12th Grade World Literature/AP Literature
2016 Summer Assignment
Reading
A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini
Hidden Girl: The True Story of a Modern-Day Child Slave, Shyima Hall
You are also required to choose one dystopian novel (explained below).
Writing (50 points)
Over the summer I would like you to keep a journal for the books that you read. This is primarily
for your use, though you should bring it with you on the first day of class and I will take a look at
them. Consider including the title and author, the genre, a plot summary, a character list, and any
analysis that stands out to you as you read. This will be particularly useful for you when you
have to write essays on these books upon returning to school. While I will not grade your
journals on content, I will look to see that you completed them. They should be neat and easy to
read. Because it is a journal that you should keep while you are writing you can either type it or
hand write it provided it is legible.
Poetry (50 points)
Since you have all spent significant time working with poetry, I am confident that you have a
good grasp on many different time periods and the poetry written in them. However, I also
realize that you have not thought about a lot of this poetry in a while, and it will be useful for you
for the AP exam. Therefore, I would like you to create a brief anthology of poetry this summer.
Choose a theme that all of your poems address in some way. Your theme can be relatively broad
as you are dealing with many different time periods. Themes such as love, fear, hope, etc. will be
fine. This anthology will be worth 50 pts.
Your anthology should include one poem from each of the following time periods:
1. Medieval (1300-1400)- Chaucer might be a good choice
2. Renaissance (1500-early 1600s)- Shakespeare would be a good place to start
3. 17th century
4. 18th century
5. 19th century
6. 20th-21st century
Write a brief introductory paragraph for each of the poems. Think about any collection of poems
or short stories that you have read. At the beginning of each literary work there is a brief
paragraph that highlights some of the main points of the work. This is what you should create. It
should address how your poem relates to your theme and then should answer some of the
following questions. (Do not answer every question for every poem. Choose a few that apply
most significantly to your poem.) Your entire paragraph should be no more than 12 sentences.
For each entry, place the introductory paragraph at the top of the page and the text of the poem
below it.
Here are some questions to consider:
1. Who is the speaker of the poem? What kind of person is he/she?
2. To whom is the narrator speaking?
3. What is the setting/circumstance of the poem?
4. What is the purpose of the poem?
5. What is the main idea?
6. Are there any allusions? Explain.
7. Describe the structure/form of the poem.
8. Do the structure and content relate?
9. What is the tone of the poem? How do you know?
10. Note the poem's diction.
11. Are there any predominate images?
12. Note metaphors, similes, and personification.
13. Note any hyperbole, paradox, or understatement.
14. Explain any symbols.
Finally, as you complete this assignment and put it together into one document, create a cover
page. On the cover page, in addition to your name and a creative title related to your theme,
place an image that you think represents your theme. This can be a piece of art or a piece of
photography from any time period. Please include the name of the piece and the artist.
Dystopian Book of Choice Assignment
For your summer reading choice book, you will be reading a dystopian novel that you will use
for your research paper during the fall of senior year. As you read take notes regarding the way
that government functions, the type of leadership that exists in the society, and how the people
respond to it.
You can find a list of dystopian literature on Wikipedia. Type in “List of dystopian literature.”
Select a book from the 20th or 21st century. Not all of the books work as well as others. We have
compiled a list of books we know will not work for the project. We have also attached
descriptions of the books that some of the Seniors used for the project this year. You will choose
your book before you leave school for the summer.