Summer Reading Lists from the WHS Class of 2011

(Note to Readers:
The titles are in no special order; I just typed them from your various scraps, paper plates, etc. Together, they form an amazing list! Happy Summer Reading! ~ Mr. B.)

Let It Snow, by John Green
Hunger Games
Abundance of Katherines, by John Cooper
East of Eden, by John Steinbeck
The entire Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling
The Bible
The entire Lord of the Rings series, by J.R. Tolkein
Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka
War Dances, by Sherman Alexie
Population 485, by Michael Perry
Pretty Little Liars
13 Reasons Why
A Great and Terrible Beauty
Rebel Angels
The Da Vinci Code
Twilight
Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson
Bloody Jack series
Books & stories by Isaac Asimov
The Princess Bride, by William Goldman
Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Dracula, by Bram Stoker
Life of Pi, by Yann Martel
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving
Robin Hood
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
The Sherlock Holmes series, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Physics books
U.S. Naval Manual // Survival Manuals
Hatchet
The Historian

Pulp Fiction (~ but... do you mean the screenplay by Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary, or do you mean the genre??! If you mean the latter, you'd do well to check out Princeton English professor Bill Gleason, who has almost single-handedly changed the history of American pulp fiction -- that is, he has shifted pulp fiction along the Respectability Scale(!), from sleaze to scholarship!! ~ your faithful ed.)

Gone With the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell
Franny and Zooey, by J.D. Salinger
Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy
The Name of the Wind
I Am the Messenger, by Markus Zusak

(see also, The Book Thief, by M.Z. This amazing book about (among other things) language & writing includes the memorable phrase, "Pimples were gathered in peer groups on his face." ~ ed.)

The Lost (Last?) Symbol
Robinson Crusoe
Angels and Demons
Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson
A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens
Beowulf (epic poem from the Anglo-Saxon era – best translation is by Seamus Heaney ~ prb!)
1984, by George Orwell
Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card
Ender’s Shadow, by Orson Scott Card
The Time Traveler’s Wife
July, July, by Tim O’Brien
Works by Twain, Fitzgerald, and Tim O’Brien
Northanger Abby, by Jane Austen
Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte
All Men Die Alone
Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte
The Red Door
Still Alice
A Passage to India, by E.M. Forster
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
Prophecy of the Sisters
Moby Dick, by Herman Melville
Emma, by Jane Austen
The Magic Mountain, by Thomas Mann
Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo
The Eragon series
The Time Machine, by George Orwell
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, by William Styron (<- Great!! - ed.)
More Toni Morrison books (Jazz, Sula, Song of Solomon, et al.)
The Last Song, by Nicholas Spark
Dear John, by Nicholas Spark

Thoughts as We Enter the Summer of 2010

So, for next year’s juniors this class will become AP Language and Composition, a year-long course packed with action, exertion, and analysis in writing – five days a week – mingled with our time-honored fixation on fiction: the literary work you’ve done so beautifully & faithfully in Honors Eleven.
It may dawn on some of you that the younger kids are getting a better deal. Therefore, to help quell at least some of your envy and, more importantly, to help you come back here next fall with hopes of prevailing as you seek to…
a) read British literature
b) write essays with coherence and fluency
c) succeed on an influential exam (AP Lit & Comp, next May)

…I offer three tips!! Are they consolation prizes? Maverick motivators? However you choose to interpret them, they are offered in loving friendship, on the strength of all that we have defined, dabbled in, discussed, divined, drawn, and - at the University Club - danced this year.

TIP #1: READ.
Your current favorite author is your most influential writing instructor. Whatever this author writes will influence phrases that emerge from your pen, more than anyone else can influence your writing at the time. Does this mean you’re in jeopardy if your current book is trash? Pulp fiction? Twilight VII!?! I respectfully beg to differ: “No.” You’re not trouble if you love to read and you read what you love.

But, no matter what you choose, make a point of reading critically. Thoughtful reading will help you savor Twilight VII, even as you contemplate moving on to bigger & better things. Reading science fiction will scaffold your reading next year as you ponder progenitors of Science Fiction in Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, and Metamorphosis, by Kafka. Spy novels will improve your inferential thinking. It’s a Win-Win proposition, and the list goes on!

Reading critically will prompt you to analyze, but it will also enhance your writing. If you listen as you read, you will “hear” the shape of rhetoric – the power of persuasion – in the arc of a well written line.

TIP #2: WRITE
Some believe, incorrectly(!), that I, Le Bratno-bere, do not maintain Facebook contact with Woodbury students because I abhor the thought of seeing people’s dirty laundry. Although that’s true – I do abhor the sight of dirty laundry – my real reason for shunning Facebook is my ongoing insistence that people write: that you send e-mails, cards, actual letters, and other forms of written expression. In other words, I want you to freakin’ WRITE. As Elizabeth Bishop said in her poem “One Art”: “Write it.” I WANT YOU TO WRITE.

If you write to me, for example, I will write back. I’ve been writing letters as my primary form of personal expression (i.e., even more than acting or the piano) for over fifty years. I’ve written a lot of letters, and I don’t mean to stop now. Write; then I’ll write back. And behold, a correspondence is born!

But don’t limit your output to correspondence with me. You may prefer writing to someone else. Think about the possibilities, boys and girls: love letters!! Whee!! And let’s not forget about some of the other great reasons for writing:
Collecting on a bad debt.
Telling a friend about a book you loved.
Sending a thank-you note
Enticing others to travel with you.
Relating (possibly “stretchin’” about) personal milestones at fishing, horse-back riding, or golf!
Politely inquiring among former teachers as to whether they might consider writing a college
letter of recommendation on your behalf
Making plans to attend the State Fair
The List Goes On!!!

If you go out of your way to write this summer, you will not embarrass yourself in English class next fall. If you fail to write, the opposite is almost sure to be the case.

TIP #3: PREVIEW THE AP LANG & COMP COURSE!!!
It’s being designed for next year’s juniors, but it’s going up – online, as a blog – now. And I’m saying it to you, not to them. Please, PLEASE consider following the blogs Ms. Dornfeld and I post this summer. You’ll be able to see and do several of our assignments. You’ll be privy to our key links: internet access to dweeby and writer-ly sites, glossaries, blogs, and the like (e.g., you can finally figure out how to use COMMAs).

You’ll see the AP Lang & Comp syllabus take shape. And you’ll obtain access to AP Central: the College Board’s site for both Lang & Comp and Lit & Comp.

These benefits come hand in hand with a selfish plea – to wit, that you use “Comments.” I’m going to leave “Comments On” as I compose blogs for AP Lang & Comp this summer, and I will naturally welcome your criticism and your participation. Next fall, Comments will be restricted, but members of our Honors Eleven classes are welcome to post throughout the summer, and I will cherish your thoughts.

LAST, BUT NOT LEAST
I cherish your thoughts. Yours are two of the most remarkable groups I have worked with. Your wit and wisdom have sustained me throughout a bizarre year: a year of triumphs, crises, laughter, losses, and debates. And your names (wait… are you Jack? Is it… ‘Chad’?) will forever be inscribed in my memories of the dearest and most talented students I have known.
Girl-teachers somehow get to say it more “legally,” and thus with less difficulty. Dude-teachers say it at their jeopardy, perhaps even at a painful cost; but I’ll say it anyway. I will always love all fifty-seven of you.

Sincerely, ~ Mr. B.

May 2010 Calendar of Assignments

The Bluest Eye, Day #1 – May 12 (A) and 13 (B)
In class: Meet Laura. Reader’s Quiz. Audio/Discussion of The B.E.
P.M. Review pp. 1-93. Progress on your Personal Essay.

The Bluest Eye, Day #2 – May 14 (A) and 17 (B)
In class: Lecture/Close reading – the Doll episode. “A Girl Like Me”
Weekend/P.M. Read pp. 93-165. (BLUES BLOG)

The Bluest Eye, Day #3 – May 18 (A) and 19 (B)
In class: Reader’s Quiz. Audio/Discussion of The B.E. Turn in Pers. Essay R/D.
P.M. Review 93-165. Continue to craft Pers. Essay. (BLUES BLOG)

The Bluest Eye, Day #4 – May 20 (A) and 21 (B)
In class: Lecture/Q & A – New Historicist/Marxist crit. of The B.E. //
Weekend: Finish the novel – pp. 165-The End. Continue to craft Pers. Essay. (BLUES BLOG)

The Bluest Eye, Day #5 – May 24 (A) and 25 (B)
In class: Reader’s Quiz III. Audio/Discussion of The B.E. Reflective Writing assignment. Pers. Essay Rough Drafts, back to you.
P.M. Review the entire novel. Begin work on the Reflective assignment. Pers. Essay. (BLUES BLOG)

The Bluest Eye, Day #6 – Wednesday, May 26 (LECTURE HALL)
In class: Lecture / Q & A on Deconstructionist & Fem. Crit. re. The Bluest Eye. Highlights from the B.E. Folklore Blog.
P.M. Review the entire novel. Continue your work on the Reflective assgmt. Pers. Essay (BLOG)

The Bluest Eye, Day #7 – May 27 (A) and May 28 (B)
In class: Final Exercises re. The Bluest Eye. Meet Toni Morrison (Uncensored).
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND: Complete 2nd Draft of Pers. Essay, three printed copies. Finish B.E. Reflective assgmt. (one typed copy).

A New Day – Tues., 6/1 (A) and Wed., (6/2) (B)
In class: Peer Edit 2nd Drafts. Hand in Reflective Writing assignment on The Bluest Eye.
P.M. Incorporate changes in your Personal Essay.

Personal Essays due: Monday, June 7 (A) and Tuesday, June 8 (B)

The Personal Essay

Over your well-deserved Spring Break, you are welcome to begin contemplating, even designing, a Personal Essay for Honors English Eleven. Full assignment sheets will follow on your return in early April. For now, please mull over these thumb-nail descriptions of A Life-Changing Experience, The Three Traits, and the all-new and experimental College Essay Prompt!

A Life-Changing Experience
Write an essay that describes and explains what you have learned by living through, or working through, a big experience. Briefly describe the experience itself, but then write about what you've learned: the changes you’ve made, especially in your behavior in relation to others. For some, a life-changing experience prompts little changes, such as better manners, more eye-contact, or a new morning routine. For others, the changes are more profound: renewed courage, humor, and willingness to express feelings, for example; or stronger connections to siblings, more honesty in relationships, and stronger acceptance of those who are different from you or your friends. Analyze and evaluate the resulting changes in your life by subdividing your progress into discernible aspects of your behavior and values.

Three Traits, linked by a common thread or metaphor
In many students’ lives, there isn’t one “Big Moment” – a single catalyst that prompts major changes. Instead, the characteristics of one’s personality seem to develop independently over time. This prompt asks you to notice and describe three major characteristics of yourself. If you are happy-to-lucky, perhaps three of your strongest traits include your independence, your friendliness toward others, and your willingness to take risks in public. Another student might realize that three observable traits are loyalty, a passion for science, and a devotion performing instrumental music. Whatever your traits turn out to be, try to unite them with a common thread: an image that persists throughout your paper. For your common thread, try to imagine an image – a flower, a bird, an animal – that’s close to who you are, that will help readers connect & understand your three traits. (If I were writing about what I’ve learned this year, you know the common image I’d use… brazenly and un-sheepishly!!)

The College Essay prompt ~ New in 2010!!
Assuming you acquire the necessary pre-approval – the doting nod – from your English teacher, you are welcome to compose an actual college essay, for an actual school you intend to apply to. Most colleges require an essay – a major reason why we pursue this assignment – so why not write a response to a real one? Some colleges are notorious for their vexing and demanding essay prompts. The University of Chicago is foremost among these, but there are other colleges and universities that require the essay as well. The Up-side of doing this includes timeliness and focus on the college decision! Pitfalls include laboring over a school you ultimately don’t qualify to attend, raising hopes and dashing expectations! With this assignment it is essential that you obtain pre-approval, which will hinge, among other things, on whether the essay you choose resembles the scope of the other two essays in terms of effort, writing demands, and all the rest.

In General:

Write and rewrite! Develop this essay into a masterpiece of honest observation, of attention to detail, and of vivid, life-like, even piquant expression in prose.

Organize and reorganize!! Push yourself to achieve solid structural integrity – a literary “architecture” of purpose - that makes it easy for readers to follow your thinking, step by step, with persistence around a unifying sense of purpose.

Piquant prose is provocative; but then, so are truthfulness, simplicity, and thoughtfulness. Hester Prynne’s advice to “be true” prompts some students to run for cover ("What, my truth?? But it’s so boring!!). Still, be true. Essays draped in half-truths or exaggerations do not survive the tough scrutiny of college admissions readers (i.e., they know right away when it is - or when it's not - the real Spiderman or Venus Williams who’s applying!) So… be true! Trust that the facts of your life will carry the day, empowering this essay with vivid, true and coherently-drawn examples of how you choose to live your life.

Plays and Playwrights under Consideration

Two by Tennessee Williams:
The Glass Menagerie; A Streetcar Named Desire

Two by Arthur Miller:
Death of a Salesman; A View from the Bridge

Two Great Modern Comedies...
Neil Simon: Lost in Yonkers
Larry Shue: The Foreigner

Two Great Modern Dramas:
August Wilson Joe Turner’s Come & Gone
Margaret Edson: Wit.

... and Two Scenes from an All-American Musical:

GIRL CRAZY!! Act I (Day 2) -- Act II (Day 1)

Close Reading Example

EClose Reading Example in Fitzgerald

The lawn started at the beach and ran toward the front door for a quarter of a mile, jumping over sun-dials and brick walls and burning gardens – finally when it reached the house drifting up the side in bright vines as though from the momentum of its run. The front was broken by a line of French windows, glowing now with reflected gold and wide open to the warm windy afternoon, and Tom Buchanan in riding clothes was standing with his legs apart on the front porch (Fitzgerald 6).

The vast lawn’s “run,” from the East Egg shoreline toward the imposing Buchanan mansion, mimics a run by a football star who scores a touchdown, sprinting the length of the field. The run is panoramic, as Nick’s eye - camera-like - tracks details of the adventurous course. The personified lawn surmounts obstacles in its path, “jumping over sun-dials and brick walls and burning gardens,” in much the same way that a football hero (Tom Buchanan was a fabled end at Yale, recipient of touchdown passes) might hurdle past defenders on his way to a goal-line. As the lawn reaches the mansion, the green sprawls “up the side” of the house “in bright vines,” as if the forward motion of the run cannot be contained. In one sense, Nick fulfills his football metaphor, comparing the merger of grass-unto-vines to a runner’s crash into the end-zone, merging with the crowd. In another sense, however, Nick curtails the lawn’s advance by noting that it hits the solid, ivy-covered mansion. Here the running lawn retires into a staid domesticity, evoking nostalgia for its bygone days on the field, just as Tom is an Ivy League football legend, for whom “everything afterward savors of anticlimax” (6). As Nick’s gaze shifts to the mansion’s owner, alone on the veranda, “his legs apart,” the view of Tom Buchanan is enlarged thanks to the alert narrator’s playful conflation of Tom’s past and present lives. Nick demurely suppresses what he knows about Tom’s impending brutality, dwelling instead on the “reflected gold” of Tom’s illustrious past, and on the aura of Tom’s unfathomable wealth today, reflected in golden light that “glows” from the mansion windows. ~ PRB

The Gatsby Take-Home Final Is Due AS SCHEDULED.

Please ignore any rumors you may hear regarding an extended deadline. There is no extended deadline.

The assignment is due by 3:30 p.m. on March 9, 2010.