ELA Summer Reading

English Department Summer Reading questions:

General Directions:

The essays will be due the first full Monday of classes in September, unless otherwise instructed by your teacher.

All questions must be answered in complete well-written paragraph form.

Whenever possible, use quotes from the text to support your assertions.

Use MLA format..

On behalf of the entire English department at CEC, we are looking forward to working with you this year.

Freshman Reading

Heroes, Gods, and Monsters of the Greek Myths, Bernard Evslin

Click here to download assignment that is to be completed, in conjunction with this reading, over the summer.

Sophomore/Junior Reading

Assignments reflect the new ELA curriculum

AP: Language and Composition:

Essays as assigned; The Once and Future King, T.H. White

Download Once and Future King Reading Assignment - click here.
Download Once and Future King Assignment Template - click here.

Tracks 1, 2 & 3

The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien

Questions:

1. Give a brief description of Bilbo Baggins, stressing those qualities that make him an unlikely choice to participate in an adventure.
2. Who is Smaug and what happens to him during the course of the story?
3. Relate what Bilbo does to avoid a war between the dwarves and Bard. How does his plan workout?
4. Explain the circumstances at Bilbo’s home when he returns from his adventures. How has his reputation changed because of his travels?
5. Explain the character weakness of Thorin. What do these weaknesses signify about human beings.

Senior Reading

AP Literature and Composition:

Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert
A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen

Write a short paper of about three (3) typed pages comparing the perception of reality of either Helmer and Bovary or Nora and Emma. This is an interpretive paper of your own ideas: please no outside sources.

Track 1:

Of Love and Shadows, Isabel Allende

Questions

1. What is the significance of Evanglina’s “fits”? Explain the importance of her so-called “miraculous Powers.”
2. Who are “the disappeared ones”? What is their fate?
3. How does the marriage of professor Leal and Hilda prefigure the relationship of Francisco and Irene?
4. What is magical realism? Explain how its use helps us to understand the conflicts in the novel.

Tracks 2 & 3:

The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini

1. Explain the tensions that exist between Pashtuns and Hazara Afghans. Furthermore, describe the tensions between Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims.
2. Describe the relationship Amir has with Baba. Why would winning the kite fight be so important to Amir in light of his relationship with Baba?
3. Why is Soraya afraid to marry Amir? What does her reluctance say about the importance of honor, integrity, and tradition in Afghani culture? What does Amir’s reaction to her fears about his personality?
4. Explain how the rescue of Sohrab is an act of redemption for Amir and Soraya.