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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 __ I have always been interested in Cold War-Era history, and last year I found Communist theory especially intriguing. One of the most interesting parts of that unit was when we read //Animal Farm// by George Orwell. This was an easy read, but it was filled with an obvious intelligent satire of the Russian Revolution and the institution of Communism. I decided to read Orwell’s most esteemed novel, //1984//, which I described as a “historical satirical viewpoint”. When reading, I could see the historical significance immediately, and I could imagine the fears that many people had of communism. Further, //1984// ended on the notion that once a group could control people’s thoughts, they would rule forever, as an either super-human or sub-human entity depending on one’s point of view. If one wanted a picture of the future, they could “imagine a boot stamping on (the last) human face- forever. This was the fear that gripped many in the 1950s and //1984// represents that wonderfully.
 * *Must be posted to the WIKI by midnight on Wednesday, 8/24 **

__ Prompt for Paragraph Two - A Discussion of What You Gained by Reading Your Book __ Books can mean many things to many people. From a book, a collection of words bound by an author in the confines of paper, springs knowledge, new interest, assurance, and perhaps most importantly, doubt. Orwell’s //1984// allowed me to question the very meaning of life. I have always seen the ultimate goal of life as achieving true happiness, and to live life as contented as possible. However, the ideas of the ruling party in //1984// led me to question even the definition of happiness itself. The character Winston Smith spent the majority of the book resenting he party’s rule, but after extreme torture, he became content with the party’s policies and died happy. He was not happy because he achieved his goals or he was doing something enjoyable, but because he was brainwashed. I began to wonder whether happiness was only in the mind, and whether, if everyone were somehow forced to be truly happy, everything would work more effectively. On this issue, I have still not decided my position, and that is a perfect example of the wonderful things that books can do, strengthening one’s mental capacity.
 * *Must be posted to the WIKI by midnight on Thursday, 8/25 **

__ Prompt for Paragraph Three - What to do With it... __ Although 1984 is an important read for anyone interested in history or literature, not all would be satisfied with the mainly internal conflict, the apocalyptic foreboding setting, or the bleak ending. One needs to have a mature understanding of political theory to fully grasp concepts on which the party is based. However, anyone who has gone through a bleak period in their life can feel the emotions of Winston Smith and understand how he felt that the world was different from him. People, especially children who are used to a traditional happy ending may not understand Winston’s final acceptance of the party and love of Big Brother (Orwell 266). Because of this, I think the prime audiences of 1984 are mature people who understand political theory and have interest in the principles of communism and the Cold War era. You have great insight Ian and you have thoroughly covered all of the prompts. An area that needs work is your focus, specifically following the power paragraph format. If you review this format and turn a critical eye on your responses, you will see areas where you can cut words or sentences and tighten up each paragraph. Remember that part of the goal here is to draft responses in PP format, and in doing so, you will need to be very precise with your language.
 * *Must be posted to the WIKI by midnight on Sunday, 8/28 **


 * 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