As you read King Oedipus, which is the first play we will discuss, pay particular
attention to all of the ... Everything's an Argument, with Readings (textbook). 4.
AP English Language & Composition Summer Assignment Mr. Fisher
Reading Assignment: The Theban Plays 1. Read each of Sophocles’s The Theban Plays. As you read King Oedipus, which is the first play we will discuss, pay particular attention to all of the light and dark imagery, as well as the sight and blindness imagery. Notice the play’s many references to Apollo, the god of light, truth, prophecy, healing, music, and archery. King Oedipus should be read by the 2nd day of school. We will not be discussing Oedipus at Colonus or Antigone until approximately the 3rd week of school.
2. Writing Assignment Read the following quotation: “He who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God.” --Aeschylus Consider this quotation about adversity from the Greek playwright Aeschylus. Then, in a brief response (11/2 -3 pages) take a position on the role that adversity (financial or political hardship, danger, misfortune, etc.) plays in developing a person’s character. Support your argument with appropriate evidence from your reading of King Oedipus. You may also use personal observations, experiences, and/or any other appropriate evidence that will support your argument. When citing from King Oedipus, citing only the page numbers will be fine. For example: According to the Chorus, “All the generations of mortal man add up to nothing!” (59). ‐‐You will receive full credit for a thoughtful response that includes a thesis and supporting evidence (body paragraphs) for your thesis. ‐‐This is worth 20 points, due by Aug 20th to the turnitin.com drop box for your class period. Plagiarism will result in an automatic zero. You will NOT be turning in a hard copy of the essay unless I specifically ask for it. If you want to get a head start, here is the course reading list: 1. Sophocles’s The Theban Plays 2. Philosophy through the Ages (textbook) 3. Everything’s an Argument, with Readings (textbook) 4. Dante Alighieri’s The Inferno 5. William Shakespeare’s King Lear 6. Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit 7. Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning 8. Don DeLillo’s White Noise 9. Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes 10. Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close *Supplementary readings will include essays, short stories, and/or poems as they relate to main readings or units. Time permitting, we will also read William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. When we examine and analyze texts in this class, we will be looking through the lens of rhetoric and argumentation. Aristotle describes rhetoric as "the ability, in each particular case, to see the available means of persuasion." With each text, we will explore the following questions: What is the subject of this text? What is the occasion of this text? Who is the intended audience? What is the purpose of the text? How does the writer/speaker use rhetorical strategies to achieve his/her purpose? Email me if you have any questions:
[email protected].
