AP ENGLISH

Summer Reading List for Summer 2010

The Bluest Eye

by Toni Morrison

The Sun Also Rises

by Ernest Hemingway

The Iliad

by Homer

Contrast these three diverse writing styles Homer, Morrison, and Hemingway.

Morrison’s The Bluest Eye
Think about narrative voice. Who narrates this story? Notice the different voices and points of view used and how do they affect our understanding of the narrative? Ponder the significance of the repeated “Dick and Jane” allusions?

Consider what other books you have read by women. By women of Color. Could this book have been written by a man or a white woman? What different things is Morrison presenting to the reader about the world of the African American woman?

Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises
Who the heck are these people, the so called "lost generation"? Is their lifestyle believable? Think of the different characters’ relationships to money, passion, sex, Does Hemingway intend for the reader to like them? Are any of them sympathetic? What are we to make of Jake's injury? How does it affect his life and every action he takes in the story?

As you read, you may want to focus on the Hemingway’s writing style, which includes:
* Stark minimalist nature
* Grade school-like grammar
* Austere word choice
* Unvarnished descriptions
* Short, declarative sentences
* Uses language accessible to the common reader

GRADE 12
NON-AP ENGLISH CLASSES

Brave New World

by Aldous Huxley

Study Guide for Brave New World

Brave New World

Huxley imagines a "utopia" where children are processed genetically in bottles rather than conceived 'naturally', and belong to one of five classes according to their intelligence: from perfect "Alphas" down to moronic "Epsilons.” Learning, which takes place by rote teaching during sleep, consists of enforcing certain behavior patterns through suggestion. This is backed up by the legal drug 'soma' that pacifies people through a false sense of fulfillment. The story is that of an unhappy Alpha-Plus man called Bernard Marx who is unusual for his genetic caste since he is short and unorthodox in his ideas. He has fallen in love with a girl called Lenina, whom he takes to an island of 'savages' where he meets a handsome young savage called John. Bernard manages to bring him back to 'civilization'. The story follows John as he is treated as a circus freak. John becomes the focus of the novel as it leads towards its inevitable conclusion.

Assignment for Brave New World (due the first FULL day of school)

Incorporate the four questions below in a well-developed essay of three to four typed pages. It will be necessary to do a bit of research on Shakespeare's drama The Tempest so that you can intelligently draw some conclusions in your essay. The novel (returned in the condition in which you received it) and the essay are due on the first day of class. During our first full week of classes, there will be an exam on the novel.

The title Brave New World and John's comments in Chapter VIE, "O Wonder!... How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind isL.O brave new world that has such people in it." are allusions to The Tempest by William Shakespeare. Discuss Huxley's purpose in using this play as the center of this novel.

a.   What does Huxley mean by the "brave new world"?

b.   What lesson about the future is Huxley presenting in this novel, particularly through the character of John, the Savage?

c.   What warning does Huxley try to impart through John?

d.   To what degree is this warning relevant for today's society?

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