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Steel-High HONORS American Literature Summer Work
Welcome to Junior Honors English!! This summer, you will be expected to read and annotate one novel of American Literature and to complete the related assignment. Summer assignments are due on the FIRST day of school. Not that I expect this from any of you, but I have to put it out there - any plagiarism will result in a 0% for all parties involved and possible removal from the Honors course. If there are any problems in purchasing a book, please contact me as soon as possible. (You can find all of these novels used for cheap off of Amazon.com). You will be writing in your book, so borrowing from the library isn’t an option here. If you have any questions or need to reach me, please e-mail me at the following address: [email protected]
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Assignment #1: Reading & Annotating
Choose a novel from the American Literature Top 100 List provided. I don’t think you’ve read any of these, but you may not select a book you’ve already read. Books that you will study your junior and senior year in class have been removed from the list. Study the list closely and research books to find the right one for you! Your reading of the book will be done in a “close reading” fashion. This means you will interact with your book by marking up the text. Highlight and underline, provide summaries or interpretations in the margin, give your thoughts on characters, events, etc. Your book will be collected and your annotations/writing in the margins will be considered as part of your grade. If you aren’t sure how to annotate, see the handout provided. You should have no less than FIVE annotations per chapter.
Assignment #2: Reading Reaction Essay
Compose a 3-page essay (Follow MLA guidelines – sample paper in packet: typed, Times New Roman, size 12, double spaced, normal margins) on an issue or theme explored in the text you read. Be sure to cite information from your novel to support your writing and any other resources you feel are necessary. You may write about one of the following questions or another idea that interests you based on your novel:
What does it mean to be American according to your text? How does the text help us understand ourselves or the world around us? What important events in American history influenced the text and how? What are the most important values as Americans based on your text? How does the title relate to the book? What is the role of women in American Literature? How do characters change over the course of the novel? How can nature inspire us? How does the novel portray the American dream? What symbolism is present in the novel and what does it have to do with America? How does the setting affect the novel? Does the American Dream exist? What drives human behavior? Does knowledge, happiness, etc. come at a price? When is progress, technology, or science a problem? What do we learn from experience? What is the ideal society? What theme does the novel express about human nature, experiences, problems, or relationships? What broader social issues does the novel address?
Top 100 American Literature Titles
Listed below are the top 100 titles for the American literature classroom, ranked in order of popularity, chosen by American literature teachers from across the country.
2. The Scarlet LetterNathaniel Hawthorne
3. The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnMark Twain
6. The Catcherin the RyeJ.D. Salinger
7. The Grapesof WrathJohn Steinbeck
8. Their Eyes Were Watching GodZora Neale Hurston
9. The CrucibleArthur Miller
10. The ThingsThey CarriedTim O’Brien
11. The AwakeningKate Chopin
12. Ethan FromeEdith Wharton
15. The Red Badgeof CourageStephen Crane
16. The Houseon Mango StreetSandra Cisneros
17. The JungleUpton Sinclair
18. A Separate PeaceJohn Knowles
19. The SunAlso RisesErnest Hemingway
20. AnthemAyn Rand
21. The Old Maand the SeaErnest Hemingway
22. As I Lay DyingWilliam Faulkner
23. The Color PurpleAlice Walker
24. A Farewellto ArmsErnest Hemingway
25. The SecretLife of BeesSue Monk Kidd
26. Invisible ManRalph Ellison
27. Native Son Richard Wright
28. My AntoniaWilla Cather
29. Narrative of theLife of FrederickDouglass, anAmerican SlaveFrederick Douglass
30. BelovedToni Morrison
31. HiroshimaJohn Hersey
32. Moby DickHerman Melville
33. One Flew overthe Cuckoo’s NestKen Kesey
34. Black BoyRichard Wright
35. Bless Me, UltimaRudolfo Anaya
36. Death ofa SalesmanArthur Miller
37. In Cold Blood:A True Account ofa Multiple Murderand Its ConsequencesTruman Capote
38. A LessonBefore DyingErnest J. Gaines
39. Slaughterhouse-FiveKurt Vonnegut
41. The Bluest Eye
Toni Morrison
42. The Soundand the FuryWilliam Faulkner
43. The Adventures of Tom SawyerMark Twain
44. Catch-22Joseph Heller
45. The ChosenChaim Potok
46. East of EdenJohn Steinbeck
48. Walden andOther WritingsHenry David Thoreau
50. Billy BuddHerman Melville
51. The Color ofWater: A BlackMan's Tribute toHis White MotherJames McBride
52. The Fall of theHouse of Usherand Other TalesEdgar Allan Poe
53. Song of SolomonToni Morrison
54. The Turn of theScrew and OtherShort NovelsHenry James
55. Alas, BabylonPat Frank
56. The Glass MenagerieTennessee Williams
57. The Callof the WildJack London
59. Fallen AngelsWalter Dean Myers
60. For Whomthe Bell TollsErnest Hemingway
61. The Good EarthPearl S. Buck
62. Into the WildJon Krakauer
63. The Last ofthe MohicansJames Fenimore Cooper
64. A Prayerfor Owen MeanyJohn Irving
65. Pudd’nhead WilsonMark Twain
66. The RoadCormac McCarthy
67. The House ofthe Seven GablesNathaniel Hawthorne
68. When I Was Puerto Rican: A MemoirEsmeralda Santiago
69. The Heart Is a Lonely HunterCarson McCullers
71. All thePretty HorsesCormac McCarthy
72. CeremonyLeslie Marmon Silko
73. The Five People You Meet in HeavenMitch Albom
74. Life on the MississippiMark Twain
75. Johnny GotHis GunDalton Trumbo
76. The Lightin the ForestConrad Richter
77. O Pioneers!Willa Cather
78. Out of the DustKaren Hesse
79. McTeagueFrank Norris
80. The Lone Rangerand Tonto FistfightIn HeavenSherman Alexie
81. Dreamingin CubanCristina Garcia
82. Before WeWere FreeJulia Alvarez
83. The Autobiography of Malcolm XMalcolm X with Alex Haley
84. The Autobiography of Miss Jane PittmanErnest J. Gaines
85. The Memberof the WeddingCarson McCullers
86. The PearlJohn Steinbeck
87. The Tell-Tale Heart and Other WritingsEdgar Allan Poe
88. FencesAugust Wilson
89. A Gatheringof Old MenErnest J. Gaines
90. The Glass Castle
Jeanette Walls
91. Going After CacciatoTim O’Brien
92. How the GarciaGirls Lost TheirAccentsJulia Alvarez
93. KindredOctavia E. Butler
94. Little WomenLouisa May Alcott
96. A Yellow Raftin Blue WaterMichael Dorris
97. Our TownThornton Wilder
98. Go Tell Iton the MountainJames Baldwin
99. Mule Bone:A Comedyof Negro LifeLangston Hughes & Zora Neale Hurston
100. If Beale Street Could TalkJames Baldwin
