Literary Arts I Summer
Reading 2008
Welcome to Literary Arts I!
The coming year promises to be challenging, intellectually stimulating, and,
most of all, fun. In preparation for the course, please complete the following
summer reading assignments. Written assignments should be typed and presented
in a creative portfolio. Assignments are
due on Monday, September 8th.
Writer’s Journal
This summer is the time to begin writing in your journal. This is a wonderful place to record your summer memories, brainstorm ideas for poetry, vent your frustrations, and any other creative use you can imagine. This provides an ideal springboard for your pending adventure in literature at School of the Arts. Journals will be graded on completing at least ten full-page (8 1/2 by 11, or equivalent, size paper) entries. Feel free to write more!
Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
Read and explore Will Tweedy’s adventure in Cold Sassy, Georgia. Create a storyboard that illustrates the key moments of one important episode in the novel (e.g., the train, the marriage, the school play, etc.). The storyboard should include at least eight images illustrating the key components of the selected episode: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander
Dumas
First of all, be sure to read the abridged version of this classic (the shorter version). Pretend you are a reporter traveling in the Count’s shadow. Assemble a reporter’s notebook about the adventures of the Count. Your notebook should be approximately 5 pages in length and include interviews with characters, pictures of the location, people, or events. Be creative!
Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton
Place yourself in the time and culture of the book. Write an editorial to your local paper in reaction to the racial injustice detailed in the story of Stephen Kumalo. Be sure to identify the social issues you see as important and carefully react to them. This is not a letter to the editor but rather an editorial. Make sure to research the difference before you write.
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Literary Arts II Summer
Reading 2008
Welcome to Literary Arts II! In
preparation for the course, please complete the following summer reading
assignments. Written assignments should be typed and presented in a portfolio. Assignments are due on the Monday,
September 8th.
The Glass Menagerie by
Create a visual
representation in any medium examining the extent to which the following
quotation applies to each of the three main characters: In T.S. Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral, the main character
Becket says, “Humankind cannot bear very much reality.” To accomplish this task
you will first need to arrive at a good working definition of “reality.” Draw
fully and specifically from the play, incorporating at least one direct quote per character. Your
projects will be graded on effort, craftsmanship, and, of course, content.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Choose two characters from
the novel and create a dialogue in which they confront each others’ character
flaws. This is your chance to have any two characters get together and duke it
out verbally. Feel free to be creative,
or you can stick to the facts of the novel.
Most importantly, create dialogue that exposes the essential elements of
each character. Your dialogues should be
at least three pages long and incorporate appropriate stage directions.
The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Create a found poem collage
of at least 24 lines discussing the reasons for Huck's rebellion. In
particular, consider his final words: “I reckon I got to light out for the
territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally, she's going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can't stand it. I been
there before.” (Remember: A found poem
collage is a poem comprised solely of direct quotes from the text that you
arrange into “poem form.” Just about anything can be a poem—yours need not rhyme
or have a particular rhythm.)
The Good Earth by
Write an essay discussing
Wang Lung's goals in life (for himself and his family), and how he achieves
them. Then contrast these with the next generation of the House of Wang, and
explain how the goals and lifestyles differ.
You must use direct quotes (with parenthetical references including page
numbers) in order to substantiate your argument.
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Literary Arts III Summer
Reading 2008
Ready for Round II?? In
preparation for our year-long exploration of philosophy and literary theory, please
complete the following summer reading assignments.
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
Caesar is one of Shakespeare’s most quoted history plays. Attempt to bring a
single scene of the play into the contemporary world by writing a song that
captures the scene’s emotional power. Think in terms of genres; that is, write
a country song about a scene dominated by regret or a blues song about one
dominated by sadness, or a show tune about one with joy or rap about a
political scene. You will perform your composition, and you should accompany
yourself, either with an instrument or a recording. You may choose to include direct quotes in
your song, but it’s up to you on this one.
- presentations due on Friday 9/5
Walden by Henry Thoreau
Walden is Thoreau’s declaration of independence and a guide to achieving that
freedom. In a thoughtful essay describe Thoreau’s essential ideas and evaluate
his path to independence, including comment upon its relevance, or lack
thereof, to today. Direct quotes from the text (including parenthetical
references to page numbers) are a must!
- complete
rough draft due for peer editing on Monday 9/8
The Old Man
and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway casts a
single human against the forces of nature. Imitate this opposition in a visual
representation of any kind—one that pits a single something against an
impersonal force or forces. Try to capture the spirit of the single something
as well as the indifference of the forces.
- representations
due on Wednesday 9/10
The Return of
the Native by Thomas Hardy
Hardy creates a
world in which the environment, both physical and cultural, surrounding any
particular character limits in important ways the choices of that character.
Create a poem of at least 28 lines that recreates the oppressiveness of the
environment as seen by Hardy. Feel free
to include direct quotations from the text.
- poems due on Friday 9/12
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Literary Arts IV Summer
Reading 2008
Welcome to
Literary Arts IV! In preparation for the course, please complete the following
summer reading assignments. Written assignments should be typed and presented
in a portfolio. Assignments are due on
the Monday, September 8th.
A Day in the Life of
Ivan Denisovich by Solzhenitsyn
Select a scene that is
central to the meaning of the book. After identifying the scene, rewrite it and
place it in a different culture and/or time setting. Use your creative skills
here!
A Farewell to Arms by Hemingway
Create a visual
representation of Frederic Henry’s role in the war. Develop and illustrate a
symbolic representation of this role. For example, if speaking of the role of a
lost toddler in a crowd, a thunderstorm may be an appropriate visual
representation. The visual medium is up to you!
Look Homeward Angel by Wolfe
Look at the life of Eugene
Gant and imagine how his life could have been different. Create a “Game of Life”
to share with the class. This should include characters, pictures of the location,
people, or events from the book. You are
not limited to a board game—Be creative!
Native Son by Wright
Place yourself in the time
and culture of the book. Pretend you are the defense attorney for Bigger Thomas
and write the closing argument for your case. Be sure to identify the social
issues you see as important and carefully react to them. Make an effort to
understand the cultural justification for Bigger’s
actions. Be prepared to make these arguments to the class.
The Elements of Style by Strunk and White
Copy three rules of usage
with which you are unfamiliar or which you find most useful from sections 1, 2,
4, and 5. (12 rules total). Find an example of the correct usage of each rule.
Copy and cite your source.