AP+English+Literature+(12)

= Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition = =__Summer Reading Assignment__= (2012-2013)

__Required Text__:
 * **Homer’s //The Iliad//** (please see the following note for the recommended edition)


 * //Note://** I strongly recommend that you purchase the **Robert Fagles translation of the Homer text**. You will find this edition most useful and most accurate.

__Course Objective:__ Throughout the course of the school year, we will be reading, analyzing, and interpreting complex pieces of literature. Our study of literature will consist of various genres, literary movements, social contexts, and writing styles. We will also study the various schools of thought known as literary criticism. These theories will help to shape our own ways of looking at and understanding literature; thus, we will become more attentive, insightful, and analytical readers and writers. We will begin our studies this summer with the very beginning of literature—the Greek classics and the mythology that comprises it. The following assignment asks you to read critically and, most of all, enjoy wholeheartedly the origins of great literature!

__Assignment:__

As you read Homer’s //The Iliad//, you will write a **total of 10** reader-response entries for the various books (chapters) in the text. Each Reader-Response Entry will… understanding/ interpretation of the text as a whole? **Remember to support your analysis with specific lines/passages from the text.** **Compile and organize your entries in a notebook/portfolio to be handed in the first day of school.**
 * __Reader-Response Journal—__**
 * Be approximately **1 ½ to 2 pages in length**. (Please note, that each entry should be no less than 1 ½ pages, typed, double-spaced, size 12 font, Times New Roman)
 * Be comprised of a **detailed and focused analysis** on a particular book or section of a book in //The Iliad.//
 * Be sure to focus your analysis on **one specific element** from the book you are reading, and explain its significance in the text. Your entry should not be too broad nor should it summarize your reading. Below are possible writing topics to help you focus your analysis:
 * What theme is expressed in or reinforced through the book?
 * What does the book reveal about characterization?
 * What literary device (symbolism, imagery, metaphor, motif, mood, allusion, etc.) is evident in the book? How does it contribute to your
 * What social problems, issues, or concerns does the book address? How is the writer commenting upon the given society?
 * What connections can you make between the book of this text with that of another text or personal experience?
 * How does the writer use language to convey meaning in the text?
 * You may certainly pursue topics of your own, if you wish.
 * Pose **two (2) questions**. These questions will be posed at the end of each entry. Your questions may address issues/concerns you encounter or have difficulty with as you read or ones you believe will stimulate class discussion when we meet in the fall.
 * Be titled with the **date** and the **book #** on which you are writing the reader-response entries.


 * If at anytime during the summer you encounter a difficulty, a question, a concern, or would just like to say hello, you may contact us at decaro@wsps.org or garner@wsps.org or via buzzword.

We look forward to meeting you all in the fall. Have a great summer! ~Mrs. DeCaro & Mr. Garner