AP Literature & Composition 2017 Summer Reading Assignments

Expectations for Students in AP Literature and Composition:

You are (or will soon become) a well-read, culturally knowledgeable student of literature, skilled in interpretation, critical analysis, and written expression.

You will read each piece of literature prescribed in its entirety and complete assignments in a timely manner.

You will not substitute study aids like Spark Notes or Cliff Notes, Internet summaries, or movie versions for intelligent, insightful reading nor for help in completing your written work—including your summer assignment.

You will not whine.

Summer ‘17 Assignments include one novel and two pieces of poetry. Assignments for both the novel and the poems are DUE the first day of school.

Assigned novel: Invisible Man (IM) by Ralph Ellison Novels may be checked out by me prior to your leaving school for the

summer. If you do not receive a copy from me, IM is available for purchase at Barnes and Noble (in store and online) and at Amazon.com.

You are to complete the 4-page IM grid that covers every chapter in the novel, including the prologue and the epilogue. Not all categories on the grid apply to all chapters—don’t be concerned if every block is not filled in for every chapter.

You are to write cryptic one- or two-word notes in the small boxes. The grid is designed this way for you to get used to using trigger words or phrases that remind you of the larger context.

Assigned poetry: “I, Too, Sing America” and “Theme for English B” both by

Langston Hughes Complete a TPCASTT for each poem. TPCASTT is an invaluable tool for

annotating poetry quickly—a skill you will more fully develop during the course of your AP Lit year. I have included the following to help with this:

“How to TPCASTT a poem” explanation sheet A TPCASTT typed example completed on “Dreams” by Langston

Hughes. A TPCASTT handwritten example completed on “To Have without

Holding” by Marge Piercy. You do not need to type your TPCASTT—in fact, I prefer you learn to TPCASTT by hand, directly on the poem.

Additionally, I would like to you provide, in no more than one paragraph, your thoughts on the connection of each poem to the novel.

Have a wonderful summer!

Ms. Libby Rodenbaugh rodenbka@collierschools.com

“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.” —Joseph Brodsky

How to TPCASTT a poem

TPCASTT is a method of analyzing poetry that gives you a formula to work from when you’re trying to figure out what a poem means. It’s an excellent way to “cover the bases”, rather than just asking someone to tell what he/she thinks the poem might mean. Below is a description of what you should analyze in each step.

Title: Take a look at the title before you even read the poem. What could it mean? Sometimes, the title is very straightforward – that tells you a great deal about what to expect from the poem. Often, the title is somewhat cryptic in nature. That should tell you something about what to expect, too.

Paraphrase: What is the literal meaning of the poem? It’s difficult to get the figurative meaning of the poem if you can’t figure out the literal meaning.

Connotation: Here’s the meat of the analysis. What is the implied meaning, and how does the poet convey this meaning? (Hint: It does NOT simply mean “negative” or “positive” connotation.) What kind of literary things are going on in the poem? Think in terms of diction (word choice), syntax (sentence structure), imagery, symbolism, etc. Any literary device used in the poem fits under the connotation category.

Attitude: What is the tone of the poem? If you have trouble determining tone, start by deciding whether the tone is positive or negative, and then become more precise from there.

Shift: There is a shift of some sort in nearly every poem written. It might be a shift in tone, in subject matter, in meaning, in rhyme scheme – anything. Look for the shift, and then decide why the poet has a shift in that particular place.

Title: Take another look at the title. What does it mean to you now that you’ve analyzed the poem?

Theme: In a sentence, what is the theme? In other words, what statement about life is the poet making? Be careful: theme is difficult to nail down, and all too often students put down the subject matter instead of the theme.

Directions for this packet: Analyze each of the poems in this packet using the TPCASTT method, step by step. You should do all the analysis on these handouts; you do not need to write on separate paper. Annotate as you analyze; write notes to yourself, underline/highlight key ideas, figures of speech, interesting diction, etc. There is an example for you to study before you start your own analysis.

Theme for English B

by Langston Hughes

The instructor said, Go home and write a page tonight. And let that page come out of you— Then, it will be true. I wonder if it's that simple? I am twenty-two, colored, born in Winston-Salem. I went to school there, then Durham, then here to this college on the hill above Harlem. I am the only colored student in my class. The steps from the hill lead down into Harlem, through a park, then I cross St. Nicholas, Eighth Avenue, Seventh, and I come to the Y, the Harlem Branch Y, where I take the elevator up to my room, sit down, and write this page: It's not easy to know what is true for you or me at twenty-two, my age. But I guess I'm what I feel and see and hear, Harlem, I hear you: hear you, hear me—we two—you, me, talk on this page. (I hear New York, too.) Me—who? Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love. I like to work, read, learn, and understand life. I like a pipe for a Christmas present, or records—Bessie, bop, or Bach. I guess being colored doesn't make me not like the same things other folks like who are other races. So will my page be colored that I write? Being me, it will not be white. But it will be a part of you, instructor. You are white— yet a part of me, as I am a part of you. That's American. Sometimes perhaps you don't want to be a part of me. Nor do I often want to be a part of you. But we are, that's true! As I learn from you, I guess you learn from me— although you're older—and white— and somewhat more free. This is my page for English B.