UHS 12 th Grade Advanced Placement English Literature & Composition Required Summer Reading

Your Summer Reading-Theme Each of these novels involves main characters and minor characters who attempt to remain loyal to themselves. Severe consequences or destruction of one’s self may occur when an individual betrays himself or herself. To remain true or loyal to one’s own self or set of beliefs may prove to be the greatest challenge that a person will ever face.

You are required to read BOTH titles.

Books for Required Reading:

Dune by Frank Herbert “This Hugo and Nebula Award winner tells the sweeping tale of a desert planet called Arrakis, the focus of an intricate power struggle in a byzantine interstellar empire. Arrakis is the sole source of Melange, the "spice of spices." Melange is necessary for interstellar travel and grants psychic powers and longevity, so whoever controls it wields great influence” ( amazon.com/Dune-Frank-Herbert/ dp/ ).

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller “Set in Italy during World War II, this is the story of the incomparable, malingering bombardier, Yossarian, a hero who is furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying to kill him. But his real problem is not the enemy—it is his own army, which keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet, if Yossarian makes any attempt to excuse himself from the perilous missions he’s assigned, he’ll be in violation of Catch-22, a hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule” ( /).

AP English Literature & Composition Summer Assignment- The theme under consideration for AP English Literature & Composition is: “The most important type of loyalty is to one’s own beliefs and morals (inversely, the consequence of betraying one’s self or others becomes the destruction of “the self”)”. Remaining loyal to one’s self is difficult, especially when there are other opinions that challenge an individual’s own set of beliefs, ethics, morals, & values. The question is: What happens to one’s self or to others when an individual betrays his or her own or others core beliefs? See all remaining slides for the explanations and instructions of the assignments.

AP English Literature & Composition Summer Assignment-continued First, you must select ONE of the two texts to annotate. You must annotate the text in its entirety. Annotations should come from the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of the text. Secondly, you must annotate the text by searching for and commenting on THREE specific literary devices: characterization (round/flat and static/dynamic), conflict (man vs. self, man vs. man, man vs. society, man vs. Nature, man vs. God); and symbolism. Annotations are due Friday, August 29 th.

AP English Literature & Composition Summer Assignment-continued The main or minor characters in each of these novels must deal with remaining loyal to his or her own core beliefs, ethics, morals, & values. For each novel, create a list of five quotes that reflect loyalty or disloyalty to the character’s beliefs and explain how the quotes relate to this theme. Quotes should come from the beginning, the middle, and the end of the novel to demonstrate an understanding of the entire work. For each quote, also include the page number and a detailed explanation (5-7 sentences) about how each quote relates to the consequences and identity of the main or minor character’s loyalty or disloyalty to self. Your list of quotes should be typed or neatly hand-written. Quotes and their explanations are due Friday, August 29 th.

Summer Assignment- Note: Any AP English Literature & Composition student who fails to complete the quotes portion of the Summer Reading Assignment by the original due date will instead be required to complete the text with a list of EIGHT quotes per text by Friday, September 5 th. Note: Any AP English Literature & Composition student who fails to submit the annotations portion of the Summer Reading Assignment will receive an alternate annotations assignment, to be selected by the teacher, for credit by Friday, September 5 th. After September 5th, No Summer Reading Assignments will be accepted.