Congratulations on signing up to participate in Honors English your freshman year. I promise we will have a very fun, yet challenging, year together. In order to keep our literary minds and writing skills in top form, we must do some summer reading and writing. I know, you are sighing and moaning in your head, or quite possibly even out loud, when you are receiving and reading this. However, this summer reading assignment is not an assignment that is overly taxing or grueling; you are only going to be required to read one novel and complete one major writing assignment. Why am I only requiring you to read one novel and complete one writing assignment? The answer is quite simple. I am only requiring you to read one novel because I want it read thoroughly and carefully, and I want the writing assignment done thoroughly and thoughtfully. Overall, I want this assignment to reflect your BEST work. With this being said, the exact parameters of the assignment are listed below:
Assignment:
- Obtain a copy of Animal Farm by George Orwell.
The publication that should be obtained is the Signet Classic.
- Read and annotate the entire book. (Annotation means actively
reading by writing and marking in your book. Please see the attached
annotation by active reading guide.)
3. Write a clear, coherent, and well-developed complete essay
selecting and explaining two major themes in Animal Farm.*
*All writing assignments should be typed in 12 point Times New Roman font, double
spaced, and have 1” margins. Please see the attached “Complete Essay Diagram” for a
basic formal essay writing structure. Also, please see the attached handout regarding “theme”
in order to aid in your identification and explanation of your two major themes in Animal Farm.
Please approach this book and assignment with an open mind and positive attitude. Also, please do not procrastinate! If all the students completing this assignment put it off until August, you may have trouble obtaining a copy of the novel, and by “cramming” to complete the assignment, the quality of your work will suffer. All of the required assignment is due on the first day of school; you should also be sure to bring your copy of the novel with you. Finally, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me by e-mail () or phone (330-206-5035). Good luck and have a fun, safe, and productive summer.
Sincerely,
Mr. Raber
Mr. Raber
MHS English Teacher:
Freshman Honors
Regular Senior
Marlington High School English
Annotation by Active Reading Guide
-When we annotate properly, we will be performing a function called “active reading.”
-Since we will annotate texts all year, you need to develop a system that works for you.
-Effective annotating is both economical and consistent.
-The techniques are almost limitless.
Possible techniques of HOW TO annotate:
- Make brief comments in the margins. Use any white space available - inside cover, random blank pages
- Make brief comments between or within lines of the text. Do not be afraid to mark within the text itself.
- Circle or put boxes, triangles, or clouds around words or phrases.
- Use abbreviations or symbols - brackets, stars, exclamation points, question marks, numbers, etc.
- Connect words, phrases, ideas, circles, boxes, etc. with lines or arrows.
- Underline – CAUTION: Use this method sparingly. Underline only a few words. Always combine with
another method such as comment. Never underline an entire passage. Doing so takes too much time and
loses effectiveness. If you wish to mark an entire paragraph or passage, draw a line down the margin or
use brackets. [ ]
- Highlight – See underline. You cannot write with a highlighter anyway…and it fades in time.
- Create your own code…Maybe using colors works best for you.
- Usually…Use post-it notes only if you have exhausted all available space (unlikely)…or if you do not
own the text.
Possible examples of WHAT TO annotate:
- Your thoughts, feelings, and reactions to the text
- Comment on something that: intrigues, impresses, amuses, shocks, puzzles, disturbs, repulses, aggravates, etc.
- Have a conversation with the text. Talk back to it.
- Express agreement or disagreement.
- Questions you may have
- Mark character names (One method is to highlight, in blue, the name of the character the first time it is mentioned. This allows for easy identification of where a character first enters a literary work.)
- Comment on the actions or development of a character.
- Does the character change? Why? How? The result?
- Comment on lines/sections/quotations you think are especially significant, powerful, or meaningful.
- Summarize key events. Make predictions.
- One method is to write key events largely at the top of the page so you can easily find them when flipping through the text.
- Note any unfamiliar words.
- One method is to box them in and write their meaning close in the margin. If there are numerous per
page/passage, I like to number the words and number their definitions in the margin.
- Note where you can connect ideas to each other or to other texts.
- Note if you experience an epiphany.
- Note anything you would like to discuss or do not understand.
- Note how the author uses language. Note the significance if you can.
- Note the use and effect of word choice (diction) or sentence structure or type (syntax)
- Note the use of diction and syntax to create voice
- Note the point of view and its effect
- Note the narrator and the reliability of narrator
- Note the repetition of words, phrases, actions, and events
- Note any patterns or cluster ideas
- Note the narrative pace / time / order of sequence of events
- Note the tone and mood
- Note any irony (situational, verbal, dramatic) - Note the use of imagery
- Note any contrasts / contradictions / juxtapositions / shifts
- Note themes
- Note allusions
- Note symbols
- Note figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification, kenning, etc.)
- Note the setting / historical period
- Summary Techniques (One method is after you read a chapter, you go back to the page where the chapter
begins and write the key events of the chapter. Also, you can mark significant events as they occur at the top
of the pages in larger writing. Both of these techniques make referencing key events later much easier. )
**Note any other figurative language or literary device
End Note:
Overall, the most common complaint about annotating is that it slows down your reading. Yes, it does; that is the point. If annotating as you read annoys you, read a chapter, then go back and annotate. Reading a text a second time is always preferable anyway.
Raber’s Complete Standard Formal Essay Diagram
Theme
Definition:
Theme – In literature, the central or dominating idea, the “message,” implicit in a work. The theme of a work is seldom stated directly. It is an abstract concept indirectly expressed through recurrent images, actions, characters, and symbols and must be inferred by the reader or spectator. Theme differs from subject (the topic or thing described in a work) in that theme is a comment, observation, or insight about the subject. For example, the subject of a poem may be a flower; its theme, a comment on the fleeting nature of existence.