Summer Assignment
(Due first day of class)
“I suggest that the only books that influence us are those for which we are ready, and which have gone a little farther down our particular path than we have yet gone ourselves.”
“Spoon feeding in the long run teaches us nothing but the shape of the spoon.”
E.M. Forster
The philosophy that is reflected in these quotes serve as both an invitation to those ready to explore great literature, as well as a caution to those who wish to play it safe: I know that you are aware of the fundamentals of good writing and perceptive reading. The challenge for me, then, is to provide you with an experience that will push you even more as a thinker and a writer, building on those skills that you already have begun to refine. The summer reading assignment will help prepare you for success in the course. You must complete the following assignment and submit it the first day of class. If you have questions please feel free to email me anytime: moonstruk333@gmail.com. Also, please email me with your best contact information so that I may let you know about some summer opportunities for help that I will offer—I will come into school a few days during the summer and will allow you to come and join should you so desire. Good luck and try your best!
A. Invisible Man—Ralph Ellison
1. Read and annotate (or use post-its)
2. Take notes on: main character/narrator, Brother Jack, and Ras the Exhorter (characterization); racism vs. individuality(theme); use of stereotype(s); invisibility (motif).
3. Answer the following essay prompt. You must include your pre-writing plan and the first draft with corrections. Final draft must be typed using Times New Roman, 12 pt font, and double-spaced.
In The Writing of Fiction (1925), novelist Edith Wharton states the following:
"At every stage in the progress of his tale the novelist must rely on what may be called the illuminating incident to reveal and emphasize the inner meaning of each situation. Illuminating incidents are the magic casements of fiction, its vistas on infinity."
Choose a novel or play that you have studied and write a well-organized essay in which you describe an “illuminating” episode or moment and explain how it functions as a “casement,” a window that opens onto the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.
“Spoon feeding in the long run teaches us nothing but the shape of the spoon.”
E.M. Forster
The philosophy that is reflected in these quotes serve as both an invitation to those ready to explore great literature, as well as a caution to those who wish to play it safe: I know that you are aware of the fundamentals of good writing and perceptive reading. The challenge for me, then, is to provide you with an experience that will push you even more as a thinker and a writer, building on those skills that you already have begun to refine. The summer reading assignment will help prepare you for success in the course. You must complete the following assignment and submit it the first day of class. If you have questions please feel free to email me anytime: moonstruk333@gmail.com. Also, please email me with your best contact information so that I may let you know about some summer opportunities for help that I will offer—I will come into school a few days during the summer and will allow you to come and join should you so desire. Good luck and try your best!
A. Invisible Man—Ralph Ellison
1. Read and annotate (or use post-its)
2. Take notes on: main character/narrator, Brother Jack, and Ras the Exhorter (characterization); racism vs. individuality(theme); use of stereotype(s); invisibility (motif).
3. Answer the following essay prompt. You must include your pre-writing plan and the first draft with corrections. Final draft must be typed using Times New Roman, 12 pt font, and double-spaced.
In The Writing of Fiction (1925), novelist Edith Wharton states the following:
"At every stage in the progress of his tale the novelist must rely on what may be called the illuminating incident to reveal and emphasize the inner meaning of each situation. Illuminating incidents are the magic casements of fiction, its vistas on infinity."
Choose a novel or play that you have studied and write a well-organized essay in which you describe an “illuminating” episode or moment and explain how it functions as a “casement,” a window that opens onto the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.
