Honors English III Summer Reading Assignment

Read A Lesson before Dying by Ernest Gaines

Read The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Do the following things:
1.Take notes as you read. Identify things like irony, foreshadowing,
conflict, character attributes. Each note should have a page number
accompanying it to show where you found that element. You will need
these notes for class discussion and you will be graded on these notes.
2. Create a chart comparing/contrasting the two books in story,
character, style, theme, symbols, conflict, setting. Again, make sure
that you have page numbers for your examples. We will use this in
class to write an essay on the books.
3. Make a list of words you dont know. Define them.
4. Write an essay in which you respond to both stories. Which was
more powerful to you and why? What character did you identify with
and why? What surprised you about the stories? What story seems to
be relevant to your life and why? Which style did you prefer and why?
What were your favorite quotes and why? This needs to be typed.
Your essay needs to show that you have read and understand both
books. You need to use examples from both texts. We will also be
discussing and writing more on these texts, so be sure to do this
reading.
This entire assignment is due Wednesday, August 12. It will be a major
grade.