Important dates ahead, supplies needed, and such

Seniors!

I have some information you might want to know about.

On Tuesday, July 26, I will be available at school for a summer reading assignment tutorial. Whether you are completing the standard or AP assignments, I got you. Hopefully, you will have started long before that day and will know what questions you have. Hopefully, those questions will not be, "What are we supposed to do?" I'll be in my classroom from 2:00 - 4:00 that day if you need some guidance or if you just want to shoot your ideas off me or your classmates.

Next, if you are reading or plan to read the optional summer book, Stephen King's On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, then the book club meeting will be on Thursday, August 11. That's the third day of school, and if I'm not mistaken, it's the first full day (as in, until 4:30). We'll meet after school with some snackies to talk about how you liked (or didn't like!) this work. Yes, it's extra credit, but that's not why we do things.

And finally, there are a couple of supply needs you should know about. For vocabulary this year, you MUST have at least 200 index cards. (Just think of all the words you'll learn!) Also, a small box in which to keep them. Something like this:


The letter tabs aren't required, but they sure are nice, huh?

Last thing for now. The first book we will read as a class, in both AP and Standard, is Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. You can click here to see it on Amazon. Yeah, the cover is ugly, and it was written in 1965, but I don't care which edition you buy and it's about MURDER. Real ones. So those of you who nodded with understanding when I explained my obsession with Criminal Minds, you will like this. Others will, too, I promise. Anyhoo, you need a copy of this book in your hands by September 1st. If you want to order it through the school, that will be an option. But remember how I showed y'all to order used books online. That will be the cheapest option, but you'll have to take care of it by early August.

That's it for my announcements. I've loved hearing from those of you who had questions about your assignments. Hooray to you for working on them already. If you're not reading for class, I hope you're reading SOMETHING. And having a lovely time away from school. We all deserve breaks. And get all rested and ready for 12th grade, because I'll be working you hard once August 9th gets here!

- Rayburn

Barren

I took this picture Wednesday from Ms. Honore's classroom. Even the old Spanish buildings are gone. Hopefully we can start greenifying it very soon!

AP English Language Summer Reading Assignment

Part I. You will all read The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. On the first day of my class, you will come prepared to take a quiz and participate in a rigorous Socratic seminar over this novella.

Part II. In addition, you will choose one nonfiction book from the following list.

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers
Zeitoun, Dave Eggers
A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson
Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, Alexandra Fuller
The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson
Isaac’s Storm, Erik Larson
Thunderstruck, Erik Larson
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Anne Fadiman
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot

For the nonfiction selection:
1. Select three particularly powerful passages from the book you read. The passages may relate to tone, mood, character, or theme, or better yet, they may be rhetorically powerful, full of devices. Bring a one-page copy of these three passages (meaning that all three should fit neatly onto one sheet). You may either photocopy them from the book or type them out onto one document.

2. Perform multiple close readings of the passages, analyzing: a) diction, b) imagery, c) syntax, and d) diction.

3. Write approximately 500-750 words (about two pages typed) about the impact made by the literary techniques named above.

4. Write approximately 250 words that answer the following: A classic is a book that has passed the test of time. It is still valued and valuable 100 or 200 years later. Why would readers 100 years from now consider this book a classic? Or, why would they not.

5. Write an additional 250 words that examine this book from a reader response point of view. Explain and describe your initial response to the book and your response as you concluded the book. (You should not worry about “giving away” the ending of the book in this paper; I’ve read them all. However, when we do book talks in small groups, you should guard against giving away the juicy parts. Remember that your classmates may choose to read this book for their next Book of Choice.)

6. As just mentioned, you will be presenting your book and insights with a small group of classmates on this day, in addition to turning in your paper.

7. Your paper should be between 1,000 and 1,250 words. This will probably be three typed pages. I prefer that you use 1 ½ spacing (like this page) instead of double. Use a standard 12-point font and an MLA heading.

A few words about the analysis of rhetorical devices:

DETAILS
The German architect Mies van der Rohe once said, “God dwells in the details.” Another somebody once said in order to pass off a lie, it needs one good detail. Indeed, they are what make stories vivid and real for the reader. Think critically about the details your author chose to include in the passages you chose: what does that detail add? Maybe it’s reader empathy, maybe it’s humor, maybe it’s believability. You figure it out and comment coherently on the effect.

IMAGERY
Imagery gets the reader’s senses and imagination involved in the process. Often, imagery involves the visual sense, but it can extend to the other four senses, as well. In your career as English students, you’ve learned many tools of imagery: simile, metaphor, alliteration, personification, symbolism. You should include an analysis of imagery in your paper.

SYNTAX
Syntax is concerned with the structure and pattern of sentences. Repetition, juxtaposition, inverted order, parallelism, polysyndeton, asyndeton, loose and periodic sentences (look ‘em up!) are all syntactical devices that make a difference in how a reader understands the author’s meaning. Punctuation makes a difference. (Take a look at the first three paragraphs of Poe’s Tell-tale Heart. Just the hyperactive dashes alone signal to the reader that the narrator is a crazy person.) The authors of all these books are masters of syntax, so you will find many significant observations to make about their use of it.

DICTION
I will tell you this a million times in class next year, but we never refer to an author’s diction unless we have an adjective in front of the word diction. Saying, “the author uses a lot of diction” is the same as saying, “the author uses a lot of words.” A tiny sampling of ways to categorize diction includes formal, informal, colloquial, slang, concrete, abstract, denotative, connotative, euphonious, cacophonous; and like I said, that’s a tiny sampling. Once you determine a way to describe the diction, you must then ask (and answer) why the author made such word choices.

For more clarity on any of these topics, you can Google “DIDLS,” which is an acronym for details-imagery-diction-language-syntax. Plenty of English nerds have written good stuff on rhetorical analysis, and it’s out there. Am I available to help you? Yes, but I want you to make significant efforts on your own before reaching out to me. Emailing me is best, but you may call if you must. 713.208.1524.

Part III. EXTRA SPECIAL OPPORTUNITYIf you love reading, I would like to suggest a third book for your summer enjoyment. This is not mandatory, but choosing the third selection will make a fantastic first impression!

Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft is an exceptional reading experience, and it will set you up nicely for the kinds of discussions we will have next year. Additionally, I will host a book club meeting to talk about this book in early August before school begins. How fun, right?

Be in touch if you have any questions, or if you just want to go on and on about how much you love your book. Happy Summer, Class of '12!

English IV Summer Reading Assignment

Part I: The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde

Directions: Please answer three of the following questions in a three-page, typed and double-spaced document (yes, this means each answer should be one page typed). Please label each answer by its appropriate number and answer all parts of each question. This assignment will be turned in to your English instructor on the first day of school.

Identify the author’s tone toward the three main characters. How are we as readers expected to feel toward Basil, Dorian, and Lord Henry? Find specific references in the text that show the author’s attitude toward the three characters.

What is the nature of evil? What generates it? How is it perpetuated? In the novel, are any of the characters evil? What makes them so? What does the novel suggest are the consequences of evil?

The novel concerns itself with the concept of influence. How are different characters influenced and shaped in the novel? What makes Dorian the way that he is, or the person he becomes?

In his writings Oscar Wilde often presented characters who were not entirely honest about who they were or what they had done. In a well written essay discuss Wilde’s tone toward this “dishonesty” (or to put it more precisely lack of full disclosure), Wilde’s thematic use of this dishonesty (What is he saying about human nature by presenting us with so many characters that are not honest?). Finally, what is Wilde communicating to his readers about the discrepancy between the persona we present to society versus the person that we truly are?

Choose three of the aphorisms* from the Preface and explain what you think they mean and how they apply to the novel.

*a terse saying embodying a general truth, or astute observation, as “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”


Part II: The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka

As for The Metamorphosis, which is also a summer reading assignment, you should be ready on Day 1 for a quiz over this short story, as well as a Socratic seminar discussion. There will be no questions prepared for you, so you should bring some Level 1, 2, and 3 questions to guide that process. Your first grades in English IV will be comprised of three things: your Dorian assignment, your participation in the Socratic Seminar, and a reading quiz over The Metamorphosis.