AP Composition and Literature Summer Reading Assignment

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1 AP Composition and Literature Summer Reading Assignment Introduction: Your summer assignment will consist of learning some literary terms, specifically terms that are applicable to the study of poetry, and reading two novels. Reading critically and effectively, and knowing how to effectively apply literary terms is imperative to your success in AP Lit this year. In order to create an insightful literary analysis, you have to understand a book s plot and its characters. The most important thing to do is to thoroughly read the book. This summer, you will read The Color Purple by Alice Walker and Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai. Both of these novels are options for the open ended essay on the AP Exam. We will be using both texts in literary analysis and discussion, and you will need to remember the plots and details of both books for the AP Exam in May. Rationale: That being said, your assignment will serve two purposes: 1.) create a series of notes that can be reviewed prior to the exam, as well as assisting in the writing of analytical essays on both pieces, and 2.) provide evidence that both novels were read and understood. Strategy: Annotation is optional. Some students find annotation very useful, but many students feel that it gets in the way of developing an understanding of the plot. If you don t understand the book, you can t analyzed it. If annotation keeps you from following the storyline, it is useless to annotate. Remember, when you write your answers, you need to give support either by quotes or examples, to create a thorough answer. My suggestion is to purchase small post-it note flags. Read the questions first. As you read, flag passages or quotes that will support your answers. It may save you time later, and not detract from your understanding of the novel. Assignment: Guide Questions for Fasting, Feasting. 1. This novel is written from two different character perspectives, in two settings. A thematic strand in the novel is gender roles. What is the role of women in Indian society? How is this portrayed through Mama, Uma, and Anamika? 2. Now consider the role of men in Indian society. How are men portrayed? Consider, Papa and his expectations for Arun. How are the husbands of Aruna, and Anamika portrayed? What does this say about the male role in Indian society? 3. Desai contrasts the themes of fasting and feasting. How is this developed through Uma s story in India, and Arun s story in America? (Does Desai apply this to more than food?)

2 4. A conflict in the novel is the Tradition of India vs. The Modernity of the West. How is this conflict shown through the characters in the novel? Desai shows various aspects of this conflict. What aspects does she make apparent to the reader? How does this reflect the Post-Colonial lens? 5. Water is a prevalent symbol in the novel. Show how Desai uses water and explain how this use of this symbol supports themes from the novel. 6. Contrast family life in India with family life in America according to the novel. Are the roles of mother and father, daughter and son different in India and America? Guide Questions for The Color Purple 1. One prevalent theme in The Color Purple, is God and spirituality. How does white society influence how African-Americans perceive God in the novel? What is Celie s relationship to God at the beginning of the novel, and how does it change? Consider how Shug, and Nettie influence Celie s perception of God. 2. Colors may or may not be symbolic in a work of literature. Colors do not always have the same significance. It will vary depending on the work. In this novel, purple is symbolic, and may even be considered a motif. In what way does the color purple play a symbolic role in the novel? Why is it significant, i.e. so significant that it was used for the title. Use examples and quotes to back up your explanation. 3. The use of diction is significant in this novel. As an epistolary novel, Celie s diction is key in showing the development of her character. Why did Walker use letters to tell Celie s story? If letters were not used, would the impact of the novel have been as strong? Discuss the use of diction/dialect in the novel and show how this added depth to the development of Celie s character. 4. Discuss the negative portrayal of African-American men in the novel. Why do you think Walker chose to portray so many of the male characters as violent, selfish, and oppressive? 5. Celie is the protagonist in the novel. Discuss her character. What literary techniques and structures does Walker use to make her believable to the reader? 6. Choose a theme other than spirituality from the novel. Discuss the theme and use evidence from the novel to support your choice.

3 Literary Terms: You need to know these terms by the second week of school. You are to create flash cards for each term to turn in. You will be tested on them when we return to school Part of your summer preparation is to make flash cards for some of the literary terms you will need to know. You may make electronic flashcards (print, share, or save on a flash drive for me) or regular flash cards on index cards. I strongly suggest that you color code your cards in order to categorize them. It will help you learn how to apply your terms. You will be tested on these (in sections) shortly after we return. Poetry Terms Repetition Poetic Feet Meter Rhyme Alliteration iamb dimeter near/slant rhyme Assonance trochee trimeter masculine rhyme spondee tetrameter feminine rhyme dactyl pentameter quatrain anapest hexameter couplet heptometer octameter triplet tercet

4 Rhythm and Pace Rhythm Caesura End-stopped Enjambment Forms sonnet Italian/Petrarchan sonnet Elizabethan sonnet narrative poem dramatic poem Forms Sonnet Italian Sonnet Elizabethan Sonnet Narrative Poem Dramatic Poem lyric poem haiku sestina villanelle ode elegy apostrophe ballad epic mock heroic epic If you have any questions, you can e mail me. I check regularly over the summer. wendy.lacombe@beaufort.k12. sc.us.

5 So you want to get ahead on your reading.. You all know how busy senior year can be! These are the books we will be reading for class. You might want to get a jump-start and purchase them, and maybe even start reading them!! I have listed them in the order that I will cover them. I have also listed some relatively painless works that might help you on the exam!! I. Wuthering Heights- Emily Bronte II. Frankenstein- Mary Shelley ( 1831 Edition) III. The Invisible Man- Ralph Ellison IV. The Poisonwood Bible- Barbara Kingsolver V. The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald We will be reading several plays in class. Optional Reads: The Catcher in the Rye- J.D. Salinger To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee Of Mice and Men- John Steinbeck Jane Eyre- Charlotte Bronte Ceremony- Leslie Marmon Silko Cold Mountain-Charles Frazier George Orwell Animal Farm- George Orwell

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