Summer Reading 2008 - English II, Ninth Grade

Choice Reading:
Students will choose one work from the canon or the classic list of the Great Books project. The list is included on the assignment sheet that follows this page. Pick one of the books to begin reading. Students will be asked to provide the title of choice to the teacher the first week of school. This will be the book you use for the first Great Books essay that is due in October.

Readings covered in the 9th grade curriculum:
Titles in italics are found in the literature anthology; others will be sold at the beginning of the year. Other works listed will be provided by the school and included on the textbook bill.

Homer: The Odyssey
Buck: The Good Earth
Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
Dickens: Great Expectations
Short Stories selections
Poetry selections

Great Books Project

All students during the ninth grade year must choose two works from the following lists. You may begin on this project in the summer, but it does not replace your summer reading requirement. You will have the full school year to do the reading.

Students on the CANON TRACK should choose at least one work from the canon list and may choose the other work from the popular list. Students on the POPULAR TRACK may choose both works from the popular list. STUDENTS WHO PLAN TO TAKE HONORS ENGLISH III SHOULD CHOOSE THE CANON TRACK. Do not select a book you have read previously.

Each student is to keep a pocket folder with typed or written responses to the works he/she has read. The student is to choose from the following prompts for the first response. The first response should be composed in a neat, grammatically correct, and well-developed three to four- paragraph theme. Quotations from the work will help to develop fully the student's ideas and should include page numbers at the end of the sentence. The first paragraph should include title, author, time and setting of the work. These folders will be collected in January. Enclosed is a sample response, although students are urged to be creative and individual in their essays. The second work will be assessed in an in-class essay composed in May.

Parents should be advised that we chose these titles carefully, but parental scrutiny for appropriateness of language and situation is suggested.

CHOOSE ONE PROMPT.

1. Choose a character from your work who rebels against the society in which he/she lives. Describe the society, the character's rebellion, the consequences, and the author's purpose.
2. Show how the opening chapter of your novel clearly introduces the major themes of the story. What are these themes and how are they signalled in the opening?
3. The setting or settings of a novel can often directly relate to the author's themes or purpose. Choose two distinct settings and show how they relate to theme and/or character development.
4. Choose a character in a novel or play who may be considered the villain. Argue that character's point of view in a way that makes his/her evil actions seem logical or sympathetic.
5. One of the major themes in literature is the conflict between desire and duty. Choose a character who must face this choice, explain the dilemma, and analyze the meaning of the consequences.
6. Many works feature scenes of violence. Choose such a scene or scenes and explain the relevance of the action, language, and consequences to the meaning of the work as a whole. Is the violence unconnected to the purpose or too extreme to be necessary?
7. Some plays and novels simply do not conclude the way the reader would like. Rewrite the ending of the story, changing the destinies of the characters the way you see fit. In the first paragraph explain why you find the original ending unsatisfactory.
8. Some literary works strongly urge changes in political or social attitudes or traditions. Explore the call to action of your work and the reason for the author's cause.
9. One of the most prevalent themes in literature is the conflict between the generations, between parent and child. Show how this theme is developed in your work.
10. The power of nature to test humans is a popular theme. What is the role of natural forces (physical terrain, weather, the sea, other creatures) in the development of the main character?
11. Comedy or humor can be used for several reasons: simply to entertain, to gain revenge, or to point out problems that need solving. What are some of the comic elements of your story? What is the purpose of each?
12. Explore the condition of the outsider in your work. Examine a main character who seems estranged or alienated from his/her social group. What are the reasons? the actions? The consequences?
13. A prevalent theme in literature is the journey from innocence to experience. What difficulties does the character face? Is he/she successful in his/her quest?
14. Sometimes a story is told from several points of view, from the vantage of different characters who interpret the events according to their own perceptions. Examine two different perspectives on the story given in your novel or play.
15. The human or tragic flaw causes a person of good reputation to make a rash choice that leads inevitably to destructive consequences. Examine the tragic hero in your story, his choice, actions, and fall.
16. Choose a character who seems to change abruptly from the beginning to the end of the story. Show the different characterizations and decide whether or not the change is logical and realistic.
17. The conflict between illusion (what a character or writer perceives to be true) and reality is a common theme in literature. What illusion or illusions does a character in your story have? How are they shown to be false? What is the author's attitude?
18. Create your own question or prompt. You must have your question approved by your teacher before writing the response.

SAMPLE RESPONSE TO QUESTION 16 (double-spaced, 12-14 point)

Othello by William Shakespeare

Great authors are able to make their characters seem real by having them change from the beginning of the story to the end. William Shakespeare, a writer of plays during the English Renaissance, is still famous today because of his ability to create realistic characters, such as Hamlet and Macbeth. The way each of these characters acts at the start of the play is quite different from his impression on the reader at the end. In the tragedy Othello, written in 1604, Shakespeare features a beautiful woman, Desdemona, the wife of the main character, the Moor Othello. The story is set in Venice and on the island of Cyprus during the early Renaissance. At the beginning of the tragedy, Desdemona is rebellious and feisty, full of spirit and independent. However, by the time of her murder in Act V, she seems weak and submissive. At first, these two personalities seem too different to be realistic. However, her change makes sense in light of the change in her husband.

In Act I, Desdemona almost seems like a modern young woman who is willing to defy her father for the man she loves. She defends her choice of Othello, despite her father's objections: "But here's my husband, / And so much duty as my mother showed to you preferring you before her father, / So. . . I may profess / Due to the Moor, my lord" (I. iii. 183-187). In an age when girls usually obeyed their fathers without question, Desdemona is willing to stand up for what she wants. When Iago, the villain of the story, says ugly remarks about women, she also stands up to him: "Oh, fie upon thee, slanderer" (II. i. 12). She calls him a liar to his face and defends the virtue of women. In Acts I and II, Desdemona appears to be strong and independent.

However, as the play progresses, Desdemona changes to a woman who is frightened and helpless. She seems to give in to Othello's terrible accusations that she has been untrue: "What'er you be, I am obedient" (III. iii. 89-90). In this quotation, Desdemona emphasizes that obedience to Othello is her primary concern. By the time of her murder at the hands of Othello in Act V, she is begging him, without success, for her life: "Have mercy on me!" (V. ii. 56). However, Othello is unmoved by her dramatic plea. This abrupt change does not make sense at first. I was confused by the two different characterizations and saw this as a problem with the play.

When I remembered that Desdemona is not the main character, but rather serves mainly to develop the character of Othello, I understood Shakespeare's point. Desdemona's shift from a strong woman to a helpless one is explained by the effect of Othello's mistreatment of her. She loses her spirit and her nerve because of his cruelty. Therefore, her change helps to make the tragedy of Othello's fall from a great military leader to a murderer even more terrible. As he becomes more angry and jealous, she becomes weaker and weaker until she vanishes as a person. Understanding Desdemona's character helped me to like the play more and to appreciate the genius of Shakespeare.

NOTE: Since Othello is a play, quotations were cited by act, scene and line numbers as shown. A novel would be cited by page numbers. Giving the author's name and title of the work would not be necessary because all the quotes come from the work identified in the first paragraph. However, at the end of your paper, include a bibliography. Your teacher will give you a format for this. You will learn about correct citation of sources the First Trimester of English II. You may use first person (I) in your paper to give your own feelings.

CANON

• All Quiet on the Western Front- Remarque- World War I through the eyes of a German soldier
• All the King's Men- Warren- a fictionalized account of the politician Huey Long of Louisiana
• An American Tragedy- Dreiser- Greed overcomes morality in a classic love story.
• Animal Farm - Orwell - A devastating attack on the pig-headed, gluttonous and avaricious rulers in an imaginary totalitarian state. Satire
• Anna Karenina- Tolstoy- frustration and infidelity among the Russian upper class before the Revolution
• As I Lay Dying- Faulkner- A trip to bury the matriarch of a family exposes human frailty.
• As You Like It- Shakespeare- a delightful comedy of mistaken and hidden identities
• Barry Lyndon- Thackery- adept at winning at cards and wooing the ladies, Barry is a thoroughly corrupt scoundrel
• Beloved, The Bluest Eye- Morrison- the internationally recognized voice of the African-American experience
• Bleak House- Dickens- a satire on the English property and court systems
• Brave New World- Huxley- a chilling warning of a futuristic society
• Catcher in the Rye - Salinger - outcast Holden Caufield shares his teenage angst about phonies
• Caesar and Cleopatra- Shaw- based on Plutarch's Life of Caesar, depicts the ruse of Cleopatra to win Caesar
• Catch 22- Heller- Madness becomes sanity in this anti-war novel.
• Crime and Punishment- Dostoyevsky- The "perfect crime" does not help this "superman" escape guilt.
• Cry, the Beloved Country- Paton- a father's moving story in apartheid South Africa
• Cyrano de Bergerac- Rostand- a ridiculous nose does not diminsh the romantic ardor of this hero
• Daisy Miller- James- the charm and daring of a brash young American heroine in stuffy European society
• David Copperfield- Dickens- the semi-biographical story of a young boy's coming of age in Victorian times
• Death Comes for the Archbishop- Cather- odyssey of a bishop in the Southwest
• Death in Venice- Mann- beautifully written memoir showing the fragility of sensitivity
• A Death in the Family- Agee- impact of a man's death on his family
• Doctor Zhivago- Pasternak- love, violence and lots of snow amid the Russian Revolution
• A Doll's House- Ibsen- the slamming of the housewife role "heard 'round the world"
• Ethan Frome- Wharton- the classic conflict between duty and desire
• An Enemy of the People- Ibsen- the savior of a town or a dangerous oddball?
• Farenheit 451- Bradbury- study of intellectual intolerance in a futuristic society
• A Farewell to Arms- Hemingway- an American soldier's attempt to "make a separate peace"
• The Grapes of Wrath- Steinbeck- the Joad's family endurance during the Depression
• Gulliver's Travels- Swift- a delightful satire of English society and politics
• Hard Times, Oliver Twist- Dickens- corruption and human flaws during the Victorian era exposed
• Hedda Gabler- Ibsen- an unforgettable woman without scruples or fear
• The House of the Seven Gables- Hawthorne- the sins of the father are passed on
• The Importance of Being Earnest- Wilde- two men in search of a bride, hilarious satire
• Invisible Man- Ellison- the black man's struggle for identity
• Ivanhoe- Scott- masterpiece set in medieval times
• Jane Eyre- Bronte, C. - An orphan finds love despite deceit and mistreatment.
• Look Homeward, Angel- Wolfe- coming of age story from rural North Carolina to Harvard
• Lord Jim- Conrad- A sailor's travels reveal human needs and guilt.
• Madame Bovary- Flaubert- the unhappy and bored wife, the bitter consequences
• Medea- Euripides- the ultimate story of revenge, set in ancient Greece
• A Midsummer Night's Dream- Shakespeare- delightful fantasy
• Moby Dick- Melville- man versus whale
• Much Ado about Nothing- Shakespeare- The title says it all.
• My Antonia- Cather- the pioneer spirit of immigrants in Nebraska
• Native Son- Bigger Thomas, accused of a crime in the white man's world, faces a grim and preordained destiny
• Oliver Twist- Dickens- a workhouse waif struggles to survive in London
• A Passage to India- Forster- clash of the native Indian and English cultures in India
• The Playboy of the Western World- Synge- love and patriotism in Ireland
• The Power and the Glory- Greene- a broken priest confronts the nature of piety and love
• A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man- Joyce- autobiographical look at growing up in Ireland
• Portrait of a Lady-James- features the witty and durable Isabel Archer
• Pride and Prejudice- Austen- The "modern" Elizabeth Bennet seeks true love and respect in a nineteenth century marriage.
• The Prince and the Pauper- Twain- a London beggar trades places with Prince Edward of England in this historical satire
• Pygmalion- Shaw- creation of a "duchess" from a flower girl
• The Return of the Native- Hardy- Clym Yeobright returns to Egdon Heath to marry the one woman he should not.
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead- Stoppard- an unusual perspective on the Hamlet story
• Saint Joan- Shaw- exploration of the French mystic and martyr
• The Stranger- Camus- alienation and existentionalism in Northern Africa
• Siddhartha- Hesse- the story of the Buddha
• Silas Marner- Eliot- Love defies age and class.
• Sister Carrie- Dreiser- the heartbreaking story of a woman in early 20th century America
• The Souls of Black Folk- Dubois- African-American life after the Emancipation Proclamation
• The Sun Also Rises- Hemingway- bullfights and love spats, set in Spain
• Tender is the Night- Fitzgerald- semi-autobiographical tale of the expatriates of the 1920's
• Tess of the D'Urbervilles- Hardy- the man plays, the woman pays
• Their Eyes Were Watching God- Hurston- coming of age of a delightful heroine
• Things Fall Apart- Achebe- loss of identity in modern Africa
• Three Musketeers- Dumas- swash and buckle in heroic France
• To the Lighthouse- Woolf- a woman's inner journey to life's meaning
• The Turn of the Screw- James- more than a ghost story, two children are not as innocent as they seem
• Twelfth Night- Shakespeare- more mistaken identities and hilarity
• Vanity Fair- Thackery- Becky Sharp takes on the upper class in Victorian England.
• Waiting for Godot- Beckett- an expression of modern angst and search for meaning
• Winesburg, Ohio- Anderson- poignant stories of people in a small town
• Wuthering Heights- Bronte, E.- The dark and brooding Heathcliff obsesses over the beautiful Catherine.

POPULAR

• A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Adams - Arthur Dent cruises the galaxy with alien pal Ford Prefect after earth is destroyed by a cosmic construction team
• All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing- McCarthy- master craftsman of the modern western
• Angela's Ashes- McCort- autobiography set in Ireland and America
• The Bell Jar- Plath- intimate look at a disturbed young woman
• Bless Me, Ultima- Anaya- a beautifully written coming of age story set in New Mexico
• Born on the Fourth of July- Kovic- one young man's experience in Vietnam
• The Boys of Summer- Kahn- featuring the mid-twentieth century Brooklyn Dodgers
• Breakfast of Champions- Vonnegut- guides the reader through a satire of America in 1973
• The Burden of Proof or any novel by Scott Turow- law dramas
• Carrie, Delores Claiborne, Misery, It or any novel by Stephen King- blood, suspense, and scary people
• Ceremony- Leslie Silko- A Laguna Indian reconnects to the land and to ancient rituals.
• The Chosen- Potok- insight into the Jewish faith of two fathers and two sons
• The Clan of the Cave Bear- Auel- set in prehistoric times
• Cold Mountain- Frazier- the indomitability of man during the Civil War
• The Color of Water- McBride- racism, poverty, and religion, partly set in Suffolk
• The Confessions of Nat Turner, Sophie's Choice- Styron- America's modern moralist looks at history's dilemmas.
• Contact- Sagan- A science team scans the universe for intelligent life
• Darkness at Noon- Koestler- a look into a Russian prison and the very consciousness of a political prisoner
• Dark Rivers of the Heart- Koontz- love story or chase thriller?
• Debt of Honor, Rainbow Six, SSN, or any novel by Tom Clancy- the acknowledged champion of the action thriller
• Dracula- Stoker- a gothic horror story of the seductive vampire
• Dune- Herbert- sci fi series called The Dune Chronicles
• The Education of Little Tree- Carter- exploration of Cherokee heritage
• Ender's Game- Card- child genius slated to help his race defend against hostile aliens
• The Firm, The Pelican Brief, A Time to Kill, Runaway Jury, Street Lawyer, A Painted House, or any novel by John Grisham- more lawyer tales
• The Fixer- Malamud- a victim of a vicious anti-Semitic conspiracy reveals his indomitable will to survive
• Foundation Series- Asimov- classic sci fi series
• Friday Night Lights- Bissinger- for the football aficionado
• Goodbye, Mr. Chips- Hilton- charming story of an English schoolmaster and his generations of pupils
• Grendel- Gardner- the Beowulf legend according to the monster
• The House on Mango Street, Woman Hollering Creek- Cisneros- coming of age in Hispanic America
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings- Angelou- sensitive portrayal of the Black experience
• Into the Wild- Krakauer- one boy's journey out of civilization
• Ishmael- Quinn- a gorilla full of immense wisdom
• The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God's Wife- Tan- heritage of the Oriental woman
• Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, Sphere, Eaters of the Dead, The Great Train Robbery, or any novel by Michael Crichton- sci fi, medicine, the fantastic, and the human drama all combined
• Killer Angels- Shaara- officers and soldiers from both the Union and Confederacy steel themselves for the bloody Battle of Gettysburg
• The Learning Tree- Parks- inner lives of a Black family
• Like Water for Chocolate- Esquivel- love story, plus recipes, set in Mexico
• Lords of Discipline- Conroy- Four military academy cadets confront a moral dilemma.
• Love Medicine- Erdrich- life on an American Indian reservation
• My Name is Asher Lev- Potok- deeply felt Judaism and a love of art
• The Name of the Rose- Eco- set in medieval times
• The Natural- Malamud- Is Roy Hobbs the best ever to play baseball?
• Night Over Water- Follet- sabotage during the era of spies and Nazis
• The Notebook- Sparks- a fable and a love story set in 1946
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest- Kesey- Who are the truly insane in this mental institute?
• One Hundred Years of Solitude, Love in the Time of Cholera- Marquez- magic realism by the master of Latin American literature
• Point of Origin- Cornwell- mystery set in Virginia
• A Prayer for Owen Meany, Cider House Rules or any novel by John Irving- religion, humor, and relationships in modern America
• A River Runs through It- MacLean- Two brothers are united by fly fishing in Montana.
• Roots- Haley- saga from Africa on a slave ship through American history
• Run Silent, Run Deep- Beach- best submarine yarn ever written
• The Scorpio Illusion- Ludlum- lethal spy games featuring naval intelligence
• The Things They Carried- O'Brien- the terrible haunting of Vietnam revisited
• A Thousand Acres- Smiley- three daughters and a family farm
• Time Machine- Wells- journey with the Time Traveler to 802,700
• The Tin Drum- Grass- Peter Pan, with a vengeance, revisits Nazi Germany
• The Two Towers, The Return of the King- Tolkien- fellowships, quests, and battles
• The Unexpected Guest or any full length novel by Agatha Christie, the mystery master
• The Vampire Chronicles- Rice- trilogy featuring the undead
• The Warriors, The Rebels- Jakes- the saga of the Kent family and the founding of our nation
• Watership Down- Adams- a group of rabbits on an adventure
• Wide Sargasso Sea- Rhys- feminist prelude to Jane Eyre
• You Belong to Me, A Cry in the Night- Clark- the modern woman finds danger and love

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