A. P. English
Summer Reading and Writing Guide
Dystopian Futures
Read The Handmaid's Tale (by Margaret Atwood) and 1984 (by George Orwell).
A. INTERNET RESEARCH AND LITERARY ANALYSIS
Research is part of this assignment; therefore, you are expected to use the following internet sites to learn
more about each novel. You may be tested on any or all of this web site content.
The Handmaid’s Tale
1. http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/handmaid/index.html (on-line notes)
2. http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/science_fiction/handmaid.html (college English study guide)
3. http://themargaretatwoodsociety.wordpress.com.
(The Atwood Society and a link to Margaret Atwood’s own web site: “O. W. Toad”)
4. http://www.amazon.com (reader reviews)
5. http://www.membres.lycos.fr/fredy8/Table.html (a complete critical analysis)
6. http://www.eng.fju.edu.tw/worldlit/canada/handmaid.html (a college class site)
7. http://www.webenglishteacher.com/atwood.html (common links)
8. http://www.enotes.com/handmaids-tale (literary analysis)
9. http://www.ipl.org/div/litcrit/bin/litcrit.out.pl?ti=han-58 (a mother-lode of links)
10. http://www.randomhouse.com/resources/bookgroup/handmaidstale_bgc.html (interview with Atwood)
1984
1. http://www.online-literature.com/orwell/1984/ (a literary forum)
2. http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/programs/1984/ (interesting lesson plans)
3. http://www.k-1.com/Orwell/index.cgi/work/summaries/1984.html (literary guide)
4. http://www.enotes.com/1984/ (literary guide and lesson plans)
5. http://gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/kellner/Illumina%20Folder/kell13.htm (a real academic essay)
6. http://www.teachervision.fen.com/political-science/science-fiction/3305.html (some interesting analysis)
7. http://us.penguingroup.com/static/rguides/us/1984.html (thoughtful discussion questions)
8. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2005/jul/18/past.booksnews (a different biography)
9. http://dc-mrg.english.ucsb.edu/WarnerTeach/E149/PPresentations/George%20Orwell%201984_files/frame.htm
(informative university web page)
10. http://www.netcharles.com/orwell/articles/1984-background-info.htm (more common links)
B. ESSAYS
There are many reasons to write about literature, but to do it only for a grade is not a good one. Intelligent
composition is painful (for me too!) but almost always worth it because it expands your knowledge and
appreciation. For these benefits to occur, however, you must 1) like to read everything and want to read, not
because it’s assigned, but to explore what the art has to offer; 2) be prepared to comprehend, not simply argue
whether or not you liked the book; 3) spend time thinking, planning and writing, which implies a process of critical
and creative thinking that you have agreed--because you volunteered to be in this class--is necessary.
There may be other necessities, but these are basic. If you don’t have them or the willingness to learn
them, A. P. English will be boring, hard work. You will be reading adult literature, with adult themes--often
controversial (and sometimes shocking and offensive), not books written for teenagers: the issue, then, is
not whether you like it but whether you understand it as art and as a product of a conscious creative act. That
aspect of literature is what you must discuss in your writing: how does an author create an artwork that simulates
the experience of what it’s like to be human. The emphasis is often on technique, usually on how, sometimes on
why.
With this subtle admonition in mind, write two well-organized, researched, coherent, cogent essays—one
for each novel you read--with a thesis and clearly developed topics. Aim for two to three topic paragraphs, a total
of about 600 words for each novel (two pages: if you absolutely must write more, then you may), typed, double
spaced, in 12 point font.
ESSAY IDEAS
Use one of the writing prompts below; do not simply summarize or retell the story. Tie your observations
into a discussion of the meaning of the work as a whole.
a. Character:
* Consider significant events that occur to a character that are mental or psychological: awakenings,
discoveries, changes in consciousness. How do they create meaning in the novel?
* Consider the influence of implausible characters. How do they create meaning in the novel?
* How does the narrator manipulate perception of character using style: imagery, diction, narrative
structure, detail. Tie these observations to a discussion of the work as a whole.
* Discuss the heroic stature of a character and the archetypal heroic quest and how they create
meaning in the novel.
b. Plot:
* Choose an implausible or strikingly unrealistic incidence that advances plot, creating meaning in the
novel.
* How do purely internal events—within a character—advance and create plot, action, excitement,
suspense, and climax associated with external events.
* Explore how parallel or recurring events create significant meaning in the novel.
c. Setting:
* Explain how opposing places (town and country, for example) represent opposed forces or ideas that
create meaning in the work.
* Explain how a particular setting conveys or distorts a normal scene of delight, revulsion, nostalgia,
disappointment—thus creating meaning.
d. Close textual analysis:
* Select a moment or scene that reflects the purpose or meaning of a work and—by closely examining
technique, style, language, sentence construction, structure, point of view irony, imagery, figurative
language and other rhetorical strategies—how that meaning or purpose is created.
e. Theme:
* Discuss how the novel advocates changes in social or political attitudes or traditions: analyze the
techniques used to create that advocacy.
f. Language:
* Examine the sociolect (a group language that varies from the language of others using the same
native tongue). Variations may be in pronunciation, inflection, syntax, vocabulary, or the manner and
conditions in which it is used. How does this sociolect create meaning in the novel.
g. Tone:
* Dramatic irony occurs when (1) the readers grasp the potential of events before the characters in the
work; (2) the author’s intent (the real purpose of the novel) differs with what the main narrator tells us.
Explore how perception is manipulated by the author with irony, imagery, diction, narrative structure,
etc.
h. Time/Narrative Pace;
* Chronological sequence of events may be used in a distinct way, altered, suspended or accelerated.
How does this manipulation of time contribute to the effectiveness of the work as a whole?
You need to purchase your two summer reading books (you will need them for class projects too). Other
textbooks, novels and plays we read throughout the year will be provided. Even if you’ve already read 1984 or The
Handmaid’s Tale, you should read them again; otherwise, you will lose the full weight of the unit’s theme--
Dystopian Futures--and you will be unable to write about the text.
Finally, remember that watching a film of either novel or simply reading research (especially condensed
summaries such as Spark Notes) does not replace the experience of reading the original texts (which is why you
decided to take the course), and missing the textual experience will ruin what A. P. English is all about. In other
words, read the novels, and enjoy them while you do so.
Have a great summer and Happy Reading!
***
If you change your schedule during the summer from A. P. to Honors English, you must complete the
Honors summer assignment and the corresponding writing responses instead of the A. P. assignment.