Olathe North AP English III
Summer Reading Assignment 2014
Summer reading assignment requirements:
1. Prepare for a multiple choice exam on the first day of school:
a. Study the Rhetorical Terms in Part A, and be prepared to take an exam over the terms, definitions, and examples.
b. Read A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway and annotate (if you purchase your own copy) and/or use Post-it
notes to do a close reading. You will be given a multiple-choice exam over the novel on the first day of school.
2. Compose TWO Essays—an Argument Essay and a Synthesis Essay. For BOTH essays, you will turn in your hard copy
AND submit it to turnitin.com on the first day of school, so bring in both the HARD COPY (typed and printed) and an
ELECTRONIC COPY (saved on your flash drive). Both are due when class begins on the first day of school. Do NOT ask to
go print, access the teacher’s computer, or hand over a flash drive. Be prepared for class.
a. Argument Essay: Select a prompt from the choices given and compose an argument essay about A Farewell to
Arms (Part C).
b. Synthesis Essay (Part D): Use at least 3 of the attached sources to compose a synthesis essay over the attached
prompt.
Summer Contact Information--If you have questions, please feel free to contact any of the Junior AP teachers at the
following email addresses:
Mrs. Brooks – [email protected]
Ms. Runde – [email protected]
Mr. Walton – [email protected]
Important Dates to Remember:
 Summer Reading Assignment is due in class on Thursday, August 14, 2014
 Summer Study/Help Session: This session will allow you to ask questions about the rhetorical terms, the novel, the
argument essay or synthesis essay, or even just about AP English in general. This is an optional session, but your
attendance is highly encouraged.
o Help Session (Wednesday, August 6 from 9am - 11am): meet with your English III—AP teacher: Mrs.
Brooks—room 931, Ms. Runde—room 930, Mr. Walton—room 932
Part A: Rhetorical Terms Guide
For this portion of the assignment, you will study 20 rhetorical terms that we will reference and add to throughout the school
year. Although it is not a requirement, you might choose to create flashcards on Quizlet or otherwise to help you study. One
part of the exam that you will take on the first day back will require you to match the following 20 rhetorical terms with their
definitions and an example. (The example may or may not be the one listed below.) Please study the following terms:
TROPES (the meaning is altered from the usual or expected):
1.
term
analogy
2.
irony
3.
4.
hyperbole
litotes
definition
Compares two things, which are alike in several
respects, for the purpose of explaining or clarifying some unfamiliar or difficult idea or object by
showing how the idea or object is similar to some
familiar one.
A mode of expression, through words (verbal
irony) or events (situational irony) conveying a
reality different from and usually opposite to
appearance or expectation.
A deliberate exaggeration or overstatement.
A special form of understatement in which we
affirm something by negating its contrary.
1
example
“Tom was as nervous the day of his wedding as
he was on their first date.”
“Water, water, everywhere,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink.” (Coleridge)
“Man, we’ve been in this class FOREVER!”
"She's not a bad cook." (meaning that she's
quite a good cook)
5.
juxtaposition
6.
allusion
7.
synecdoche
8.
metonymy
9.
paradox
10. euphemism
A poetic and rhetorical device in which normally
unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed
next to one another for the purpose of compareson, often creating an effect of surprise and wit.
An indirect reference to a well-known person,
place, event, literary work, or work of art.
(usually conveying a meaning beyond the literal)
A form of metaphor in which a part of something
is used to stand for the whole thing.
A figure of speech in which the name of one
object is substituted for that of another closely
associated with it.
A statement that seems contradictory or absurd
but that expresses the truth.
A device where being indirect replaces directness
to avoid unpleasantness.
“His words were both fearful and reassuring.”
“My neighbor is never seen coming out of his
house; he is Boo Radley.” (Boo Radley is a
character from To Kill a Mockingbird; suggests
the neighbor is a harmless recluse.)
“He got a new set of wheels.” (set of wheels =
car)
People often say “the White House” to refer to
the president and his administration.
“Deep down he’s really very shallow.”
“Her uncle passed away.” (instead of “died”)
SCHEMES (syntax or word order is altered from the original):
11. parallelism / Similarity of structure in a pair or series of
parallel structure related words, phrases, or clauses.
12. chiasmus
A sentence where the grammatical structure of
the first clause or phrase is reversed in the
second, sometimes repeating the same words.
13. epanalepsis
The repetition at the end of a clause of the word
that occurred at the beginning of the clause; it
tends to make the sentence or clause in which it
occurs stand apart from its surroundings.
14. antithis
Juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas
(often, although not always, in parallel
structure).
15. epistrophe
The repetition of the same word or group of
words at the ends of successive clauses; it sets up
a pronounced rhythm and gains a special
emphasis both by repeating the word and by
putting the word in the final position.
16. Anastrophe
Involves constructing a sentence so the
(sentence inversion) predicate comes before the subject.
17. asyndeton
A deliberate omission of conjunctions in a series
of related clauses; it speeds the pace of the
sentence.
18. polysyndeton The deliberate use of many conjunctions for
special emphasis—to highlight quantity or mass
of detail or to create a flowing, continuous
sentence pattern; it slows the pace of the
sentence.
19. anaphora
The repetition of the same word or group of
words at the beginning of successive clauses; it
helps to establish a strong rhythm and produces
a powerful emotional effect.
20. ellipses
The deliberate omission of a word or words
which are readily implied by the context; it
creates an elegant or daring economy of words.
“Singing a song or writing a poem is joyous.”
“He exalts his enemies; his friends he destroys.”
"He is noticeable for nothing in the world except
for the markedness by which he is noticeable for
nothing.”—Edgar Allan Poe
"It has been my experience that folks who have
no vices have very few virtues.”
—Abraham Lincoln
“Unfortunately, it would have been easy to
love her; it was much harder to know, for
honor’s sake, that he could not love
what he so wished to love.”
Among the weeds were a few wildflowers.
I saw the mountain; I climbed the mountain; I
conquered the mountain
The meal was amazing—my mother had cooked
turkey and dressing and green peas and fruit
salad and mashed potatoes smothered with gravy
and toasty white rolls with honey and pumpkin
pie.
We will pursue him into the mountains; we will
pursue him into the desert; we will pursue him
down valleys and into canyons; we will pursue
him to the ends of the earth.
“To err is human; to forgive, divine.”
~Alexander Pope
(“is” is omitted, but implied)
2
Part B: Reading and Annotating A Farewell to Arms
While reading A Farewell to Arms, you will need to annotate the text. Use small sticky notes to mark the important parts of
the text that you think you will need to remember and think about as you prepare for the argument essay. Annotating simply
means marking the page as you read with comments and/or notes. The principle reason you should annotate what you read
is to aid in understanding. Annotating is also a way of encouraging you to slow down and read a passage closely, so that it
will make you a better reader.
Annotating may include:
 Highlighting key words, phrases, or sentences
 Writing questions or comments in the margins
 Bracketing important ideas or passages
 Connecting ideas with lines or arrows
 Highlighting passages that are important to understanding the work
 Asking questions, making comments—talking back to the text.
Part C: Argument Essay
Overview: One of the three essay prompts on the English Language and Composition Examination is an argument essay. With
this type of prompt, you must persuade your audience through a well-reasoned presentation of evidence developed from
observation, experience, and/or reading. For the purpose of this assignment, your argument will be centered on ideas from A
Farewell to Arms.
Document requirements: The essay must be typed in a 10-12 point easy-to-read font. Your essay should be written in MLA
format. As such, you should use in-text citations (see an example on page 5) and include a proper header at the top left of your
paper (name, teacher, class, date—each on a separate line). The essay should be double-spaced, and the beginning of each
paragraph should be indented.
Approaching the essay: Consider each prompt as you read and annotate. If you are focused on your essay topic while reading
the novel, finding supporting evidence for your ideas will not be difficult. Some key things to remember as you plan:
 Be sure that you understand the prompt and how it relates to the novel.
 Create a thesis statement that answers the prompt and plan for appropriate evidence to support your thesis.
 Identify specific and accurate evidence from the novel that will support your ideas.
Organizing the essay:

Don’t write flowery, general beginnings. Get right to the point. Use the first sentence or two to begin to define the
meaning of the assertion. Allude to something here that will be finished in the conclusion. End with the thesis you
wrote while brainstorming.

Address the assertion naturally by explaining your stance. Avoid saying things like “I feel this statement is correct.”
Instead state your belief: “Change can be big or small, personal or public, but if a person is not confident enough or is
worried about what others think, changes will never happen.”

Once class begins, we may discuss variations of the traditional five-paragraph essay. For this assignment, use that
traditional model, with a special focus on well-developed body paragraphs.

Your body paragraphs should clearly show the assertion you are trying to prove, have appropriate evidence from the
text, and include insightful commentary. See the instructions on the next page on writing a good “chunk” paragraph.
3
Prompt Choices—Select one of the following as the prompt for your argument essay.
Prompt #1:
The character of Hemingway’s Catherine Barkley has undergone a great deal of scrutiny.
This attention has alternated from seeing her as a strong, independent, and assertive woman to a needy, weak, and
dependent person. First, determine your view of Catherine Barkley. Second, using sufficient evidence from the novel, argue
your point of view. In your response, you may want to consider what these views say about Hemingway’s attitude toward
gender roles.
Prompt #2:
Many works of literature do not fit conveniently into just one literary genre. Like Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, A Farewell
to Arms features a pair of “star-crossed lovers” and can be classified as both a romance and a tragedy. Decide whether the
novel, given its plot, characters, and themes, is primarily romantic or tragic in nature. Then, using sufficient evidence from
the novel, defend your point of view.
Prompt #3:
A Farewell to Arms shows men fulfilling what are often considered traditional male roles, or even stereotypes – they drink
hard, fight hard, play hard, and commit heroic acts of bravery. However, as we get to know them better, their masculinity is
revealed as subtle, complicated, and individual to each man. All in all, some critics argue, the men in this novel are human –
they love, they suffer, they hurt, they hope, and, sometimes, they even break. Defend, challenge, or qualify the claim that
the men in this novel fulfill traditional male roles.
Prompt #4:
The characters in the novel seek refuge from the devastation of the war, even if it is only temporary. Discuss how the
characters find comfort in a time of warfare. What does the ending of the novel imply about these comforts? Can the chaos
of the war be symbolic of the characters' inner turmoil and emotions? Discuss the idea of the physical and emotional
claustrophobia, or entrapment, and how it affects the characters in the novel.
Writing a chunk paragraph—
Each body paragraph of your essay should consist of chunks, which means it should follow a basic guideline of
these elements: assertion, context, evidence, commentary, context, evidence, commentary. A chunk paragraph
will be at least eight sentences long, with 1-2 sentences for each element.
(1) Assertion—the point you are making stated confidently and clearly; the argument or claim that you will
prove within the chunk.
(2) Context—background information important to the subject and the introduction of the evidence.
(3) Evidence—usually in the form of a direct quotation. Be sure to introduce and cite the quotation using MLA
citation style
(4) Commentary—these are your ideas—what is significant about the quotation, what does it mean, and/or how
does it relate back to the assertion at the beginning?
(5) Additional context to set up the next quotation.
(6) Evidence—quotation number two from the text that supports your assertion.
(7-8) Commentary—these are your ideas about significance and meaning for the second quotation. Then, in the
last sentence of commentary, refer back to the assertion and give paragraph closure.
* Sometimes you may wish to include an additional chunk in your paragraph.
4
SAMPLE CHUNK PARAGRAPH (with 3 chunks)
Assertion
Context
Another example of Bradbury’s portrayal of alienation in Fahrenheit 451 is through Faber’s
Evidence
(notice the
character. Faber has a vast amount of knowledge, but no one to share it with until Montag comes
punctuation
along. When explaining how the world came to be such an unhappy place, Faber tells Montag that they
and
citation of
page
number.)
“are living in a time when flowers are trying to live on flowers, instead of growing on good rain and
black loam” (83). This shows how Faber contains valuable insights into what has become of society. He
Commentary
knows that if free thought keeps deteriorating, the world will become a wretched place. Faber also
Context
mentions that Christ is now used to make “veiled references to certain commercial products that
every worshiper absolutely needs” (81). He is one of the few left in the country who realizes what is
happening to the world. With the television taking over the majority of the people’s lives, not many are
left that retain the ability to fight the “brainwashing” of Bradbury’s futuristic society, and those few
that are able to resist are shunned by the populace and weeded out by the controlling government.
Still another logical declaration Faber makes is that “the magic is only in what books say, how they
stitched the patches of the universe together into one garment for us” (83). Faber understands that the
ideas and ugly truths concealed within the books are vital, not the books themselves. If nothing is left
additional
chunk
to remind us of the bad things that happened in the past, there is nothing to prevent those atrocities
from happening again.
Part D: Synthesis Essay
(Reminder: This essay is completely separate from the argument essay, so do not make references to A Farewell to Arms.)
Preparing for the Synthesis Essay—
Overview: One of the three essay prompts on the English Language and Composition Examination is a synthesis essay.
A synthesis essay is an essay linking at least three documents. When writing an argumentative synthesis essay, your
goal should be to take a position on the prompt, and then support that position using evidence from the documents.
With this type of prompt, you combine, or synthesize, the information from your sources to develop a unique argument
on a topic. Your thesis statement should be a one-sentence claim that presents your perspective and identifies the
position you will defend throughout the essay.
Document requirements: The essay must be typed in a 10-12 point easy-to-read font. Your essay should be written in
MLA format. As such, you should use in-text citations (see an example above) and include a proper header at the top
5
left of your paper (name, teacher, class, date—each on a separate line). The essay should be double-spaced, and the
beginning of each paragraph should be indented.
Approaching the essay:
Step One: Identifying the Task
 Read through the introductory information, the directions, and important background information for the
synthesis essay.
 Be sure to note the basic task that you are supposed to complete.
Step Two: Reading through the sources
 Read through all of the attached sources.
 List two or more major claims presented by each author (author’s purpose).
 Find appropriate evidence/quotations you may use in your argument.
Step Three: Develop a Position on the Topic
 Re-read the prompt. Based on the evidence provided, develop a position the topic.
Step Four: Interact with the sources
 Review the claims you identified in the sources. For each source, choose one claim to which you will
respond. Consider your response equal to commentary you might write in an essay.
 Dr. David Joliffe, former chief reader of the AP Language Exam, suggests that the way to approach the
synthesis essay is to think of it as “entering the conversation.”
Organizing the essay:
 Use the information given in the instructions of the argument essay to help you with the organization of the
synthesis essay.
 Use a minimum of three sources as your evidence to support your response to the prompt. Follow the model
given on page 5 demonstrating how to write a good chunk paragraph to help you embed your evidence and
argue your point. Do not forget to include the commentary piece, which will show original thought and make
connections from your evidence to the rest of your paragraph and from your paragraphs back to your thesis
statement.
6
Source A (Liu)
Source B (D’Souza)
Source C (Census)
Source D (Rodriguez)
Source E (Hsieh)
Source F (DeParle)
Source G (McDonald and Balgopal)
Source H (Morales)
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14