The Brooklyn Comprehensive Night High School

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Cycle 1 Make up Reading Assignments:
Please read and study the following works of literature:
"The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde
"The Man Who Was Almost A Man" by Richard Wright
"If" by Rudyard Kipliing
"The Lesson " by Toni Cade Bambara

Please follow the links to the etext for each work.
Essay Questions
The following questions will appear on your written final for the course.

Essays: Follow standard essay form (introduction, two or more body paragraphs which contain at least two examples each, summary-style conclusion, except where indicated). Each essay should be between 300 and 500 words.

1. “You have to know the person before you can like or love them.” Explain what this statement means. State whether you agree or disagree and give reasons. Use examples from “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde, to support your opinion. (Examples might include what Gwendolyn and Cecile say about the name Earnest; why Lady Bracknell takes an sudden dislike to Mr. Worthing; what Lady Bracknell says about long engagements; what the butler, Lane, points out about the quality of the champagne in the homes of married persons; etc.)

2. Write a short summary of the short story “The Man Who Was Almost A Man” by Richard Wright. (No more than 2/3 of a page)
“The most important clues for understanding both a person in real life, as well as a character in a story, are found in the decisions he or she makes.” Explain what this statement means. State whether you agree or disagree and give reasons. Use examples from “The Man Who Was Almost A Man” by Richard Wright to support your opinion. In your essay you should include
at least three important decisions Dave makes and explain how each one influences his destiny.

3. Reread the inspirational poem “IF” by Rudyard Kipling. Notice that the poem is written in four stanzas and that each stanza consists of eight lines that can be read as four two line phrases. Copy onto loose leaf any two-line phrase that you think relates to life and explain what the advice is and how it relates to life. Repeat this until you have written about 1 to 2 sides of paper.

4. Write a short summary of the short story “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara. (No more than 2/3 of a page). Unlike Dave (from the short story “The Man Who Was Almost A Man” by Richard Wright, Sylvia does not seem to make any important decisions, but, by the end of the story she does seem to be about to. (1) Based on your interpretation of the experiences she had that day, what important decision might she make that could influence her destiny? (2)Imagine Dave and Sylvia meet by chance and talk with each other for a few moments while watching a group of children play at the playground at Riverside Park in Manhattan. Their conversation starts, “Hey, you talk funny. Where are you from?” Write two pages of dialogue or conversation between them that is based on each one telling the other something about his and her life and what plans he and she has for the future.

CYCLE 2 ASSIGNMENTS

THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER by Carson McCullers (1917-1967)

Reading Assignment Schedule
Complete the following reading assignments by the due date
Reading comprehension and journal writing assignments will be distributed weekly and must be handed in on a timely basis. All assignments must be completed by January 16, 2006

Reading Assignment
Due Date Reading Assignments
November 21 Part 1, Chapters 1 & 2
pages 1-31
November 28 Part 1 Chapter 3
pages 31-50
December 5 Part 1 Chapters 4,5,6
Pages 51-91
December 12 Part 2 Chapters 1-3
pages 93 - 143
December 19 Part 2 Chapters 4-6
pages 143-190
December 26 Part 2 Chapters 7-8
pages 191-230
January 2 Part 2 Chapters 9-11
Pages 230-270
January 9 Part 2 Chapters 12-14
pages 270-309
January 16 Part 2 Chapter 15- Part 3 Chapters 1-4
pages 310-346

http://www.bcnhs.org

e-mail: dhedges@nycboe.net

Cycle 2 Assignment 1 (THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER)
Journal Question 1: Can people who cannot speak and communicate with each other in the same language develop real friendship between them? Is friendship based on language or is it based on something else? Explain, in your own words, what friendship is and how it comes about.
Reading Assignment 1: Part 1, Chapter 1
Reading Comprehension Questions 1: (Write your answers in complete sentences)
1. What were Singer’s and Antonapoulos’s jobs?
2. How did Singer care for Antonapoulos after he became ill?
3. How did Antonapoulos’s condition worsen?
4. Why did Charles Parker send Antonapoulos to the asylum?
5. What was Antonapoulos’s reaction to being sent away?
6. What happened to Singer after Antonapoulos left?
7. Find three examples from Chapter 1 that show that the theme of the chapter is friendship.

(More assignments on next page)