Directions:
Summer Reading: Honors English II 2014-2015
1. Choose from one of the Nutmeg Nominees. I’ve provided you with the list.
2. While you read, keep a style dialectical journal. I’ve included an example. (Part I)
3. After you read, answer the 6 questions I’ve listed below. (Part II)
Part I: Style Dialectical Journal
Directions: Do 5 journal entries, one centered on each element of style: syntax, diction, figures of speech, tone and structure. Use the list of
questions I’ve included to guide your responses. You do not have to answer each question, but you do have to address at least two of them in each
entry. The journal entries should be dialectical, that is you’ll choose a short passage and then give your give your commentary on that passage. Style
is the way the author writes. Simply put, style can be described as the words the author chooses to use, how s/he arranges them within
sentences, and how s/he arranges those sentences within paragraphs. There are an infinite number of ways to arrange words and
sentences, so each author’s style is different. Overall, common style choices are formal, informal, conversational, stream-of consciousness,
realistic and so-on.
*****You should always be thinking how the style relates back to the author’s purpose.
Syntax:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Are the sentences long, medium, or short in length, or does the author use a balanced mixture of all three?
Is the writing heavy on any one type of sentence?
Does the sentence arrangement bring your attention to important details?
-Does the writing contain fragments (incomplete sentences)?
-Are there any digressions (rants unrelated to the main idea) or interruptions?
Is the word-order straightforward or unconventional (strange)?
Do you notice anything unique or strange about the punctuation?
-Does the author use repetition?
-What are the sentence beginnings like? Do you notice a pattern?
Diction:
1. -Are the words simple or fancy?
2. -Are they technical, flowery, colloquial (used in ordinary, everyday conversation), cerebral (intellectual), punning (often have double
meaning that makes the writing humorous), obscure (uncommon) (and so on...)?
3. Are there slang words or words that show a dialect?
4. Is the writing heavy on description or action? Is it balanced?
Figures of speech:
1. Are there any metaphors, similes, or symbols?
2. Are there any other uses of figurative language (personification, allusion etc.)?
Tone:
1. Is the author’s attitude toward the subject positive or negative?
2. Does the author seem sarcastic? Aggressive? Wistful? Pessimistic? In love? Philosophically detached? Hopeful? Ironic? Bitter? (And so
on...)
3. Whatever the tone, where is it very clear in the narrative?
4. Does the tone shift? Why do you think so?
Structure/Organization:
1. Are paragraphs very short, or are they enormous blocks running across many pages?
2. How many are there and how are they organized? Does the text follow the comparison/contrast, description, cause and effect,
order/sequence, or problem and solution organizational pattern?
3. Is there anything unique or strange about the dialogue structure or the layout of the story?
4. Do the events in the story happen in chronological order or does the author jump back and forth? Does the author use flashback or flashforward?
5. What effect does the point of view have on the meaning of the text?
Example dialectical journal entry for figures of speech:
Figures of speech
Patrick’s house was a ghost. Dust coated the windows, the petunias in
the flower boxes bowed their heads, and spiderwebs clotted the eaves
of the porch. Once I might have marveled at the webs--how delicate
they were how intricate--but today I saw ghastly silk ropes. Nooses for
sawflies and katydids and anything guileless enough to be ensnared.
Commentary
The metaphor, “Patrick’s house was a ghost” creates an eerie, dark mood.
The petunias are personified –the house seems alive. The author uses
metaphorical language to compare the spider webs to “ghastly silk ropes,”
and “nooses for sawflies” reminding us of the way in which Patrick was
bound up and tortured. Clearly, everything Kat sees, she sees through the
lens of Patrick’s assault. It’s an event she will not soon forget.
Part II:
Directions: Answer each of these questions neatly using blue or black ink. You may also type them. Questions 1-3 & 6 can be
answered in 1-2 sentences.
1. What is one of the themes of the book? Remember, a theme is not one word. It is a statement - a message or observation about the
human race.
2. Identify an external conflict.
3. Identify an internal conflict.
4. Choose a significant quote and explain why it caught your attention.
5. Choose one character and explain how this character is developed (how s/he changes over the course of the novel). Use at least 3
pieces of evidence: one to show how the character is at the beginning, one to show what s/he’s like in the middle, and one to show
what s/he’s like by the end.
6. From what point of view is this book written? How do you know?
2014 High School Nutmeg Nominees (grades 9-12)
Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor: Karou has secrets. Secrets she cannot tell her fellow art students in Prague. Secrets so marvelous that even she will not believe the
truth behind them. This enchanting novel explores identity and love.
Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King: When a teenager prefers to spend his time inside his grandfather's nightmarish dreams of the POW camps in Vietnam rather than face the
reality of his life, you know he has it rough. It's only when Lucky Linderman realizes that nobody's life is perfect that he can (maybe) find the strength to, well, live.
Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride: Sam knows magic exists, but he never thought HE had powers. Imagine Sam's surprise when he discovers he can raise the
dead. To add to Sam's problems, a very evil and dangerous man wants Sam to work with him, or else. Horror has never been so humorous.
Kings of Colorado by David E. Hilton: Everyone has to grow up. William's time comes when he stabs his abusive father with a penknife. He is sent to a boys' reformatory in
Montana where boys break wild horses and the reformatory breaks wild boys.
Legend by Marie Lu: In a futuristic war-torn western United States, an elite military prodigy and al alleged war criminal from the slums meet and learn the truth about their
government. This is nonstop action at its best with a hero and heroine to admire.
The Night CIrcus by Erin Morgenstern: Two young magicians, two horrendous father figures, two clever twins, one supernatural circus, hundreds of passionate circus fans, and
one deadly contest.
Shine by Lauren Myracle: A terrible hate crime rocks a rural southern community. With her best friend in a coma as a result, Cat is determined to solve the mystery. In doing so,
Cat uncovers some unbelievable truths about her own family, friends, the small town she lives in, and, most surprisingly, herself.
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse AndersonLia struggles with anorexia, her parents, and the death of her bulimic ex-friend Casie. This novel offers a riveting view into the often
mysterious world of eating disorders.