label passages that contain them.3. When you are finished reading, create aBook List:Frankenstein—Mary ShelleyThe Picture of Dorian Grey—Oscar WildeSense and Sensibility—Jane AustenBrave New World—Aldous HuxleyAlias Grace—Margaret Atwood1984—George OrwellThe Prime of Miss Jean Brodie—Muriel SparkI Capture the Castle by Dodie SmithThe Screwtape Letters by C. S. LewisThe Thirteenth Tale by Diane SetterfieldREADER’S LOG with 20 entries from throughout the book. In this log, you’ll identifyindividual rhetorical strategies and analyze them. Each entry should include all 3 of thefollowing parts:

• Completely quoted passage from the book that illustrates a rhetorical strategyand correct identification of the strategy exemplified by the quote.• 2-3 sententence explanation of HOW the passage is an example of the strategy(what about the wording or structure makes the passage a metaphor, asyndeton,allusion, vernacular, etc).• Explain WHY this example of a rhetorical strategy helps the writer develop hisor her theme (for example, does it create a feeling, image or relationship for thereader, and how does that help the argument or tone? How is it persuasive?)NOTE: The reader’s log should contain a variety of strategies, not just the same few over and over!“I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartanlikeas to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive lifeinto a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms. . .”This quote is an example of ASYNDETON ( which is the elimination of conjunctions in alist).I know this is asyndeton because he says, “to live. . . to cut . . . to drive”.The use of asyndeton makes all the items in the series have equal value and emphasizes theirimportance. Throeau’s use of asyndeton in the passage helps him to present his major themesof living simply so that he can enjoy life to the fullest.Here’s a sample log entry from Walden to get you started:4. Once you’ve finished the reader’s log (and reading the book), type a 1-page (12 point,double-spaced) mini-essay (meaning paragraphs, a thesis, etc) in which you reflect onthe writer’s theme and style. In order words, what is the writer saying and how is he/shesaying it?)Assignment #3: Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich1. Buy this book. Read it actively (with a highlighter and pencil by your sideso you can mark it as you read).2. Read carefully the following definitions of PATHOS, LOGOS, and ETHOS(how the writer goes about making his or her case to her audience)3. TYPE 3 one-page analyses of how Ehrenreich uses these three appeals(pathos, logos, and ethos) in her book. Each one-page assignment shouldaddress only one term. You are NOT summarizing her argument, but ratherANALYZING her use of ethos, pathos, or logos to advance the argument(s)in her book. Please note: Use quotes sparingly to supplement your analyses(direct quotes should constitute no more than 10% of each one-page essay).Possible questions to address: By using this type of appeal (logos, pathos, or ethos), isEhrenreich’s argument made stronger/weaker? How is it improved? How is it notimproved? Why does she use this type of appeal? Does the argument lend itself towardit?

Rhetoric—1) the art of finding and analyzing all the choices involving language that a writer,speaker, reader, or listeners might make in a situation so that the text becomes meaningful,purposeful, and effective for readers or listeners; 2) The specific features of texts, written orspoken, that cause them to be meaningful, purposeful, and effective for readers and listeners ina given situation.In order to make the rhetorical relationship—speakers to hearers, hearers to subjects,speakers to subjects—most successful, writers use what Aristotle and his descendants calledthe appeals: logos, ethos, and pathos. They appeal to a reader’s sense of logos when they offerclear, reasonable premises and proofs, when they develop ideas with appropriate details, andwhen they make sure readers can follow the progression of ideas. The logical thinking thatinforms speakers’ decisions and readers’ responses forms a large part of the kind of writingstudents accomplish in school.Writers use ethos when they demonstrate that they are credible, good-willed, andknowledgeable about their subjects, and when they connect their thinking to readers’ ownethical or moral beliefs.When writers draw on the emotions and interests of readers, and highlight them, theyuse pathos, the most powerful appeal and the most immediate—hence its dominance inadvertisements. Students foreground this appeal when they use personal stories orobservations, sometimes even within the context of analytical writing, where it can workdramatically well to provoke readers’ sympathetic reaction. Figurative language is often usedby writers to heighten the emotional connections readers make to the subject. EmilyDickinson’s poem that begins with the metaphor “My life had stood—a loaded gun,” forexample, provokes readers’ reactions of fear or dread as they begin to read.Logos: appeals to reader’s logic/reasonPathos: appeals to reader’s emotions and interestsEthos: appeals based on writer’s credibility, goodwill, “moral” or ethical standing, andknowledge.Assignment #4: OP/ED Articles:To begin to gather ideas and support for the arguments you will be asked to make, you need toread The New York Times, The New Yorker, The New Republic, Harper’s, The Wall Street Journal,The Washington Post, The Economist, Time, Newsweek, or other newspapers and newsmagazinesOF SIMILAR QUALITY.(Note: You can access the New York Times online; in their Sunday edition, they have a greatsection called the “Week in Review” which gives a wonderful overview of the main events andarguments of the week.)1. From your reading, you will select 5 OPINION articles throughout the summer. Irecommend that you shoot for 2 in June, 2 in July, and 1 in August so that your choicesreflect variety and prove to your teacher (who I’m sure you’re trying to impress )that you didn’t wait until the last minute to get started on your summer work.2. For each of these pieces, you need to cut out or copy the article;

3. attach a half-sheet of paper on which you have typed the correct MLA citation forthe article ;4. written a paragraph-length response focusing on whether you think the writer usedrhetorical strategies effectively to make his/her argument.Great columnists to look for: David Brooks, Maureen Dowd, Bob Herbert, Nicholas D. Kristof, PaulKrugman, Frank Rich, Leonard Pitts, George Will, Gail Collins, Kathleen Parker.Note: I will recognize and appreciate GOOD EFFORT here, and I will also recognize last-minuteweekend products. Take your time and start early! This is worth a lot of points, and you want tostart off the year strong!SO, HOW WILL THIS BE GRADED?Both books (Nickel and Dimed and the novel you choose)are annotated thoughtfully and thoroughly /25Reader’s Log for fiction /801-page analysis of rhetorical strats . in fiction /20Nickel and Dimed essays (20 points each) /605 columns (8 points each) /40In the major category:/225 pointsHere’s a list of Rhetorical Strategies to look for. (Note: this is a very incomplete list, but limityourself to these terms for now. We’ll learn LOTS more next year )Allusion—reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes thereader will recognizeAnaphoa—repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses(Ex: “In books I find the dead as if they were alive; in books I forsee things to come; in books carlikeaffairs are set forth; from books come forth the laws of peace.”)Antithesis—a statement in which two opposing ideas are balancedAsyndeton—a construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions(“They spent the day wondering, searching, thinking, understanding.”)Cliché—an expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has worn off (“thetime of my life,” “at the drop of a hat,” etc)Diction—the word choices made by a writer (diction can be described as: formal, semi-formal,ornate, informal, technical, etc.)

Hyperbole—intentional exaggeration to create an effect.Imagery—the use of figures of speech to create vivid images that appeal to one of the senses.Inverted syntax—a sentence constructed so that the predicate comes before the subject (ex: In thewoods I am walking.)Irony—the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; or, incongruity betweenwhat is expected and what acutally occurs (situational, verbal, dramatic)Litotes—a type of understatement in which an idea is expressed by negating its opposite(describing a particularly horrific scene by saying, “It was not a pretty picture.”)Metaphor—a direct comparison of two different things.Metonymy—substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it(“The pen [writing] is mightier than the sword [war/fighting]” .)Paradox—an apparently contradictory statement that actually contains some truth (“Whoeverloses his life, shall find it.”)Parallelism—the use of corresponding grammatical or syntactical formsParenthesis—comment that interrupts the immediate subject, often to qualify or explain.Personification—endowing non-human objects or creatures with human qualities orcharacteristicsPolysyndeton—the use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions than is necessary or natural(“And to set forth the right standard, and to train according to it, and to help forward all studentstowards it according to their various capacities, this I conceive to be the business of a University.”)Rhetorical question—a question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer.Satire—the use of humor to emphasize human weaknesses or imperfections in socal institutionsTone—the attitude of a writer, usually implied, toward the subject or audienceVernacular—the everyday speech of a particular country or region, often involving nonstandardusageLogos –see definition previous pagePathos–see definition previous pageEthos–see definition previous page