Summer Assignment for AP English Language and Composition
Part One: Students are to study and memorize the list of Literary and Rhetorical Devices. Students
can expect a comprehensive test on these terms.
Part Two: Students are to download a copy of the texts listed below and annotate each one thoroughly
using the annotation guide. A folder with each of the texts annotated will be collected on Day 1. This
will be students’ first opportunity to apply their understanding of the literary and rhetorical devices from
the list above. * See Instructions for Annotation below
Lars Eighner: On Dumpster Diving
Martin Luther King Jr.: Letter from a Birmingham Jail
Henry David Thoreau: On Civil Disobedience
Jody Heyman: We Can Afford to Give Parents a Break
Barack Obama: 2002 Speech Against the War in Iraq
John F. Kennedy: Inaugural Address
Part Three: Students Will Write a Preliminary Analysis Paper on 2 of the above texts.(These papers
will be submitted for screening to TurnItIn.com so save the document, however you are to turn in hard
copies of these on Day 1.) This Analysis will cover:
1. Argument What is the ultimate thesis or perspective the author of this text is conveying?
Compose a two to three sentence statement of this argument.
2. Stylistic /literary devices and rhetorical (persuasive) strategies used in the piece. Use your
literary terms list to identify and briefly explain what tool(s) the author used and why they used
them. For example, what effect on the reader does repetition or alliteration have? How do stylistic
choices affect tone and meaning? How do stylistic choices affect the audience’s reactions?
3. Purpose for writing the piece. What specific change was the piece intended to create in American
society? What group(s) in the population was the writer intending to inform, motivate, help or
inspire to take action? What are your clues?
4. Audience. For whom do you think this piece was written? How do you know? You must conduct
research about the author, the era, and anything about the specific work that will inform your idea
of who actually read or saw the work. Facts bolster your credibility.
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Instructions for Annotation
Every text you come across in your AP courses deserves your full attention and close reading. To ensure
that you are putting in the effort required to fully comprehend each text do the following to each assigned
text:

Underline new vocabulary. Then, follow up and define each word. Indicate that you’ve done this
crucial step by plugging in the simple definition back into the text.

Investigate all uses of figurative language, or literary device. Visualize what the metaphor or
analogy means. Then write a note to yourself in the right margin.

Ask yourself questions concerning the content of the text. Write these quick questions in the left
margin. Keep these in mind and see if you can answer them as you proceed through the text.

Highlight the sentence that contains the main idea in each paragraph.

Summarize in 20 words or less the main idea of each paragraph in the right margin. (You may use
Post-Its to set these summaries apart from other notes.)

Once you are done reading and annotating the entire text, compose a 2-3 sentence argument
(Thesis) statement to encapsulate the writer’s message. Provide this argument statement at the top
of each text on page 1.
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