RICHARD MONTGOMERY HIGH SCHOOL
250 Richard Montgomery Drive
Rockville, Maryland 20852
(301) 610-8000
Summer 2015 Reading for AP (AP) English Literature and Composition 12
Dear incoming students,
Welcome to AP English Literature and Composition. We are excited about helping you become stronger readers, writers,
and thinkers. The biggest difference between senior AP Literature 12 and AP Language 11 is that we will primarily work
with fiction and poetry, instead of non-fiction. However, your skills in close reading, clear writing, and thoughtful
analysis of literary devices such as imagery and syntax will help you with this class. We hope that you also bring curiosity
about the world and a love for reading with you, but if not, we will try to foster that with our studies of engaging, great
books. To prepare for this college-level course, please complete the two attached assignments. When we meet, we will
give you TurnItIn information so that you can submit your writing for a plagiarism check.
Our first assignment is to write in response to reading an undergraduate textbook How to Read Literature Like a
Professor, by Professor Thomas C. Foster. It’s a perennial best-seller, largely due to the writer’s clear conversational
writing voice. We hope you agree with the sub-title’s claim for the writing: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading
Between the Lines. Most readers find the author a friendly guide, taking them by the hand and introducing them to the
world of literature, while helping us see what we otherwise might miss. To help you get the most from this text, we have
put together a series of short assignments to reinforce the concepts (see Writing Assignment#1). Some of the questions
will challenge you; feel free to research, think deeply, and if you get stuck, reflect in your writing why this question has
you stumped, then brainstorm ways to get unstuck. If you spread this reading over the summer and focus on a single short
chapter at a time, you’ll benefit from distributed learning, which means you will retain concepts in long-term memory.
That’s the best way to learn.
You can borrow this book from English office, but we recommend that you buy your own copy if possible so that you can
annotate it for your college bookshelf. We will also be using it during the year at the end of study of each major text. It’s
available on Amazon or you might stop by Second Story Books (12160 Parklawn Drive, Rockville) and buy an
inexpensive, used copy. This is a great place to bring your family on a rainy summer day to find bargain books by the bag.
Note there is a new, revised version but either one will work fine.
The second assignment directs you towards a great poetry website and walks you through the process of choosing and
preparing a poem for recitation. Both assignments should be completed before school starts; please have assignment#2 in
your hand the first day back.
If you have any questions over the summer about the readings or the course, please direct them to email address
[email protected] or if it’s urgent, call me, Ms. Smith, at 301/340-0545. My family travels a lot over the
summer, so email is your best bet. Enjoy your summer, read some great books (the Professor has a list of recommended
reading and movies in the appendix to his book), and be sure to have your summer reading completed before school
reconvenes, so that you can hit the ground running with the rest of us. Have a great summer and stay safe.
Regards,
Davina Thrower Smith and Marcy Fine
AP English Literature and Composition Teachers
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Assignment#1: Read a textbook and Choose Ten prompt responses
How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines
by Thomas C. Foster
In Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story “The Red-Headed League,” Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson both
observe Jabez Wilson carefully, yet their differing interpretations of the same details reveal the difference
between a “Good Reader” and a “Bad Reader.” Watson can only describe what he sees; Holmes has the
knowledge to interpret what he sees, draw conclusions, and solve the mystery.
Understanding literature need no longer be a mystery—Thomas Foster’s book will help transform you from a
naïve, sometimes confused Watson to an insightful, literary Holmes. Professors and most savvy readers see
symbols, archetypes, and patterns because those things are there—if you have learned to look for them. As
Foster says, we learn to recognize literary conventions the “same way you get to Carnegie Hall. Practice.” (xiv).
Note to students: These short writing assignments will help you practice literary analysis and they will help me
get to know you and your literary tastes. Whenever I ask for an example from literature, you may use short
stories, novels, plays, or films (Yes, film is a literary genre). If your literary repertoire is thin and undeveloped,
today is the best day to develop it. Use the Appendix ”Reading List” starting on page 283 to jog your memory
or to select additional works to explore. At the very least, watch some of the “Movies to Read” that are listed on
pages 293-294. Do not simply use the same examples the author provides.
Even though this is analytical writing, you may use “I” if you deem it important to do so; remember, however,
that most uses of “I” are just padding. For example, the sentence “I think the wolf is the most important
character in ‘Little Red Riding Hood’” is padded: dropping “I think” loses you nothing in meaning and creates a
stronger voice. As you compose each written response, re-phrase the prompt as part of your answer. In other
words, I should be able to tell which question you are answering without referring back to the prompts.
Concerning mechanics, pay special attention to pronouns. Make antecedents clear. Say Foster first; not “he.”
Remember to capitalize and punctuate titles properly for each genre. If you aren’t sure how to do this, look at
the multiple examples on this page.
Read each chapter carefully, then choose TEN (not all 27) chapter prompts and write a clear, complete
paragraph response with specific references to texts. Label EACH response with chapter number.
Introduction: How’d He Do That?
How do memory, symbol, and pattern affect the reading of literature? How does the recognition of patterns
make it easier to read complicated literature? Discuss a time when your appreciation of a literary work was
enhanced by understanding symbol or pattern.
Chapter 1—Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When It’s Not)
List the five aspects of the QUEST and then
apply them to something you have read (or viewed) in the form used on pages 3-5. Be sure to articulate how this
text works as a quest for all five aspects. Genius Bonus: Try to write this in the voice of the author of our book,
Thomas Foster. Think about his tone, diction choices, and attitude towards his readers.
Chapter 2—Nice to Eat with You: Acts of Communion Choose a meal from a literary work and apply the
ideas of Chapter 2 to this literary depiction. How does this fit into the notion of communion?
Chapter 3—Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires What are the essentials of the Vampire story according to
our author? Apply this to a literary work you have read or viewed.
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Chapter 4—If It’s Square, It’s a Sonnet Select three sonnets (you can cut-and-paste them into your
document) and show which form they are. Discuss how their content reflects the form. (Submit copies of the
sonnets, marked to show your analysis). A useful website to locate great poetry, including sonnets specifically,
is the Poetry Out Loud website.
Chapter 5—Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before? Define intertextuality. Discuss three examples that have
helped you in reading specific works.
Chapter 6—When in Doubt, It’s from Shakespeare… Discuss a work that you are familiar with that
alludes to or reflects Shakespeare. Show how the author uses this connection thematically. Read pages 44-46
carefully. In these pages, Foster shows how Fugard reflects Shakespeare through both plot and theme. In your
discussion, focus on theme.
Chapter 7--…Or the Bible On the Internet, locate and print a copy of the James Joyce short story “Araby,”
which is briefly mentioned in this chapter. Read the story once for understanding, then look through to see if
you can locate any Biblical allusions that Foster does not mention. Look at the example of the “two great jars.”
Be creative and imaginative in your connections and flag any words that seem odd and potentially symbolic.
Then research these phrases or key words. (If you are totally unfamiliar with the Bible, read the first book,
Genesis, online. It is the beginning of the Old Testament, which is read by Christians, Muslims, and Jews and is
considered the cornerstone of Western Literature. If you plan to read Western Literature, being familiar with the
biblical stories in Genesis—the creation of the world and humanity, the significance of the Garden of Eden, the
problem of free will, and the introduction of evil to the world-- will be helpful in your understanding of our
culture.)
Chapter 8—Hanseldee and Greteldum
Think of a work of literature (not a television show or film) that
reflects a fairy tale. If you haven’t read any fairy tales, take a break and enjoy a few. Discuss the parallels. Does
it create irony or deepen appreciation? How?
Chapter 9—It’s Greek to Me
Write a free verse poem (if you are not sure what this means—look it up)
of at least 14 lines that is derived or inspired by characters or situations from Greek mythology. If you aren’t
familiar with myth, check out one of Edith Hamilton’s guides to Greek myth: she is considered the premier
woman classicist scholar. Be prepared to share your poem with us.
Chapter 10—It’s More Than Just Rain or Snow Discuss the importance of weather in a specific literary
work, beyond mere plot.
Interlude—Does He Mean That?
Chapter 11--…More Than It’s Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence
kinds of violence found in literature. Show how the effects are different.
Present examples of the two
Chapter 12—Is That a Symbol?
Use the process described on page 106 and investigate the symbolism of
the fence in “Araby.” (Mangan’s sister stands behind it.)
Chapter 13—It’s All Political
Assume that Foster is right and “it is all political.” Use his criteria to show
that one of the major works you have read is political.
Chapter 14—Yes, She’s a Christ Figure, Too
Apply the criteria on page 119 to a major character in a
significant literary work. Try to choose a character that will have many matches. This is a particularly apt tool
for analyzing film—for example, Star Wars, Cool Hand Luke, Excalibur, Malcolm X, Braveheart, Spartacus,
Gladiator and Ben-Hur.
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Chapter 15—Flights of Fancy
Select a literary work, other than Song of Solomon, in which flight
signifies escape or freedom. Explain in detail. If you can’t come up with any ideas, go to the library and read
Ralph Ellison’s short story “Flying Home,” and African-American literary classic.
Chapter 16—It’s All About Sex…
Chapter 17--…Except the Sex
OK--the sex chapters. The key idea from this chapter is that “scenes in
which sex is coded rather than explicit can work at multiple levels and sometimes be more intense than literal
depictions” (141). In other words, sex is often suggested with much more art and effort than it is described, and,
if the author is doing his job, it reflects and creates theme or character. Choose a novel or movie in which sex is
suggested, but not described, and discuss how the relationship is suggested and how this implication affects the
theme or develops characterization.
Chapter 18—If She Comes Up, It’s Baptism
Think of a “baptism scene” from a significant literary work,
other than Song of Solomon. How was the character different after the experience? Discuss.
Chapter 19—Geography Matters…
Discuss at least four different aspects of a specific literary work
that Foster would classify under “geography.”
Chapter 20--…So Does Season
Find a poem that mentions a specific season (Poetry Out Loud website is
helpful). Then discuss how the poet uses the season in a meaningful, traditional, or unusual way. (Submit a copy
of the poem with your analysis.)
Interlude—One Story
Write your own definition for archetype. Then identify an archetypal story and
apply it to a literary work with which you are familiar.
Chapter 21—Marked for Greatness
Figure out Harry Potter’s scar. If you aren’t familiar with Harry
Potter, select another character with a physical imperfection and analyze its implications for characterization.
Chapter 22—He’s Blind for a Reason, You Know
Chapter 23—It’s Never Just Heart Disease…
Chapter 24--…And Rarely Just Illness Recall two characters who died of a disease in a literary work.
Consider how these deaths reflect the “principles governing the use of disease in literature” (215-217). Discuss
the effectiveness of the death as related to plot, theme, or symbolism.
Chapter 25—Don’t Read with Your Eyes After reading Chapter 25, choose a scene or episode from a novel,
play or epic written before the twentieth century. If you haven’t read one yet, this might be the best summer to
read Tom Sawyer or Jane Eyre. Contrast how it could be viewed by a reader from the twenty-first century with
how it might be viewed by a contemporary reader. Focus on specific assumption that the author makes,
assumptions that would not make it in this century.
Chapter 26—Is He Serious? And Other Ironics Select an ironic literary work and explain the multivocal
nature of the irony in the work.
Chapter 27—A Test Case (This chapter prompt counts as two if you fully complete it) Read “The
Garden Party” by Katherine Mansfield, the short story starting on page 245. Complete the exercise on pages
265-266, following the directions exactly. Then compare your writing with the three examples. How did you
do? What does the essay that follows comparing Laura with Persephone add to your appreciation of Mansfield’s
story?
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Envoi Choose a motif not discussed in this book (as the horse reference on page 280) and note its appearance
in three or four different works. What does this seem to signify?
Adapted from Assignments originally developed by Donna Anglin. Notes by Marti Nelson, available on
Internet .http://mseffie.com/assignments/professor/professor.html
A=
B=
C=
D=
E=
Zero
Ten chapter prompts addressed with developed and thoughtful responses
Only 1-2 prompts have less developed responses, but writer attempted all
One or two prompts missing responses
Gaps, missing chapters, incomplete but at least five prompts attempted
Less than five prompts addressed
No real thought or effort/Work not completed by deadline
5
30 points
26 points
24 points
18-20 points
15 points
0 points
Assignment#2: Visit the Poetry Out Loud website and select a poem to read aloud in class
We will be working with poetry throughout the year, as we prepare for college and also the AP English
Literature exam. So why do we read poetry? You will hear several responses to this question as you complete
the following activities:
1.
Visit the Poetry Out Loud website at http://www.poetryoutloud.org/
2. Select “Poems and Performance,” and click on “Watch Video.” Choose “What is Poetry?” and watch the
short one minute montage of students defining why poetry is worth our attention. Keep an eye out for
Nora Sandler, former RM student who placed 3rd in the National Poetry Out Loud competition.
3. Now return to “Poems and Performance” and choose “Watch Examples of great recitation.” Read this
page, then choose three or four videos to sample. Two especially powerful performances are given by
Stanley Andrew Jackson and Sophia Soberson.
4. Now choose “Tips on Reciting” and print out this page to annotate as you read it. The most important
advice is to be sure that you understand every word and allusion in a poem. Embrace your dictionary.
5. Check out other options, including “Poems and Performance”/”Listen to Poetry Being Read”/”Punching
Words.” Your goal is to learn how to effectively recite poetry.
6. Now you are ready to choose a poem that speaks to you in some way. Choose the side bar “Poems and
Performance,” then click on “Find the perfect poem.” Note that you can search by author or title. Locate
poetry that interests/moves/intrigues you. Narrow down to one poem you would like to recite.
7. Annotate your poem, defining words you aren’t sure of, looking up allusions, and underlining words or
phrases that should be punched. Think about the tone of the poem. Most poems shift in tone or meaning
at some point. Where does yours shift? Practice reading it aloud, paying close attention to the musical
rhythm of the poem: wherever you see a comma, pause slightly. Periods indicate longer, hard stops.
When a poet wraps from one line to another without any punctuation, read this as a continuous line (this
is called enjambment). Watch the videos on the Poetry Out Loud website to learn from the pros.
Notice that words at the end of lines have more emphasis. Good poets rarely end lines with weak words
such as prepositions or conjunctions—why stress the unimportant?
Practice reading your poem out loud. On your annotated copy, write a developed paragraph detailing
why you chose this poem out of the hundreds of poems on the Poetry Out Loud website. Bring this to
class with you on the first day we convene and be prepared to recite your poem and tell us why you
chose it. You can recite from memory if you wish, but reading it is okay. Just be sure you read con brio.
And—always look up words you don’t know .
(10 completion points for bringing an annotated poem from Poetry Out Loud with a paragraph description of your choice.)
(If you find reciting poetry challenging and stimulating, you may wish to compete in the school-wide Poetry Out Loud
competition this October. Three RMHS students have won local, regional, county, and state competitions and ended
up in the top nine nationally, winning $10,000 each. Why not you?)
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