AP Language and Composition / Honors American Literature: Summer Reading 2016-17
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck or My Antonia by Willa Cather or The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor
Read one of these American novels over the summer. Please bring your copy of the book along with this completed reading guide on day one of fall term. I hope you
will enjoy the experience of reading the book. Many good books take a little time to get into. Give yourself some time. You must also re-read or stop periodically to
reflect on your reading. This chart will cause you to do some close reading: “careful reading that is attentive to organization, figurative language, sentence structure,
vocabulary, and other literary and structural elements.”
As you read, look for passages that address the elements below and fill in the details. Print it out and write small and legibly OR feel free to type your own.
Element
Chapter Brief explanation of
Sentences from the novel: Quote enough to give Effect of the passage: How does this passage
Find short
& page context or meaning:
a sense of the significance of the passage.
affect your interpretation of the novel?
passages from
number
You may find passages that answer the
Please feel free to use first person “I” here.
the novel that
questions
below.
address each one:
What POV? Whose POV?
How does the narrator establish his credibility/ethos? Or not?
Point of view
Is there more
than one?
Quote an
alternative POV,
if it varies.
Setting
What location?
What about this setting contribute to mood? Why is setting
important to the novel?
Protagonist
Who is this character?
What traits stand out in this character? What does he want?
An
Antagonist
Who is this character?
Character’s relation to the protagonist? What motivates
him/her?
Offer more than
one description if
the author
presents
contrasting
settings.
Find lines that
best describe the
main character.
Quote more than
one to show
development.
Choose any one
antagonist.
Figurative
Language
(Tropes)#1
Figurative
Language
(Trope) #2
Metaphor? Symbol? What is it?
Interesting
Sentence
Structure
(Scheme)
Most
Powerful
Moments
(Pathos)
Antithesis? Inverted words?
Lists?
What emotion? Fear? Anger?
Humor? Sadness? Or other?
Interesting
Stylistic or
Structural
Aspect
(the way this
book is
constructed)
Themes /
Arguments
What issue does the line address?
love, family, change, pride, etc.
Vocabulary
#1
What’s the word? The definition?
(at least one)
(Find some
words that are
new to you.)
Vocabulary
#2
Vocabulary
#3
Vocabulary
#4
Vocabulary
#5
How is the word used in the novel? Write the sentence.
What is the connotation of the word? Effect of this word?