English 10 Summer Reading Assignment—Universal Truths
Point Breakdown:
1 point for each quotation/passage (5 points total)
1 point for each response (4 points per passage; 20 points total)
5 points for proper MLA formatting (work cited—done on a separate page—and parenthetical citations). TYPED.
30 points total due 1 September 2015.
Task: Finding the Universal Truths in Human Experience
1. Choose an age-appropriate (i.e. HS reading level) FIRST PERSON NON-FICTION AUTOBIOGRAPHY or MEMOIR (a
story of a person’s life written BY that person) of a person who most interests you. Your text must be at least
100 pages in length and may NOT be a text covered in middle school or one of the following texts taught in high
school: Black Boy, Night, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, or The Glass Castle).
2. As you read, choose five (5) meaningful quotations/passages that relate to your life experiences OR are
relatable to life in general. Bring these five quotations/passages, TYPED on a separate sheet of paper, to class
on the SECOND DAY OF SCHOOL, 1 September 2015. No late work will be accepted. This is a long term
project.
3. For each quotation/passage, answer the following questions in the given format (below in box):
a. Explain HOW the quotation/passage is significant to the author’s life using specific events mentioned in
the text.
b. Explain HOW this quotation/passage demonstrates a “universal truth” (=shared human experience).
c. Explain HOW the quotation/passage relates to another text you have read or historical event.
d. State an example from a real life experience that relates to/is similar to the point of the passage.
Example: Black Boy by Richard Wright
"Trying to please everybody, I pleased nobody . . ." (Wright 324*).
a. In an effort to expand membership, Richard Wright wants to write a truthful piece on the
Communist party, but receives backlash and criticism from fellow party members.
b. We all desire to please those we care about, but when we fail to meet their expectations we feel
unfulfilled.
c. Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird displeases his community by taking on the case of Tom
Robinson. Atticus is also displeased when the case is lost especially since Tom is innocent.
d. My parents really want me to be more focused on attending college to become a lawyer, but I
really want to study art. I try to please them by doing well in all of my academic classes, but I still
want to become an artist. No matter what choice I make, someone is going to be unhappy or
unfulfilled.
4. Provide parenthetical citations for each quotation/passage* and a SEPARATE works cited page for the text you
read. Remember, you MUST choose a FIRST PERSON AUTOBIOGRAPHY OR MEMOIR—NO FICTION.
Turn sheet over to see a properly MLA -formatted header and sample works cited entry.
Last Name 1
Student first and last name
Teacher’s name
Course name and period
Date—day month year written out
Universal Truths (insert book title here)
________________________________________________________________________
Example Works Cited
Correct format:
Author’s Last Name, First Name. Italicized Title of Work. Publication City: Publisher, Publication
Year. Medium of Publication.
MLA Formatted samples of three different books – notice the second listed book has two authors:
Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Little,
Brown, 2007. Print.
Suzuki, David, and Amanda McConnell. The Sacred Balance: Rediscovering our Place
in Nature. Vancouver: Greystone Books, 1999. Print.
Wright, Richard. Black Boy. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1944. Print.