assignment2

Advanced Placement English Outside Reading Project 1st semester Select a novel, play, or book of short stories from the AP suggested reading list. (The list is not definitive; however, if you really want to read something else, you must clear it with me first. Remember, we want works of literary merit.) The project will consist of the following parts, with due dates to be announced: 1. Read the book. Take notes. Review the list of essay topics periodically as you read so that you can decide which prompt will best fit your book. Take more notes. 2. Research your topic. Locate critical essays, books, etc. related to the book that you have read. You must then compile a properly formatted and briefly **ANNOTATED works cited list **for five or more of these sources. Be sure to follow MLA guidelines. You will be using these works when you write the short research paper, as well as attaching the works cited list to your essay. 3. Write the **research paper **: You must write a research-based paper using standard MLA-style documentation and formatting methods. You must use one of the topics provided below. **Be sure that you are relating your thesis and all points to the text itself. Use as much text as possible! **Because of the added citations and your depth of analysis, this paper will naturally be at least 5 pages in length. 4. You will present your writing to the class. We will discuss the mechanics of these class days at a later date. Know, however, that you will not be simply reading your essay to the class. You will also need to use some sort of **informative **(i.e., not merely attractive) visual aid. The essay topics: 1. Some works of literature are clearly part of (or a reaction against) a literary, political, intellectual or religious movement. In a well-organized, focused essay, demonstrate how this is true of the work that you read for this project. Avoid plot summary. 2. Great works of literature often comment on the relationship between individuals and the communities in which they live – or from which they have been voluntarily or forcibly excluded. Write an essay in which you discuss how the work that you read comments on this relationship. 3. From the Ghost in //Hamlet //, to the spirit of Catherine on the moors in //Wuthering Heights //, to Sutter’s presence in //The Piano Lesson //, supernatural elements serve many different purposes in literature. Write an essay in which you discuss the use of the supernatural (including magic realism, if it applies) in the work that you read for this project.

4. In some works of literature, a character who appears briefly, or does not appear at all, is a significant presence. Choose a novel or play of literary merit and write an essay in which you show how such a character functions in the work. You may wish to discuss how the character affects action, theme, or the development of other characters. Avoid plot summary (AP Exam, 1994). 5. Although not biographies themselves, some works of fiction are highly biographically influenced. Write an essay in which you explore how the author’s life is reflected in the novel or play. Be sure to discuss the importance for understanding such elements as characters, plot, themes, symbolism, etc. Be careful not to simply write a biography. You must relate it to the text itself. 6. Identify a recurrent theme or symbol in the work that you’ve chosen. Write an essay in which you analyze the use of the theme or symbol, and explain how it contributes to the overall meaning of the work. 7. Novels and plays often include scenes of weddings, funerals, parties, and other social occasions. Such scenes may reveal the values of the characters and the society in which they live. Select a novel or play that includes such a scene, and, in a focused essay, discuss the contribution the scene makes to the meaning of the work as a whole (AP Exam, 1997). 8. Some works of literature take on more significant levels of understanding when the reader is aware of the historical context in which they were written. Choose a novel or play that is linked historically with a particular time period or event, and draw parallels between the fictional and the historical. 9. Humor serves many different purposes in literature. Sometimes, eliciting laughter is the primary aim of the work, but often the author has some other end that he or she wishes to serve. Write an essay in which you examine the unique characteristics of and use of humor in the work that you read for this assignment. 10. Death is a common theme in literature. Sometimes the death of one character motivates the actions of other characters, such as through revenge or the fulfillment of a last request. Sometimes characters are orphaned or widowed because of a death; their economic or social status might change. In still other cases, a death results in a change in a character’s philosophy, or serves as the climax, or releases a character from emotional bondage. This theme takes many forms. Write an essay in which you examine the use of death in the work that you read for this project.