Honors American Literature Summer Assignment:
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Read the classic American novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, and “Letter from
Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr. You may check out a copy the novel from our school library,
and you may access King’s letter online.
I will assess your understanding of these pieces in two ways. First, I will give you a test in the first week of
school over the book. Second, we will write an analytical essay to start off the year.
Follow the procedures for dialectical journaling explained below. Your journal is due on the first day of
school.
The Dialectical Journal
Purpose:
Effective students have a habit of taking notes as they read. This note-taking can have several forms:
annotation, post it notes, character lists, idea clusters, and many others. One of the most effective strategies
is called a dialectical journal. The word “dialectical” has numerous meanings, but the one most pertinent is the
“art of critical examination into the truth of an opinion.” As you read, you are forming an opinion about what
you are reading (or at least you are supposed to be forming an opinion). That opinion, however, needs to be
based on the text – not just a feeling. Therefore, all of your opinions need to begin with the text. To that end,
you will need to create a dialectical journal as you read. You will use this journal to help you write your paper
in the fall. The journal will be graded on completion, interaction with the text, and thoroughness.
Procedure:
1. Purchase a dedicated spiral notebook and draw a line down the center of each page of the
notebook. (You may opt to fold the pages instead.)
2. As you read, pay close attention to the text. Think about this book as both a historical and
humorous novel. Think about why some consider it to be the greatest American novel. It is
possible that the novel will offend you. Think about why you may feel offended.
Whenever you encounter something of interest (such as characterization, theme, mood, tone,
syntax, and so on), write down the word/phrase in the LEFT HAND COLUMN making sure that you
INCLUDE THE PAGE NUMBER. If the phrase is especially long just write the first few words, use an
ellipsis, then write the last few words. Avoid merely summarizing the plot. Plot summary does not
reflect an impressive level of cognition. The idea of journaling is not to complete the journal after
you have read, (as I know many of you have been doing); rather, it is to interact with the text as
you are reading.
3. In the RIGHT HAND COLUMN, WRITE YOUR OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE TEXT you note in the lefthand column. This is where you need to interact, IN DETAIL, with the text. Make sure that your
observations are THOROUGH, INSIGHTFUL, AND FOCUSED CLEARLY ON THE TEXT. Avoid
interpreting the quote.
Ask yourself: What is happening? Why is this significant? How does it contribute to
the text?
4. Find 25 quotations from the novel and 10 from the letter. This will be turned in on the first day of
class, and returned to you when we begin the essay. Late journals will not be accepted for credit.
Revised 6/9/2016