James+M--Sum+Reading

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 **

My choice to read //Mein Kampf// was definitely a wiser choice than my original title. I was originally going to attempt to read the Bible in one summer. I chose this text in order to "learn more about my religion," and I knew it was an enormous task going into it (Margard Reading Proposal). I didn't realize how big this task was until I was through Genesis and Exodus. After I started reading Leviticus, I was distracted every time I tried to read. I even dozed off once or twice just trying to focus. Then I realized that I was never going to be able to read the Bible straight through in one summer. To me, it would be impossible and unhealthy to attempt. I knew that I needed a book that would captivate my interests and keep me reading constantly. I would also need a book that would help me to form my political and religious beliefs, something I've been meaning to do since eighth grade. I chose to read //Mein Kampf//, by Adolf Hitler, because I wanted to see his perspective on the world. The book kept me reading for a week straight, just learning about Hitler's world and the Nationalist Socialist German Worker's Party. Looking into his psyche helped me to form some of my own political opinions, an excellent reason for me to pick up this book of great controversy and a wiser choice than trying to plow through the Bible in one summer. Wow, you took on some challenging books this summer, no poolside reads for you!

__ 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 **

Reading //Mein Kampf// allowed me to analyze Hitler's philosophy and attempt to create my own political views and philosophies. My political views are my own and they are still forming, so I will not discuss them on this page. However, I will discuss one of many philosophies in Hitler's book that I found intriguing. Hitler describes all readers as "[able to] be divided into three groups" (Hitler 240). These three groups are, "those who believe everything they read... those who have ceased to believe anything [and finally] into the minds which critically examine what they read and judge accordingly" (Hitler 240). Now this is only one of the many philosophies I will take away from this book, but it is also one of the most important to me. It allows me to see readers in a different light, and to help me understand how much a person takes away from their local, national, or international news. Most of all, this philosophy will have me analyzing every piece of information that I come across.

Hitler. Mein Kampf. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1971.

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

//Mein Kampf// is certainly not a book for the light reader, or for the first two groups of readers as described in Hitler's book. This book provides an intriguing and informative perspective on the leader of the Nationalist Socialist German Worker's Party. From the information I extracted from this book, I would say, in confidence, that anyone with an interest in Adolf Hitler should read this novel. Also, avid readers of philosophy or biographies would enjoy this unique perspective of the Austrian's life. I would also recommend this book to the youth of our nation who are already a part of the third group of readers that Hitler describes. Specifically for Hitler's comments on nationalism, and what good patriotism does for the nation. Even those that are already very patriotic will enjoy this read, for it will only further reinforce their nationalistic view, an excellent view in these hard times.

You did well covering each prompt and drawing insight from your reading. Your use of support from the book also was effective. Your challenge now is to cut words/sentences that are not absolutely essential for your meaning. Try to use the power paragraph structure to practice concise, focused writing. // An outstanding response to the prompts will include the following: //
 * Scoring: Your three paragraphs will be given one overall grade, and the timeliness of your posts will be reflected in your "timeliness" grade. **
 * 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