I. Reading Assignment Due on First Day of School – August 25th, 2014!
The Best American Essays of the Century (TBAEOTC), Joyce Carol Oates
The AP folks expect you to have read hundreds of different essays written by hundreds of
different authors about dozens of different subjects. This collection of twentieth century works
are just the beginning of a year spent reading and analyzing essays, and this text will provide a
solid base from which we can build exposure to effective non-fiction work. You must purchase
this book online at any of the major book retailers. Prices are relatively low!
1. Reader Responses for TBAEOTC (no more than 14 pages total writing)
A. Type your reader responses (no more than one page and double-spaced for each) for the 14
separate essays listed on the next page. You will write 14 responses in order. Be clear and
concise. Follow the formatting rules below.
B. Analyze each essay for any one or more of the four aspects below and you must provide
clear evidence to support your analysis. Use quotations from the piece.
C. Vary your analysis. Do not repeat the same type of analysis for every essay. That’s just silly.
D. Vary your application of the literary terminology. Do not repeat the same term more than a
few times. Each piece you read is different, and your individual essays should not sound similar
in any way.
Analyze for one of the four aspects of SPAM !
1. Stylistic devices and rhetorical (persuasive) strategies used in the piece. Use your
literary terms list to identify and briefly explain what tool(s) the author used and why. AP
Comp is mostly about how well you can deconstruct or construct an argument.
2. Purpose (thesis or main point) for writing the piece. What are your clues?
3. Audience. For whom do you think this piece was written? How do you know?
4. Meaning of the piece to you. This is where you can (briefly) elaborate about your
personal reaction to the piece. Specific textual evidence is crucial to thoughtful analysis.
Include the author and the title of each essay. Explain what specifically in the essay is effective
and how and why something was effective. Never ever flatter an author and never, ever criticize
an author. These are the best essayists of their generation, and you are a high school student.
Whether you dislike or enjoy the essay is not important. Be objective, clear, and concise. You are
an architect studying the structure of each piece. Do not summarize. Summary is NOT analysis.
We will continue to analyze essays in this same structured method throughout the year. There are
hundreds of authors on the must-read AP Comp list, and TBAEOTC contains a good number of
them. Some will confuse and confound you. That’s okay. Don’t focus on what confuses you,
look for what is effective or interesting or artistic or weird or powerful.
TBAEOTC list of essays for analysis:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
1901: Mark Twain, Corn-pone Opinons
1909: John Muir, Stickeen
1923: Ernest Hemingway, Pamplona in July
1925: H.L. Mencken, The Hills of Zion
1928: Zora Neale Hurston, How It Feels to Be Colored Me
1937: Richard Wright, The Ethics of Living Jim Crow: An Autobiographical Sketch
1941: E.B. White, Once More to the Lake
1949: Langston Hughes, Bop
1955: James Baldwin, Notes of a Native Son
1957: Eudora Welty, A Sweet Devouring
1967: N. Scott Momaday, The Way to Rainy Mountain
1970: Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
1972: John McPhee, The Search for Marvin Gardens
1980: Richard Rodriguez, Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood
B. Reader Response Score Guide (0-1 is bad, 4 is perfect; no one is perfect all of the time).
Use this score guide to determine what you must do to craft a successful analysis of a writing
piece. Keep in mind, a 4 would be representative of an A quality paper, a 3 would be a B, a 2
would be a C, and a 0-1 would be a D or F. NOTE: Failure to complete even one
essay will result in your dismissal from the AP course altogether.
4
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3
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Each aspect of SPAM analysis was addressed thoroughly and thoughtfully.
Student supported analysis with appropriate textual references; quotations formatted and
framed seamlessly.
Students identified author’s stylistic and rhetorical choices by using a variety of appropriate
literary terminology.
Student conducted effective background research about the author, the era or period, and the
piece of writing to determine audience and context.
Student made connections to historical, political, cultural, or his or her personal life,
conveying a sense of scope larger than the text analyzed.
Student’s voice (personality) is apparent in the writing; student conveys their own defined
sense of style.
Writing is mature; language choices are clear, concise, and academic; no common errors,
writing flows from idea to idea and paragraph to paragraph.
Student has a clear and confident command and control of their own syntax and diction.
Annotation of piece shows constant and intelligent interaction with the text.
Most aspects of analysis were not as developed as a 4.
Each aspect of SPAM analysis is addressed.
Student offered quotations as evidence of author’s choices.
Student used some literary terminology to identify author’s writing choices.
Language choices are mostly appropriate; few errors, flow is interrupted or less developed
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2
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0/1
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than a 4.
Student conducted superficial research to determine audience or simply guessed: all adults,
literature human beings, all Americans, anyone with a pulse, etc.
Some language choices are less academic and mature: got, a lot, kind of, cliches, cheesy
phrases, high school slang or colloquialisms (not on purpose for effect), etc.
Response lacks voice; the analysis is complete but there is no detectable personality.
Student has some command of their own syntax and diction.
Annotation is engaged but not always deep or constant.
Most aspects of analysis were not as developed as a 3.
Aspects of SPAM are thinly analyzed.
Student offered very little textual evidence to support analysis (or used very long quotations to
fill page).
Student used few literary terms to identify basic author choices (diction and syntax).
Student’s language choices are immature; several common errors, little evidence of
proofreading.
Student has poor command of word choice and sentence structure; response flow is choppy.
Annotation of original text is sporadic or simplistic (highlighted a few phrases here and there).
Most, if not all, aspects of analysis were not as developed as a 2.
Student summarized or retold the information from the text; analysis is missing or simplistic.
Student did not use a single quotation as evidence or support.
Student’s language choices are immature, redundant, and vague; paper riddled with common
errors.
Annotation of original text is sporadic or non-existent.
Name:
Journalist Column Response
Name of Journalist ________________________________________________________
Title of Column __________________________________________________________
Name of Newspaper _______________________ Date column appeared _____________
Thesis or main idea of column
Supporting reasons, examples, facts, details:
1.
2.
3.
Defend, challenge, or qualify the writer’s thesis: What is the tone of the article? How does the author
convey this tone?
Label three rhetorical devices you find in the article. (Consider techniques that add to the effectiveness
of the article).
Quote Device
1.
2.
3.
Select five specific words to define and add to your vocabulary.
Word Definition
1. __________________________
2. __________________________
3. __________________________
4. __________________________
5. __________________________
Name___________________
Visual Analysis Response
Name of Artist ________________________________________________________
Title of Piece __________________________________________________________
Name of Source _____________________________________ Date _____________
Artist’s Topic:
Artist’s Stance on the Topic:
Supporting Evidence:
1.
2.
3.
Defend, challenge, or qualify the artist’s stance:
Select five specific techniques that the artist employs. For each technique, explain how this device
impacts the viewer.
Technique Impact on the Viewer
1. __________________________
2. __________________________
3. __________________________
4. __________________________
5. __________________________
What is the tone of the piece? How does the artist
create this tone?
CURRENT EVENTS ASSIGNMENTS – 10 MINIMUM ASSIGNMENTS! –
DUE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, AUGUST 25, 2014!
This summer, you will be working with some current event topics found in local or nationwide
newspapers. You have 12 weeks of Saturdays in the summer, beginning on Saturday, June 7th, and
ending on Saturday, August 23rd. You must complete 10 assignments for this part of the summer
vacation. This will be a mixture of reading and visual (political cartoons) assignments; all reading
assignments must be accompanied by a visual. NOTE: You MUST use articles/visuals from 10 different
weeks. Please see information about the two kinds of assignments below.
READING ASSIGNMENTS:

For EACH summer reading text, collect a current event article that relates to an issue in
which you are interested. You MUST print the article. You may print it from an online
newspaper database or from a paper copy of the actual printed newspaper. Staple the
printed article to your package!!! You may select op-ed (opinion/editorial) pieces or
news/feature articles, but you may not select more than one piece by the same author. Be
sure to select articles from a variety of newspapers and/or magazines. You may only
use well-known large town newspapers or big name news magazines for this assignment.
***It is important to note that a thorough understanding of current events gives students a strong
advantage in this course, so although you need to collect at least eight articles, the more articles you
read, the better.
What to do if you are going to be away for the summer and will not have access to a national or
international newspaper or news magazine written in English:
1. Access articles online.
2. Use the public library before you go and when you get home. They keep back issues for a certain time
period.
3. Ask a friend or family member to buy and save several issues of news articles for you to read when
you come home.
4. Subscribe to news magazines before you leave and catch up on reading when you get home.
Summer Reading Definitions
The following definitions will help you prepare for the writing component of this summer reading
portfolio. You are encouraged to mark passages/page numbers that relate to these elements for future
reference.
An assertion is a statement, claim, contention, allegation, or declaration.
Detail includes facts, observations, and incidents used to develop a subject or make an abstraction
concrete. A lack of detail can also be a powerful tool to focus the reader’s attention on what isn’t said
or shown.
Diction refers to the writer’s word choices, especially with regard to connotation, correctness,
clearness, and effectiveness. A writer might describe an author’s diction as formal or informal, ornate or
plain.
Writers and speakers appeal to ethos, or character of a person, to demonstrate that they are credible
and trustworthy.
Imagery is the verbal representation of the five senses. On a broader and deeper level, however, images
can be used as metaphors or symbols, and one image can represent more than one thing.
Writers and speakers appeal to logos, or reason, by offering clear, logical ideas.
Writers and speakers appeal to pathos, or emotion, to engage an audience.
Rhetoric is the study of effective, persuasive language use, including thinking, writing, and speaking
strategies; rhetoricians analyze and evaluate what works and what does not work in a specific context.
Syntax is the way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences. Syntax involves
groups of words, while diction refers to the individual words.
Tone describes the author’s attitude toward his or her material, the audience, or both. Considering how
a work would sound if it were read aloud can help in identifying an author’s tone. Some words
describing tone are: pedantic, accusatory, serious, businesslike, sarcastic, humorous, melancholic,
dejected, authoritative, ironic, inquisitive, condescending, zealous, reverent, cynical, satirical, facetious,
scornful, apathetic, candid, vibrant, whimsical, cryptic, pompous, sardonic, denunciatory, poignant,
objective, didactic, nostalgic, zealous, contemptuous, urgent, sentimental, insolent, inflammatory,
pensive, incredulous, self-deprecating, benevolent and somber. Of course, don’t just limit yourself to
these words. Find the best tone word to describe your passage.
Definitions guided by:
Swovelin, Barbara V. English Language and Composition: Preparation Guide. Lincoln:
Cliffs, 1993.
Shea, Renee, et al. The Language of Composition. Boston: Bedford / St. Martin’s, 2008.
MLA Citations - An excellent resource for MLA citations can be found at
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/
VISUAL ASSIGNMENTS:
be ads, cartoons, posters, photos, tables, graphs, charts, sculptures, paintings, etc.
REMINDER: WHAT WILL YOU TURN IN AT THE END OF THE SUMMER FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT?
1)
2)
3)
4)
A printed article that you read and annotated.
A journalism response sheet for that article.
A visual of some sort that correlates with the information in the printed article.
A visual response sheet for that visual.
PLEASE NOTE: FAILURE TO TURN IN EVEN ONE PART OF THIS
ASSIGNMENT WILL RESULT IN DISMISSAL FROM THE AP
CLASS!