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Home Summer Reading Assignment Students

Given the nature of the 2011 summer reading program, you had significant autonomy in selecting the books you would read. While you were responsible for completing a proposal, you were not given other assignments to complete over the summer. As indicated on your proposal form, you are required to write a letter to your 2011-12 Language Arts teacher that demonstrates your thoughtful reading of your book. We have chosen to break this down further into three focused "Power Paragraphs" for two reasons, one, to introduce you to the idea of a power paragraph, and two, to assist you in covering all aspects of the assignment.

__ Prompt for Paragraph One - A Reflection of Your Choice __
 * *Must be posted to the WIKI by midnight on Wednesday, 8/24 **

 __Fahrenheit 451__, by Ray Bradbury, met my expectations of it being a compelling novel. Unlike countless stories that I have read in the past, Bradbury’s novel kept me constantly engaged and interested. In addition, I found the theme of censorship that it portrayed to be quite intriguing. In my Summer Reading Proposal, I stated that “some of my classmates have read __Fahrenheit 451__ and commented on how much they enjoyed it” (Martin proposal). By the time I completed Bradbury’s novel, I completely agreed with the statements that my classmates made regarding it. I thoroughly enjoyed the thought-provoking plot that it contained, and the fact that it was a manageably brief. For example, in a heavily censored society where books are illegal, the main character contemplates that “there must be something in books, things we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing (Bradbury 51). The overall themes of censorship and ignorance forced me to consider what the world would be like with more filtered media. Consequently, __Fahrenheit 451__ fulfilled the expectations that I acquired when I wrote my Summer Reading Proposal and provided me with numerous compelling insights regarding society.

Bradbury, Ray. __Fahrenheit 451__. New York: Del Rey Books, 1953.

Remember to follow the power paragraph format. You have lots of good information here, but you could combine some sentences / ideas to make the paragraph stronger and more concise.

__ Prompt for Paragraph Two - A Discussion of What You Gained by Reading Your Book __
 * *Must be posted to the WIKI by midnight on Thursday, 8/25 **

I acquired several new values and opinions of society while reading __Fahrenheit 451 __, a novel by Ray Bradbury. The themes of censorship and knowledge versus ignorance that it contained increased my gratitude for the openness of our society, as well as the countless forms of media that can be accessed. In his novel, Bradbury creates a cold society in which books are illegal, and the duty of the firefighters is to burn down the houses of those who are caught in the ownership of them. Guy Montag, a firefighter who is discontented with the extreme censorship, complains that “we have everything we need to be happy, but we aren’t happy…the only thing I positively knew was gone was the books I’d burned in ten or twelve years” (82). The downcast society that Bradbury portrays in __Fahrenheit 451__ is the catalyst for my increased value of the books and media in our nation that can be freely scoured by the general public. Think power! Start with a strong and clear response to the prompt and keep your focus precise.

__ Prompt for Paragraph Three - What to do With it... __
 * *Must be posted to the WIKI by midnight on Sunday, 8/28 **

//Fahrenheit 451 //, by Ray Bradbury, would be most enjoyable and compelling to readers of either gender who are teenaged or older and are passionate about books, information and knowledge. This demographic is most impacted by the themes of the novel, which include censorship and knowledge versus ignorance. The values of readers who devour literature and have a thirst for knowledge are questioned by a society in which humans are “crammed full of non-combustible data…[until they] feel like they’re thinking…and they’ll be happy, because facts of that sort don’t change” (Bradbury 61). The world of ignorance that Bradbury creates brings readers to contemplate what their lives would be like without easily accessed information, and to cherish the literature that they have the freedom to use. In addition, the language and deep symbolism in this novel are best understood by a mature audience of individuals who are at least young adults. Consequently, mature readers who are curious and yearn for information are readers who would most likely enjoy //Fahrenheit 451//. Good use of evidence and quote integration.


 * Scoring: Your three paragraphs will be given one overall grade, and the timeliness of your posts will be reflected in your "timeliness" grade. **

// An outstanding response to the prompts will include the following: //
 * A strong topic sentence that clearly establishes the focus on the prompt
 * Evidence that clearly supports the topic sentence
 * Correct use of internal citations and a properly formatted MLA citation for your book (put this citation at the end of paragraph one)
 * Strict adherence to the Power Paragraph format
 * Mechanics are clean and do not detract from meaning