2007-08 Upper School Reading Lists

Ninth Grade

The Hero’s Journey

You must get the editions listed below!

Orson Scott Card. Ender’s Game ISBN 0812550706 (TOR)

Sandra Cisneros.  The House on Mango Street  ISBN 0679734775 (Vintage)

Essay topic:

The development of Ender Wiggin throughout the novel Ender’s Game is one of much controversy.  He is looked at as a hero by the International Fleet and by the people of Earth; however, during the course of the novel, Ender commits many atrocious and heinous acts.  Consider: Is Ender Wiggin a monster or a hero?  Choose three events in the novel and either defend, condemn, or qualify* Ender’s actions. Place these examples in context, but do not merely summarize.  Analyze the effect and consequences of Ender’s actions and how they reflect on his character.

You will need an introduction with a thesis statement, at least three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You must use at least one short, partial quotation per body paragraph.  After the quote, include the author’s last name and page number in parentheses followed by a period. Your essay must be typed and double-spaced.

The essay is due the first day of class.

*Qualifying a position means that you will offer exceptions, conditions, or considerations.

Supplementary Reading List

English teachers will have details of the extra credit available for these two titles at the start of school.   

Edgerton.  Walking Across Egypt

Sams. Run With the Horseman

Also Recommended:             

Burns.  Cold Sassy Tree

Pullman. The Golden Compass

Card.  Ender’s Shadow

Paulsen. Winterdance

Recommended films: 

Chariots of Fire

Never Cry Wolf

Dead Poets Society

The Princess Bride 

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10th Grade & 10th Grade Honors

Freedom and Human Dignity

You must get the editions listed below!

Kay Gibbons.  Ellen Foster  ISBN 0375703055 (Vintage)

Larry Watson.  Montana 1948  ISBN 0671507036 (Washington Square Press)

English 10 essay topic:

Write a well-developed essay (typed, double spaced) in which you discuss the role of a secondary or minor character in Montana 1948.    You should address a range of functions for the character you select.  Consider how the character influences the plot, the other characters of the work, and the theme.  Avoid plot summary.  You should have at least one partial quotation per body paragraph to support your assertions.  The essay is due the first day of class.

English 10 Honors essay topic:

Carefully consider the following passages about fathers and sons.  In a cogent and insightful essay, analyze the relationship between David and his father, Wesley, or between Wesley and his father, Julian.  How does the relationship influence and shape the worldview of the son?  Your essay should be between 2-3 pages and should make specific references to the novel and incorporate effective partial quotations (correctly cited).  The essay is due the first day of class.

One of the strangest relationships in the world is that between father and son. I know it now from having sons of my own.

A boy wants something very special from his father. You hear it said that fathers want their sons to be what they feel they themselves cannot be, but I tell you it also works the other way. I know that as a small boy I wanted my father to be a certain thing he was not. I wanted him to be a proud, silent, dignified father. When I was with the other boys and he passed along the street, I wanted to feel a glow of pride: “There he is. That is my father.”

But he wasn’t such a one. He couldn’t be.

Sherwood Anderson, “Discovery of a Father”

Every boy was supposed to come into the world equipped with a father whose prime function was to be our father and show us how to be men. He can escape us, but we can never escape him. Present or absent, dead or alive, real or imagined, our father is the main man in our masculinity.

Frank Pittman, psychiatrist and family therapist

Supplementary Reading List 

English teachers will have details of the extra credit available for these two titles at the start of school.    

Gaines. A Gathering of Old Men

Greene.  There is No Me Without You

Also Recommended: 

Wiesel.  Night

Steinbeck.  Of Mice and Men

Albom. Tuesdays With Morrie

Anderson. Speak

Recommended Films: 

Life is Beautiful

My Left Foot

The Mission

The Elephant Man

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11th Grade

The American Experience

You must get the editions listed below! 

F. Scott Fitzgerald.  The Great Gatsby  ISBN 0743273567 (Scribner)

H.G. Bissinger. Friday Night Lights  ISBN 0306809907 (De Capo Press)

Annotate your text while reading Friday Night Lights, paying special attention to important passages.  Once you have finished your reading, select six passages from the book you deem especially important.  Passages must be taken from throughout the entire book. On a separate piece of paper, copy each passage verbatim, put it in quotation marks, and correctly cite it with the page number in parentheses. 

Then for each selection, craft a well-written paragraph in which you discuss why this passage is important to the book.  For example, does it add to the character development, the plot line, the details of setting, the progression of the theme? 

Next, in a second paragraph, react to each passage as a reader.  Make me understand WHY you have selected this passage.  To generate responses, you can consider the following as suggested prompts:

• Why does the passage impress, intrigue, horrify, or puzzle you?
• Do you find the author’s use of language appealing or powerful?  Does the passage jump off the page as a great descriptive passage?
• Does it prompt a strong response from you as you read it?  Does it present itself as so well-crafted that you just love the sound of it?  Is the language beautiful, descriptive, graphic?
• Is it particularly meaningful?  Is it a high point in the book?
• Do you find yourself in agreement/disagreement with the ideas expressed?
• Does the passage remind you of a situation you have lived as well?
• Does the passage make you laugh out loud or make you melancholy or make you feel something else?
• Does the author or the character raise intriguing questions or issues?
• Does the passage challenge or expand your thinking?

You are not limited by the above list, and I don’t expect you to answer all of these questions.  But your responses should clearly explain why these passages mean something to you and why they caught your attention.  Remember this entire assignment should be typed, and it is due the first day of class.

Supplementary Reading List

English teachers will have details of the extra credit available for these two titles at the start of school.    

Greene.  There is No Me Without You

Shaara. The Killer Angels

Also Recommended :

Conroy.  The Great Santini          

Tan.  The Joy Luck Club

Cather.  My Antonia

Recommended Films: 

Cold Mountain

Breaking Away

A Streetcar Named Desire

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Eleventh Grade Honors

The American Experience

You must get the editions listed below! 

F. Scott Fitzgerald.  The Great Gatsby  ISBN 0743273567 (Scribner)

H.G. Bissinger. Friday Night Lights       ISBN 0306809907 (De Capo Press)

Respond to one of the following prompts in a well-written and fully developed essay.  Support your assertions with evidence from the text in the form of specific examples and effective partial quotations.  Make sure that all quotations are fully integrated into your own sentence structure and are correctly cited.  Your essay is due the first day of class.

A. What differences exist between the two communities of Odessa and Midland, and how do those differences affect each community's view of itself and the other? How does social class inform those views?

B. What incidences of "delusional visions of grandeur [and] the mercenary mercilessness that made every relationship expendable" (216) appear in the book? Although Bissinger writes that Midland perfected these traits, what role do they play in Odessa, particularly in relationship to the Permian Panthers? What are some of the consequences for the players, coaches, and families of making every relationship expendable?

C. Of Boobie Miles, Bissinger writes, "He had the rawness, the abandon, the unbridled meanness." And Bissinger makes much of the orneriness, fearlessness, and aggressiveness of many of Odessa's football players, past and present, and of many of the town's other citizens. What value do those attributes have for the football players and the community? What other personal qualities might be of equal or greater value?

Supplementary Reading List

English teachers will have details of the extra credit available for these two titles at the start of school.    

Greene.  Praying for Sheetrock

Shaara. The Killer Angels

Also Recommended :

Conroy.  The Great Santini          

Tan.  The Joy Luck Club

Cather.  My Antonia

Recommended Films: 

Cold Mountain

Breaking Away

A Streetcar Named Desire

Deliverance

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11th Grade AP Language American Studies

You must get the editions listed below!

F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby ISBN 0743273567 (Scribner)
Henry Nash Smith. Virgin Land: the American West as Symbol and Myth
ISBN 0674939557 (Harvard University Press)

Expect discussion and assessment of your understanding and insights into these works within the first two weeks of school NOTE: check your e-mail frequently for updates throughout the summer. The summer assignment consists of two parts: an essay and a field experience.

ESSAY (make 2 copies—due the first day of class)
As you read Virgin Land, bear in mind the following excerpts from Panoramas: The North American Landscape in Art—an exhibit by the Virtual Museum of Canada.

All of us are profoundly affected by the landscapes we inhabit. From the land we derive not only our basic food and shelter, but also a sense of who we are as individuals, communities and nations.
• THE MYTHIC LANDSCAPE
Long before the creation of Canada, Mexico and the United States, there was the land. The very earth of North America, its diverse beauty, majestic mountains, vast plains, and sparkling waters, moved its inhabitants to define their developing nations in part through love of land and awe of nature. Combined with religious, scientific and philosophical ideals, each region birthed nationalistic myths, which formed the basis of their cultural identity and destiny. Artists depicting the land in this mythical or allegorical sense shaped and affirmed their nations’ ideologies. These artworks tell the story of each country, enabling us to better understand the places and histories which are depicted.
• NATIONAL ICONS
Some art images have become visual shorthand for a country’s culture and values, expressing, as the saying goes, a thousand words. These icons evoke shared feelings and ideas, which are the basis of a nation's identity. The powerful images shown here may depict a person, such as George Washington, the first president of the United States; an object, like the Canadian maple leaf; or a place, such as the volcanoes near Mexico City. Comparing images that stir national pride, we readily see that pictures from each country are different, but their power and spirit are similar.
• ALLEGORIES AND THEIR STORIES
Sometimes there is more to art than meets the eye, even in landscapes. A picture of a green valley is not only about a valley if the artist intended it as an allegory. In art, allegories express a truth about life or human nature through symbols. As an allegory, a green valley might represent many ideas, such as prosperity or optimism for the future.
Allegorical landscapes are one way that artists express nationalism. The meanings behind such artworks tell fascinating stories about the culture and identity of the countries they depict

For your essay, you will select two or three paintings by one of the artists listed below and show how their paintings reveal the history of our country, its ideals and its values.
The fundamental basis of your inquiry is to explain the choices made by the artist in the presentation of the work in the light of reading of Virgin Land. Given the historical context presented in The American West as Myth and Symbol, what might have been the artist’s purpose and the intended effect on the viewer? Given numerous options, why did he compose and paint the picture the way he did?
Your essay should be three to four pages. You may use additional sources if you wish, but these must be included in a works cited page and information correctly cited in your paper. In your analysis of the paintings, you must make direct reference (correctly cited) to Virgin Land. Remember that titles of paintings are underlined or italicized. You will find links to helpful websites and a list of acceptable outside sources on Mr. Killian’s website (http://www.walkersocialstudies.org/us/apusamstud.htm)

ARTISTS

THINGS TO CONSIDER
• What is the size of the area shown?
• What is the spectator’s viewpoint?
• How far can we see into the picture? Why is that important?
• What kind of place is shown: cultivated fields, woods, riverbank?
• Can the season or time of day be determined?
• What kind of human activity is shown, if any?
• What kind of architectural elements appear and what are their thematic and spatial relationships to the site?
• What is the proportion of cloud to sky? Plane to elevation? Water to land?
• What is the general character of the scene: attractive, forbidding, calm, turbulent, spectacular, intimate?
• What elements determine the effect: lighting, color scheme, spatial organization?
• Does the work seem spontaneous or calculated?
• How do the formal elements convey theme, mood, visual interest?
• What was the original function of the picture? Was it done for a public or private place?
• Is it possible to make a reasoned statement about the artist’s aim? Does the artist wish to elevate the spirit, instruct, moralize, entertain, or satisfy her/his own need for expression?
• Is the color realistic, expressionistic, or symbolic? In other words, does the color look "real?" Is color used to emphasize a certain feature of the painting or to structure the composition in any way?
• How big is the actual painting?
• How is light used? Does it appear artificial? What is the apparent source of light, and what does it emphasize?
• How are the human figures related to one another? Do they link with each other or contrast, are they active or passive? Who are the most important figures? Follow their eyes and see where they look. Do they look out at the viewer, or do their eyes point to a significant object or person? Are they all the same size? Are they in proportion? Who are they?
• Are the figures set in architecture or landscape? What is their relation to the background?

FIELD EXPERIENCE
Over the course of the summer, you are to visit, experience, and then reflect on a place or event that represents something uniquely American. Your written reflection will be in the form of a blog entered within the week of your field experience. In your reflection, you should identify your experience giving any relevant background information, provide an engaging narrative of that experience, and finally offer a cogent reflection on what this institution or place or event says about America and Americans. While there is something to be said for “following your bliss,” sometimes “taking the road less traveled” can be unexpectedly rewarding.

If there is a tour or a video or some sort of program, you need to take advantage of it. Photographs, videos, and / or sound-bites are strongly encouraged. Remember, just as interesting as these places and events are the people who attend them! Ideally ½ to 1 day should be spent in field experience. We will be looking for initiative, insight, innovation, and inspiration. We will consider an experience not listed below (especially if you are traveling out of the Southeast over the summer). Your destination must be pre-approved by Mrs. McConnaughey or Mr. Killian.

PLACES TO GO (in no particular order) NO DUPLICATIONS PLEASE—first come, first served. E-mail your choice Mrs. McConnaughey at mcconnau@the walkerschool.org

Supplementary Reading List
English teachers will have details of the extra credit available for these two titles at the start of school.
Greene. Praying for Sheetrock
Larson. The Devil in the White City

Also Recommended :
Conroy. The Great Santini
Tan. The Joy Luck Club
Cather. My Antonia

Recommended Films:
Cold Mountain
Breaking Away
A Streetcar Named Desire
The Last of the Mohicans

Directions for the Blog:

The course blog page is http://walkerschoolamstud.blogspot.com/ . If you already have a blog identity, you can sign in and blog away. If you do not have an identity that gives you blogging permission for this website, do the following:

1. Under the heading and description for the summer reading experience, you will see the underlined phrase “0 comments.” Click on that hyperlink.
2. The next page you see will allow you to type a comment in a box on the top right of the page, under the heading “Leave a comment.” Enter your blog entry there. You are advised to type the comment on your favorite word processor first, and check for spelling errors. You may then cut and paste to the blog posting box.
3. If you already have a blogspot.com identity, simply sign in and you are finished. If you do not have a blogspot identity, go to item #4.
4. Below the “Leave your comment” box, you will see a hyperlink “Sign up here.” Clicking here will allow you to create an online identity for blogging this site.
5. Follow the directions entering an e-mail address, an online identity, a password, etc.
6. SAVE YOUR IDENTITY AND YOUR PASSWORD. One thing you can do is e-mail yourself the information you need to remember.

Important directions for your safety. DO NOT USE YOUR FULL NAME AS YOUR ONLINE SCREEN PERSONA! Instead, use your first name or your initials so that the rest of class knows who you are, but online predators do not. Additionally, you have an option to list information into your personal profile - Do not do so.

If someone else in the class has your same first name or initials, feel free to create a more personal or creative online name, although you need to e-mail Mr. Killian (killians@thewalkerschool.org) to clue us in as to who you are.

Once you have created your online identity, you may blog away.

Some people are woefully technophobic and will have trouble following these directions. If you cannot seem to log on, simply write your blog entry and e-mail it to Mr. Killian. He will post it for you so others can read it. Feel free, by the way to read others’ blogs and comment.

RESOURCES:
These resources will provide you with images and background information as well as some commentary and analysis. Make sure you cite any information gleaned from these sources and include those sources in a works cited page. REMEMBER: Virgin Land is your primary source; you are not required to have secondary sources.

The Bowden Library
Four books have been placed on reserve for the summer. They will be behind the main desk.  Audobon, Homer, Whistler and 19th Century America, Frederic Remington, The Landscape in Art, and American Painting.

The Cobb County Library
This is an INCOMPLETE list of book available at the Cobb County Public Library Central Location. Some of these are in the juvenile section downstairs; however, often those books have the best illustrations and the most concise information.

Title: Albert Bierstadt / by Matthew Baigell.
CENTRAL CALL NUMBER A 759.13 BAI

Title: The book of the American West. Jay Monaghan, editor in
chief. Clarence P. Hornung, art director. Authors: Ramon F. Adams and others.
CENTRAL CALL NUMBER A 978 MON

Title: Charles M. Russell / Peter H. Hassrick.
CENTRAL CALL NUMBER A 759.13 HAS

Title: Charles M. Russell : the life and legend of America's cowboy artist / John Taliaferro.
CENTRAL CALL NUMBER A BIOG RUSSELL, CHARLES TALIAFERRO

Title: Frederic Edwin Church / Franklin Kelly, with Stephen Jay Gould, James Anthony Ryan, Debora Rindge.
CENTRAL CALL NUMBER A 759.13 KELLY

Title: Frederic Remington / Elizabeth Van Steenwyk.
CENTRAL CALL NUMBER J BIOG REMINGTON VAN STEENWYK
Title: Frederic Remington / written and illustrated by Mike Venezia.

Title: The Frederic Remington book; a pictorial history of the West. / Harold McCracken
CENTRAL CALL NUMBER A 759.1 MCC

Title: Frontier America : art and treasures of the Old West from the Buffalo Bill Historical Center / text and captions by Paul Fees and Sarah E. Boehme.
CENTRAL CALL NUMBER A 708.187 FRO

Title: George Caleb Bingham / Michael Edward Shapiro.
CENTRAL CALL NUMBER A 759.13 SHA

Title: George Catlin and the old frontier. / Harold McCracken
CENTRAL CALL NUMBER A 759.13 MCC

Title: The George Catlin book of American Indians / by Royal B. Hassrick.
CENTRAL CALL NUMBER A 759.13 HAS

Title: George Catlin : painter of the Indian West / by Mark Sufrin.
CENTRAL CALL NUMBER A BIOG CATLIN SUFRIN

Title: Painters of America. / Heiderstadt, Dorothy.
CENTRAL CALL NUMBER J 759.13 HEI

Title: Thomas Cole : landscape into history / edited by William H. Truettner and Alan Wallach ; with essays by Christine Stansell... [et al.].
CENTRAL CALL NUMBER A 759.13 COLE

Title: The trail West : exploring history through art / Ellen Galford.
CENTRAL CALL NUMBER J 978 GALFORD

The Internet

http://www.artcyclopedia.com/
An excellent way to get started.

http://www.nga.gov/education/american/landscape.shtm
National Gallery general information on landscape with links

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~cap/NATURE/cap2.html
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA98/haven/wood/landscape2.html
background

http://www.nga.gov/education/classroom/19th_century_america/art_crawfordnotch.shtm
Make sure you scroll down in the box marked “works of art.”

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/ihas/icon/bierstadt.html
Bierstadt and Remington

http://www.thomascole.org/learn_thumbnails.htm
http://www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/psearch?Request=A&Person=5950
Thomas Cole

http://sullivangoss.com/thomas_hill/
Thomas Hill

http://www.butlerart.com/pc_book/pages/asher.htm
http://www.catskillarchive.com/cole/wcb-1.htm
Asher Durand

http://www.nga.gov/feature/moran/index.shtm
http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/moran/
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~CAP/NATURE/cap3.html
Thomas Moran

http://americanart.si.edu/collections/exhibits/catlin/highlights.html
George Catlin

http://www.fredericremington.org/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/remington_f.html
Frederic Remington

http://artchive.com/artchive/C/church.html
http://www.myamericanartist.com/2006/11/frederic_edwin_.html
Frederic Church

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12th Grade and 12th Grade Honors

In the Mind's Eye

You must get the editions listed below!

Phillip Lopate The Art of the Personal Essay   ISBN 038542339x  (Anchor)

Aldous Huxley.  Brave New World    ISBN 0060776099  (Harper Perennial Modern Classics)

Honors students should also read:

Brave New World Revisited which is included in this edition.

Listed below is a selection of 10 essays from the anthology; each essay has 1or 2 guide questions.  Pick 7 of the following and write a very hefty paragraph response to each.  Be sure to address the topics listed below.  Quote from the essays when appropriate.  Email 4 of your responses as attachments by July 20 and the other 3 by August 5.   Put your name in the subject line of your emails.   Send your responses to both teachers’ email addresses.  Be sure you clearly identify which essay you are responding to.  These are journal-type responses, not full, formal essays (using first person is acceptable), but they should be thoughtful, organized and specific. Make sure you save a copy of all your work.  You will be evaluated on Brave New World within the first two weeks of class.

Email responses (and any questions) to:                        branhamj@thewalkerschool.org

                                                                                                  goldenc@thewalkerschool.org

________________________________________________________________

1.  “Hateful Things” (p. 24) Sei Shonagon

–Select excerpts from Shonagon’s list that you consider timeless and pertinent to our modern culture.

2.  “The Fight” (p. 198) William Hazlitt

Select one:

–Hazlitt spends less than 2 pages describing the actual fight but well over 10 pages describing his pre- and post-fight journeys.   Evaluate the effect of his choice of emphasis.

–Hazlitt says when describing a key point in the fight, “This is the high and heroic state of man!” (208).   Do you think his essay effectively conveys this sentiment?

3.  “Blindness” (p. 377)  Jorge Luis Borges

–Borges viewed his blindness as a gift and says that “a writer, or any man, must believe that whatever happens to him is an instrument; everything has been given for an end” and that “those things are given to us to transform, so that we may make from the miserable circumstances of our lives things that are eternal, or aspire to be so” (385).  Is there something in your life which could be considered a tragedy, but which you accept and regard as a gift?

4.  “Some Blind Alleys: A Letter” (p. 404) E.M. Cioran

–Discuss the significance of the title of this essay.

5.  “On Being an American” (p. 506) H.L. Mencken

–Discuss the effectiveness of Mencken’s use of the burlesque show/circus metaphor. 

Is this essay, written in 1922, still politically relevant today?

6.  “The Secret Life of James Thurber” (p. 514) James Thurber

–Thurber expresses that as a child he enjoyed escaping to his “secret world of idiom” and offers several humorous examples.  Share an example, humorous or otherwise, from your own experience of a misunderstanding of some idiom.

7.  “Goodbye to All That” (p. 681)  Joan Didion

–Briefly discuss how the entire essay sprouts from her opening line.  You may also choose to address the validity of this line, using examples from your own personal experiences

8.  “The Knife” (p. 708) Richard Selzer

Select one:

–Selzer uses numerous similes in the essay to identify the complexity of the surgeon’s role (surgeon as traveler, for example).  Which comparison did you find most interesting and why?

–The essay is replete with contradictions (for example, Selzer says of the doctor’s incision, “It is an entry into the body that is nothing like a caress; still, it is among the gentlest of acts” (708).  Select any two contradictions and discuss how they contribute to the essay.

9.  “Under the Influence (p. 733) Scott Russell Sanders

–What literary device does Sanders use the most to convey the power of alcoholism?  List 4-5 quotes and discuss why the examples are so effective.

10.  “Do He Have Your Number, Mr. Jeffrey” (p. 746) Gayle Pemberton

–Discuss the significance of this quote, both in the context of the essay and beyond: “[Jimmy Stewart in Rear Window] is only content when he places narrative line on the lives of the people on the other side of his binoculars.  He is, in a sense, reacting to images and attempting to order them–as we all do.”

Supplementary Reading List

English teachers will have details of the extra credit available for these two titles at the start of school.   

Greene.  There is No Me Without You

Haddon. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time                

Also Recommended:

Kingsolver.  The Poisonwood Bible     

Heller. Catch-22           

Toole.  A Confederacy of Dunces

Fowles.  The Collector

Irving.  A Prayer for Owen Meany

Kaysen.  Girl Interrupted

Recommended Films: 

M*A*S*H

Being There

A Beautiful Mind

North by Northwest

Psycho

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12th Grade AP Literature

You must get the editions listed below! 

Phillip Lopate The Art of the Personal Essay   ISBN 038542339x  (Anchor)

John Kennedy Toole A Confederacy of Dunces   ISBN 0802130208  (Grove Press)

Students in AP Literature must complete assignments 1 and 2.

Assignment 1:

Listed below is a selection of 10 essays from the anthology; each essay has 1or 2 guide questions.  Pick 7 of the following and write a very hefty paragraph response to each.  Be sure to address the topics listed below.  Quote from the essays when appropriate.  Email 4 of your responses as attachments by July 20 and the other 3 by August 5.   Put your name in the subject line of your emails Be sure you clearly identify which essay you are responding to.  These are journal-type responses, not full, formal essays (using first person is acceptable), but they should be thoughtful, organized and specific. Make sure you save copies of all your work. 

Email responses (and any questions) to: blockl@thewalkerschool.org

1.  “Hateful Things” (p. 24) Sei Shonagon

–Select excerpts from Shonagon’s list that you consider timeless and pertinent to our modern culture.

2.  “The Fight” (p. 198) William Hazlitt

Select one:

–Hazlitt spends less than 2 pages describing the actual fight but well over 10 pages describing his pre- and post-fight journeys.   Evaluate the effect of his choice of emphasis.

–Hazlitt says when describing a key point in the fight, “This is the high and heroic state of man!” (208).   Do you think his essay effectively conveys this sentiment?

3.  “Blindness” (p. 377)  Jorge Luis Borges

–Borges viewed his blindness as a gift and says that “a writer, or any man, must believe that whatever happens to him is an instrument; everything has been given for an end” and that “those things are given to us to transform, so that we may make from the miserable circumstances of our lives things that are eternal, or aspire to be so” (385).  Is there something in your life which could be considered a tragedy, but which you accept and regard as a gift?

4.  “Some Blind Alleys: A Letter” (p. 404) E.M. Cioran

–Discuss the significance of the title of this essay.

5.  “On Being an American” (p. 506) H.L. Mencken

–Discuss the effectiveness of Mencken’s use of the burlesque show/circus metaphor. 

Is this essay, written in 1922, still politically relevant today?

6.  “The Secret Life of James Thurber” (p. 514) James Thurber

–Thurber expresses that as a child he enjoyed escaping to his “secret world of idiom” and offers several humorous examples.  Share an example, humorous or otherwise, from your own experience of a misunderstanding of some idiom.

7.  “Goodbye to All That” (p. 681)  Joan Didion

–Briefly discuss how the entire essay sprouts from her opening line.  You may also choose to address the validity of this line, using examples from your own personal experiences

8.  “The Knife” (p. 708) Richard Selzer

Select one:

–Selzer uses numerous similes in the essay to identify the complexity of the surgeon’s role (surgeon as traveler, for example).  Which comparison did you find most interesting and why?

–The essay is replete with contradictions (for example, Selzer says of the doctor’s incision, “It is an entry into the body that is nothing like a caress; still, it is among the gentlest of acts” (708).  Select any two contradictions and discuss how they contribute to the essay.

9.  “Under the Influence (p. 733) Scott Russell Sanders

–What literary device does Sanders use the most to convey the power of alcoholism?  List 4-5 quotes and discuss why the examples are so effective.

10.  “Do He Have Your Number, Mr. Jeffrey” (p. 746) Gayle Pemberton

–Discuss the significance of this quote, both in the context of the essay and beyond: “[Jimmy Stewart in Rear Window] is only content when he places narrative line on the lives of the people on the other side of his binoculars.  He is, in a sense, reacting to images and attempting to order them–as we all do.”

Assignment 2:

The critic Paul Gary (in Time magazine) wrote of A Confederacy of Dunces, “Pratfalls can pass beyond slapstick only if they echo, and most of the ones in this novel do not.”  In an essay, address Gary’s assessment.  Is A Confederacy of Dunces merely slapstick comedy or are there more serious “echoes” within the novel? 

The essay should be 2-3 pages typed and should include partial quotes; it is due the first day of school. 

Supplementary Reading List

English teachers will have details of the extra credit available for these  titles at the start of school.        

 (no more than 2 books can receive extra credit) 

Hosseini.  The Kite Runner      

Hardy. Tess of the D’Ubervilles

Irving.  A Prayer for Owen Meany

Kingsolver.  The Poisonwood Bible     

Also Recommended

Toole.  Neon Bible

O’Brien.  The Things They Carried

Faulkner.  Light in August.

McCarthy.  The Crossing

Recommended Films:

Apocalypse Now

Spinal Tap

Memento

Mighty Aphrodite

Unforgiven

CONTACTS:

Bob Murphy
Principal
678-581-6900

Scott Phillipps
Academic Dean/
History
678-581-6918

Newton McCurdy
Dean of Students/
History
678-581-6908

Cheryl Rogers
Registrar/
Administrative Assistant 678-581-6895

Tom Auger
US/MS Media Specialist
678-581-6912