Dear Advanced Placement English Language and Composition student:
Welcome to the English department Advanced Placement program. Since AP is an accelerated curriculum that allows you to
complete college-level work in high school, you must prepare for the course during the summer by reading Narrative of the
Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass and completing a double entry journal for it. You will
also need to write responses to some newspaper reading. Argument writing will be a strong focus of this class.
FIRST DAY OF CLASS: You will have an objective test over Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas and all
summer work will be collected.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave
Background Information:
This autobiography covers the life of Douglass up until his eventual escape to the North. It was first published in 1845 and
emerged as an important factor in the abolitionist movement, enlightening people about the horrors of slavery and the
humanity of slaves. Although the text contains literary elements, do not lose sight of the fact that it is an actual, historical
account.
Typed Double Entry Journal:
1) Create a four column chart formatted like the sample below.
2) As you read, find 25 quotes from throughout the narrative that are examples of the following rhetorical terms:
Evocative Imagery
Striking Figurative Language (such as Simile, Metaphor, Personification, Apostrophe, Allusion, Hyperbole)
Powerful word choice (called diction)
Important details (including lists, cataloging)
Interesting sentence constructions (called syntax, which includes rhetorical questions, short sentences, long
sentences, and parallelism)
You do not need to provide the entire quote, but provide enough of it to illustrate the term and to make it clear to the teacher
what section of the novel is your focus.
3) Explain how the term functions. Tell how it impacts either our understanding of Douglass or the point he makes about
slavery.
Page Term
Example
Effect/Function
1
Personification “Maycomb was an old town, but it was Ironically, Maycomb is not an energetic town but
a tired old town when I first knew it.”
one that is tired, which makes it seem old. The
author also uses this phrasing to imply that the town
has old-fashioned ideals, which Atticus and his
family will eventually challenge.
42
Imagery
“She was a widow, a chameleon lady
The author uses imagery to characterize Miss
who worked in her flower beds in an
Maudie as both feminine and industrious. With such
old straw hat and men’s coveralls, but
a description, she illuminates the duality of many
after her five o’clock bath she would
characters in the text: Atticus seems passive but is
appear on the porch . . .”
aggressive about his beliefs, Boo is frightened and
sheltered, yet capable of powerful love.
89
Short Sentence Besides that, he wore glasses.”
The brevity of the sentence emphasizes the bookish,
seemingly boring nature of Atticus. Much of the
novel explores how this one-sided view of their
father, or of any people for that matter, is not
accurate.
Non-fiction Work
Paragraph Writing
“Editorials” refer not just to the opinion pieces written by an editorial board, but to any of the columns, perspective pieces, or
op-eds contained in a newspaper. Do not confuse them with short letters that local citizens submit to the paper. Read and
copy or cut out two “editorials” from a local or national on-line or print newspaper. For each one, type two paragraph
responses. Remember that a well-developed paragraph exceeds the 5-6 sentence formats you may have been taught:
1) Construct a paragraph in which you identify the controversial issue it tackles, explain why it is controversial, and
summarize the author’s position.
2) Develop a paragraph that takes a position in support of or against the writer’s central claim. Use your own reasonable
evidence for support.
Enjoy the summer. We are looking forward to the challenge Advanced Placement will bring to us all.
Sincerely,
Grandview English Department