This assignment is worth 25 extra credit points for second semester.
Please
tell us the name of the book and the author, and very briefly summarize
the plot (no more than 5 sentences). Although brief, this summary needs to be thorough. Then, answer this in a well
formed, brief paragraph (no more than 7 sentences): Why would you
consider this to be a book of "literary merit"? In case you are unclear
about how the College Board defines literary merit, here is the text I
gave you in class, via the College Board:
Books of literary merits represent works from
various genres and periods. The works
chosen should invite and gratify rereading. Reading in an AP course should
be both wide and deep. This reading necessarily builds upon the reading done in
previous English courses. These courses should include the in-depth reading of
texts drawn from multiple genres, periods, and cultures. In their AP course,
students should also read works from several genres and periods -- from the
sixteenth to the twenty-first century -- but, more importantly, they should get
to know a few works well. They should read deliberately and thoroughly, taking
time to understand a work's complexity, to absorb its richness of meaning, and
to analyze how that meaning is embodied in literary form. In addition to
considering a work's literary artistry, students
should consider the social and historical values it reflects and embodies. Careful
attention to both textual detail and historical context should provide a
foundation for interpretation, whatever critical perspectives are brought to
bear on the literary works studied.
This assignment is due on January 4th by 9 p.m.
Happy reading!
Ms. Delman
The book Animal Farm is about animals rebelling against farmers and the new society they create afterwards. The story is an allegory of the Russian Revolution. During the course of the book Napoleon and Snowball argue about how the farm should be run. This eventually led to Snowball being kicked out of the society. In all the book has the theme of "power corrupts people".
ReplyDelete(analyze will be post later)
This book would be consider a literary merit because it reflects on what really happen during the time of the Russian Revolution. The name of the characters like Napoleon, which can be reference to as the commander that tried to conquer the world. Which Orwell describe to us pretty well though out the book. The setting of the book which is in a farm helps start the story because of how they were once rule by farmers. This helps create the sense that a revolution shall begin. This book can be viewed differently because some people might see it as just an allegory or some might think it is a way of saying communism is bad.
Delete(I couldn't get my hands on Crime and Punishment in time so I figured it'd be okay to read Slaughter House 5 since it was a list though not the one you gave us; I hope it's not a problem)
ReplyDeleteKurt Voonegut's Slaughter House Five is a novel which focuses on the life of Billy, a military organ player in WW2 turned alien zoo attraction turned optometrist. Early on we learn that the speaker believes Billy has the power to time travel and due to this vague power the book skips around Billy's life, changing the setting at least once per page. Billy is born to a lower-class selfish mother and uncaring father but joins the army in order to play the organ with a priest on the WW2 battlefront. Billy is captured and sent to a German prison camp but escapes after the bombing of the German town Dresden, after which he becomes an rich optometrist and gets kidnapped by aliens. His wife dies a couple decades after their marriage and Billy goes public with his knowledge of alien worlds, he gains some renown but is assassinated after a public address on the Tralfamadorians.
Slaughter House 5 settles the initial requirements of literary merit with its genre set under a curious blend of historical fiction and sci-fi centered on WW2. SL5 is chock full of meaning, due to the haphazard chronology there is a constant necessity to describe and redescribe the setting which allows the author to present each scene as a metaphor because they are so jumbled, in fact nearly every line has evidence of symbolism leading to multiple deep and interesting themes (I'd use quotes but I've only got so many sentences). Speaking of themes, one of Vonnegut's central ideas is that of time and the human view of it, he introduces the Tralfamadorians who seem to view time as one, large preformed canvas and simply go through life acting out preordained movements and see all life as ever present and never present which contrasts sharply with the tragedy experienced with WW2 putting it into a more unnecessary, even frivolous light. To expand upon the theme of war, Billy is thrust in with a wide variety of individuals during his detainment at the German prison camp, ranging from cowardly psychopaths to noble idealists who get killed by a firing squad; again again Vonnegut impresses that there are no true soldiers in war, only men and children who happen to be under one delusion or another. In this manner the array of deaths that span the narrative are treated with no real surprise or grief only acceptance; as Billy calmly flits from one time period to another he witnesses passing after passing but he never seems too troubled for he realizes the inevitability of death and its insignificance, only addressing them with a simple, "so it goes". So it goes indeed for Billy encounters the same characters over and over again in one situation or another, often without realizing they are even there; this approach is used to lend a semblance of connection, every individual tied to every other giving a vision of surprising yet seemingly natural happenstances that profoundly affect the outcomes of Billy's life. All in all, Vonnegut masterfully introduces the idea that time a single entity that renders war and peace equally natural, death and life equally significant, and the whole of one's existence rather unconnected to one's desires.
Christine Abella
ReplyDelete3 December 2014
6° – AP Literature – Delman
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, published in 1813, focuses on Elizabeth Bennet and the issues of social status, morality, relationships, and marriage in England during the early nineteenth century (1). Although the Bennet family is neither the classiest nor the most respected clan in their society, the protagonist and her sisters, under the concerned eye of their awkward mother, must find suitable husbands (2). Charles Bingley and Fitzwilliam Darcy enter the scene; Mr. Bingley charms one of Elizabeth’s sisters, Jane, while the pompous Mr. Darcy insults and angers Elizabeth, who forms a strong distaste for him in return (3). However, in a series of complicated events, such as Lydia, Elizabeth’s younger sister, almost destroying the family’s reputation by eloping with Mr. Wickham, Mr. Darcy falls in love with Elizabeth and assists her family (4). In the end, Elizabeth grows fond of Mr. Darcy and ties the knots with him, Jane and Mr. Bingley marry, and Lydia is stuck with her husband and his debts (5).
This classic’s dynamic characterization, intricate plot with its twists and turns, focus on societal issues, and complex writing style ensures it is of “literary merit” (1). The main characters are not one-dimensional; they all evolved and changed due to each obstacle encountered, possess flaws and weaknesses like every other human being, and are relatable and realistic, thus enabling a connection between the reader and Austen’s world (2). Also, the lengthy story is complex—my summary above does not do it justice, and chopping it down to just five sentences was quite difficult—which not only enables an in-depth description of the protagonists’ characterizations and their enchanting journeys, but a wonderful insight to societal and thematic issues as well (3). We are exposed to an exciting “And they all lived happily ever after!” tale, the importance of social status during this time era, the challenging roles of women, human motives and psychology, and internal conflicts: prejudice, morals, emotions, love (4). But, of course, it is Austen’s magnificent craftsmanship and language that creates this elegant atmosphere; her advanced, immaculate writing style paves way for the audience a stronger vocabulary, enhanced reading and writing skills, an enriched insight of life and morals, and an enjoyable read (5).
(Wrong date woops sorry)
DeleteJane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is a work of literary merit because of the complexity of its themes and what it represents from the time period it was written in. Jane Eyre can easily be read as book promoting feminist ideas, because Jane was to retain her autonomy by not immediately marrying Mr. Rochester. Since she lived in the mid 1800's, she was forced to choose between work and marriage, even though she wanted both. The idea of the woman who "has it all" has been seen as an enviable, but almost impossible status even today, but for Jane it really was impossible because of the social conventions of her time. The literary merit is in Jane Eyre is because the pressure put on women to choose between a family and independence is still very great. While it is not uncommon for men to work and still be considered good fathers, a working women is often met with criticism for not spending time with her children. Jane Eyre is thought provoking in regard to how society limits women to only one path in life.
ReplyDeleteThe Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a fictional book about the life of Amir Khan, the son of a wealthy Afghan merchant, and the his poor servant/childhood companion Hassan in the pre-Islamic domination in Kabul Afghanistan. The two friends are torn apart between the conflict in the region by the Russian occupation of Afghanistan and the escalating violence of the mujahidins causing Amir to flee to the U.S in order to seek of asylum. Throughout the novel, Amir unravels mysteries of his past, and his friend Hassan whom he left in Kabul during the upheaval. As a grown, married man in San Francisco, Amir is informed of Hassan’s death by the man whom raped Hassan. Amir then finds out that Hassan’s son, Sohrab, is orphaned determining Amir to return to the war torn country in hopes of finding him.
ReplyDeleteThe Kite Runner is of literary merit because it limelight’s the history of the Afghani society from the 1970s to 2002 giving light to the moderate, peaceful Afghani society as it evolves into a strict, dangerous, religious Islamic society as result of the military coup and the Russian invasion. Other than historical context, the novel is filled with deep tons of analytical devices, for instance the pomegranate tree. The pomegranate tree is where Hassan and Amir would often play, tell stories and where Amir would read to Hassan. The tree symbolizes their closeness, history, and changes together, but not just that. After the rape scene (which Amir witnessed but never spoke of) the two visit their tree where things aren’t as they were. Amir pelts Hassan with pomegranates frustrated that Hassan won’t fight back and in a greater sense, because Hassan won’t hold Amir accountable for betrayal though Amir wants him to. What was once a representative of their friendship has now evolved into a site of guilt and devastation. Well along on in the story when Amir returns to Kabul he stops at the tree only to find it nearly dead and shriveled up.
Posted this a couple of minutes ago but it didn't go through..
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