The Scarlet Letter Reading Assignments

Please note: For homework due on January 11, please read chapters 2 and 3. Complete a summary for each chapter. Then, read and annotate each of the 4 essay prompts. You do NOT need to write a freewrite for Friday.

Reading Schedule: Please read the chapters by the following dates.

Reading	Due Date	Poets
Chapters 2-3	January 11
Chapter 4	In class
Chapters 5-6	January 15	Danica, Jesseca, Nekeisha, AJ
Chapters 7-8	January 17	Netta, Josh, Roann, Mikee, Hannah
Chapters 9-12	January 22	Celine, Alan, Alex, Denise, Katryna
Chapter 13	In class
Chapters 14-17	January 24	Janice, Shahrier, Abbeir, Anjanette, Jeanette
Chapters 18-20	January 28	Nassa, Yazan, Winnie, Catherine
Chapters 21-22	January 30	Byron, Oliver, Jason, Kevin, Chris
Chapter 23	In class
Chapter 24	February 1	Andie, Derek, Nick, Ajia

 

There will be periodic quizzes on the reading.

Written Homework (40 pts a night):

1.  Write a summary of each of the chapters you have been assigned to read. Each summary should be 5 sentences maximum.

2.  Pick one of the three essay prompts and complete a 10 minute freewrite on it. Skip the intro. Try to include a thesis and develop at least the beginning of one paragraph (like a microessay). Try to focus on a different prompt each night and label which prompt you are writing about. Time yourself. You will get a stamp for completion. YOU MAY SKIP THIS PART OF THE HOMEWORK WHEN YOUR POEM IS DUE.

 

Essay Prompts:

At the end of the unit, you will write an essay on one of the following prompts.

1.   1979. Choose a complex and important character in a novel or a play of recognized literary merit who might, on the basis of the character's actions alone, be considered evil or immoral. In a well-organized essay, explain both how and why the full presentation of the character in the work makes us react more sympathetically than we otherwise might. Avoid plot summary.

2. 2002. Often in literature, a character's success in achieving goals depends on keeping a secret and divulging it only at the right moment, if at all. Choose a novel or play of literary merit that requires a character to keep a secret. In a well-organized essay, briefly explain the necessity for secrecy and how the character's choice to reveal or keep the secret affects the plot and contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
3. 2007. In many works of literature, past events can affect, positively or negatively, the present activities, attitudes, or values of a character. Choose a novel or play in which a character must contend with some aspect of the past, either personal or societal. Then write an essay in which you show how the character's relationship to the past contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
4. 2008, Form B. In some works of literature, childhood and adolescence are portrayed as times graced by innocence and a sense of wonder; in other works, they are depicted as times of tribulation and terror. Focusing on a single novel or play, explain how its representation of childhood or adolescence shapes the meaning of the work as a whole.

Poetry Assignment—75 points

Once during the course of this book, you will need to write a poem that is connected to the text. Be prepared to read your poem in class. Type all poems.  Please identify the type of poem you are writing on the bottom of the page.

There are various options for the poems:

1)   Focus on imagery-remember to focus on the senses

2)   Focus on a symbol and what it represents

3)   Write a character poem-you may write an extended metaphor or you may choose various metaphors for the character.

4)   Write a found poem-using words from the novel

 

Look at the reading schedule chart to find out when your poem is due.