AP Literature and Composition Summer Reading 2012 Students taking this class are responsible for reading the following: The Book of Genesis and the Gospel of Mark Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky Mythology by Edith Hamilton Genesis, the Gospel of Mark, and Edith Hamilton s Mythology provide the rich cultural background necessary to recognize, understand, and appreciate the numerous Biblical and mythological allusions appearing in the world s great literature. Attached to this letter is a list of significant terms and names from the two books of the Bible. These will provide some guidance as you complete this portion of the summer reading. This document will be due upon your return to school. Although the language of the King James Version of the Bible is magnificent, a more modern translation may facilitate your reading; Today s English Version is extremely readable. As you read Mythology, you may find it helpful to make a chart to keep the gods and goddesses straight (as if any simple chart could straighten them out). Also, I have attached a list of deities, mythological figures, phrases and names that you should be able to identify. This document, too, is due upon your return to school. Crime and Punishment tells the story of Raskolnikov, an impoverished student living in a garret in the gloomy slums of St. Petersburg, Russia, as he plans and executes the perfect crime. Is it not just, he reasons, for a man of genius to commit such a crime, to transgress moral law if it will ultimately benefit humanity? Your assignment, as you read Crime and Punishment, is to keep a journal as a way to organize and focus your thoughts about the novel. Note quotes and page references pertaining to characterization, setting, themes, significant minor characters, and matters of cultural, philosophical and societal importance. Bring your completed journal to school on the first day of class. This will be your first grade of the year. (Please note: Any translation of Crime and Punishment is acceptable; however, class discussion will be more easily facilitated if you buy the translation by Sidney Monas with an introduction by Leonard J. Stanton and James D. Hardy, Jr.) You will be given a test covering all of the summer reading, including Crime and Punishment, sometime during the first week of school. As expected, you will also be assigned an AP practice essay using Crime and Punishment for your support. This essay may be AP practice, but it counts for your first essay grade. AP Literature is a demanding course; however, it is generally free of worksheets and selection tests. Be prepared to READ, WRITE, and SHARE IDEAS!
AP Literature and Composition Identify the following people, places, terms from your reading of Genesis: 1. Garden of Eden 2. Tree of knowledge of good and evil 3. my brother s keeper 4. mark of Cain 5. giants of the earth 6. Tower of Babel 7. fire and brimstone 8. pillar of stone 9. birthright / blessing 10. coat of many colors Identify the following people, places, and terms from Mark: 1. John the Baptist 2. Judas Iscariot 3. walking on water 4. Parable of the cloth and wineskins 5. Parable of the mustard seed 6. eye of a needle 7. triumphal entry (Palm Sunday) 8. Render unto Caesar
9. the flesh is weak 10. crown of thorns Identify the following mythological deities: 1. Aphrodite 2. Apollo 3. Ares 4. Artemis 5. Athena 6. Hades 7. Hephaestus 8. Hera 9. Hermes 10. Hestia 11. Poseidon 12. Zeus Briefly explain the story of the following heroes: Perseus
Theseus Hercules Atalanta
Many phrases that have mythological origins are now a part of our language. Explain the mythological references of the following phrases: 1. an Achilles heel 2. beware of Greeks bearing gifts 3. the Midas touch 4. open a Pandora s box Extra credit: 1. having the last word 2. love cannot live where there is no trust 3. love can always find a way 4. the bud was plucked before the flower bloomed Identify the mythological name from which each of the following words is derived: 1. bacchanal 2. music 3. martial 4. somnolent 5. tantalize 6. titanic Extra credit 1. nemesis 2. narcissism