Book Choices (Page counts vary by publisher.)



Book Choices (Page counts vary by publisher.)Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange (213)A vicious fifteen-year-old droog is the central character of this 1963 classic. In Anthony Burgess's nightmare vision of the future, where criminals take over after dark, the story is told by the central character, Alex, who talks in a brutal invented slang that brilliantly renders his and his friends' social pathology. A Clockwork Orange is a frightening fable about good and evil, and the meaning of human freedom. And when the state undertakes to reform Alex to "redeem" him, the novel asks, "At what cost?"Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway (250)Mrs. Dalloway?chronicles a June day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway—a day that is taken up with running minor errands in preparation for a party and that is punctuated, toward the end, by the suicide of a young man she has never met. In giving an apparently ordinary day such immense resonance and significance—infusing it with the elemental conflict between death and life—Virginia Woolf triumphantly discovers her distinctive style as a novelist. Originally published in 1925,?Mrs. Dalloway?is Woolf's first complete rendering of what she described as the "luminous envelope" of consciousness: a dazzling display of the mind's inside as it plays over the brilliant surface and darker depths of reality.William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying (275)As I Lay Dying?is Faulkner’s harrowing account of the Bundren family’s odyssey across the Mississippi countryside to bury Addie, their wife and mother. Narrated in turn by each of the family members—including Addie herself—as well as others, the novel ranges in mood, from dark comedy to the deepest pathos. Considered one of the most influential novels in American fiction in structure, style, and drama,?As I Lay Dying?is a true 20th-century classic.?Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses (325)All the Pretty Horses?tells of young John Grady Cole, the last of a long line of Texas ranchers. Across the border Mexico beckons—beautiful and desolate, rugged and cruelly civilized. With two companions, he sets off on an idyllic, sometimes comic adventure, to a place where dreams are paid for in blood.Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms (350)A Farewell to Arms?is the unforgettable story of an American ambulance driver on the Italian front and his passion for a beautiful English nurse. Set against the looming horrors of the battlefield - the weary, demoralized men marching in the rain during the German attack on Caporetto; the profound struggle between loyalty and desertion—this gripping, semiautobiographical work captures the harsh realities of war and the pain of lovers caught in its inexorable sweep.Toni Morison’s Beloved (350)Staring unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery, this spellbinding novel transforms history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby. Sethe, its protagonist, was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but eighteen years later she is still not free. She has too many memories of Sweet Home, the beautiful farm where so many hideous things happened. And Sethe’s new home is haunted by the ghost of her baby, who died nameless and whose tombstone is engraved with a single word: Beloved. Filled with bitter poetry and suspense as taut as a rope,?Beloved?is a towering achievement.Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (425)“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” So begins Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen’s witty comedy of manners–one of the most popular novels of all time–that features splendidly civilized sparring between the proud Mr. Darcy and the prejudiced Elizabeth Bennet as they play out their spirited courtship in a series of eighteenth-century drawing-room intrigues.Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations (500)In what may be Dickens's best novel, humble, orphaned Pip is apprenticed to the dirty work of the forge but dares to dream of becoming a gentleman — and one day, under sudden and enigmatic circumstances, he finds himself in possession of "great expectations." In this gripping tale of crime and guilt, revenge and reward, the compelling characters include Magwitch, the fearful and fearsome convict; Estella, whose beauty is excelled only by her haughtiness; and the embittered Miss Havisham, an eccentric jilted bride.Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 (525)Set in Italy during World War II, this is the story of the incomparable, malingering bombardier, Yossarian, a hero who is furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying to kill him. But his real problem is not the enemy—it is his own army, which keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempt to excuse himself from the perilous missions he’s assigned, he’ll be in violation of Catch-22, a hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule: a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but if he makes a formal request to be removed from duty, he is proven sane and therefore ineligible to be relieved. John Steinbeck’s East of Eden (625)Set in the rich farmland of California’s Salinas Valley, this sprawling and often brutal novel follows the intertwined destinies of two families—the Trasks and the Hamiltons—whose generations helplessly reenact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel. Adam Trask came to California from the East to farm and raise his family on the new rich land. But the birth of his twins, Cal and Aaron, brings his wife to the brink of madness, and Adam is left alone to raise his boys to manhood. One boy thrives nurtured by the love of all those around him; the other grows up in loneliness enveloped by a mysterious darkness. East of Eden is the work in which Steinbeck created his most mesmerizing characters and explored his most enduring themes: the mystery of identity, the inexplicability of love, and the murderous consequences of love's absence. A masterpiece of Steinbeck's later years, East of Eden is a powerful and vastly ambitious novel that is at once a family saga and a modern retelling of the Book of Genesis.Herman Melville’s Moby Dick (700)In part,?Moby-Dick?is the story of an eerily compelling madman pursuing an unholy war against a creature as vast and dangerous and unknowable as the sea itself. But more than just a novel of adventure, more than an encyclopedia of whaling lore and legend, the book can be seen as part of its author's lifelong meditation on America. Written with wonderfully redemptive humor,?Moby-Dick?is also a profound inquiry into character, faith, and the nature of perception.Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind (1,400)Since its original publication in 1936,?Gone with the Wind—winner of the Pulitzer Prize and one of the bestselling novels of all time—has been heralded by readers everywhere as The Great American Novel. Gone with the Wind?explores the depth of human passions with an intensity as bold as its setting in the red hills of Georgia. A superb piece of storytelling, it vividly depicts the drama of the Civil War and Reconstruction. This is the tale of Scarlett O’Hara, the spoiled, manipulative daughter of a wealthy plantation owner, who arrives at young womanhood just in time to see the Civil War forever change her way of life. A sweeping story of tangled passion and courage, in the pages of?Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell brings to life the unforgettable characters that have captured readers for over seventy years.Literature CirclesAssignments and PointsYou will read a book of your own choosing during this unit. You must choose a novel that at least one other student is also choosing, as small-group classwork and small-group discussion notes are part of this unit. Three reader-response prompts encourage close reading and analysis skills. In these informal responses, arguments, musings, and ideas should be your own (do not steal ideas from the internet). Aim for clarity, sophistication, and uniqueness, and do your best to ensure that these essays are well written, well proofread, and well organized. 1.5 to 3 pages is a good goal. When you have finished reading your novel, you will write a timed essay, choosing from three prompts (prompts are not given in advance). To wrap up the unit, you will also put together one final reflection.All assignments should be either typed or written in blue/black pen. If you wish to turn something in late, just put it in the black bucket. Please be aware that late assignments up to 24 hours late can only earn up to 80%. After 24 hours have passed, late assignments receive 1/2 credit (up to one month from the due date).Citation RequirementsAny time you cite a passage word-for-word or refer to specific events, details, or passages from the text through paraphrasing, you must follow MLA 8 citation rules! You must always include in-text citation and a Work Cited page. Ideas should be your own; however, if you do end up using any ideas or words from another book or from any internet source, you must cite that source.Reading ChoicesShort (3 Hours)Kamala Markandaya’s Nectar in a SieveJane Austen’s Pride and PrejudiceDante’s InfernoMedium (4 Hours)Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird SingsCormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty HorsesErnest Hemingway’s A Farewell to ArmsWilliam Faulkner’s As I Lay DyingLong (7 Hours)Charles Dickens’s Great ExpectationsToni Morison’s BelovedJoseph Heller’s Catch-22Herman Melville’s Moby Dick Reader ResponsesEach response (2-3 pages) is to be an analytical exercise: this requires breaking down and explaining the text. It is okay to give me a little background before diving into your claims, but I have read these books before, and this is NOT a book report or a summary assignment. Your ideas, analysis, and text evidence should take center stage.Choose ONE prompt from each round (three total responses). Remember to include a creative title for each response. Cite using both in-text citation and a Work Cited page.Round One Start with a quotation (or multiple quotations) from a chapter and comment on its/their significance, meaning, and/or application to your life and to the larger world today.Cite and explain a passage that includes rich figurative language and/or verbal, dramatic, or situational irony. How does the figurative language and/or irony function in the passage? What is its purpose?Round Two Cite a passage and analyze the author's style: consider diction, syntax, tone, use of figurative language, sentence types, etc. Why do you think the author employs some of these stylistic elements in this particular work? How effective are these style choices in terms of achieving the author's purpose? Can you identify which literary movement your author belongs to? What is it about his or her style, topics, and choices that help you identify the movement?For this essay, read between the lines… Sometimes it is what characters don't say that matters most. Cite a passage from ? to 1 page in length, and then explain what is really going on underneath what is being said in the dialogue or even behind what is being said in an unreliable narrator’s narration. Be sure to show and explain how you know your analysis is correct.Round Three Explore and explain the writer’s structural choices and the movement of the story within one specific segment of the novel. Analyze an entire chapter for elements of plot, special literary plot devices, and conflict development. Analyze the development of a dynamic character in the novel. How does this character grow, learn, and change? Lay out his or her starting condition, flaws, and struggles. Explain how he or she changes, why, and into what kind of person. You can also consider what this character has learned and/or what readers can learn from his or her struggle and transformation.Final ReflectionRequirements:Typed / MLA formatting2 pages (Please try not to go too far over or under this goal.)An informal style is fine (1st person), but proofreading should still be excellent.Choices:Personal Reflection Was this novel worth reading, in your opinion? Why or why not?What did you like about this novel?In what ways could you relate to the text?In what ways can you apply what you learned from this text to your life?Recommendation Write a book review recommending this book to high-school-aged readers. Explain what this text has to offer young people.Try to convince your reader to pick it up and start reading it! Context ReflectionWhat have you learned about the period in which this text was written through reading this book?What have you learned about the period in which this text is set through reading this book?Why might knowing about the historical context of both the period in which your text was written and the time in which it is set be significant in terms of helping one understand the text in a deep way?Group Talk #1: Discuss (and take notes over) whatever you are noticing, liking, not liking, or wondering about when it comes to these four major elements of fiction.Key CharactersKey ConflictsMotifs and ThemesAuthor’s StyleGroup Talk #2: Discuss (and take notes over) whatever you are noticing, liking, not liking, or wondering about when it comes to these four major elements of fiction.Key CharactersKey ConflictsMotifs and ThemesAuthor’s StyleSmall Group Discussion #1Do you like the way this author writes, his/her style? Why/why not?Explain the significance of the story’s setting(s). (Be specific about place & time!)Are the characters realistic/believable? Why or why not?Is the main character relatable (can you relate to him/her)? Explain.Describe the tone of the novel overall. Look at your tone words list… Is it optimistic, pessimistic, prophetic, cautionary, humorous, satirical, venomous, cathartic, etc.?Are there any characters you hate? Why?Can you identify any important symbols so far?Small Group Discussion #2Are there easier ways for the protagonist to solve his/her conflicts right now? Explain.Are the characters' actions in this novel the result of freedom of choice or of destiny/fate? How do you know?Discuss an important character who is “dynamic”—how has he or she changed?Discuss an important character who is “static”—what role or purpose does this character serve in the novel?How does the author seem to view humanity?Are there any parts of the book that were hard for you to read (as in, made you feel uncomfortable or emotional in some way)?Does anyone abdicate moral responsibility in the novel?Is the plot development realistic? If not, is the plot too cheesy or unbelievable or full of way-too-lucky coincidences? If it’s not realistic, explain why not. If it is, explain why.Standards of EvaluationAlthough standards of taste differ, let the following five values serve as guides to help you as you write your persuasive book talk. Weave these ideas into your speech wherever applicable!DOES IT CONTAIN TRUTH? While truth is often used to mean “real” when people discuss literature, for the purposes of evaluation, truth implies generality and universality. For example, the dilemmas facing Huck, in Huck Finn, that the beliefs and values of the majority are not always right and that human beings often must decide whether or not they should follow their consciences rather than uphold the status quo, are as true today as they were in 1884. Thus, the novel measures up to one standard—truth—you can use to evaluate a work of literature.IS IT AFFIRMATIVE? Literary characters should be worth caring about no matter how horrid their condition or situation is. Good art is affirmative. Authors may create tragedy or comedy, love or hate, or the heights or depths of human nature, but in good literature, the view is that life is valuable and worthy of respect and dignity. In Moby Dick, for example, Ahab dies, and the message is that it is a loss worth mourning.HOW DEEP IS IT? Good literature seems to have a life of its own, a certain vitality to it. When you re-read great literature, you gain new insights that were not a part of your original experience; this is possible because these works do not rely solely on an exciting plot (which wouldn’t be so exciting on a second read), but on depth of characterization, ideas, feeling, expression, and beauty. For example, if one were to experience for a second or third time such works as Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye or Chopin’s The Awakening, one would discover new understandings and wisdom.IS IT BEAUTIFUL? In literature, beauty results from unity, symmetry, harmony, and proportion. When you recognize the relationship of the parts to the whole, you perceive the beauty of the work. Studying style, which includes studying such elements as structure, tone, imagery, and point of view, can help us decide if a work is beautiful. Examples of stylistically beautiful works include “For Esme with Love and Squalor,” by Salinger, and The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne.DOES IT EFFECT YOUR EMOTIONS? A final way to determine a literary work’s worth is to consider its emotional effect. If what you read has merit, you become emotionally involved with the characters. For example, when you are involved with the characters and the characters are involved with evil, your own conscience causes you to wish events had transpired differently. The result—catharsis—is an emotionally draining experience. John Proctor, from Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, is a superb example.StructureIntroduction: Introduce yourself, your topic, and try to hook the audience’s attention. Good ways to grab attention include making the subject appear relevant to the audience, relevant to the current times, and/or important for humanity as a whole.Awards and Accomplishments: Discuss major awards and interesting facts about the novel’s publication history, popularity, or adaptations, including movies or comic book versions, if applicable. This may also be a good time to discuss the author’s accomplishments as a whole.Genre: What genre or genres does the book belong to? What types of readers might be attracted to the book? If they liked “x” (other popular novels or films) in the genre, suggest they may also like your book.Key Characters: Tell the audience a bit about the main characters, considering the protagonist for sure, and potentially the antagonist and some of the more important minor characters. Be careful not to give away too much of the story’s plot, however!Quotation(s): Provide one or two impactful quotations from the novel. This is a good opportunity for you to show the audience what the writer’s style is like, to highlight a key theme, or to discuss an interesting moment of conflict.Criticism: No matter the book, somebody somewhere probably has a problem with it. In a persuasive speech or paper, it is always important to acknowledge and refute (politely) the opposing side to your argument. If there are elements of the novel that you believe readers should be warned about, please make them aware of those issues. Additionally, find out what critics say about the book, and discuss whether you believe their complaints have merit and why you still believe the novel is worth reading. You can search for “criticism” or “controversy” to find critical views.Call to Action: In your conclusion, you want to sum up your ideas and then direct the audience to take action. In all persuasive papers and speeches, it is important to inspire the audience to do something at the end. We want to inspire our listeners to pick up our chosen book!Sample Book TalksMidnight’s Children Book TalkGood morning. My name is Mrs. Lamp, and today I’m going to talk about a novel by the Indian-born novelist Salman Rushdie. This novel inspired me to read widely in Indian literature written in English, and it sparked my deep appreciation for magical realism and an ongoing interest in Indian history. Midnight’s Children has won the Booker Prize, a prestigious award for UK books, the 25th anniversary “Booker of Bookers,” and the 40th anniversary “Best of the Bookers.” In BBC polls, it always wins a spot as one of the UK public’s favorite novels of all time. The Modern Library Association ranks it as one of the “Top 100” novels everyone should read, and I agree!The book belongs to a genre called “magical realism,” a genre in which fantastic and magical elements are presented as normal and within a very normal or mundane setting. The effect is to add mystery and surprise, while also offering a new perspective to the reader, calling reality itself into question and asking readers to reconsider what is real and true. Although the name may seem like an oxymoron, what it really refers to is a story that paints a realistic portrait of the modern environment while also adding magical or fantastical elements.In this particular novel, the protagonist, Saleem, is born at midnight on the 15th of August, 1947. That is a very auspicious moment, because it is the moment of independence (and of division) for India and Pakistan. As readers find out, all of the children born on the stroke of midnight as Indian independence was declared turn out to have mysterious and magical powers, especially telepathic communication. These children come to be called Midnight’s Children. Saleem, from the very beginning, realizes that his entire life’s destiny has been mysteriously and miraculously woven into India’s own destiny, and his storytelling weaves in and out of all the major historical events of India’s first 35 years after partition. It becomes clear to readers that Saleem is both the protagonist and a symbol. He represents India and Indians, and his story is faithful to the energy, the emotions, the optimism, and the heartbreak of India as it steps into independence and then as it is shaken by sectarian violence, war with its neighbors, and political upheaval and assassinations. Saleem famously addresses the reader in the beginning of the novel, saying, Who what am I? My answer: I am everyone everything whose being-in-the-world affected was affected by mine. I am anything that happens after I’ve gone which would not have happened if I had not come. Nor am I particularly exceptional in this matter; each ‘I’, every one of the now-six-hundred-million-plus of us, contains a similar multitude. I repeat for the last time: to understand me, you’ll have to swallow the world.Here, you can see the sweeping nature of the novel, its big aims and claims, and the touch of the fantastic that Rushdie adds to Saleem’s normal-yet-not-normal life.The book did encounter some controversy due to some viewing it as portraying India and its famous leader, Indira Gandhi, in a bad light. Rushdie questions nationalism and whether the very idea of a nation is something “real” or not, something helpful or not. He also portrays Indira Gandhi as monstrous and wicked. However, I think that questioning nationalism and exploring its problems is an incredibly important intellectual task for readers, no matter what they ultimately decide for themselves. I also think it is worth noting that the Indian people themselves were quite angry with Ms. Gandhi, as she had cheated in elections, put down opposition in an authoritarian manner, and acted in the manner of a dictator, allowing her son to turn India into what amounted to a police state. At 400 pages, the novel is long, but it is absolutely worth the time it will take you to read it. From Saleem’s loving grandmother, Naseem, to his childhood arch-rival, Shiva, to his friend and ally, Padma-the-witch, the characters are all extremely unique and super memorable. Each of them will make you laugh, and their stories will give you real insight into another culture. If you think you’d like to try a novel that combines realistic storytelling with surreal, fantasy elements, if you like fantasy, world history, or witty humor, you should read a few chapters of this novel and see whether it’s for you!The Great Gatsby Book TalkDespite its small size—coming in at just under 180 pages—this book is among the most famous and most critically-acclaimed American novels of all time. It would be hard to find someone over the age of 30 who hasn’t heard of it.The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a story about rich people living in New York during the roaring 20s, or “the Jazz Age,” and it describes their decadent lifestyles, their parities, their boredom, and their selfishness. The story starts with the narrator, a young man named Nick Carraway, who has just moved from the Midwest to Long Island, New York. He moves into an area for up-and-coming rich people (people who have just recently become rich, rather than coming from rich families). However, Nick has a relative who lives nearby, on the side of the island where the “old money” lives (these are people who were born into wealthy families), and so he goes over to that side to visit with her, too.It turns out that Nick’s new neighbor, Jay Gatsby (the real protagonist of the story) is obsessed with Nick’s relative, Daisy, and he’s trying to win her back, even though she is already married and has a kid. He moved in to his house knowing that she also lived on Long Island, and now he throws these wild and extravagant parties at his mansion every night, hoping she’ll show up. Eventually, Nick finds out that Gatsby and Daisy had fallen in love before Gatsby had to go off to fight in World War I, but she then she ended up getting married to this rich guy named Tom instead of waiting for Gatsby. Now, Gatsby is on a quest to win her back, and he spent the last five years getting super rich just so he could move in near where she lived and impress her.The novel combines elements of a love story, a tragedy, and even a social satire all together. Fitzgerald definitely makes fun of and criticizes the very wealthy people he is writing about, especially how selfish, dishonest, and wasteful they are. He also writes very deeply about social class, the American dream, the American dreamer, and escaping the past.Since it’s such an important book in our culture, people mention it or reference it all the time. Most people have read it, and you’ll definitely notice people bringing it up at college, or at dinner parties, or in movies, podcasts, or even YouTube videos. If you like to read classic books, this is one you should definitely read!Finally, as far as his writing style goes, Fitzgerald is known for being poetic, modern, and realistic. His wording is very beautiful, His plots jump around a bit, and he doesn’t sugar-coat reality at all. He shows people’s flaws just as much as their great sides. I think the most interesting thing about the book is asking yourself why Gatsby is great; what is it about him that shows us something about the American spirit that is truly admirable and important. ................
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