12 Grade English- Summer Reading

12th Grade Summer Reading Brave New World​ by Aldous Huxley Angela’s Ashes ​by Frank McCourt Directions:

● For part 1​, you are provided 6 questions/prompts, and you will need to choose 2​ and complete them using whichever books you want. ​(One page minimum for each response.)

● For part 2​, you are provided 2 questions/prompts, and you will need to complete both using the specific novel provided. ​(One page minimum for each response.)

● For part 3​, you have 10 questions; you need to ​answer the 10 questions for BOTH​ books​. The length for this will vary according to the question; so just do what each question asks.

Part 1 Choose TWO​ of the following six prompts to complete; you can use either and/or both of your 12th grade summer reading books. (One page minimum for each response.):

1. In the novel that you've read, some of the characters are given positive portrayals. Others have negative portrayals. Still, others may begin with negative qualities and gradually become more and more positive. Rarely does an author rely on the reader's personal sense of morality to determine which characters are positive and which are negative. Instead, there are details, actions, and characteristics that help define who is "good" and who is "bad." Think about your novel. How does the author indicate which characters are positive and which are negative? In your essay, explain how the author uses direct and indirect characterization to develop these portrayals.

2. Do a close examination of the setting in your novel. What are the primary locations? How

are these places made realistic — how does the author use extended description, background information, and specific detail to make the setting come alive for readers? How do the main characters fit in the settings — do they seem at home? out of place? How do their reactions and interactions with the setting affect the realism of the

locations? Discuss the way that the novelist uses to make the setting vivid and real to readers.

3. Identify one theme in the novel and show how it appears in three separate instances in the

novel. Make sure to discuss why this theme is important to the overall novel.

4. Find one instance in the novel that contains both a literal and symbolic meaning. This means that there is a deeper meaning to an event that occurs in the novel. You could also consider an object that serves as a symbol in the novel. Support your answer with textual evidence from the novel.

5. Think about the role that social class plays in the novel that you've read. What social

classes are represented in the novel? How do the classes shown in the novel relate to the classes that realistically existed in the time and place where the novel takes place? Write a paper that explores the way that social class and class issues affect the characters and plot of your novel.

6. How reliable is the narrator of your novel? Is the reader able to fully trust him/her? Why

or why not? Support your answer with three specific and relevant details from the novel. Part 2 You need to complete the following 2 questions/prompts for the specified novel. (One page minimum for each response.)

1. Angela’s Ashes​ - Murasaki Shikibu said that the novel "happens because of the storyteller's own experience . . . not only what he has passed through himself, but even events which he has only witnessed or been told of—has moved him to an emotion so passionate that he can no longer keep it shut up in his heart." What is the passionate emotion that is communicated in your novel? Why was the author of your novel moved to write? What is the thing that the novelist had to communicate? In your paper, explain the author's motivating emotion and how it is explored in the novel.

2. Brave New World​ - ​Flannery O'Connor has written, "I am interested in making a good case for distortion because I am coming to believe that it is the only way to make people see." Write an essay in which you explain the author’s “good case for distortion," in the novel. How are elements, such as setting, character development, and dialogue, in the work you choose are "distorted" and explain how these distortions contribute to the theme.

Part 3 Complete the following 10 questions for ​BOTH​ of your books:

1. Identify the ​narrator​ of the story, the ​point of view​, and the narrator’s and author’s ​tone presented in the novel.

2. Keep track of ​theme(s)​ as they emerge and your reactions to them.

3. Take notes on the ​setting​ (including culture) and how it affects or influenced the characters and the evolution of the plot.

4. Note the ​structure​ of the novel. Is it linear or nonlinear (uses flashbacks)? How does that contribute to the novel?

5. Note interesting or unusual ​diction​ (word choice). How does that contribute to the meaning of the novel?

6. Note 5 instances of ​figurative language​ (metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole) used throughout the novel and explain how it contributes to the meaning.

7. What ​imagery​ is used in the novel and when (give 3 examples from the text)? What purpose does this serve?

8. Write down 10 ​vocabulary​ words from throughout the novel you come across and define them.

9. Write three (3) ​quotes​ from the text that you found interesting or made you think. Write a paragraph on each explaining why you found these important? Do they remind you of something in your own life or another book you’ve read? What made them stand out? How are they important to the novel as a whole?

10. Write a paragraph responding to the novel. Did you like the book? Why? Why not? What parts of the novel were the most troublesome? What parts did you enjoy? Would you read more novels about this topic? By this author? Why?