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AP Senior English Summer Assignment

 

One Hundred Years of Solitude

For your summer reading assignment, you will read One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. You will need to purchase your own copy of this book, either new or used.

N.B.  I have included an article about the author and a copy of his Nobel Prize speech.  Please read these before you begin reading the text.  They contain both insight and context, thus enhancing your reading experience.  I have also included an introduction to the text and a definition of Magical Realism.

As you read the novel, you will compose five journal entries. Each entry should be 1 ½ -2 typed, double spaced pages. It is your choice as to when you will respond to the prompts I have provided, but I expect your entries will address the beginning, middle, and end of the book. At the top left corner of each entry, please indicate the page numbers and chapters to which you are responding, and underneath that, copy the appropriate prompt for the entry.

I have composed five specific suggestions for your journal entries, and you must discuss four of the five suggestions in any order you wish. The “free choice,” can be used once at any point in your reading of One Hundred Years of Solitude. These prompts are meant to aid your understanding of the text and help facilitate thoughtful reading of the novel’s themes and concepts. Write your thoughts about these topics freely, honestly, and intelligently.

Respond to FOUR of the following concepts:
1.  The passage of time – linear vs. cyclical
2.  Solitude and abandonment
3.  History and politics
4.  Fate
5.  Style:  language and Magical Realism
and
6.  Free choice suggestions – Choose one
  *Create a question the novel has raised for you.  Then answer your own question.
   *Describe and explain a personal reaction to a character or event in the text.
   *Discuss what you feel is the most powerful sentence in a section of the novel and how it contributes to your
   understanding of the text.  For clarity, include the entire quotation somewhere in the entry.

Your journal is due on the first day of class; it is your passport into class. If you do not have your work, you will be moved out of AP Senior English and into Honors Senior English.

Please see the attached rubric that will be used to grade your journal. You should refer back to this document as you compose your journal entries to be sure you are fulfilling the requirements of the assignment.

If you have any questions about any part of this summer reading assignment, please see Ms. Drummey with questions before the end of the school year.

 

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