apenglish
AP Life of Pi "Analysis" Due Monday Morning
13 July 2008 04:13 PM Filed in:
Announcements
The
misnamed Life of Pi Analysis is due tomorrow morning. This is the
largest part of the AP Summer Work, and is due on Turnitin.com.
Please remember that it is required to have all four parts, and
that the document may be divided into 4 separate sections, since it
isn’t exactly the kind of thing that will flow easily in a single
essay. See below for details - and please, if you are running late
with this assignment and are considering dropping my course,
remember that the contract indicates that you may turn it in late,
if necessary - just not for full credit. I may, however, offer a
full credit option for additional work.
Write a detailed, typed literary analysis of Life of Pi. This analysis must include the following components:
A summary of the novel that is approximately 250 words long and does not give away the end of the novel. This summary must begin or end with a statement of theme. Please remember that thematic statements must be expressed in independent clauses: "The theme of Macbeth is that appearances are deceptive," NOT "The theme of Macbeth has to do with deception." See the difference? One is clear and the other is vague. What might the author be telling us about the nature of youth, choice, family, nation, war, violence, storytelling, truth, or other topics that are raised in the novel?
How to Read Literature Like a Professor Journal. Keep a log of items you see in Life of Pi that correspond to concepts in at least ten of the chapters in HTRLLAP. We will be using this text a great deal next year, and I think you’ll find it quite useful. You don’t have to do anything else, but you will be expected to be able to explain the relevance of each quote to the concepts in the corresponding chapter when you return to school.
Important quotations from the novel. I expect a minimum of 15 quotes that contain rich imagery, sound great when read aloud, or contain moments crucial to the plot or development of the theme. Each quotation should include a brief statement regarding why it was chosen.
A thoughtful response to one of the three following released AP College Board Exam prompts, using frequent and varied references to Life of Pi as support:
Write a detailed, typed literary analysis of Life of Pi. This analysis must include the following components:
A summary of the novel that is approximately 250 words long and does not give away the end of the novel. This summary must begin or end with a statement of theme. Please remember that thematic statements must be expressed in independent clauses: "The theme of Macbeth is that appearances are deceptive," NOT "The theme of Macbeth has to do with deception." See the difference? One is clear and the other is vague. What might the author be telling us about the nature of youth, choice, family, nation, war, violence, storytelling, truth, or other topics that are raised in the novel?
How to Read Literature Like a Professor Journal. Keep a log of items you see in Life of Pi that correspond to concepts in at least ten of the chapters in HTRLLAP. We will be using this text a great deal next year, and I think you’ll find it quite useful. You don’t have to do anything else, but you will be expected to be able to explain the relevance of each quote to the concepts in the corresponding chapter when you return to school.
Important quotations from the novel. I expect a minimum of 15 quotes that contain rich imagery, sound great when read aloud, or contain moments crucial to the plot or development of the theme. Each quotation should include a brief statement regarding why it was chosen.
A thoughtful response to one of the three following released AP College Board Exam prompts, using frequent and varied references to Life of Pi as support:
- One definition of madness is “mental delusion or eccentric behavior arising from it.” But Emily Dickinson wrote that “Much madness is divinest Sense – To a discerning eye –“. Novelists and playwrights have often seen madness with a “discerning Eye.” Select a novel or play in which a character’s apparent madness or irrational behavior plays an important role. Then write a short, well-organized essay in which you explain what this delusion or eccentric behavior consists of and how it might be judged reasonable. Explain the significance of the “madness” to the work as a whole.
- The British novelist Fay Weldon offers this observation about happy endings: “The writers, I do believe, who get the best and most lasting response from readers are the writers who offer a happy ending through moral development. By a happy ending, I do not mean mere fortunate events~~a marriage or a last-minute rescue from death~~but some kind of spiritual assessment or moral reconciliation, even with the self, even at death." In a short, well-written essay, identify the “spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation” evident in the ending and explain its significance in the work as a whole.
- In questioning the value of literary realism, Flannery O’Connor has written, “I am interested in making a good case for distortion because I’m coming to believe that is the only way to make people see.” Write a short essay in which you make a good case for distortion in the novel.
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Yann Martel interview
27 June 2008 08:40 AM
AP reading list posted
24 June 2008 09:18 AM Filed in:
Announcements
The
updated reading list for AP English Literature & Composition
has been posted as an update to the syllabus. For the full list,
you may read the syllabus; I am providing an abbreviated list
below. The syllabus still needs to be revised somewhat, mainly in
the classroom procedures section.
Each quarter, students will study a novel as a class. This novel needs to be read and annotated prior to the beginning of the quarter. For example, during 1st Quarter, we will be studying Life of Pi, which you are reading over the summer. The class novel study titles are:
Yann Martel, Life of Pi: Q1
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein: Q2
William Shakespeare, Hamlet: Q3
Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart: Q4
Each quarter, students will meet periodically in groups to study a novel in a small group, student-directed setting with teacher guidance. This title comes from a list of four possible choices, each of which are linked thematically to the primary text for the quarter from the list above. The theme for 1st Quarter is “the relationship between truth and faith,” and so the group novels for 1st Quarter will all relate somehow to that theme. The list of novels for each quarter is listed below, from which you must read one novel per quarter:
1st Quarter: The Relationship Between Truth & Faith
Siddhartha, Herman Hesse
Ceremony, Leslie Silko
Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut
The Road, Cormac McCarthy
2nd Quarter: The Power of Redemption
Oryx & Crake, Margaret Atwood
Beloved, Toni Morrison
The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
House of Sand and Fog, Andre Dubus
3rd Quarter: Humanity’s Quest for Identity (may be revised)
Oedipus Rex, Sophocles
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey
Macbeth, William Shakespeare
Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
4th Quarter: Hubris - Arrogance & Pride
The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison
Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
Finally, you are expected to read one novel per quarter on your own from the following list (this list may be added to throughout the year). The only expectation is that you will be required to annotate it and will have the opportunity to use it for an essay:
Willa Cather, My Antonia
Amy Tan, The Bonesetter’s Daughter
Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
George Orwell, 1984
Edward Albee, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
John Fowles, The French Lieutenant’s Woman
Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
Dante Aligheri, The Inferno
Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre
Richard Wright, Native Son
Joseph Heller, Catch-22
Michael Cunningham, The Hours
Jack Kerouac, On the Road; The Dharma Bums
Barbara Kingsolver, The Poisonwood Bible
Norman McLean, A River Runs Through It
Aeschylus, Oresteia
Pearl S. Buck, The Good Earth
Ken Kesey, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Louise Erdrich, Love Medicine
Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot
Rudolfo Anaya, Bless Me, Ultima
Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns
Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees
Tim O’Brien, The Things They Carried
Edson, Margaret. Wit.
Kate Chopin, The Awakening
Each quarter, students will study a novel as a class. This novel needs to be read and annotated prior to the beginning of the quarter. For example, during 1st Quarter, we will be studying Life of Pi, which you are reading over the summer. The class novel study titles are:
Yann Martel, Life of Pi: Q1
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein: Q2
William Shakespeare, Hamlet: Q3
Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart: Q4
Each quarter, students will meet periodically in groups to study a novel in a small group, student-directed setting with teacher guidance. This title comes from a list of four possible choices, each of which are linked thematically to the primary text for the quarter from the list above. The theme for 1st Quarter is “the relationship between truth and faith,” and so the group novels for 1st Quarter will all relate somehow to that theme. The list of novels for each quarter is listed below, from which you must read one novel per quarter:
1st Quarter: The Relationship Between Truth & Faith
Siddhartha, Herman Hesse
Ceremony, Leslie Silko
Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut
The Road, Cormac McCarthy
2nd Quarter: The Power of Redemption
Oryx & Crake, Margaret Atwood
Beloved, Toni Morrison
The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
House of Sand and Fog, Andre Dubus
3rd Quarter: Humanity’s Quest for Identity (may be revised)
Oedipus Rex, Sophocles
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey
Macbeth, William Shakespeare
Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
4th Quarter: Hubris - Arrogance & Pride
The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison
Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
Finally, you are expected to read one novel per quarter on your own from the following list (this list may be added to throughout the year). The only expectation is that you will be required to annotate it and will have the opportunity to use it for an essay:
Willa Cather, My Antonia
Amy Tan, The Bonesetter’s Daughter
Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
George Orwell, 1984
Edward Albee, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
John Fowles, The French Lieutenant’s Woman
Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
Dante Aligheri, The Inferno
Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre
Richard Wright, Native Son
Joseph Heller, Catch-22
Michael Cunningham, The Hours
Jack Kerouac, On the Road; The Dharma Bums
Barbara Kingsolver, The Poisonwood Bible
Norman McLean, A River Runs Through It
Aeschylus, Oresteia
Pearl S. Buck, The Good Earth
Ken Kesey, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Louise Erdrich, Love Medicine
Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot
Rudolfo Anaya, Bless Me, Ultima
Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns
Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees
Tim O’Brien, The Things They Carried
Edson, Margaret. Wit.
Kate Chopin, The Awakening
Do you know this student?
02 June 2008 04:09 PM Filed in:
Announcements
Hello.
I could use your help contacting some students who have either completed none of the preparation work for next year's AP English Literature course (contract, Turnitin, Scavenger Hunt - or the Evil Trifecta, as one student called it). While I can't disclose their full names because that would violate their privacy, I CAN give you a list of first names. If you know anyone with this first name, you should give that person a kick in the - I mean, call that person and ask if they knew about the AP summer work for Mr. Tonk's class.
Incidentally, I have people who are on Turnitin, but not on Google; people who have signed contracts but done nothing else; people who have completed Scavenger Hunts but have not signed up on Turnitin.
The names below are those students who have completed nothing OR have only given me a contract:
SIGNED THE SHEET ON THE AP SUMMER WORK DAY:
Nathan
Rachael
Jordan
Ashley (not C)
Colton
Russell
Christian
Victoria
Samantha
Sandra
Nicole
Alexandria
Rachelle (could be Kachelle)
Raj
Jack
Isaiah
Chelsea
Amanda
Jeff
NO SIGNATURE ON THE SUMMER WORK SHEET:
Guy
Gregory
Daniella
Teresa
Kentaro
Katie
Alexandra
Aaron
Kristina
Alissa
Charity
Andrew
Steven
Sarah
Brianna
Christopher
Rhegan
Please contact these people and let them know they are already falling behind and that I will NOT penalize them if they contact me and complete this initial work soon. I do not want to make 36 phone calls!
Thank you for your help.
I could use your help contacting some students who have either completed none of the preparation work for next year's AP English Literature course (contract, Turnitin, Scavenger Hunt - or the Evil Trifecta, as one student called it). While I can't disclose their full names because that would violate their privacy, I CAN give you a list of first names. If you know anyone with this first name, you should give that person a kick in the - I mean, call that person and ask if they knew about the AP summer work for Mr. Tonk's class.
Incidentally, I have people who are on Turnitin, but not on Google; people who have signed contracts but done nothing else; people who have completed Scavenger Hunts but have not signed up on Turnitin.
The names below are those students who have completed nothing OR have only given me a contract:
SIGNED THE SHEET ON THE AP SUMMER WORK DAY:
Nathan
Rachael
Jordan
Ashley (not C)
Colton
Russell
Christian
Victoria
Samantha
Sandra
Nicole
Alexandria
Rachelle (could be Kachelle)
Raj
Jack
Isaiah
Chelsea
Amanda
Jeff
NO SIGNATURE ON THE SUMMER WORK SHEET:
Guy
Gregory
Daniella
Teresa
Kentaro
Katie
Alexandra
Aaron
Kristina
Alissa
Charity
Andrew
Steven
Sarah
Brianna
Christopher
Rhegan
Please contact these people and let them know they are already falling behind and that I will NOT penalize them if they contact me and complete this initial work soon. I do not want to make 36 phone calls!
Thank you for your help.
Contracts
22 May 2008 02:14 PM Filed in:
Announcements
AP Summer Work (Class of 2009)
19 May 2008 02:47 PM Filed in:
Announcements
Updated
5/19
You will find the summer work listed in the AP English Lit submenu on the left. To download the summer assignments, please visit the File Cabinet page or click on the links below. There are three handouts you need:
1. Summer Assignment
2. Contract (due by the end of the 07-08 school year).
3. Scavenger Hunt (due by June 1)
Please note that the Online Commentary portion of the summer assignment needs to be completed in the Discussion section of Turnitin.com. Log in to the class at Turnitin, then click on "Discussion." You should see the appropriate assignment listed. Click on it, then post your observations. Thank you!
I have been asked about the requirements for the literary terms definitions. You may write the "dictionary" definition if you understand exactly what it means; however, if you have some trouble with the dictionary definition, you should put it in your own words. In other words, I don't really care which definition you use, as long as it is a definition that helps you to remember the meaning and usage of the term. Hope that helps.
You will find the summer work listed in the AP English Lit submenu on the left. To download the summer assignments, please visit the File Cabinet page or click on the links below. There are three handouts you need:
1. Summer Assignment
2. Contract (due by the end of the 07-08 school year).
3. Scavenger Hunt (due by June 1)
Please note that the Online Commentary portion of the summer assignment needs to be completed in the Discussion section of Turnitin.com. Log in to the class at Turnitin, then click on "Discussion." You should see the appropriate assignment listed. Click on it, then post your observations. Thank you!
I have been asked about the requirements for the literary terms definitions. You may write the "dictionary" definition if you understand exactly what it means; however, if you have some trouble with the dictionary definition, you should put it in your own words. In other words, I don't really care which definition you use, as long as it is a definition that helps you to remember the meaning and usage of the term. Hope that helps.