10th Grade Summer Reading Assignment
Conscience and Conflict in American Literature
“The Oxford Book of American Short Stories”
Typed Assignment Due: September 1, 2015
Turnitin.com submission will be completed during your first day of class.
“I love short stories because I believe they are the way we live. They are what our friends tell us, in their pain
and joy, their passion and rage, their yearning and their cry against injustice.”
― Andre Dubus
I used to write things for friends. There was this girl I had a crush on, and she had a teacher she didn't like
at school. I had a real crush on her, so almost every day I would write her a little short story where she would
kill him in a different way.
- Stephen Colbert
Overview:
American short stories are as varied as they are plentiful, but despite this variety they can be categorized
into different styles, previewing the literary periods we’ll discuss in Conscience and Conflict in American
Literature.
This summer, you will read, annotate, and write in response to six of the fourteen or so short stories
we’ll enjoy this year. Here’s a preview of your summer selection:
With the publication of “Rip Van Winkle” in 1819, Washington Irving helped lay the foundation for
American literature, becoming the first American short story writer to earn an international following. He not
only helped launch the modern short story form, but inspired the frontier humor later evident in Mark Twain’s
writing. (You’ll read Twain’s “Cannibalism in the Cars.”) Within this first group, you’ll also read “The Ghost in
the Mill,” a short story by Harriet Beecher Stowe. She is widely considered one of the most significant
American women writers of all time; after writing Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Stowe met President Lincoln, who
remarked: “So you’re the little lady who started this great war.” Prior to Stowe’s success, another legendary
American writer emerged: Edgar Allan Poe – considered to be the creator of the modern detective story as well
as one of the founding fathers of American gothic literature. Such gothic literature can appear in many forms,
and one American writer managed to combine this style while lending her passion to women’s’ rights:
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, who wrote the mysteriously creepy “The Yellow Wallpaper.” Other strong
feminist voices appeared among American short story writers, and we’ll read a number of their works this year
– writers such as Sarah Orne Jewett and Kate Chopin.
Assignment:
Read & annotate the following short stories, found within “The Oxford Book of American Short Stories.”
1. “Rip Van Winkle,” by Washington Irving (1819)
page 15
2. “The Tell-Tale Heart,” by Edgar Allan Poe (1843)
page 67
3. “The Ghost in the Mill,” by Harriet Beecher Stowe (1876)
page 73
4. “Cannibalism in the Cars,” by Samuel Clemens (1868)
page 107
5. “A White Heron,” by Sarah Orne Jewett (1886)
page 136
6. “The Yellow Wallpaper,” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1892)
page 191
Later on you’ll have the opportunity to read and study additional short stories included within this collection,
representing the Realism movement, the Harlem Renaissance, Modernism, and Post-modernism.
Written Responses:
Answer the following questions – one for each short story above – with a typed response (double space, 12
point font). Each response must…
 Be a minimum of 100 words and a maximum of 150 words. Place the word count at the end of the
response.
 Include textual support – a direct quote from the short story you are discussing, to help support your
ideas. This textual support should NOT go beyond two typed lines – otherwise the bulk of the response
ends up being Twain’s words, or Irving’s, not yours.
 Use literary terms accurately and purposefully.
 Address the question – i.e., stay on topic.
 Please number your responses. Remember to double space, and provide the word count for each at
the end of your paragraph.
Questions:
1. “Rip van Winkle” – What is the lesson/moral/theme of this story? How is it conveyed through
characterization?
2. “The Tell-Tale Heart” – What literary techniques/devices are used by Poe to help build suspense?
3. “The Ghost in the Mill” – Consider two of Stowe’s choices: her setting and the manner in which the
characters speak – their dialect. How do the two compliment/support one another?
4. “Cannibalism in the Cars” – Discuss Twain’s use of irony.
5. “A White Heron” – Discuss Sarah Orne Jewett’s use of symbolism within this story.
6. “The Yellow Wallpaper” – The main character could easily be considered an unreliable narrator.
Why? What effect does this POV (point of view) have on the story?
Rubric
Each of the six responses will be graded in the following manner:
1. Format: numbered (1-6) double space, typed, 12 point font, and word count provided
_____/3
2. Content: Minimum/Maximum word count met or not exceeded. Topic sentence offers
_____/10
a clear preview of your response. Content provides a literary analysis versus a summary or
retelling of the story. Appropriate amount of textual support used from the short story*. Literary
terms accurately and purposefully applied (not simply listed).
3. Style: Word choice and sentence structure is varied; avoid the use of “dead words,” such
such as “a lot, good, nice, big, very, etc.” Brief, but logical transitions provided into direct
quotes from the short story in order to provide some context.
_____/6
4. Conventions/Usage: Evidence of thorough proofreading; spelling, grammatical, sentence
errors are minimal and do not detract from content
_____/5
* Following a direct quote from the short story, include parenthesis with the page number. For example:
“…here! Here! It is the beating of his hideous heart!” (72).
Total possible score 24 X 6 = 144 points
This is a significant grade for your first quarter; please fully complete the assignment by the first day of school.