advanced placement english literature and composition assignment

Your assignment is to write an interpretation of Frankenstein that is based on your carefulobservation of its textual details, considering: structure, style, and theme. You may select towrite an interpretative essay based on one of these two themes: the tension betweenindividualism and social acceptance; or the tension between technology and human aspiration.There is no word limit. Your essay must be typed. This essay is due the first Friday we are inschool in August.Self-selected English Romantic Poetry (20pt)Some readers see poetry as intimidating, puzzling, or simply a cryptic form of expression. Quitelikely, with some effort though, you will find poetry you understand and even enjoy if you lookhard enough.Select a poem written during the Romantic time (1798-1832). Suggested poets to exploreinclude, but are not limited to, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth, John Keats,Percy Bysshe Shelley, and George Gordon, Lord Byron. You may want to shy away from thelongest Romantic pieces including Rime of the Ancient Mariner or Lines Composed a Few MilesAbove Tintern Abbey.Generate Response Notes on your own copy of the poem. Notes may include indications of thelines you liked, words and/or images you did not understand, themes also seen in Frankenstein,and/or the tenets of English Romanticism. Your score will be based on the thoroughness of yournotes.This assignment is due the first Friday we are in school in August.

A few other things to keep in mind for AP English Literature and Composition:You may wish to read novels or poems by Thomas Hardy. Selections by Hardy (both his poemsand his novels) appear on the AP Lit test almost annually. In 2002 his poem “Convergence ofthe Twain” appeared on the essay part of the AP Lit test. Tess of the D’Urbervilles alsoappeared on the 2003 and 2007 Lit. tests, therefore I would strongly encourage you to be familiarwith his work. While Tess is my favorite, Jude the Obscure, The Mayor of Casterbridge andReturn of the Native are also quite good and have appeared on the AP Lit test too. An excerpt ofa Hardy novel also appeared on the 2009 multiple choice portion of the exam and Jude theObscure appeared on the Question 3 list too.There is an emphasis at College Board these days to have students in AP English Literature toread more contemporary works of merit. They are defining “contemporary” as the last 50 years.You may wish to explore those authors and texts. Authors include, but are not limited to, JohnUpdike, Joyce Carol Oates, Robert Penn Warren and Edwidge Danticat.The price of each test will be around $90.00. If you want more information about the literaturecourse, the AP website is probably a good place to look: www.collegeboard.org/ap.Please bring all work to class. No matter the point value, every assignment must be submitted atthe beginning of class. No credit will be given for work turned in after class. There are fewgrades in AP English Literature and Composition, so please be diligent. I cannot stress enoughthe importance of submitting all work for AP Literature. This is not the place to forget to doyour reading or your homework.You will need to purchase your summer reading books on your own or maybe you have a siblingor friend from whom you may borrow the books. In any case, the edition of books you use isyour decision. I recommend the Folger Library edition of The Merchant of Venice. There areseveral very good editions of Shakespeare available but I like the scene summaries anddefinitions of words that accompany the text. The ISBN number for this book is: 0-671-72277-8. This edition is reasonably priced, it’s about $6.00. An electronic book version of the play isfine too.If you have questions, please make sure you come ask before the end of the school year. Don’twait. I’ll be in Louisville, Kentucky scoring the AP Language exam, so please don’t delay inasking for clarification. If you have questions in the summer though, please email me at theaddress I gave you for your essay, and I will respond as quickly as possible to your query.Have extra time and don’t know what to do? Read a book. In recent years, instructors at thehigh school and college levels have encouraged students to read beyond the Western canon ofliterature. With the advent of the Common Core Curriculum, the classic texts have resurged.Here are some suggested titles you may want to explore over the summer. Many are classics, butthere are a few more modern texts included:

The Bluest Eye by Toni MorrisonLight in August by William FaulknerThe Awakening by Kate ChopinA Room with a View by E.M. ForsterOf Human Bondage by W. Somerset MaughamThe Iliad by HomerThe Odyssey by HomerSister Carrie by Theodore DreiserPride and Prejudice by Jane AustenMedea by EuripidesCrime and Punishment by Fyodor DostoyevskyThe Kite Runner by Khaled HosseiniAtonement by Ian McEwanIf you want something VERY current, try just about anything on the fiction New York Timesbestseller list. Don’t forget the non-fiction sections of the Times book lists for other titles too.