AP English Literature: “Summer” 2017 Assignment aka Homework Assignment # 1
Ms. Schelhorse
[email protected]
If you have any questions about this assignment, please contact me as soon as possible. If you contact me through email,
please include “MCHS AP Literature” or some other identifying information in the subject line.
Glass Menagerie By Tennessee Williams
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Read Glass Menagerie --- available in the book Twelve American Plays pages 399-437 from the MCHS school library
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After reading, complete an individual Review Card about the play
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Review card may be handwritten or typed
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See the following template on MyConnect or use the attached handout
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Example Review Card is attached for guidance (The Great Gatsby)
Writer / Nationality / Date written & published
Literary movement / Type of Literature (genre)
Setting --- where & when & significance
Characters --- who each character is, relationships to
each other, what they do & why important
Plot summary --- general summary of what happens
in the story (bullet points)
Conflicts --- name all types of conflicts (both internal
& external) & provide specific examples
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Point of View --- what various points of view are
present & how influence the play
Imagery / Motifs / Allusions --- important &
repeating
Style --- syntax, diction, tone, irony
Symbolism / Allegory --- important & repeating
Themes --- find at least 3 different themes & explain
each
Quotes --- find 3 important quotations & cite
correctly
Test will be given in the first week of school
o Test includes gradecam questions & on-demand essay --- you may use your notes per teacher approval
 On-demand Essay will be AP style open essay prompt
Our Town By Thornton Wilder
Please watch the movie version of Our Town OR you may read the play, available in the book Twelve American Plays
pages 139 - 169
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1940 version OR 2003 version
Notes are optional for this play, but you should be familiar with the story’s main plotlines, characters, themes, etc.
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The video is available for rental (NetFlix, etc.) or can be borrowed free at many branches of the San Diego Public
Library (http://www.sandiego.gov/public-library/). Some branches of the Library also have VCRs and DVD players
that patrons may use to view movies.
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Test will be given in the first week of school
o Test includes gradecam questions & on-demand essay
 On-demand Essay will be AP style open essay prompt
The Handmaid’s Tale By Margaret Atwood
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Read the novel The Handmaid’s Tale --- available from the Public Library, MCHS school library (limited # of copies),
Amazon, or Barnes & Noble.
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After reading, complete the following three assignments
# 1: REVIEW CARD:
o After reading, complete an individual Review Card about the play
 Review card may be handwritten or typed
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See the following template on MyConnect or use the attached handout

Example Review Card is attached for guidance (The Great Gatsby)
Writer / Nationality / Date written & published
Literary movement / Type of Literature (genre)
Setting --- where & when & significance
Characters --- who each character is, relationships to
each other, what they do & why important
Plot summary --- general summary of what happens
in the story (bullet points)
Conflicts --- name all types of conflicts (both internal
& external) & provide specific examples
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Point of View --- what various points of view are
present & how influence the play
Imagery / Motifs / Allusions --- important &
repeating
Style --- syntax, diction, tone, irony
Symbolism / Allegory --- important & repeating
Themes --- find at least 3 different themes & explain
each
Quotes --- find 3 important quotations & cite
correctly
# 2: Epigraph & Chapters 1-5 handout:
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Complete the worksheet after reading the story
Use the Background PowerPoint Notes as guidance
#3: LITERARY CRITICISMS:
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Look over the various LITERARY CRITICISM types provided to you, including examples
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Historical
Biographical
Archetypal
Psychological
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Feminist
Marxist
Moral / Religious
*** After reading the novel, choose 1 of the described LITERARY LENSES (see above list) to critique The
Handmaid’s Tale. This is your chance to critique a novel according to lens type.
2 pages typed maximum MLA format
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Test on all readings will be given in the first week of school
o Test includes scantron questions & on-demand essay --- you may use your notes per teacher approval
 On-demand Essay will be AP style open essay prompt
Overall:
 Points will be deducted on the TEXT side for failure to document accurately and completely according to the
models provided.
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Points will be deducted on the RESPONSE side for superficial and / or incomplete responses.
NOTE: There is to be NO collaboration with other students. Any assistance from the Internet, movies, or secondary
sources such as Sparknotes or Cliff Notes will be viewed as cheating. DO NOT USE SPARKNOTES, CLIFFNOTES, PINK
MONKEY, E-NOTES, or any other supplemental resources for this assignment. You may use your own brain!!!
If you have questions, e-mail me!
Review Card --- The Great Gatsby EXAMPLE
Writer / Nationality:
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald- American
Date / Movement:
1923–1924 /Roaring 20’s
Type of Literature:
Novel
Characters: Who are they & relationships to each
other
Nick Carraway- Narrator, Gatsby’s Friend, Jordan
Bakers lover, Daisy’s cousin.
Jay Gatsby- Protagonist, Daisy’s wanna-be lover,
Toms’ enemy, Nicks Friend.
Daisy Buchanan- Toms wife, Gatsby’s Wanna-be
lover, Nicks cousin, Jordan’s best friend.
Jordan Baker- pro golfer, daisy’s best friend, Nicks
lover.
Tom Buchanan- Old money, Polo Player Daisy’s
cheating husband.
Myrtle Wilson- Tom’s mistress, whose lifeless
husband George owns a run-down garage in the valley
of ashes.
George Wilson - Myrtle’s husband
Setting & Atmosphere: Where & When
Summer 1922
Long Island and New York City
Point of View:
Nick Carraway narrates in both first and third person,
presenting only what he himself observes. Nick
alternates sections where he presents events
objectively, as they appeared to him at the time, with
sections where he gives his own interpretations of the
story’s meaning and of the motivations of the other
characters.
Plot Summary:
-Nick moves into a house next to Gatsby in
West Egg
-Nick goes and visits his cousin, Daisy her
husband, Tom , and her best friend, Jordan in
East Egg
-Tom takes Nick to see his mistress, Myrtle
-Gatsby throws a party and Nick meets him
-Gatsby and Nick make a plan to get Daisy and
Gatsby together
-Daisy and Gatsby start hanging out more, Tom
gets pissed.
-Gatsby and Tom get into a fight
-Daisy kills Myrtle
-Gatsby gets shot by Wilson and the only people
at his funeral were Nick, his father, Owl Eyes
and a few servants.
Imagery & Motifs:
important & repeating
--- minimum of 3 items with explanations
The imagery in this story goes back and forth
between the Desolate town of Valley of Ashes
and the rich sparkly settings in East Egg and
West Egg.
Motifs:
Geography- Throughout the novel, places and
settings epitomize the various aspects of the
1920s American society that Fitzgerald depicts.
Weather- As in much of Shakespeare’s work,
the weather in The Great Gatsby unfailingly
matches the emotional and narrative tone of the
story.
Conflicts: Internal or External? Be specific
Gatsby has amassed a vast fortune in order to
win the affections of the upper-class Daisy
Buchanan, but his mysterious past stands in the
way of his being accepted by her.
Style --- Syntax, Diction, Tone, Irony --- Explain
how each one is shown & its purpose
Syntax:
Diction:
Tone: Nick’s attitudes toward Gatsby and Gatsby’s
story are ambivalent and contradictory.
Irony:
Themes: Minimum of 3 thematic ideas with explanation & support
Society and Class- This is the epitome of the entire novel. In this novel, there
is no such thing as the American dream. You are what you were born into and
there is no way to change that.
Symbolism / Allegory: Explain how each one is shown & its purpose
Symbolism / Allegory:
Gatsby’s Books- Gatsby's uncut books tell us that much of what Gatsby
presents to the world is a façade
Owl Eyes - owls are a symbol of wisdom, but can also be an omen of death.
Isolation-the characters in this story were part of the ‘Lost Generation” Every
one ends up alone. Even daisy and Tom who are technically together but are
not true to each other
T. J. Eckelburg- Instead of a truly religious representation, the best this world
can do is manifest God in a billboard – an advertisement
The Green Light- unattainable dream, the dream that must have seemed so close
that he could hardly fail to grasp it. The green light also represents the hazy
future, the future that is forever elusive
Allusions:
-T.S. Eliot
-King Midas, from the Greek myth
Lies and Deceit- The entire story of the Great Gatsby is built around this. It
presents the idea that humans are inherently selfish and untruthful. It doesn’t
matter if you’re a woman, a man , rich or poor.
-Maecenas, a patron of the arts and a political advisor to Caesar Augustus
-J.P. Morgan, an American banker, one of America's first billionaires
-John Lawson Stoddard: Stoddard's Lectures
-Henry Clay: Economics: An Introduction for the General Readers
Quotes: 3 important quotes including author last name & page #
1- 1- “He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance
in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced, or
seemed to face, the whole external world for an instant and then
concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor”
(Fitzgerald 44).
2- “and I hope she’ll be a fool, that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world,
a beautiful little fool” (Fitzgerald 17).
3- “There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired”
(Fitzgerald 79).
Commentary Explanation --- why is quote important? What does it mean?
This description of Gatsby’s smile captures both the theatrical quality of Gatsby’s character and
his charisma. Additionally, it encapsulates the manner in which Gatsby appears to the outside
world, an image Fitzgerald slowly deconstructs as the novel progresses toward Gatsby’s death
in Chapter 8. One of the main facets of Gatsby’s persona is that he acts out a role that he
defined for himself when he was seventeen years old. His smile seems to be both an important
part of the role and a result of the singular combination of hope and imagination that enables
him to play it so effectively. Here, Nick describes Gatsby’s rare focus—he has the ability to
make anyone he smiles at feel as though he has chosen that person out of “the whole external
world,” reflecting that person’s most optimistic conception of him- or herself.
Daisy just gave birth to a baby girl and she says that she hopes she’s a fool because sometimes
it’s better to be unaware of circumstances then be painfully aware and be hurt because of them.
Women in her social class were expected to just put up with the way they are treated, and in
Daisy’s case, it’s upsetting.
Nick is making reference that there are people that are going after what/who they want, those
that accomplished what they want, those that are “too busy” or too good to deal with anything
anymore, and those that are tired of the things that don’t matter.
REVIEW CARD – Book Title: _______________________________________________
Student Name: ________________________________________________
Plot Summary: What happens? Minimum of
Writer / Nationality:
5+ bullets
Imagery & Motifs:
important & repeating
--- minimum of 3 items with explanations
Date / Movement:
Type of Literature:
Characters: Who are they & relationships to each
other
Style --- Syntax, Diction, Tone, Irony --- Explain
how each one is shown & its purpose
Syntax:
Conflicts: Internal or External? Be specific
Setting & Atmosphere: Where & When
Diction:
Tone:
Point of View:
Irony:
REVIEW CARD – Book Title: _______________________________________________
Symbolism / Allusions: Explain how each one is shown & its purpose
Student Name: ___________________________
Themes: Minimum of 3 thematic ideas with explanation & support
Symbolism / Allegory:
Allusions:
Quotes: 3 important quotes including author last name & page #
1- “
“ (_______________ ________).
2- “
“ (_______________ ________).
3- “
“ (_______________ ________).
Commentary Explanation --- why is quote important? What
does it mean?
REVIEW CARD – Book Title: _______________________________________________
Student Name: ________________________________________________
Plot Summary: What happens? Minimum of
Writer / Nationality:
5+ bullets
Imagery & Motifs:
important & repeating
--- minimum of 3 items with explanations
Date / Movement:
Type of Literature:
Characters: Who are they & relationships to each
other
Style --- Syntax, Diction, Tone, Irony --- Explain
how each one is shown & its purpose
Syntax:
Conflicts: Internal or External? Be specific
Setting & Atmosphere: Where & When
Diction:
Tone:
Point of View:
Irony:
Themes: Minimum of 3 thematic ideas with explanation & support
Symbolism / Allegory: Explain how each one is shown & its purpose
Symbolism / Allegory:
Allusions:
Quotes: 3 important quotes including author last name & page #
1- “
“ (_______________ ________).
2- “
“ (_______________ ________).
3- “
“ (_______________ ________).
Commentary Explanation --- why is quote important? What
does it mean?
Handmaid’s Epigraph Assignment
Read the epigraphs (the three quotes at the very beginning of the book). Then complete the following.
#1: The first epigraph Atwood chose to include in The Handmaid’s Tale comes from Genesis 30:1-3. It is one
of several passages that make clear that in patriarchal Hebrew times it was perfectly legitimate for a man to
have sex and even beget children by his servants (slaves), particularly if his wife was infertile. It is unknown
how widespread was the custom described here, of having the infertile wife embrace the fertile maidservant
as she gave birth to symbolize that the baby is legally hers.
Consider the significance of the passage (a.k.a. explain the social implications of what the passage
talks about). Then make a prediction about what relevance that passage might have in The
Handmaid’s Tale.
# 2: The second epigraph Atwood includes is from Jonathan Swift’s satire, A Modest Proposal. In this essay,
Swift highlighted the hard-heartedness of the English in allowing the Irish masses to starve by satirically
proposing that the Irish should be encouraged to eat their own children for food. Read the provided
excerpt and, in your own words, define “satire” as completely as possible. Then make a prediction
about why Atwood would reference one of the most famous satirical pieces in the Western world in
the epigraph of this novel.
# 3: Decipher the third epigraph to the best of your ability. What possible meanings could it have?
Discuss two or more.
Chapter 1:
# 4: Re-read the first sentence of this chapter. What can you tell about the time period of the novel just from
this sentence? (People generally sleep in gymnasiums only in emergencies, after disasters. But this "had once" been a
gymnasium, which implies that it was converted to its present use a long time ago. Some major change has taken place.)
# 5: What is suggested by the fact that the immediate supervisors of the girls are women but these women are
not allowed guns?
# 6: What is suggested by the fact that the girls have to read lips to learn each others' names?
# 7: A “utopia” is an ideally perfect place, especially in its social, political, and moral aspects. A “dystopia” is
a place in which the condition of life is extremely bad, as from deprivation, oppression, or terror. Is Atwood
writing about a utopia or a dystopia? Why do you think so at this point in the reading?
Chapters 4 and 5
# 8: We will learn eventually that the narrator's name is "Offred." Her partner is named "Ofglen."
How do the names of Handmaids seem to be formed?
# 9: What power does Offred have over men, powerless as she is? How traditional is this kind of
power? Has the elimination of pornography stopped women from being regarded as sex objects?
Some information: The clothing store name "Lilies" is derived from Matthew 6:28. "A land flowing
with milk and honey" is a common Biblical phrase, often used to describe Canaan, the "Promised
Land." "All flesh" originally means "all of humanity" (see Isaiah 40:5) but here is given a more literal
sense as the name for butcher shops.
# 10: What is the women's reaction to the pregnant woman? How are the Japanese women different
from the women of Gilead? Is Atwood idealizing them? What do you think the point of the contrast
is?
The Handmaid’s Tale --- Literary Criticism
Literary theory is an attempt to understand the various ways that different people read text s. Yes, we all
kno w that not ever yone “interprets” a book, poem, or even a song the same way. Theory gives readers a
chance to view texts with different set o f lenses.
Historical
Criticism
Biographical
Criticism
Archetypal /
Mythologi
cal
Criticism
Psychological /
Psychoana
lytic
Criticism
Feminist /
Gender
Criticism:
(they are
separate but
I’m simplifying)
Marxist
Criticism:
Moral &
Philosophical
Criticism /
Religious
Criticism:
* Views text as a closely related to the time during which an author wrote. Focused on the social, political,
economic, cultural, and/or intellectual climate of the time. Examines how other cultures are viewed in terms of an
overpowering Western literature base.
* Understands literature as reflective and influenced by the history surrounding it. This critic believes that to really
understand and know a work, one must know what was happening in the world at the time the work was written.
* How are the political events, social attitudes, artistic trends, and/or philosophical movements of the time reflected
in the text? To what extent does the text maintain the values of its time, and to what extent does it rebel against
them? Looks at issues of colonization and imperialism.
* The biographical critic studies events in the life of the author in order to determine how they may have influenced
the author’s work.
* Concerned with the life of the artist as it is revealed in the work of fiction
* What events or experiences in the author’s life influenced the text? What real life event or personality inspired the
author to create a given plot twist or character? Where does real life leave off and the imagination take over?
* Concerned with the archetypes, or universal symbols, in literature. This critic suggests that the literature’s power
is partly derived from its appeal to the reader because of the use of familiar images and symbols.
* A form of Structuralism that focuses on the structure of stories. Identifies 31 actions that a story can contain and
claims all stories pick from this list. Also focuses on the specific character types that are repeated within all
stories—hero, villain, trickster, orphan, mentor etc.
* What universal symbols or motifs are present in the text? How do the characters fit general character “types”?
How do the settings, situations, characters, themes, etc. echo others from the Bible, mythology, or folklore?
* Utilizes the work of art to either probe into the writer’s mental and emotional problems or to focus clinically on a
character in a work of fiction and attempts to analyze the character’s psychological state.
* Views text as an expression of the personality, state of mind, feelings, and desires of its author. Looks for the
distinction between conscious and unconscious motives of characters and author.
* What psychological factors drive or motivate the characters? How can the characters’ actions be explained by
psychology? Consider the author’s personality to explain and interpret a text. What psychological theories are
present in the characters (Oedipal complex, obsessive compulsive, sexual repression, denial, guilt)? What repressed
material is expressed in imagery or symbols?
* View society in a “patriarchal” and “heterosexual” way, which has hindered or prevented women and
homosexuals from realizing their true potential. Claim that both groups are viewed negatively, inferior, or as “the
other.”
* Intends to raise the reader’s consciousness about sexual exploitation and gender stereotyping in literature.
* How are women portrayed in the text? What does this say about the role of women and how are they viewed by
the society in the text? What roles do gender or sexuality play in this work? (Examine power relations). Look for
sexual stereotypes either reinforced or contradicted
* Believes writing reflects the author’s class outlook. Views society based on the economic and cultural theory of
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles. Assumes that each society is made up of a set of concepts, beliefs, values, and
ways of thinking influenced by economic and class structures.
* What are the social, political, and economic forces at work in the text that impact the working classes? Consider
who has the power/money and who doesn’t. What role does power, money, or class play in this work? What
happens as a result in differences in power/money? Relate context of work to social-class of author and/or time
period
* Moral / philosophical critics believe that the larger purpose of literature is to teach morality and to probe
philosophical issues. This approach is useful for such works as Alexander Pope's "An Essay on Man," which does
present an obvious moral philosophy. It is also useful when considering the themes of works (for example, man's
inhumanity to man in Mark Twain's Huckelberry Finn). Finally, it does not view literature merely as "art" isolated
from all moral implications; it recognizes that literature can affect readers, whether subtly or directly, and that the
message of a work--and not just the decorous vehicle for that message--is important.
* An organized collection of belief systems, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to spirituality
and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are
intended to give meaning to life to explain the origin of life or the Universe. From their ideas about the cosmos and
human nature, they tend to derive morality, ethics, religious laws or a preferred lifestyle.
Literary Theories: A Sampling of Lenses
LION KING
Can be viewed as the helpless role females have in
FEMINIST
society. The female lions are used to provide food
Criticism
and care for the young yet it is the males that have
all the power. When Mufasa dies his power transfers
to either his son or his brother. His wife is never
even considered. Nala is also clearly “stronger” than
Simba yet she is considered inferior.
MARXIST
Criticism
ARCHETYPAL
Criticism
Cinderella
Cinderella’s happiness depends on men. After
Cinderella’s father dies, she is forced to live with the
evil step-sisters. She becomes happy after she
marries the prince. In order to attract the prince,
she must impress him with her looks. The prince
only knows her by her beauty and the missing glass
slipper. Without men, Cinderella has no control over
her life.
LION KING
Cinderella
Can be viewed as the upper class (lions) trying to
Cinderella is exploited by her rich relatives. She
maintain power over an unhappy lower class
exploits the mice, birds, and fairy godmother who
(hyenas). The lower class resents the privileges of
help her for no pay. Cinderella has no wealth and
her only hope is to marry the prince. Class
better food and hunting grounds that the upper
class maintains. This conflict causes a rebellion,
structure with Cinderella (poor) who does all the
which disrupts the normal social order causing
work, Step Sisters (middle class) who yearn to
chaos and destruction.
marry the rich prince, prince (wealthy) who controls
the power in the kingdom decides who he will
marry. In the original fable, the animals gouge out
the eyes of the step sisters and drive them out of
town symbolizing the violent clashes between the
rich and the poor.
LION KING
Cinderella
Simba represents the classic hero quest. Simba
The wicked step-mother and step-sisters terrorize
suffers from a loss of a father figure and must go off Cinderella. *Archetypal villains
on a journey to grow into his destiny. During his
The handsome prince rescues Cinderella by
journey he meets tricksters (Timon/Pumba) who also marrying her.
act as his helpers and finds a mentor (crazy monkey
*Archetypal knight in shining armor
with a stick). Nala also acts as the herald as she
Cinderella has to be rescued from her life.
upsets the sleepy equilibrium in which the Simba
*Archetypal damsel in distress
has lived and starts his growth. He then has enough
strength (mental and physical) to overcome the
villain and restore everything to order.