SUMMER READING – 2016 – RISING IB SENIORS
Dear Rising IB Seniors,
We are gearing up for next year and are eagerly awaiting your arrival! In order to come prepared for IB English IV in August, you will need to complete the following summer reading project:
Ø Read In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (ISBN 978-0-679-74558-7) and complete the attached five-part assignment worth 125 points. The first and second assignments include a “Who’s Who” character chart (15 points) and a Venn diagram with written analysis comparing and contrasting Dick Hickock and Perry Smith (15 points). The third part, a dialectical journal (12 entries spread out over the four parts of the novel), involves both required responses and options from which to choose and will assist your comprehension of the text (60 points); textual evidence with page numbers (citations) should be provided for all journal responses. The final two pieces involve creating a mind-map of Truman Capote’s life (20 points) and then engaging in a contemporary connection to Capote’s non-fiction novel, for which there are several options (15 points).
While you may create hand-written drafts of each piece as you work through the reading project, ultimately the products (with the exception of the mind map and possible optional visual art responses) must be typed. You will be required to submit your work in a pocket folder with brads and will be tested on all of the above during your first English class of the year. You should arrive on the first day of class with these assignments enclosed in the aforementioned folder and your copy of In Cold Blood. Once you enroll in your English teacher’s Blackboard page (during the first week of school), you will also be required to submit every piece of the project, except the mind map and a possible creative journal response, through Safe Assign, so please make sure this is your own, authentic work. Should you lose this packet, you may access this assignment through the school website; you will also find grading criteria at the end of the assignment, which you may want to review to insure your work meets the requirements for the grade you hope to earn for this project. This grade will impact your quarter one and semester averages.
Additionally, IB English IV requires you to have several pieces of literature that do not appear in your school-issued literature textbook. You may want to secure these works ahead of time so you have them when necessary throughout the school year. The required supplementary texts are listed below so that you may plan ahead:
Hamlet – Shakespeare 074347712X
Wuthering Heights – Brontë 0-451-52925-1
In the Lake of the Woods – O’Brien 9780618709861
The Penelopiad – Atwood 978-1-84195-798-2
The Signet Classic Book of Mark Twain’s Short Stories –Twain 978-0-451-53016-5
If you are not financially able to supply these texts, please let one of us know in the fall, and we will take care of it for you confidentially.
We are looking forward to a great year!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Tomlinson & Ms. Millage
Part I: Who’s Who in Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood In Cold Blood A-Z As a reader of Capote’s non-fiction novel, you will be playing the role of an investigator in the Clutter case, a case involving many different people. As you are introduced to the various people related to the case, take notes to help you keep track of who’s who. There are many more minor characters than will fit here, so the final rows are for your choices of other minor characters; just make sure they are not repeated from elsewhere on the chart. You must cover the 29 characters named here, plus 6 more of your choice for a total of 35 different people. Again, you may wish to handwrite initially, but your final version must be typed.
Name / Description (Physical Traits, if provided+Personal Traits) / Role/Relevance to Case(i.e. important actions/ words/position in Holcomb)
Mrs. Hideo Ashida
Mrs. Archibald William
Warren Brown
Myrtle Clare
Cookie
Alvin Dewey
Marie Dewey
Paul and Alvin
Dewey, Jr.
Mr. Ewalt
Nancy Ewalt
Logan Green
The Hartmans
Mrs. Helm
Paul Helm
Larry Hendricks
Vic Isrik
Willie-Jay
Bob Johnson
Bob Jones
Jolene Katz
Susan Kidwell
Josie Meier
Wendle Meier
Harold Nye
Otto
Bobby Rupp
Alfred Stocklein
Mother Truitt
Gerald Van Vleet
Floyd Wells
PART II: Create a Venn diagram, comparing and contrasting Dick and Perry. Then write a full page of analysis (double-spaced, 10-12 point font) of your findings, providing direct evidence from the text (at least five quotes per character); evidence quoted directly should include page number citations. The diagram below is just a suggestion; your Venn diagram may be constructed of whatever shapes you prefer, but must fill an entire page.
Dick (Richard) Hickock Perry Smith
PART III: Truman Capote’s In Cold BloodChoose and complete all of the required journal responses below plus 4 of the optional responses for a total of 12 entries.
**All responses must be complete, involve textual evidence (including quotes with page number citations), and must be a minimum of one full page, typed, double-spaced in 10-12 font with regular margins. Rewriting the journal assignment instructions and/or rewriting a passage for analysis do not count toward the required length of the response. Label each entry with the Part(s), “Required” or “Optional,” and the bold literary concept as given on the chart below.
Part / Required or Optional / **Journal Assignment InstructionsI / Required / SETTING: The first pages of the book introduce key elements of the setting of Holcomb, which are essential to understanding Capote’s focus on journalistic details. Using bullets or phrases, LIST at least 10 key descriptions that identify the setting of the novel (which include references to time, place, region, atmosphere) and cite the page # for each description. Once you have your list, answer the question providing textual evidence:
What aspects of this setting might influence the characters’ personalities and behavior as well as readers’ perception? Be specific.
I / Required / POINT OF VIEW & STRUCTURE: Authors make a conscious decision about how they will tell the story. Capote tells the story from two alternating points of view – the Clutters and the murderers. First, identify two (2) examples of each of these points of view (along with reference).Then, comment on the effect of this structure and the absence of Capote’s voice in the narrative. You may also want to pay attention to and comment on how Capote connects the two perspectives through a common motif or situation.
I / Optional / CHARACTER: Rather than a fictional protagonist with an antagonist and minor characters, this non-fiction novel has an entire cast of characters, who are all very real people. Even so, Capote does not present them as objectively as a journalist might; he builds complex characters, more fictional in presentation than journalistic. Discuss members of the Clutter family. Include at least one (1) detail that personalizes each (include page # citation).
II / Required / FORESHADOWING: In literature, clues are called foreshadowing; in real-life investigations, they might be considered leads. Discuss how Capote uses foreshadowing in a literary sense as well as how some details might be perceived as leads (or false leads). Also consider the effect of these elements on the reader. (You may include some details from Part I, but should focus primarily on Part II.)
II / Required / MOTIF: Discuss how and to what effect Capote develops a dream motif. Consider dreams in a broad sense (to include dreams while sleeping, premonitions, goals/aspirations, the concept of the American Dream, etc.). What do dreams tell us about various characters and situations?
I & II / Optional / EPISTOLARY ELEMENTS: Capote includes epistolary elements such as diary entries, newspaper clippings, and letters. Discuss how these elements build characterization (sometimes of both the writers and subjects of these documents) and contribute to various themes and motifs. Also consider how these elements might affect investigators and Capote’s readers.
I - III / Required / THEME – By this point in his non-fiction novel, Capote has clearly developed the theme of family relationships (both parent-child and sibling relationships). With the pictures he paints of the murderers’ families, the reader is invited to consider how they compare and contrast to each other as well as to the family relationships and dynamics within the Clutter and Dewey families. Explore the similarities and differences in these various families, and draw some personal conclusions about how and why they are important to the case and to Capote’s masterpiece.
I - III / Required / IMAGERY: Some of the imagery in Capote’s work is particularly disturbing, especially when we consider he is writing about actual violence with real-life victims. Discuss Capote’s use of imagery and its impact on observers, investigators, and readers. Since some of the details are withheld until Part III, be sure to include imagery from Part III, but you can also connect it to imagery provided earlier. Also consider the effect of Capote’s withholding of some key details until Part III, even though readers know early on who was murdered and by whom.
II-III / Optional / VIGNETTES & FLASHBACKS: Capote uses brief literary sketches (or vignettes) as well as flashbacks that sometimes read almost like free-standing short stories. Write about one or more of these snippets and how each anecdote or incident you choose impacts readers’ emotions as well as reactions to characters and motifs. Consider the stories of hitchhikers Mr. Bell and the grandson/grandfather pair named Bill and Johnny, Nye’s visit to a Las Vegas hotel, Dick and Perry’s stay in Miami, Barbara’s family stories, or any other piece that intrigues or disturbs you for some reason.
II -III / Optional / MOTIF: Revisit the dream motif and discuss how the dreams of Marie and Alvin Dewey develop characterization, connect to other themes and motifs, and how they impact the reader overall.
IV / Required / SETTING/IMAGERY: Discuss how various aspects of setting and imagery in Part IV “The Corner” are developed by Capote as well as his intended purpose and/or impact on the reader.
IV / Optional / PERSONAL RESPONSE TO LAW AND ETHICS: Capote includes a great deal of detail about the legal aspects of the case and its aftermath including attorneys’ decisions, testimony during the trial, the appeals process, and the executions. Write your personal reactions to any of the legal aspects of the case and/or to capital punishment as an ethical concern using Dick and Perry as examples.
Part IV / Optional / CHARACTERIZATION, PSYCHOLOGY/HISTORICAL/LEGAL CONTEXT
Capote includes the stories of other Kansas death row inmates at Lansing with Smith and Hickock. Discuss one or more of the other inmates at “The Corner.” Include anything you might find interesting about the psychology of the murderer(s) as well as how he/they might be significant in terms of legal precedent. Also, speculate on Capote’s purpose for including him/the in his work.
Whole
Novel / Required / THEME/BIG IDEA: Explore Capote’s ideas about two (2) of the following themes in In Cold Blood: (a) human nature and evil, (b) justice and punishment, (c) nature vs. nurture (naturalism), or (d) fate v. free will. Explain his position and how he argues his position on each idea through the plot, the setting, the characters, and his overall writing style.
Whole Novel / Required / IRONY – Discuss major examples of irony leading up to and including the final portion of the non-fiction novel. Consider the impact on the reader as well as ideas about author’s purpose.
Whole Novel / Optional / PATHOS: Capote elicits varying degrees of sympathy for different characters. For which character or characters do you feel the most sympathy? Explain why and through what means Capote achieves this effect.
Whole
Novel / Optional / CREATIVE RESPONSE:
Write the first page of a new chapter in the book–either a prequel or sequel chapter—imitating Capote’s style as you write.
Whole Novel / Optional / CREATIVE RESPONSE:
Choose a passage and create a graphic representation of the text, paying close attention to details. You may use literal or symbolic representations, abstractions, color, shape, form–but make sure that everything you include has meaning and can be traced back to specific references to the text. Include a significant quotation from the passage at the bottom of the page (with page # citation).
You may create the visual in any way you see fit. In a short paragraph, you should explain your choice of graphics, color, shape, etc. and the textual references that inspired them.
In Cold Blood Truman Capote (ISBN 978-0-679-74558-7)
Part IV : Mind Map Assignment – Truman Capote
Mind Mapping Guide
Step 1 – Creating your central idea
Create your central idea as the theme (“center”) of your Mind Map. The center of your map should ideally be/include an image related to your central idea, as images help you imagine and remember information.
Step 2 – Adding your ideas
You next need to add your ideas and thoughts to your Mind Map. You can do this by adding branches for each of your ideas. Curved, natural branches are the most effective as they reflect how you brain thinks. Straight lines don’t excite your mind, which means that you aren’t soaking up so much information. Curved lines create variety and excitement for your eyes, making the information they hold easier to remember! Give your main ideas thicker branches to show their importance. Your branches should become less and less thick as you add your second and third level ideas.