MHS DE/ENC 1101 Honors Summer Reading
The MHS Language Arts Department welcomes you to Composition I (ENC 1101)! This summer’s reading requirements are
1984, a major dystopian novel, AND Little Brother, a contemporary dystopian novel by Cory Doctorow which can be
downloaded for free from craphound.com. Along with reading both books, you will be required to complete the double
entry Journal assignment for each book as explained in this packet.
Written in 1948, 1984 was George Orwell's chilling prophecy about the future. And while
1984 has come and gone, Orwell's narrative is more timely that ever. 1984 presents a "negative utopia," that is at once a
startling and haunting vision of the world—so powerful that it is completely convincing from start to finish. No one can
deny the power of this novel, its hold on the imaginations of entire generations of readers, or the resiliency of its
admonitions—a legacy that seems to grow, not lessen, with the passage of time.
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Marcus, a.k.a “w1n5t0n,” is only seventeen years old, but he figures he already knows how
the system works–and how to work the system. Smart, fast, and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no
trouble outwitting his high school’s intrusive but clumsy surveillance systems.
But his whole world changes when he and his friends find themselves caught in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack
on San Francisco. In the wrong place at the wrong time, Marcus and his crew are apprehended by the Department of
Homeland Security and whisked away to a secret prison where they’re mercilessly interrogated for days.
When the DHS finally releases them, Marcus discovers that his city has become a police state where every citizen is
treated like a potential terrorist. He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him only one option: to take
down the DHS himself. ***Download this story for free at www.craphound.com
Note: The plagiarizing of material for summer reading is strictly prohibited!
Double Entry Journal: You will use the double entry journal for both 1984 and Little
Brother.
(1) As you read, use post-its, bookmarks, or highlighters (if it’s your book) to indicate passages you feel are
important, especially detailed, unforgettable, insightful, exciting, special – passages that evoke a strong
emotional response from your or that get you thinking.
You will need five (5) passages that represent the beginning, middle and end of the novel you read.
(2) Record these passages in the left column of a typed table. These passages could be a few words to a few
sentences long. Be sure to copy the passage exactly as it appears in the work and record the page number
where the passage is found. If you want to take something out of a passage to shorten it, use […] to indicate
where you took something out. See the example of the following page for help.
(3) Respond to each passage. Each response should be about 100-200 words long. Responses shorter than 100
words will not be accepted. Your responses are your opportunity to show that you are an active reader: you
think while you read.
Suggested responses include:
Question: Ask about something that puzzles you. For example, Could this really happen? Are people really this
polite/mean/romantic/religious/selfish/violent, etc.? What does this word mean the way it’s used here? Why did
the author choose this way to describe a place/character/action, etc.?
Predict: What will happen next? Where do you think this is leading? For example, who is the killer? Will these
characters fall in love or end up together? Will the ending be a happy one?
Clarify: What do you understand now that you did not before? Have your questions been answered? Were your
predictions accurate? Do you understand or appreciate something you didn’t before?
Connect: Text-to-Text: (what other works or literature, film, art, etc. does this remind you of? What makes the
connection for you?) Text-to-self: (Is there some connection between the words on the page and your life?) Textto-world: (Do you see some reflection of the world or of society here?)
Evaluate: Give your opinion of the character/event/word choice or style/message. What makes this passage
effective? What do you like or dislike about it?
(4) Your table MUST be typed, printed and ready to be submitted on the first day of school.
(5) A sample entry from Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” is on the following page
Note: The plagiarizing of material for summer reading is strictly prohibited!
Plagiarized assignments will receive a grade of "F" and will require a rewrite for a
maximum grade of "C."
Sample Double-Entry Journal Assignment
Your Name
Your Teacher’s Name
ENC 1101
Title of Your Book
Date
Double-Entry Journal Assignment for “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Passage with Page Number
Response
Dill has just run away from home and explains to Scout
what his home life is like. Although his parents seem to
give him everything he wants, what is missing is affection.
They do not want to be bothered with him, so they buy
him toys and books to keep him occupied, when what
“Dill’s voice went on steadily in the darkness: ‘The thing he really wants is attention and real love. Like many of
is, what I’m tryin’ to say is – they do get on a lot better my friends, Scout at first thinks the fact Dill’s parents let
without me, I can’t help them any. They ain’t mean. him do whatever he wants is great. Dill doesn’t have his
They buy me everything I want, but it’s now-you’ve-got- parents on his case all of the time. He has freedom!
it-go-play-with-it. You’ve got a roomful of things. I-got- When I think about it, though, it makes me sad that
you-that-book-so-go-read-it […]
parents would treat a child like that. Every kid wants to
To Kill a Mockingbird, page 143
feel loved and wanted by his/her parents. This could be
considered a type of child abuse: instead of physically
hurting Dill, they hurt him by neglecting his emotional
needs. Now I see why Dill would want to run away to
the Finch house where Scout and Jem’s dad, Atticus,
shows true love, interest and concern for his children.