SOA Summer Reading 2007
Literary Arts I
Welcome to Literary Arts I!
The coming year promises to be challenging, intellectually stimulating and most
of all, fun. In preparation for the course, please complete the following
summer reading assignments. All assignments should be typed and presented in a creative
portfolio. Assignments are due on the first Monday of the new school year.
Writer's Journal
This summer is the time to begin writing in your journal. This
is a wonderful place to record your summer memories, brainstorm ideas for
poetry, vent your frustrations, and any other creative use you can imagine.
This provides an ideal springboard for your pending adventure in literature at
School of the Arts. Journals will be graded on completing
at least ten full-page (8 1/2 by 11, or equivalent, size paper) entries. Feel
free to write more!
Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
Read and explore Will Tweedy’s adventure in Cold Sassy, Georgia. Create a
children’s storyboard that illustrates the key moments of an important episode
in the novel (e.g., the train, the marriage, the school play, etc.). The
storyboard should illustrate the key components of the selected episode: exposition,
rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. If you are unsure of
what a storyboard consists of…try searching on Google or emailing a SOA
instructor.
The Count of Monte
Cristo by Alexander Dumas
First of
all, be sure to read the abridged
version of this classic (the shorter version). Pretend you are a reporter
traveling in the Count’s shadow. Assemble a reporter’s notebook about the
adventures of the Count. Your notebook should be approximately 5 pages in length and include interviews with characters,
pictures of the location, people, or events. Be creative!
Cry, The
Beloved Country by Alan Paton
Place yourself in the time
and culture of the book. Write an editorial to your local paper in reaction to
the racial injustice detailed in the story of Stephen Kumalo.
Be sure to identify the social issues you see as important and carefully react
to them. This is not a letter to the editor but rather an editorial. Make sure to research the difference before
you write.
Questions? Email Mrs. French at teachlit2u@aol.com or Dr. Murphy at jmurphy253@cox.net. We look forward to seeing you in the fall!
Literary Arts II
As you read each book on your summer reading list, consider
the following topics and collect quotes that will help you with four
different response projects: two traditional essays, a found poem of at
least 24 lines (a poem comprised of direct quotes from the text that you
arrange into "poem form"... it need not rhyme or have a particular
rhythm), and a visual collage integrating at least 3 direct quotes from the
book. You may match any of the topics below with
any of the different projects (i.e.: you may do a collage for Gatsby and an essay for Huck Finn, or vice versa… that’s up to
you). I will announce due dates on the
first full day of classes and give you specific criteria for each assignment at
that time. The best way to prepare for these assignments in advance is to begin by
collecting relevant quotes.
The Glass Menagerie by
Examine and compare the extent to which the following quotation applies to each of the three main characters: In T.S. Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral, the main character Becket says “Humankind cannot bear very much reality.” To accomplish this task you will first need to arrive at a good working definition of “reality.” Draw fully and specifically from the play.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Choose one major character from the novel and create a character sketch OR compare and contrast two major characters from the novel. With either choice, you should draw fully and specifically from the novel. If you select the second topic, be sure to choose two characters that “make sense” together.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Discuss the reasons for Huck's rebellion. In particular, consider his final words: “I reckon I got to light out for the territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally, she's going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can't stand it. I been there before.”
The Good Earth by
Discuss Wang Lung's goals in life (for himself and his family), and how he achieves them. Then contrast these with the next generation of the House of Wang, and explain how the goals and lifestyles differ.
Due Dates TBA in this order: Essay #1, Found Poem, Essay #2, Visual Collage
Questions? Email Ms. Kingan at soa_moose@cox.net.
The Return of
the Native by Thomas Hardy
Hardy
creates a world in which the environment, both physical and cultural,
surrounding any particular character limits in important ways the choices of
that character. Create a visual representation of any kind that re-creates the
oppressiveness of the environment as seen by Hardy. This novel will be prominently featured during the year.
The Old Man
and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway
casts a single human against the forces of nature. Imitate this opposition in a
drawing, painting, or sculpture, one that pits a single something against an
impersonal force or forces. Try to capture the spirit of the single something
as well as the indifference of the forces.
Walden by Henry Thoreau.
Walden is Thoreau’s declaration of
independence and a guide to achieving that freedom. In a thoughtful essay
describe Thoreau’s essential ideas and evaluate his path to independence,
including comment upon its relevance, or lack thereof, to today. Try for at
least one-thousand words.
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
Caesar
is one of Shakespeare’s most quoted history plays. Attempt to bring a single
scene of the play into the contemporary world by writing a song that captures
that scene’s emotional power. Think in terms of genres; that is, write a
country song about a scene dominated by regret or a blues song about one
dominated by sadness, or a show tune about one with joy or rap about a
political scene. You will be asked to perform your
composition, and you may accompany yourself, either with an instrument or a CD.
Questions? Email Dr. Murphy at jmurphy253@cox.net.
Welcome to Literary Arts IV! The coming year promises to be challenging,
intellectually stimulating and most of all, fun, (Ok—so I am a bit cheesy-work
with me here). In preparation for the course, please complete the following
summer reading assignments. All assignments should be typed and presented in a portfolio.
Assignments are due on the first Monday
of the new school year. If you need help
acquiring books, please see me prior to exams.
A Day in the Life of
Ivan Denisovich by
Solzhenitsyn
Select a scene that is
central to the meaning of the book. After identifying the scene, rewrite this
scene and place it in a different culture and/or time setting. Use your
creative skills here and give me your best creative writing effort!
A Farewell to Arms by Hemingway
Create a visual
representation of Frederic Henry’s role in the War. Develop and illustrate a
symbolic representation of this role. For example, if speaking of the role of a
lost toddler in a crowd, a thunderstorm may be an appropriate visual representation.
The visual medium is up to you!
Look Homeward Angel by Wolfe
Look at the life of Eugene
Gant and imagine how his life could have been different. Create a “game of
life” to share with the class. This should include characters, pictures of the
location, people, or events. You can have a board game that lets the player
chose between what the author writes and another option….or
anything of the sort! You are not
limited to a board game—Just Be creative! [Yes, I know—there are no online
study guides for this book, such as Spark Notes, so you must read it]. We will
play the games in class so be sure it is feasible and your directions are
clear.
Native Son by Wright
Place yourself in the time
and culture of the book. Pretend you are the defense attorney for Bigger Thomas
and write your closing argument for your case. Be sure to identify the social
issues you see as important and carefully react to them. Make sure that you
make an effort to understand the cultural justification for Bigger’s
actions. Be prepared to make these arguments to the class.
The Elements of Style by Strunk and White
Copy three rules of usage
with which you are unfamiliar or which you find most useful from sections 1, 2,
4, and 5. (12 rules total). Find an example of the correct usage of each rule.
Copy and cite your source.
Questions? Email Mrs. French at teachlit2u@aol.com or Call at 757-565-7580 See you in the fall!