Summer Homework
“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.”- M. Twain
Requirements
In order to take AP Senior English (Literature and Composition), you must read the following two books over the summer and complete the corresponding written work:
• Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky ISBN 074348763X
• Antigone by Sophocles ISBN 0-521-01073-X
Obtaining the books
You may borrow the books from a library, a friend, or purchase them. I highly recommend you purchase them if possible so you can annotate them, and bend their pages. **To save money, you may purchase used books through both Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com
Due Dates
The exams over both books will be given the first week of school, and the written homework is due on Monday, August 19. I will be in my classroom from 2pm to 3pm. The summer homework and corresponding exam grade constitute a large portion of your first semester grade, so you will want to do well. Your enrollment in AP 12 is guaranteed based upon completion of all subsequent homework assignments.
Crime and Punishment
1. Essay on Crime and Punishment
Next you must write an essay on Crime and Punishment, choosing your focus from the list of possible topics below. Do not use outside research for this paper; I want to see what you’re capable of doing on your own. Similarly, do not work with any other student; I’ll consider this cheating. Work autonomously. This is not a timed write: take as much time as necessary to complete this essay to the best of your ability.
Your essay should be 4-5 pages typed (12 pt Times font, double-spaced).
Include evidence from the novel and be sure to follow proper MLA (Modern Language Association) format when citing the page numbers from which you take excerpts or quotations.
You can visit this site for details on MLA format or Google Citation builder from the NCSU libraries of additional help.
Choose one
• Does Raskolnikov actually desire punishment on some level? How? Why? Does he want to be caught consciously or subconsciously?
• What function do saviors play in Crime and punishment? Select one character that functions as a savior and discuss his/her efficacy and importance.
Please follow this rubric to help you with your writing:
Literary Analysis- Crime and Punishment Essay
1. Introduction hooks readers with an interesting opening /5
2. Background information (author, the work, period) /10
3. Thesis- introduction clearly states an argumentative thesis /15
4. Main Idea/Topic Sentence: Each critical main idea clearly supports thesis /10
5. Organization: Paragraphs are organized; subsequently, paper flows well and
transitional expressions are used throughout /5
6. Analysis/ Sources/Research: Relevant facts, details, examples; Textual Evidence supports main ideas /20
7. Sentence Variety: Keeps reader’s attention fixed on ideas /5
8. Conclusion: Provides reader with a final insight in an interesting way /10
9. Spelling, Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics /10
10. Formatting: MLA format is correct (including textual evidence) Works Cited is correct/10
2. Discussion Questions on Crime and Punishment
Please answer each of the following questions after you’ve finished reading the novel. The answers to these questions need to be typed. You will find the questions attached. These serve as the source for our first major literary discussion. Provide textual evidence for your answers!
1. Can you think of any movies or television shows in which you are given the
opportunity to see events from a killer’s perspective? Did those movies or shows
interest or repulse you-or both? How are modern portraits of killers like or unlike
Dostoyevsky’s portrait of Raskolnikov?
2. What is the role of romantic love in Crime and Punishment? How are Rask,
Sonia, Dounia, Svidrigailov, Luzhin, and Razumihin each affected by love?
Is Crime and Punishment a love story?
3. Which of Raskolnikov’s actions are most like those of an “extraordinary man”
as he explained it to Porfiry? Which of his actions are least like an “extraordinary
man”? Is Rask an “extraordinary man”?
4. Which of the novel’s characters are closest to Raskolnikov’s idea of an “extra-ordinary man”? What impact do those characters have on society?
5. Why did Raskolnikov kill the pawnbroker? How does he justify the murder?
6. What character traits do Sonia and Rask have in common? What traits does Rask
share with Svidrigailov? Do you think Rask has more in common with Sonia and Svidrigailov?
7. What are some of the coincidences in the novel? Which are pivotal in advancing
the plot? What do you think is Dostoyevsky’s opinion about the power of fate?
8. Tsar Peter the Great built St. Petersburg to be a modern, Western city. What does the city represent in the novel?
9. What features of Christianity appear in Crime and Punishment? How do Sonia
and Rask display their attitudes about religion?
10. What does the author convey with his characters’ illnesses?
11. What is Porfiry Petrovitch like? Why does Rask react to him as he does? How is
Porfiry like other famous detectives in movies or literature?
3. Biblical Allusions for The Book Of Job or the Parable of Lazarus
Part of the AP curriculum is an awareness and understanding of the numerous allusions throughout literature. For this assignment you need to read The Book of Job (Bible gateway is an excellent site for this if you don’t have access to a Bible) or the parable of Lazarus (John 11) and then complete an allusion note card for one of the allusions (see attached handout for allusions). These allusions are for Crime and Punishment only.
The allusion workshop is designed to examine how Biblical, Greek, and Roman histories, parables, events and figures have influenced the development of world literature. All your submissions are due on or before Friday of the given week and should be typed and handed to me on a 5X8 index card. I will not accept these in any other format. Your card should contain the following elements:
• Name of the allusion
• Source of the illusion (poem, story, novel, play, epic) and author
• A short paraphrase of the source (poem, story, novel, etc)
• A 100-150 word commentary on the function of the allusion to the work, which may include conflict, significance, analysis, and the like.
The schedule for first semester is as follows:
Week
1: The Book of Job
2: Raising of Lazarus (John 11)
3: The Fates
4: Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5: 27-30)
5: Danae
6: The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18-19)
7: The Apple of Discord
8: The Angel of Death: Egypt’s first born sons
9: The Tower of Babel
10: Samson (Judges 15 and 16)
11: Medusa
12: Diana
4. Discussion Questions on Antigone
Follow the same format as with Crime and Punishment
1. Why does Antigone feel it is her duty to bury Polyneices? Why doesn’t Ismene?
2. What does Ismene mean when she says, “We are only women; we can’t fight with men?” How does this statement relate to Antigone’s saying her crime is holy? What is the implication?
3. Ismene says, “Impossible things should not be tried at all.” If this were so, how would the world be different? (Your answer would make an excellent conclusion in an essay….)
4. Why does Creon refuse to bury Polyneices? What does his fear indicate? Creon threatens to torture the sentry before killing him if his order is disobeyed. What does this indicate about his ability to govern?
5. Why does the sentry bring Antigone to Creon despite knowing she will be executed? Is the death penalty a fitting punishment for Antigone’s crime? Explain. How does she defend herself?
6. How does gender bias affect Creon’s decision to stand by his original decree? Why does he include Ismene in the sentence?
7. What does family loyalty have to do with Creon’s insistence on carrying out the sentence? What does he hope to prove?
8. Teiresias tells Creon, “The only crime is pride.” What does he mean by this? How can pride lead to faulty judgment? Can poor decisions be rectified? How?
9. Explain the deaths of Antigone, Haemon, and Eurydice. Why did they consider suicide a viable “out”?
10. What measures could each have taken to effectively deal with their situations?
5 and 6 Novel Review Guides
Complete a Novel Review Guide for each summer book. They need to be completed with as much detail and depth as possible. Don’t forget to complete all areas on the NRGs. For section fourteen you must provide an example. The extra commentary for section seventeen is just that: extra. Did you like the novel/ play? What do you need to remember about the work? If you’d prefer an electronic version because you need more space, send me an email and I’ll send you one as an attachment.
Miscellaneous
7. AP style Multiple Choice on Prose/ Poetry
The multiple choice packet was reproduced and distributed at the summer homework meeting. It cannot be reproduced here on the blog.
8. Words to Own.
You will need this list as a reference all year long! Type this list in the following format:
1.Vocabulary Word 2. Part of Speech 3. Definition 4. Example Sentence.
In addition, you will need to compose a 150-200 word short story using at least 15 of the vocabulary words. Have fun with this assignment and show me your creative side. Topics include, but are not limited to: the end of summer, a super-hero, summer school, teenage romance, or final chapter to your
Favorite novel. Include your title (aligned center), Single Spacing throughout, bold face your vocab words, and sign your name at the bottom.
Contact Information
If you need to contact me for any reason during the summer, you can email me. I will check this address at least once a day: kbrown9[at]gmail.com
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