Bishop McGuinness
English Department
American Literature Summer Assignment
I verify that _______________________________________ has completed his/her summer reading. I am also
aware that there will be a test to assess student knowledge of the novel, and the novel will be used within the first week
of school.
Parent Signature: _______________________________________ Date: __________________
Part 1. ​1940s​ ​Mind Map
Part 2. ​Close reading ​A Lesson Before Dying
Part 3. ​Literary Analysis Questions Dialectical Journal for​ ​Socratic Seminar and In-Class essay preparation
*** ​The assignments are sequential. In order to be successful on each assignment, you need to complete them in
order. You will be expected to apply concepts and skills from each assignment on successive activities​ ***
➢ PLEASE NOTE​: Visit the Junior English Summer Assignment 2017 Google Classroom to access
helpful hints and reminders. ​Access code: 20140kd
Summer Reading Assessment
Mind Map
_____ / 50
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Follows directions
Accurate
Creative
Avoids plagiarism
Dialectical Journal
_____ / 115
➢ Follow format demonstrated on template
➢ Writes each question
➢ Thorough analysis
➢ Identifies accurate textual evidence
➢ Textual evidence that follows MLA format= (Gaines Pg #).
What to expect on the first day of school:
1.
2.
3.
4.
I will collect the Mind Map (Make sure name is on the back! Attach Works Cited page to the project)
I will collect a hard copy of the Dialectical Journal for ​A Lesson Before Dying​.
You will set up a Turnitin account and submit your Dialectical Journal into Turnitin.
You will have a test over historical context and ​ A Lesson Before Dying​.
Part 1​:
Understanding Historical Context
1. Create a mind map that describes 1940s Louisiana. ​Understanding the historical context will
help you to better understand the novel​. ​See Appendix A for template
2. The center of your map is 1940s Louisiana. Stemming from that, you have a minimum of 4
branches that address all of the following aspects of this time period and region:
❏ Political Issues
❏ Economic Issues
❏ Social Issues
❏ Cultural Issues
In addition, you are expected to add sub-stems.
3. Use both ​words​ and ​images​ to illustrate these issues. ​The mind map should be submitted to the
instructor on the first day of class. You may draw the map by hand or generate it on a computer. Be neat, colorful,
and thorough in your description.
4. Attach a MLA Works Cited listing the sources you consulted. ​Visit the ​Purdue Online Writing Lab
at https://owl.english.purdue.edu for instructions on citing sources and formatting the Works Cited page.
➢ A Note on PLAGIARISM​: ​Don’t do it! Anything you look up MUST be cited using a Works
Cited page. All information must be paraphrased in ​your own words​. Any plagiarism, intentional
or unintentional, will result in a 0 on the assignment.
Part 2​:
Close reading of A Lesson Before Dying
1. Close read ​A Lesson Before Dying​.​ ​Use the analysis questions from Part 3 to guide your reading. Remember, you are
reading for more than mere plot, you are analyzing WHY and HOW events unfold, specifically looking at Setting,
Characterization, Conflict, Context, Symbolism, and Theme
Part 3​:
Literary Analysis and Dialectical Journal A Lesson Before Dying
1. Close read ​A Lesson Before Dying​.
2. Create a Google Doc for Part 3​. ​Create the Literary Analysis Dialectical Journal. ​See Appendix B for template.
3. Select seven (7) questions to answers from each section​; 14 questions total
○
DO NOT duplicate quotes. ​Answers should be thorough and should demonstrate insightful commentary
and analysis of your interpretation of the summer reading. ​DO NOT merely summarize your book.
4. This dialectical journal will be utilized during the first week of school ​to help create an in-class
analysis essay.
5. You will also submit this dialectical journal to ​Turnitin to check for plagiarism.
Appendix A:
Mind Map over Historical Context
Example:
Appendix B:
Literary Analysis and Dialectical Journal
DIRECTIONS: Select SEVEN (7) of the 10 questions below in EACH category and complete a dialectical journal,
answering all parts of the questions. Some questions have multiple parts. Make sure to address each part in your
analysis. Analysis must be thoroughly answered in complete sentences. ​Do not merely summarize the plot. ​The analysis
is expected to be written in
●
●
●
●
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MLA format (Times New Roman, 12 point font) -- You DO NOT need to double space
complete sentences
3rd
​ ​ person point of view (NO “I think” or “I believe” or use of the word you
academic language
a formal tone
Bullet point and cite TWO (2) examples of evidence from the text that supports the analysis. Evidence should be written
in MLA format
●
●
using quotation marks
including a parenthetical citation (Author’s last name and page number)
Setting and Society
1.
What details does Gaines provide to establish the identity and significance of the quarter and its history, the plantation, Bayonne,
and the surrounding county?
2. Citing specific characters or groups of characters as illustrations, can you map the society of the novel? How is the social world of
the novel structured? What and who determines that structure? How do various blacks and whites claim, sanction, and enforce
these social strata?
3. In Chapter 6, why does Pichot keep Grant waiting for "nearly two and a half hours"? Why does Grant wait? What does this scene
reveal about the relationships among blacks and whites in Louisiana, the South, and the nation in the late 1940s?
4. How does Gaines provide a sense of the lives and work of the people of the quarter, of their living conditions, and of their activities?
What is the range of their activities and their lives?
5. What elements of setting are emphasized? Are these elements presented in and of themselves, as contributing to a sense of setting,
or in association with specific characters or groups of characters?
6. What is the significance of the name of the Rainbow Club?
7. How does Gaines establish the unchanging ways of the two communities, black and white? What details of individual lives and of
communal life contribute to the lack of change?
8. In Chapter 3, Grant notices that some things in Pichot's house have changed since he—Grant—was last there as a boy, and that
some things have not changed. What has changed and what has not? Does Grant's observation take in material objects only? Are
there other instances in which Grant calls our attention to things that have changed or remained the same?
9. How does the layout of Bayonne correspond with that of the plantation and with the structure of society in St. Raphael Parish?
10. More than once, in connection with a kindness or word of understanding from Paul Bonin, Grant comments that Paul "had come
from good stock." What does he mean by that and does it adequately explain Paul's behavior?
Structure and Plot
1.
What is the pattern of point of view and focus from chapter to chapter? Is there a correspondence or symmetry among the chapters
or among groups of chapters?
2. Why does Gaines begin the novel with Jefferson's trial, verdict, and sentencing but without providing the specific names of any of
those involved? Does this presentation predispose us to accept what follows in a specific way?
3. What is the effect of the story's being presented (except for two instances near the novel's end) through the mind and voice of Grant
Wiggins? Can Grant's narrative be relied upon, or must we look beyond him for a full understanding of the novel's action?
4. In several instances, as at the beginning of Chapter 13, the narrative jumps ahead in time and Grant relates events or episodes in
flashback. Why are these events and episodes not presented directly as part of the ongoing narrative?
5. Is the time sequence of the novel—from late October to early April (two weeks after Easter)—of particular significance? Why is
there a jump of two months, from just before Christmas to late February, between Chapters 19 and 20? Does the novel consist of
two groups of chapters: Chapters 1-19 culminating in the Christmas season; Chapters 20-31 culminating in the Easter season? What
are the implications of such a structure?
6. Why does Gaines present the action on the morning of Jefferson's execution day from multiple points of view—those of Sidney
deRogers, Tante Lou, Reverend Ambrose, Sheriff Guidry, Melvina Jack, Fee Jinkins, etc.?
7. In Chapter 26, Vivian confronts Grant with a series of questions. What are the context and import of these questions?
8. What does Grant learn—and with what effect on his outlook and sense of himself—about himself and others, about his community,
about the nature of belief, and about the possibilities for change and improvement? (Gaines 166- 67).
9. What ironies are implicit in the fact that the uneducated, deprived, barely literate, condemned victim becomes the focus of the
dreams, aspirations, and desires of all the other characters?
10. To which character or characters does the "lesson" of the novel's title apply? Does more than one lesson emerge in the course of the
novel? Why is the title of the book not "Lessons Before Dying"?
Dialectical Journal Template
DIRECTIONS: Format your paper using an accurate MLA header and title. Then copy and fill out the template below.
DO NOT duplicate quotes. ​Answers should be thorough and should demonstrate insightful commentary and analysis of
your interpretation of the summer reading. Make sure to answer each part of the question. ​DO NOT merely summarize
your book.
First and Last Name
Instructor’s Name
AmLit
Date Assignment is Due
Summer Reading Literary Analysis:
Title of Book​ by Author’s First and Last Name
SETTING AND SOCIETY
Question
Analysis
1. What details does Gaines provide to
establish the identity and significance of the
quarter and its history, the plantation,
Bayonne, and the surrounding county?
Textual Evidence
● “Direct Quote Here” (Gaines ___).
●
2.
Textual Evidence
● “Direct Quote Here” (Gaines ___).
●
3.
Textual Evidence
● “Direct Quote Here” (Gaines ___).
●
4.
Textual Evidence
● “Direct Quote Here” (Gaines ___).
●
5.
Textual Evidence
● “Direct Quote Here” (Gaines ___).
●
6.
Textual Evidence
● “Direct Quote Here” (Gaines ___).
●
7.
Textual Evidence
● “Direct Quote Here” (Gaines ___).
●
STRUCTURE AND PLOT
Question
1.
Analysis
What is the pattern of point of view and
focus from chapter to chapter? Is there a
correspondence or symmetry among the
chapters or among groups of chapters?
Textual Evidence
● “Direct Quote Here” (Gaines ___).
●
2.
Textual Evidence
● “Direct Quote Here” (Gaines ___).
●
3.
Textual Evidence
● “Direct Quote Here” (Gaines ___).
●
4.
Textual Evidence
● “Direct Quote Here” (Gaines ___).
●
5.
Textual Evidence
● “Direct Quote Here” (Gaines ___).
●
6.
Textual Evidence
● “Direct Quote Here” (Gaines ___).
●
7.
Textual Evidence
● “Direct Quote Here” (Gaines ___).
●