May 2017
Dear Parents and Incoming Honors Sophomore English Students,
Welcome to Honors Sophomore English: Survey of American Literature. We look forward to beginning a new
year with you. As part of our goal to foster a love of reading, we are requiring that all Honors Sophomore
English students read over the summer. To that end, we are providing three options for our incoming Honors
Sophomore English students: ​Everything I Never Told You​, by Celeste Ng; ​The Boys in the Boat: Nine
Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics​, by Daniel James Brown; and ​The
Teen’s Guide to World Domination: Advice on Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Awesomeness​, by Josh Shipp.
Students are to choose ONE book from the list of three. Read the book and annotate for the elements of voice.
Upon returning to school, students should bring their annotated book and be prepared to discuss and
demonstrate the elements of voice and discussion questions in a literature circle setting.
Enjoy your summer and enjoy your reading!
Sincerely,
Mr. Kevin Bolling
Ms. Pamela Hoefling
Ms. Kristen Williams
Honors Sophomore English: American Literature
Summer Reading Options 2017
Everything I Never Told You
Celeste Ng
Bestselling Fiction
Amazon: ​“Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.” So begins this exquisite novel about a
Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn
and James Lee, and her parents are determined that she will fulfill the dreams they were unable to
pursue. But when Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been
keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, tumbling them into chaos. A profoundly moving
story of family, secrets, and longing, ​Everything I Never Told You ​is both a gripping page-turner
and a sensitive family portrait, uncovering the ways in which mothers and daughters, fathers and
sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another.
Note: Subject matter includes adult situations and suicide.
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the
1936 Berlin Olympics
Daniel James Brown
Bestselling Nonfiction
Amazon: Out of the depths of the Depression comes an irresistible story about beating the odds
and finding hope in the most desperate of times—the improbable, intimate account of how nine
working-class boys from the American West showed the world at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin
what true grit really meant. It was an unlikely quest from the start. With a team composed of the
sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the University of Washington’s eight-oar crew
team was never expected to defeat the elite teams of the East Coast and Great Britain, yet they
did, going on to shock the world by defeating the German team rowing for Adolf Hitler. The emotional heart of the tale
lies with Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not only to regain his shattered self-regard but
also to find a real place for himself in the world. Drawing on the boys’ own journals and vivid memories of a
once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, Brown has created an unforgettable portrait of an era, a celebration of a remarkable
achievement, and a chronicle of one extraordinary young man’s personal quest.
The Teen’s Guide to World Domination: Advice on Life, Liberty, and the
Pursuit of Awesomeness
Josh Shipp
Nonfiction Self Help
Amazon: Renowned Teen Mentor Josh Shipp (featured on CNN, Good Morning America &
20/20) is pulling together all of his sound advice for "world domination" into a must-have survival
guide. Hilarious, inspirational, and sound, Josh offers teen tested/parent approved wisdom for
everything that has teens freaking out (including teen dating and sex). So, summon your inner
hero and learn to dominate the seven "villains" that are keeping you from awesomeness.
Honors Sophomore English - American Literature
Summer Reading Assignment 2017
Directions​: You are to choose ONE book from the list of three. Read your chosen book and annotate for the
elements of voice (described below). Upon your return to school, bring your annotated book and be prepared to
discuss and demonstrate the elements of voice in a literature circle setting.
There are five ​elements of voice​: ​diction, detail, imagery, syntax, tone
DICTION​ is the foundation of voice and contributes to all of its elements
➔ An author’s choice of words
➔ When reading serious literature – NEVER skip words you don’t know!
➔ Effective voice = words that are clear, concrete, exact
A ​torn​ coat
vs.
A ​tattered​ coat
To ​want​ revenge
vs.
To ​thirst​ for revenge
➔ Diction depends on topic, purpose and occasion.
➔ Diction or language vocabulary examples:
jargon
euphemistic
poetic
vulgar
moralistic
pedantic
scholarly
pretentious
slant
insipid
sensuous
idiomatic
informal
colloquial
formal
precise
cultured
esoteric
picturesque
learned
symbolic
DETAIL
Includes facts, observations, reasons, examples and incidents used to develop a subject and impart voice
Specific detail refers to fewer things than general descriptions, creating a precise mental picture.
Bring life and color to description
Focuses the reader’s attention
Brings the reader into the scene
Because use of detail encourages readers to participate in the text, use of detail influences reader’s views of the
topic, the settings, the narrator, and the author.
➔ Detail shapes reader attitude by focusing attention
● The writer can’t describe everything, so what the writer chooses to describe shows its importance.
● The more specific the detail, the greater the focus on the object described.
➔
➔
➔
➔
➔
➔
IMAGERY
➔
➔
➔
➔
Verbal representation of sensory experience
Senses: Visual - Auditory - Tactile - Gustatory - Olfactory
Visual imagery is the most common.
Imagery contributes to voice
● evoking a vivid experience
● conveying specific emotions
● suggesting a particular idea
SYNTAX
➔ The way words are arranged within sentences
➔ Although every sentence must have a subject and a verb, word order can be random.
➔ How writers control and manipulate the sentence is a strong determiner of voice and imparts personality to the
writing
➔ Syntax encompasses word order, sentence length, sentence focus, and punctuation.
SYNTAX​ (continued)
W​ord Order​: Most English sentences follow a subject-verb-object/complement pattern.
● Deviating from the expected word order can serve to startle the reader and draw attention to the sentence.
This, in turn, emphasizes the unusual sentence’s message.
● There are several ways to change normal word order:
- Inverting subject and verb (​Am I​ ever sorry!)
- Placing a complement at the beginning of the sentence (​Hungry​, without a doubt, he is.)
- Placing an object in front of a verb (​Sarah​ I like – not Susan.).
Sentence Length: ​Writers vary sentence length to forestall boredom and control emphasis.
● A short sentence following a much longer sentence shifts the reader’s attention, which emphasizes the
meaning and importance of the short sentence.
● Many modern writers put key ideas in short sentences. However, this has not always been so.
● Sentence length contributes to variation and emphasis among sentences.
Repetition​ is another way writers achieve sentence focus.
● Purposeful repetition of a word, phrase, or clause emphasizes the repeated structure and focuses the
reader’s attention on its meaning.
● Writers can also repeat parallel grammatical forms such as infinitives, gerunds, and prepositional phrases.
This kind of repetition balances parallel ideas and gives them equal weight.
P​unctuation: ​Punctuation is used reinforce meaning, construct effect, and express the writer’s voice.
● Of particular interest in shaping voice are the semicolon, colon and dash:
- The ​semicolon​ gives equal weight to two or more independent clauses in a sentence. The resulting
syntactical balance reinforces parallel ideas and imparts equal importance to both (or all) of the
clauses.
- The ​colon​ directs the reader’s attention to the words that follow. It is also used between
independent clauses if the second summarizes or explains the first. A colon sets the expectation
that important, closely related information will follow, and words after the colon are emphasized.
- The ​dash​ marks a sudden change in thought or tone, sets off a brief summary, or sets off a
parenthetical part of the sentence. The dash often conveys a casual tone.
TONE
➔ The expression of attitude
➔ It is the writer’s (or narrator’s) implied attitude towards his subject and audience.
➔ The writer creates tone by
● selection (diction)
● arrangement (syntax)
● purposeful use of details and images
➔ The reader perceives tone by examining these elements.
➔ Tone sets the relationship between reader and writer.
➔ Tone vocabulary examples:
angry
sad
sentimental
sharp
cold
fanciful
upset
urgent
silly
joking
giddy
bored
poignant
complimentary
sympathetic
proud
seductive
happy
dramatic
didactic
understanding
pitiful
mocking
horrified
somber
restrained
dreamy
condescending
humorous
sweet
irreverent
weary
afraid
vexed
provocative