11th Grade English Honors III- FPC
THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO TAKING THESE
TESTS
Mrs. Ruth Cheney
The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
A Lesson Before Dying - Ernest Gaines
Summer Reading Novel Study Guides English III
Honors
About these study guides
Each of the following study guides is intended as a tool to help you, the
reader, attain a better grasp of the novel as you record your
observations about plot, characters, tone, symbols, themes, and
vocabulary applicable to each respective work. Using this study guide
will not only enhance your potential to perform well on the summer
reading test, but will allow you to practice your analytical eye over
summer so that you do not fall into the myopia so common among
students on summer break.
Use these study guides at your own discretion. I will not be collecting
these study guides, but regardless of whether
or not you complete
them, you will be responsible for taking the summer reading test upon
your return to school. English III Honors students will take the summer
reading tests shortly after the academic year begins
Remember, although we hope and believe you will enjoy these novels,
they should not be viewed as mere pleasure reading. You will take a
detailed test on each novel that covers the specifics regarding plot,
characters, symbols, themes, vocabulary and important quotes. These
novels should be carefully read and thoroughly studied the way you
have studied novels in past English classes.
About other study guides
While the various commercial novel guides such as Cliff’s Notes,
Barron’s, and Monkey Notes often provide helpful information to better
understand certain complexities of a work, these materials are entirely
supplemental, not to mention sometimes incorrect. They cannot and
will not replace your actual reading of each novel. Do not fool yourself.
Many a shortcut leads to a dead end.
About your own study guides
Keep a notebook or journal as you read not only to record your notes
based on these study guides, but also to record your impressions of a
work as if you were conversing with yourself. Can you relate to certain
events, characters, conflicts, or ideas? Why or why not?
Indeed, your very best study guide is your own brain. You are imbued
with a marvelous capacity for storing knowledge, reflecting on it, and
using it to positive ends. Read actively! Develop your brain in all
respects from word power to higher
critical thinking. There is only one way you can do this. Or as Saint
Augustine told the masses, hungry for knowledge, “Take up, and read.”
The Novels
The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Students tend to enjoy this novel, and it remains a perennial favorite
and mainstay of all high school American literature curricula. If your
novel has one, read the bio sketch on Fitzgerald. You will learn
considerably more about him next year. Fitzgerald creates a world of
complicated characters yearning for the “American Dream” only to find
that the dream forever floats just out of reach thus leaving them
disconnected and jaded. Consequently, your focus should be on the
characters and the message the author imparts through them.
Characters
List the key aspects of each of the following characters; Consider their
physical and mental traits as well as their motivations and symbolic
representations. Link them to Gatsby. Feel free to comment on your
opinion of them.
1. Jay Gatsby ­ While it is only natural to focus on Gatsby’s motives
and intentions, do not overlook his past, or what others, including
Gatsby himself, say about the past.
2. Nick Carraway
3. Daisy Buchanan
4. Tom Buchanan
5. Myrtle Wilson
6. George Wilson
7. Jordan Baker
8. Meyer Wolfsheim
9. Henry Gatz
10. Ewing Klipspringer Setting, Plot and more Character Issues
1. Compare and contrast West Egg (Gatsby’s residence) and East Egg
(Daisy’s residence).
2. What is the “valley of ashes”? Why is it a significant location?
3. What do you think is the significance of the billboard of Dr. T.J.
Eckleburg?
4. Describe Tom Buchanan’s apartment in New York City. How does
this location and what occurs there compare and contrast to life in the
Egg communities of Long Island?
5. List the various references to cars, driving and speed, and connect
these to the actions of the characters. 6. Keep a running list of the
flashbacks Fitzgerald uses to tell the reader of Gatsby’s
background.
7. Pair up the “Lovers” and note how their affairs differ:
A. Gatsby and Daisy B. Tom and Myrtle C. Nick and Jordan
8. What occurs at the Plaza Hotel that shocks Gatsby into reality?
9. Relate the hit­and­run incident involving Myrtle Wilson to Gatsby’s
failure to end his romantic pursuit of Daisy. What are the final
consequences here?
10. Describe Gatsby’s funeral.
11. What do Tom and Daisy do following the three tragic deaths?
12. What does Nick then do?
13. How do Daisy’s actions reveal her true character as opposed to
Gatsby’s image of her?
14. It has often been said that of all the characters, only Nick Carraway
truly develops in the course of this novel. How does Nick develop? Do
you admire his convictions and intentions at the end of the novel?
Themes and Thoughts
1. What attitude does Fitzgerald convey to the reader about wealth and
very wealthy people? 2. How are Gatsby’s dream and life a reflection
of the great American dream of success?
3. How do you feel about
Gatsby’s reply to Nick that a person “can repeat the past”?
4. What is
your idea of “success“? What do you value most in life?
A Lesson Before Dying - Ernest Gaines
Like most of Gaines’ works, A Lesson Before Dying concerns racial
issues in the Deep South, especially in Louisiana. Here, however,
Gaines focuses on the growth of Grant, the narrator, who, sent to teach
a condemned man about honor
and dignity, learns more about himself
and what it means to be a man. Variations of this theme are common in
Gaines’ pieces, and since the plot of this narrative concerns the
impending execution of a black man in 1948 Louisiana, the author’s
message will be readily evident. Just the same, as with the other books,
learn something about Ernest Gaines either from a biographical sketch
in your novel or from some other source. A caveat: If you find some of
the terms Gaines uses offensive, remember that he chooses to document
the reality of the characters and settings of this novel.
Characters
Take careful note of the characters and pay particular attention to the
protagonist’s varying attitudes on race, religion, politics, and society.
1. Grant Wiggins- 2. Jefferson-
3. Miss Emma-
4. Tante Lou5. Vivian-
6. Henri Pichot-
7. Rev. Ambrose-
8. Paul Bonin-
9.
Guidry-
10. Matthey Antoine- 11. Farrell JarreauCharacter issues, Plot, Setting, and Theme
1. Draw a Venn diagram comparing/contrasting Grant and Rev.
Ambrose. Note how one serves to some extent as a foil for the other.
How does each man approach the idea of faith? Who appears to be
stronger? What might the author’s message be here?
2. Note the roles that women play in the story, particularly regarding
their interaction with and influence on Grant. Women tend to provide
strong impetus for a man’s actions for better or for worse. Consider
Grant’s relationships with Tante Lou, Miss Emma, and Vivian. What
message might Gaines be making about black women both on a
personal and societal level?
3. Keep a list of the references to the word “hog.” How does it apply to
the characters, not only to Jefferson, but to others as well? Is this term
solely derogatory, or does it contain redeeming value?
4. As with much of American literature, death, especially violent death,
is a pervasive motif. Find the references to death beyond the murder for
which Jefferson is blamed. Consider also the ways in which death for
Jefferson ironically serves good rather than evil.
5. What is the effect of the story’s being presented through the mind
and voice of Grant? Why does Gaines use a different point of view in
chapters 29 and 30?
6. What does Gaines seem to believe regarding the justice system in
America? Consider the symbolic meaning of the statue outside the
courthouse.
7. Why does Gaines present the action on the morning of Jefferson’s
execution from multiple points of view: at least half a dozen
characters?
8. What is the significance of the quarter and its history, the plantation,
Bayonne, and the county?
9. In what ways is Gaines both critical and complementary of blacks
and whites?
10. How does Gaines stress the importance of father-son relationships
in this novel?
11. Make a list, if you can, of Messiah or savior imagery that occurs in
the course of the novel.