Senior Inquiry 14-15

Over the summer you have a two-part assignment. You will read two books, one assigned, the other you will choose from a list. For the shared book, you will gather evidence as you read for our first paper, for the second you will do a short write up on the ending (see details below on both these tasks). Reading two novels over the course of several months is a tiny taste of the levels of work and reading you will be asked to do in college. If you are not already an avid reader, the job of this class is to help you become one.

1.The Handmaid’s Tale- Margaret Atwood All students will read The Handmaid’s Tale. You will choose a lens to read through, paying close attention to that lens throughout the text. After you have finished reading, look at the patterns that you have noticed throughout your reading and come up with a thesis/theme statement based on your exploration through this lens. You should come in one the first day of class with a thesis statement and at least five pieces of evidence from the text to support your thesis. Your first task of the year will be to write a paper based on this information. For example, if I use the lens of looking at the setting, I would read the novel paying close attention to the setting and then, make a claim about how the setting contributes to an overall theme or thesis based on the patterns I notice as I read. I will then mark my evidence that I noticed along the way to prove my thesis/theme statement.

You will need to have a copy of The Handmaid’s Tale for the first couple weeks of the school year. If you take it out from the library, please plan accordingly.

Lens to consider (you will choose one):

Relationships between characters (What do the relationships between main characters reveal about the world of The Handmaid’s Tale?)

Setting descriptions (What does the physical setting show us about the world of the novel? What kind of language is used to discuss it? How is the setting before Gilead (as seen through Offred’s memories) compared/contrasted with that of Gilead?)

Recurring objects/symbols (What objects/symbols come up repeatedly throughout the novel? What do these objects/symbols show us about the world of the novel?)

Structure analysis (why does Atwood structure the story the way she does? Why does it skip through time? How do the parts fit together?)

Failure to complete this assignment will result in removal from Senior Inquiry as you will not be able to complete our first paper.

2. A second book of your choice. All students will choose a book from the list below to read. At the beginning of the year you should be ready to do a quick share out on your book, letting your peers know what it was about and why you do, or do not, recommend the book for them to read in the future. You will also hand in a short (1 page) response to the book that explains whether or not you found the ending satisfying.

Book list:

Non-Fiction

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down-Anne Fadiman

Random Family- Adrian Nicole LeBlanc

Devil’s Highway- Luis Alberto Urrea

Mountains Beyond Mountains-Tracy Kidder

 Woman Warrior- Maxine Hong Kingston

 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks-Rebecca Skloot

 Whatever it Takes- Paul Tough

 Lakota Woman- Mary Crow Dog

 Fiction

So Far From God-Ana Castillo

 Their Eyes Were Watching God- Zora Neale Hurston

 A Fine Balance- Rohinton Mistry

 Americanah- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

 Poisonwood Bible- Barbara Kingsolver  

The Known World- Edward P. Jones  

The Round House- Louise Erdrich

100 Years of Solitude- Gabriel Garcia Marquez