English II Honors Summer Assignment 2017-2018
English II Honors Summer Assignment 2017-2018 All students must sign up for schoology. Go to schoology.com and input your information in the sign up screen. You will need to use the following access code to access our class page: NK7NN-ZW76G Discussion questions will be posted on schoology once school begins. Read and Annotate The Book Thief. Copies of the novel can be obtained from the library the last two days of school only or you can obtain your own copy. Digital copies are available through the schoology page. The Book Thief – Annotation Guide: Preparation for Socratic Seminar The following are major thematic ideas and concepts discussed in the novel. I have numbered them; as you read look for these thematic ideas & place the number of the thematic idea on sticky notes in the novel as it comes up. 1. The power of words 2. The human capacity to love 3. The human capacity to hate 4. Relationships – Family 5. Courage 6. Suffering 7. Death 8. Friendship 9. The role of chance/fate 10. Hope The following are symbols & motifs in the novel. As you read, look for and annotate where these symbols and motifs are found and developed. (A motif is situation, incident, idea, or image that is repeated significantly in a literary work. Examples: In Hamlet, revenge is a frequently repeated idea. In The Cather in the Rye, Holden continually comments on the phoniness of the people he meet Fighting Accordion Fire Books & words Lightness & darkness Bread Promises & secrets Cigarettes Stealing Colors The kiss Drawing & pictures The snowman Dreams & nightmares Weather Writing Assignment: Choose ONE topic below to compose a complete essay. Essay is due on second day of class. MLA format should be used. See schoology for formatting. 1. Analyzing Character: Liesel Meminger and Max Vandenburg Throughout The Book Thief, Death highlights similarities and differences among the human population in general and between Liesel and Max in particular. Such comparisons are evident throughout the novel. In order to prove that similarities exist between the two characters, however, a reader must first gather evidence that such similarities exist, just as an attorney must provide evidence in a court of law in order to prove his or her case. Examine the novel for comparisons between Liesel’s and Max’s characters and experiences. Write an essay comparing and contrasting the two characters according to their development. Evidence should come from throughout the novel: beginning, middle, and end. Example of evidence: In Part Four, “The Sleeper,” the narrator states that “Liesel, in the act of watching, was already
noticing the similarities between this stranger and herself. They both arrived in a state of agitation on Himmel Street. They both nightmared.” (206) Additional quotes regarding the Liesel’s and Max’s nightmares can be found throughout the novel. 2. Understanding point of view: The narrator of a story provides the details of the story from his or her point of view. Since The Book Thief is told from the perspective of a narrator who is also a character in the story, it is told from the first person point of view. Why might Zusak have chosen to tell the story using first person narration? How does Zusak’s choice of Death as the narrator affect the story? What aspects of the novel would change if another character narrated the tale? You might consider the following characters as possibilities: Liesel, Liesel’s brother, Frau Diller, Rosa Hubermann, Hans Hubermann, Ruby Steiner, Max Hubermann. Discuss these questions in a well-developed essay. Provide quotes and examples from throughout the novel to support your response.
noticing the similarities between this stranger and herself. They both arrived in a state of agitation on Himmel Street. They both nightmared.” (206) Additional quotes regarding the Liesel’s and Max’s nightmares can be found throughout the novel. 2. Understanding point of view: The narrator of a story provides the details of the story from his or her point of view. Since The Book Thief is told from the perspective of a narrator who is also a character in the story, it is told from the first person point of view. Why might Zusak have chosen to tell the story using first person narration? How does Zusak’s choice of Death as the narrator affect the story? What aspects of the novel would change if another character narrated the tale? You might consider the following characters as possibilities: Liesel, Liesel’s brother, Frau Diller, Rosa Hubermann, Hans Hubermann, Ruby Steiner, Max Hubermann. Discuss these questions in a well-developed essay. Provide quotes and examples from throughout the novel to support your response.
