Summer Reading Assignment Name:

Robert E. Lee High School Date:

Before returning to school next school year, you will need to read Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and complete this assignment. This organizer is intended to guide your reading and focus your thoughts in preparation for the discussions and writing assignments you will engage in when you return. You must also annotate your book as you read. Annotations and this packet will be graded. Each will count as a separate test grade.

By carefully completing this assignment over the summer, which you need to bring to class on the first day of school, you will be prepared to discuss the story in the fall and to write an in-class essay using your novel as the basis for your response.

SECTION 1

Title: Author: Date of Original Publication:	Biographical Information about the Author (including information such as the author’s experiences as a child, education, defining experiences, major influences):
What is one way you see the author’s background (biographical information) influencing the story? For example, was there an event in the story that in some way paralleled the author’s life or beliefs?	Setting (if there are multiple settings, select the two that are most significant): Location (s): Era: Culture:

SECTION 2

Key Characters: Name the three (3) most important characters in your novel, describe each character using three (3) adjectives (none of which describes a physical trait), and provide two (2) concrete details (quotations and page numbers) to support your choices.

Name	Adjectives	Concrete Details	Page Number
	1. 2. 3.	1. 2.	1. 2.
	1. 2. 3.	1. 2.	1. 2.
	1. 2. 3.	1. 2.	1. 2.

SECTION 3

Conflict: Often, characters in literature face conflict that is central to the story as a whole. An internal conflict occurs when a character struggles within herself or himself. Often this internal conflict leads to a change in the character. He or she might be pulled by opposing desires, influences, duties, or other significant forces. For example, the opposing forces of a character’s desire for freedom versus a sense of obligation to family might cause that character to be in conflict. An external conflict exists outside of the character. For example, a character who attempts to climb Mt. Everest may come in conflict with the forces of nature.

Choose a character from your novel who you think faces an internal or external conflict. Then, on the left side of the chart, identify one of the forces pulling that character, and on the right side of the chart, identify the opposing force.

Name of Character:
Type of Force (Internal or External):		Type of Opposing Force (Internal or External):
Concrete Details: Select 2 quotations you think illustrate or explain this side of the conflict.	Commentary: Briefly explain why you chose each quotation and its connection to the conflict.	Concrete Details: Select 2 quotations you think illustrate or explain this side of the conflict.	Commentary: Briefly explain why you chose each quotation and its connection to the conflict.
1.		1.
2.		2.

SECTION 4

Characterization: In a 7-10 sentence paragraph, explain how one character has changed by the end of the novel. Provide one concrete detail from the beginning of the novel and one from the end of the novel to support your explanation, embedding those concrete details in your response.

Example: By the end of the novel, Huck declares that he “can’t stand” (324) the idea of being adopted by Aunt Sally.

Notice how the above quote is a fluent part of the sentence as a whole; it is not merely placed in the sentence awkwardly.

SECTION 5

Theme/Topic: Theme is an author’s implied message to the reader. A theme will not be stated directly; instead, a reader must infer the theme through what occurs in the novel. A theme is not the same as a topic, which can usually be expressed in a word or two such as “love,” “childhood,” or “death.” The theme is an opinion the writer wishes to express about that topic. It can be expressed in at least one complete sentence that contains both the topic and the opinion about that topic. For example, the topic of a novel might be love, but the theme might be stated as “Love is more powerful than family loyalty.” In order to identify a theme in a novel, the reader has to think about all the elements of the work and use them to make an inference - or educated guess - based on details from the novel, concerning what the author is suggesting through the text about the topic.

Examples of Theme/Topic

Adaptability Adventure Ambition Chance/fate/luck Childhood Children Compassion Confidence Consideration Courage Courage/cowardice Cruelty/violence Curiosity Custom/tradition Death Friendship Defeat/failure Despair/discontent/disillusionment Diligence Dreams/fantasies Duty Education/school Endurance Equality Escape Exile Faith/loss of faith Family/parenthood/commitment Fear Free will/will power Freedom Friendship

Games/contests/sports Gratitude Greed Growing up Guilt Hate Heart vs. reason Heaven/paradise/utopia/ Home Hope Identity Illusion/innocence Independence Initiation Initiative Instinct Integrity Journey (psychological or literal) Justice Law/justice Loneliness/aloneness Love Loyalty Materialism Maturity/maturation Memory/past Music/dance Nature Patience Patriotism Peace

Persistence/perseverance Poverty Prejudice Pride Privacy Race relations Reality Redemption Religion Resistance/rebellion Respect Responsibility Revenge/retribution Ritual/ceremony Scapegoat/victim Search for identity Self-actualization Self-discipline Self-improvement Service Social Status Success Supernatural Teamwork Time/eternity Tricks Truth Unhappiness Violence War Wealth

SECTION 6

Identifying a Theme: Select a significant topic that is addressed in the novel. (See previous page for ideas) Provide 3 quotations that address your topic and explain what each quotation suggests about your topic.

Topic:

Quotations that address topic	Commentary to explain what your quote reveals about the topic
1. Page Number: ______	1. 2.
2. Page Number: ______	1. 2.
3. Page Number: ______	1. 2.

Thesis Statement: In a complete sentence, explain what the author is saying about this topic. Remember that the thesis must contain both the topic and the author’s opinion about that topic.

Example: In his novel 1984, Orwell suggests that personal freedom is incompatible with a totalitarian government.

In the above example of a thesis statement, the subject is underlined and the opinion is bolded for the purpose of illustration.

SECTION 7

Symbols and Possible Symbolism

A symbol is a person, place, thing or event that stands for itself and for something beyond itself as well. For example, a scale has a real existence as an instrument for measuring weights, but it is also used to symbolically represent justice.

Identify two symbols from the text and explain their possible symbolism.

Symbol	Explanation
Symbol	Explanation

Author’s Style

In literature, an author writes in a particular style in order to convey meaning. Elements of style may include diction (word choice), syntax (sentence structure), point of view, or tone. In the following space, record concrete details that demonstrate at least one element of the author’s style and comment on how that style conveys a certain meaning.

Concrete Detail that demonstrates style

Commentary on how the style conveys a certain meaning

SECTION 8

Questions: Write down three questions you have about the novel that could be answered by taking a closer look at the book or having a discussion.

1.

2.

3.

SECTION 9

Evaluation of the Work: In a 7-10 sentence paragraph, explain the qualities of this book that makes it worthy to study.