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English 11 Honors Summer 2015 AssignmentsAll Assignments due IN CLASS or on Google Classroom by the first

day of school: Thursday, 9/3/2015

Texts to read: The Orphan Train – by Christina Baker Kline (One Book One School)Pride and Prejudice - by Jane AustenLiterary Critique: “Time and the Women of Pride and Prejudice” (in packet)“Letters from Jane Austen to her sister Cassandra” (in packet)

Film to watch: Twelfth Night or What You Will (William Shakespeare) – Directed by Trevor Nunn (1996)

Assignments: DUE BY THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL (9/3) TO GOOGLE CLASSROOM OR PRINTED OUT. Read the One Book One School Selection: The Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline – Assessment in class on 9/4/15.*Read and annotate Pride and Prejudice (annotation guide and rubric in packet). (Quiz – due 9/3 in class)Read Literary Critique: “Time and the Women of Pride and Prejudice” (in this packet).Read “Letters from Jane Austen to Her Sister…” (in this packet)*Complete the Discussion Questions as you watch Twelfth Night or What You Will. Submit to Google Classroom (Quiz)*Write a 2-3-page (4-7 paragraph) synthesis essay responding to the prompt in this packet. Submit to Google Classroom (Quiz)

(*These 3 Assignments will either be turned in to Google Classroom or submitted by the first day of school. NO exceptions.*)

Google Classroom (REQUIRED):Sign on to Google Classroom using your jefftwp.org account (every student has one). See the separate document for complete directions (can be found on Mrs. Shamy’s Blog)

English 11 Honors Summer Assignment Packet P a g e | 1

NOTE: It is HIGHLY advised that you access Shmoop.com to help you with both Pride and Prejudice (some tidbits included in the Synopsis portion of this packet) as well as Twelfth Night. Shmoop has great videos, summaries, analyses and explanations. Use it AFTER (not instead of) reading/viewing the texts!

In this packet:Page 3 Synopsis: a brief explication of the rising role of female characters in

England from Shakespeare’s time to Austen’s time.

Page 6 Literary Critique “Time and the Women of Pride and Prejudice”: Read thoroughly and make notes directly on critique. Utilize quotations from this critique to help you prove your thesis on the synthesis paper.

Page 9 Letters from Jane Austen…: Read thoroughly and make notes. Utilize quotations from these letters to help you prove your thesis on the paper.

Page 11 An Introductory Guide to Synthesis Essays: designed to help you write your synthesis essay.

Page 13 Viewing Guide Discussion Questions: To be completed and submitted via Google Classroom or printed out and handed in on 9/3/15. This is a quiz grade. If hand-writing answers, you MUST do so on a separate sheet of paper. There is NOT enough room on the page as is.

Page 15 Annotations Guidelines and Rubric: The Guide will help you through the process of actively reading the texts (required for the novel Pride and Prejudice as well as the Literary Critique “Time and the Women of Pride and Prejudice”.

Page 17 THE PROMPT: Answer this synthesis prompt thoroughly in a 2-3page/4-7 paragraph essay. Due to Google Classroom OR printed out and handed in by the first day of school: 9/3/15. MUST use quotations from the novel, the film, the literary critique, AND the letters from Austen. Will be graded using the PARCC Rubric (included).


PARCC Rubric: Used to grade your synthesis essay. The Grade Equivalent system is included on the rubric.


Synopsis:

British Literature and the Rise of the Female Figure in Post-Elizabethan and Regency England

Throughout most of British history and culture, strong female characters were marginalized and reduced to the equivalent of “background noise” in British society. Most of the time, upper class women’s roles were reduced to knowing “pretty” manners, sewing decorative items (pillows and such), pouring tea, and instructing the servants; all while dressing fashionably enough to catch the eye (and hopefully proposal) of society’s most eligible and rich bachelors. Of course, this could not be accomplished if a woman were too forceful, strong, outspoken, or overtly intellectual. At the time, women’s conversations in front of a man were basically limited to the weather, a previous social gathering, and the pretty dress she was wearing.

Prior to an upstanding (and usually wealthy) woman becoming the property of her husband, she was under the rule of her father. Once married, a woman was expected to have children and assist the servants in raising them. Among the upper classes and landed gentry (people of good social position; the class of people next below the nobility in position and birth) of England, it was considered “low class” to have too much involvement in raising children; that’s what servants were for! Therefore, beyond birthing the baby and visiting it occasionally during the day, a gentrified woman did not generally have too much to do with her children. Where does this leave a woman in the 1600s – 1800s?

Gender roles and expectations were quite specific in England, both during Shakespeare’s time (Elizabethan Era) and Austen’s time (The Regency Period *see note*). Women, however, were slowly and quietly beginning to rebel against these expectation; Jane Austen was a forerunner in this line of thinking. In her article for Style Magazine, author Claire Harman has this to say about the strengthening female voice available in Austen’s writing:

[The following is an excerpt taken directly from Style.co.uk]

…Significantly, Austen’s books have endless sly wit and cynicism, also unusual for her time. She was one of the first women to deliver humour (sic) and intelligence to subject matter previously thought frivolous and sub-intellectual. Harold Bloom, literary critic and Sterling Professor of the Humanities and English at Yale University, believes that Austen’s acerbic comic vision has been so influential that it has helped determine who we are both as readers and as human beings. Williams says, “She has affected our sense of humour (sic) historically and nationally, defining these incredibly English arts of understatement, irony, a beautifully caustic compassion.” Her wit has also had a huge influence on modern culture. “Austen had a profound effect on our sense


of humour (sic). Authors from Zadie Smith, to Jilly Cooper and even comedians like Miranda owe a huge debt to the Austen approach to life,” says School Of Life’s bibliotherapist (sic), Ella Berthoud.

A Female Voice

The earliest readers of Pride And Prejudice were surprised that such a clever book could have been written by a woman. It is, of course, the book from which Austen’s most famous line comes: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Playwright Richard Sheridan advised a friend to “buy it immediately” as it “was one of the cleverest things” he had ever read – high praise from a man of the Regency period. Austen seemed to know too much about everyone’s follies and was so worldly that nothing shocked her. It’s a form of knowing satire that has become a national trait: deliver your cynicism with a polite smile, keeping the tone ‘light, bright and sparkling’, as Austen herself aimed to do.

That her characters were strong, witty women might have surprised those who knew Austen – she didn’t openly sympathise (sic) with radical contemporaries such as Mary Wollstonecraft, the British writer and advocate of women’s rights. Austen’s feminism is more subtle, but she was still one of the first authors to suggest that women should marry for love, and not increased social standing or money. She gave her female characters the right to be happy too – a right we now take for granted, but certainly was not a given in Regency England. Persuasion, her last finished novel, is so bold as to suggest that happiness lies in a woman’s courage to act upon her passion.

In fact, her novels all deal with the choices involved in being a woman – although she refuses to discriminate between characters on grounds of gender, and serves up fools on a plate, regardless of their sex. She saved her most searing critique not for male idiocy, but the forces behind it – morals, property, money. And it worked. She has always been widely read by men and been praised for her rationality. This was also her approach to the political and class system of the time, which was rigid and very biased towards men – using her romantic novels as a mouthpiece for social commentary.

She also highlighted that women couldn’t inherit wealth – leaving many destitute on their husbands’ deaths. It’s a very dark subject, and one which many female novelists of the time shied away from. And her female characters are always reading, always educated, always well-versed in literature.

Criticised (sic) for being ‘small scale’ and parochial, Austen famously kept to what she knew about. She can certainly be credited for lifting the mundane to the literary – she could write a love quarrel, she could write a proposal, she could write endless scenes of domestic aggression because they were what she knew. She elevated the trivial to an art. She would never attempt to guess how


men spoke or behaved among themselves. Look through her entire oeuvre and you won’t find a single Austen scene in which there isn’t a woman present. The genius of keeping exactly to what she knew is how she stayed in complete control of her material. Everyone recognises (sic) the situations she deals with: as Lord David Cecil commented in 1948, “Emma is universal just because it is narrow.” She showed that a writer doesn’t have to go to big, topical or historical themes in order to be relevant: there’s plenty of human material right in front of you. (Harman)

And then there’s this, taken directly from our favorite scholarly source, Shmoop.com:

When Jane Austen published Pride and Prejudice in 1813, people were still getting used to the idea that women would do something so totally immodest and exhibitionist as to actually have strangers reading something she wrote for money. Oh, how shocking and taboo! Just one step away from prostitution! (We're not even joking about that.) Because of all that, the novel came out anonymously, as had her book Sense and Sensibility only a year earlier. (Imagine how those people would feel about sex bloggers.)

Not only was it a big deal for women to be authors, but it was also kind of a foregone conclusion that everyone would think that their novels were automatically kind of silly and chick-lit —you know, not like man-novels, what with their deep thoughts and serious subjects. Especially when your novel, like Austen's, was essentially about marrying off a bunch of sisters. Austen made fun of those expectations in a letter she wrote to her sister:

[Pride and Prejudice] is rather too light & bright & sparkling; —it wants shade; —it wants to be stretched out here & there with a long Chapter […] about something unconnected with the story; an Essay on Writing, a critique on Walter Scott, or the history of Bonaparte —or anything that would form a contrast & bring the reader with increased delight to the playfulness & Epigrammatism of the general stile. (Letter to Cassandra Austen, February 4, 1813)

How do we know she's kidding around? Well, just imagine: you're flipping pages frantically during Mr. Darcy's proposal, trying to find out what Elizabeth Bennet says, and all of a sudden the narrator starts in on a long essay about contemporary literature. It kind of ruins the mood, right? But that's exactly what most people expected from books—a little non-fiction mixed in with your fiction, just enough so you can say, "Yeah, I know, it's a novel—but I'm reading it for the articles."

In reality, the novel deals with plenty of its own deep thoughts and serious subjects. At the turn of the century, the old debate between rationality and emotions was heating up again. The 18th century had been the Age of Enlightenment, with Voltaire and David Hume and Adam Smith making sense of life in a super-scientific, man-centered, non-religious way. These


http://www.shmoop.com/pride-and-prejudice/

Enlightenment ideas about the rights of men and the value of individuals got a bunch of people fired up in the American colonies, and pretty soon they were doing it up democracy-style across the Atlantic. And just across the English Channel? The French Revolution led to an overthrow of the entire monarchy. Kings all over Europe were making sure their heads were still attached to their necks.

Austen was no dummy, and it's no coincidence that characters spend a lot of time debating whether they're supposed to be making decisions based on reason and rationality or feelings and impressions. These were high-stakes questions for individuals as well as nations—particularly educated women, who suddenly looked around and said, "Hey, how come we don't get to own property? How come earning our own money is somehow disreputable? How come we have no rights or political power? How come we're supposed to be all quiet and not talk or think, even though we have brains?"

Pride and Prejudice may not be a dissertation about political independence or the relative merits of passion and reason—but it's definitely a reflection on what those ideas might mean for women's lives. (Shmoop Editorial Team)

While women were not revered for their desire to be seen as equal in intelligence to men, authors like William Shakespeare and Jane Austen clearly believed it to be a possibility. This point can be seen in the way in which women are portrayed as strong central characters with their own intelligences and ideas. Female characters from both time periods begin to emerge as heroines of their class; bending the rules and defying society’s expectations.

*Note: The Regency Period in England is so-named because Prince George IV was named “King Regent” in 1811 instead of his legitimately insane father King George III (also known as “The Mad King”). In this case, a “regent” is defined as - a person appointed to rule a country because the monarch is either too young (a minor) or the monarch is absent or incapacitated). The Regency Period in England corresponds with the Federalist period in the US and the Empire period in France. This time period in England was marked for its leisure, opulence, and ease for the upper-middle classes/gentry (Boyle). *


2013 JASNA Essay Contest Third Place Winner College/University DivisionHannah J. Goddard-RebsteinUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouver, BC

Time and the Women of Pride and Prejudice

In Pride and Prejudice time is a relative concept, moving rapidly for certain characters and at a leisurely pace for others, depending on their age and social standing. For the Bennet sisters and the other young women who are ‘out’ in society it passes quickly in a social whirlwind of balls, walking to town and parties; because boredom and inactivity can be kept at bay, time for them does not drag on. They can enjoy all the diversions Meryton has to offer because they are at a vital age in life, between 16 and 23, when the sum of their future happiness (or misery) is being determined by the caliber of man they marry. Consequently, a great deal of their time is spent in pursuit of this eventuality, which is a matter of some urgency, as they have a limited period of time before they reach an age at which marriage is unlikely, if not inconceivable. After marriage, both men and women are expected to withdraw somewhat from society and generally live slower, more sedate lives than their unmarried counterparts. Although this etiquette is observed by both sexes, the sense that marriage must be hurried into at a young age is confined to women, and is a product of the time period of the novel. The attitude of Charlotte Lucas, a practical young woman with no romantic illusions whatsoever, summarizes the necessity of marriage perfectly; “Without thinking highly either of men or of matrimony, marriage had always been her object; it was the only honourable provision for well-educated young women of small fortune, and however uncertain of giving happiness, must be their pleasantest preservation from want.” (94). The underlying purpose of balls and the capacity they serve in Pride and Prejudice is introduction to potential suitors, and thus the rapid pace of life for young women is very much connected with their obligation to marry. With such high stakes and the window of opportunity in which to make a suitable match so small, it is little wonder that there is something of a rush to the altar for many characters, and although unpleasantly mercenary considerations such as wealth or timeliness are often denied or ignored by more principled individuals (such as Elizabeth Bennet), they are nevertheless powerful forces which run throughout the narrative.

Anxiety associated with the rush to be married reappears numerous times in Pride and Prejudice; the age at which the worrying truly begins is established by Mrs. Bennet, for whom “The marriage of a daughter … had been the first object of her wishes, since Jane was sixteen …” (230). The age at which it becomes unfashionable for a woman to be unwed is given by Lydia when she says, rather insensitively, “Jane will be quite an old maid soon, I declare. She is almost three and twenty! Lord, how ashamed I should be of not being married before three and twenty.” (165). Beyond twenty-three or twenty-four, marriage is still possible, as Charlotte Lucas demonstrates when she weds Mr. Collins at the relatively ancient age of 27, but by this point her sole concern is haste rather than finding a decent husband. Her fear of remaining unwed and a burden on a family of modest means is such that there no longer much of a choice to be made; regardless of the nature of the man proposing, she must accept, in order that her family may be “…relieved from their apprehension of Charlotte’s dying an old maid.” (93). Ironically, other than Charlotte, it is the vacuous Mrs. Bennet who feels the sense of urgency most acutely, and is most aware of the value of timeliness, as well as the dangers of missed opportunities; as she says to Elizabeth “…if you take it into your head to go on refusing every offer of marriage in this way, you will never get a husband at all - and I am sure I do not know


who is to maintain you when your father is dead.” (86). She is perhaps overly hasty, as Elizabeth is not yet at an age where she might feel obligated to accept someone “solely from the pure and disinterested desire of an establishment…” (93), but nevertheless, the pressure to find someone before reaching such an age is very great, and has been impressed upon each and every young woman. The younger, sillier ones such as Lydia take it to heart unthinkingly, without considering why exactly marriage before ‘three and twenty’ should be so important, but regardless what reason they may give themselves for it, time is short for the young women of Pride and Prejudice, and opportunities must be seized.

Timeliness is everything in Pride and Prejudice, and with regards to matrimony, delay for any reason can prove unfortunate indeed; in order to make a good match, or in the case of Charlotte Lucas any sort of match at all, speed is of the essence. It is because of delay and lost time, through no fault of her own, that Charlotte’s is forced to choose between a lifetime of guilt for burdening her parents, or marriage to the odious Mr. Collins, but it is through her ingenuity in quickly moving his affections from Elizabeth onto her, that she is given any sort of choice at all. He, too, is influenced by the necessity of timeliness in proposing to Charlotte so inappropriately soon after his ill-fated overtures to Elizabeth; his need for a wife is greater than his concerns about decorum. A similar instance of pressing material concerns affecting timeliness can be found in Mr. Wickham`s courtship of the wealthy Miss King immediately after the death of her grandfather, although in this case Mr. Wickham failed to be timely enough, and was too slow in winning her favour to keep her in Meryton. Nevertheless, it is evident that characters much move quickly in order to secure their desired matches lest they be snatched away (permanently, in the case of Miss King). Jane experiences a similar situation with Bingley, and although she is far too selfless to even consider the advantages of hurrying the relationship along, the ever practical Charlotte sums up her situation well; if she will not act hastily, she may “lose the opportunity of fixing him; and it will then be but poor consolation to believe the world equally in the dark… though Bingley and Jane meet tolerably often, it is never for many hours together; and as they always see each other in large mixed parties, it is impossible that every moment should be employed in conversing together. Jane should therefore make the most of every half hour in which she can command his attention.” (15).In Pride and Prejudice, not only is the time available to find a suitable spouse limited, but timing itself is of the utmost importance to securing a proposal, or the acceptance of a proposal, two very necessary aspects of a successful courtship.

The speedy passage of time which characterizes youth in Pride and Prejudice is thrown into even greater relief when contrasted with married life, or the lives of those aged beyond marriageable years, for whom time is suspended and life slowed down considerably. The frenzied activity of young people like Lydia and her ilk, for whom time passes extremely quickly, is succeeded by a life of leisure and inactivity in which time necessarily slows down because there is very little to do. For the moneyed and educated classes, leisure becomes paramount, while the Mrs. Bennets of the world can only live vicariously through machinations to marry off their daughters and nostalgia for their own youth. Mrs. Bennet herself is a prime example of the inevitable shift that takes place after marriage; although she admits that there was a “time when I liked a red coat myself very well - and indeed so I do still at my heart” (21), she is no longer able to experience pleasure first hand, and must be content with indulging her daughters rather than herself. Mr. Bennet, an intelligent and educated man, finds contentment in his books and his humor, but his wife has no such options; “The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news.” (3) and her only pastime is complaining about her ‘nerves’ (3). Even the meagre consolation she finds in marrying off her daughters is self-defeating; as she speaks of Jane’s impending nuptials, she declares that “…it was so pleasant at her time of life, to be able to consign her single daughters to the care of their sister, that she might not be obliged to go into company more than she liked. It was necessary to make this circumstance a matter of pleasure, because on such occasions it is the etiquette…” (75). In other words, her one occupation is to be taken from her, and she will be left with nothing but her ‘nerves’ for company. Even Lydia, whose marriage seems so volatile and fragile, once married, is drawn out of the ‘untamed, unabashed, wild, noisy, and fearless’ (234) world she once occupied, and settles down, after a fashion; “…in spite of her youth and her manners, she retained all the claims to reputation which her marriage had given her.” (291).


That a ‘wild’ youth should be followed by a long expanse of tedium is by no means confined to the lower rungs of the social hierarchy; even Lady Catherine de Bourgh is compelled out of sheer boredom to invite the supremely irritating Mr. Collins to Rosings extremely often, as Elizabeth discovers when Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam come to stay, and “Her ladyship received them civilly, but it was plain that their company was by no means so acceptable as when she could get nobody else…” (129).

The lethargy and inactivity of married life is a result of the rigid class system in England at the time, and thus can be afforded because the characters of Pride and Prejudice are primarily gentlemen and aristocrats; ‘trade’ is frowned upon and fortunes are inherited or married into, but never earned. The higher in class a character is, the more likely they are to look down on working individuals such as stewards; Miss Bingley says of Wickham’s vices “…considering his descent, one could not expect much better.” (72) and “The Netherfield ladies would have had difficulty in believing that a man who lived by trade, and within view of his own warehouses, could have been so well bred and agreeable.” (105). Evidently, idleness is a status symbol; even Mr. Collins, most servile and low of all, leads a sedate life of leisure and comparative privilege while the officers whom Miss Bingley deigns to mention only to insult the Bennets are nevertheless more often mentioned in connection with Lydia’s flirtations than any actual military duties they might have.

The pace of life is expected to slow after matrimony even for men, as Elizabeth`s uncle points out to the housekeeper at Pemberly when he tells her “If your master would marry, you might see more of him.” (183), however the similarity between the male and female condition in Pride and Prejudice begins and ends at the slowness of later life. There is no age beyond which the gentlemen becomes unmarriageable; the desirable Mr. Darcy is ‘eight and twenty’ (276), only a year older than Charlotte Lucas, who came so perilously close to spinsterhood. This means that there is no concentrated rush towards marriage early on; a man has all the time in the world to choose a wife, and there is no shame associated with bachelordom if he should choose not to marry at all. In addition, men do at least have the option of pursuing employment, even if it means losing the pride associated with the aristocracy, and have the benefit of more formal and practical education than most women, even among the upper classes. This means that, while life may slow down in some ways, and time may stretch a little, there is always a way out or at the very least the management of an estate to stem the tide of boredom and offer purpose and meaning to their existence.

The total lack of career prospects and relative ignorance of women make a life of genteel idleness inevitable, while the unreasonably short period of time in which they are expected to marry or else be regarded as failures creates a rush into matrimony in which speed and wealth rather than mutual compatibility or companionship are valued in a match. In this way, Jane Austen documented the relativity of time a hundred years or so before Einstein; she demonstrated that it is entirely subjective to the kind of life a person leads. In the world of Pride and Prejudice, a young woman is given a meagre six or seven years in which to establish a future for herself by finding a wealthy and agreeable husband as quickly as possible, and to that end socializing and living life to the full for those few years and then the rest of her life to reap the benefits she has sown by staying quietly at home and marrying off her daughters.

Works Cited

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Ed. Pamela Norris. London: Everyman, 1996. Print.


Letters from Jane Austen to her sister Cassandra

The following excerpted letters from Jane Austen to her sister Cassandra are taken directly from Pemberley.com. Austen wrote the letters after the publication of Pride and Prejudice (originally published anonymously) in 1813. Read the text and annotate it accordingly with the expectation that you will be utilizing specific quotes

to prove the claims in your essay.

Letter viii. Chawton, Friday, January 29 (1813).

I hope you received my little parcel by J. Bond on Wednesday evening, my dear Cassandra, and that you will be ready to hear from me again on Sunday, for I feel that I must write to you today. [...] I want to tell you that I have got my own darling child from London. On Wednesday I received one copy sent down by Falkener, with three lines from Henry to say that he had given another to Charles and sent a third by the coach to Godmersham. [...] The advertisement is in our paper to-day for the first time: 18s. He shall ask 1l. 1s. for my two next, and 1l. 8s. for my stupidest of all. Miss B. dined with us on the very day of the book's coming and in the evening we fairly set at it, and read half the first vol. to her, prefacing that, having intelligence from Henry that such a work would soon appear, we had desired him to send it whenever it came out, and I believe it passed with her unsuspected. She was amused, poor soul! That she could not help, you know, with two such people to lead the way, but she really does seem to admire Elizabeth. I must confess that I think her as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print, and how I shall be able to tolerate those who do not like her at least I do not know. There are a few typical errors; and a "said he," or a "said she," would sometimes make the dialogue more immediately clear; but "I do not write for such dull elves, as have not a great deal of ingenuity themselves." The second volume is shorter than I could wish, but the difference is not so much in reality as in look, there being a larger proportion of narrative in that part. I have lop't and crop't so successfully, however, that I imagine it must be rather shorter than "Sense and Sensibility" altogether. Now I will try to write of something else [...]

Letter ix.

Chawton, Thursday, February 4 (1813).


My dear Cassandra, -- Your letter was truly welcome, and I am much obliged to you for all your praise; it came at a right time, for I had had some fits of disgust. Our second evening's reading to Miss B. had not pleased me so well, but I believe something must be attributed to my mother's too rapid way of getting on: though she perfectly understands the characters herself, she cannot speak as they ought. Upon the whole, however, I am quite vain enough and well satisfied enough. The work is rather too light, and bright, and sparkling; it wants shade; it wants to be stretched out here and there with a long chapter of sense, if it could be had; if not, of solemn specious nonsense, about something unconnected with the story; an essay on writing, a critique on Walter Scott, or the history of Buonaparté, or anything that would form a contrast, and bring the reader with increased delight to the playfulness and epigrammatism of the general style. [...] The greatest blunder in the printing that I have met with is in page 220, v. 3, where two speeches are made into one. There might as well be no suppers at Longbourn; but I suppose it was the remains of Mrs. Bennett's old Meryton habits. [...]

The following letter seems to have been written soon after the last two: in February 1813: --

Letter x.

This will be a quick return for yours, my dear Cassandra; I doubt its having much else to recommend it; but there is no saying; it may turn out to be a very long and delightful letter. [...] I am exceedingly pleased that you can say what you do, after having gone through the whole work, and Fanny's praise is very gratifying. My hopes were tolerably strong of her, but nothing like a certainty. Her liking Darcy and Elizabeth is enough. She might hate all the others, if she would. I have her opinion under her own hand this morning, but your transcript of it, which I read first, was not, and is not, the less acceptable. To me it is of course all praise, but the more exact truth which she sends you is good enough. [...] Our party on Wednesday was not unagreeable, though as usual we wanted a master of the house less anxious and fidgety and more conversable. [...] Upon Mrs. ---'s mentioning that she had sent the Rejected Addresses to Mrs. H., I began talking to her a little about them, and expressed my hope of their having amused her. Her answer was, "Oh dear yes, very much, very droll indeed, the opening of the house, and the striking up of the fiddles!" What she meant, poor woman, who shall say? I sought no farther. [...] As soon as a whist party was formed, and a round table threatened, I made my mother an excuse and came away, leaving just as many fortheir round table as there were at Mrs. Grant's.[10] I wish they might be as agreeable a set. [...] My mother is very well, and finds great amusement in glove-knitting, and at present wants no other work. We quite run over with books. She has got John Carr's "Travels in Spain," and I am reading a Society octavo, an "Essay on the Military Police and Institutions of the British Empire" by Capt. Pasley of the Engineers, a book which I protested against at first, but which upon trial I find delightfully written and highly entertaining. I am as much in love with the author as I ever was with Clarkson or Buchanan, or even the two Mr. Smiths of the city. The first soldier I ever sighed for; but he does write with extraordinary


force and spirit. Yesterday, moreover, brought us "Mrs. Grant's Letters," with Mr. White's compliments, but I have disposed of them, compliments and all, for the first fortnight to Miss P., and amongst so many readers or retainers of books as we have in Chawton, I dare say there will be no difficulty in getting rid of them for another fortnight, if necessary. [...] I have disposed of Mrs. Grant for the second fortnight to Mrs. ---. It can make no difference to her which of the twenty-six fortnights in the year the 3 vols. lay in her house. [...] I have been applied to for information as to the oath taken in former times of Bell, Book, and Candle, but have none to give. Perhaps you may be able to learn something of its origin and meaning at Manydown. Ladies who read those enormous great stupid thick quarto volumes which one always sees in the breakfast parlour there must be acquainted with everything in the world. I detest a quarto. Capt. Pasley's book is too good for their society. They will not understand a man who condenses his thoughts into an octavo. [...] I learn from Sir J. Carr that there is no Government House at Gibraltar. I must alter it to the Commissioner's.

[10] At this time, February 1813, "Mansfield Park" was nearly finished.


An Introductory Guide to Synthesis Essays & Papers

In a synthesis essay or paper, you are utilizing various sources and pulling quotes from each to prove a point (aka: thesis). In many ways, this can be challenging; however, in other ways, this is simple because your thesis has already (basically) been constructed! By determining from the get-go whether you will defend, challenge, or qualify a claim, you already know what you have to prove. Let’s look at a typical prompt (about TV and its impact on elections):

Example of a Synthesis Essay Prompt:Read the following sources (including any introductory information) carefully. Then, in an essay that synthesizes at least three of the sources for support, take a position that defends, challenges, or qualifies the claim that television has had a positive impact on presidential elections.

Here, you are being asked to take a stand. a) Do you agree with the statement that television is good for elections? You will be defending the statement.

b) Do you disagree with the statement? You will be challenging the statement.

c) Do you kind of agree but kind of disagree with the statement? You will be qualifying the statement.

Your paper will now have a thesis once you pick your position on the statement. The rest of your paper will be filled with quotations from different sources that back up your thesis. In the case of the Summer Assignment synthesis essay, your quotations should come from the novel, the film, and the literary critique. (If you use additional sources, be SURE to include them in your citations and Works Cited).

In your synthesis paper, consider using the following formats to help you structure your paragraphs. Note: to be a true synthesis paper, you need to provide MULTIPLE examples with corresponding quotations from MULTIPLE sources to prove the SAME statement (that way, you are concretely proving your point):

Introduction: Should NOT summarize. Should NOT begin with a quotation. You should begin making clear and valid points about your position regarding the prompt. Consider writing a general introduction, and then coming back to it and revising AFTER your paper is written.

Body Paragraphs: Consider using the S.E.Q.E.2 format:

Statement – make a statement that helps prove your thesis (this could include a counterclaim – ie: “many people might say that television gives candidates the opportunity to publically shame their opponents; however, studies have shown that only 10% of all commercials negatively publicize opponents” (citation).Example 1: Provide a specific example from one text using summary ONLY for context (I’ve read it, you’ve read it; we’ve all read it….don’t be redundant. ONE sentence of summary for context is plenty. Quotation 1: Provide a quotation WITH correct MLA citation that proves your thesis/statement.Explanation 1: Explain HOW your statement/example PROVES your thesis.


Statement – Provide a linking statement that will prove your thesis.Example 2: Provide a specific example from a different text.Quotation 2: Provide a quotation from a different text WITH correct MLA citation that proves your thesis/statement.Explanation 2: Explain HOW your statement/example PROVES your thesis ; link quotation to thesis: using “this shows that…”, link your quotation securely to your statement/thesis. PROVE beyond a doubt that you are correct in your line of thinking! Use “This Shows That….” (see next page)

Conclusion: Do not simply summarize or regurgitate the basic points of your paper. Your conclusion should draw conclusions about the textual evidence you provided as it links to your thesis! Consider the greater meaning of the text!

Utilizing “This Shows That” When trying to prove that your thesis is valid and sound, you need concrete proof, ideally in the form of a quotation (or very specific example from the text). Linking your proof to your thesis is imperative! Utilize the “this shows that” format to help clarify your position. While this is simply ONE way to do this, it is encouraged that you try it and get a good feel for it before you start getting creative. Once mastered, you can change up the wording from “this shows that” to something along the lines of “this iterates the point that….”.

Use “this shows that” in the following ways:

Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet seeks to prove the idea that terrible things can happen to good people. When Claudius speaks of Ophelia and the recent loss of her father, he mentions that grief is often accompanied by more and more grief: “When sorrows come, they come not as single spies/But in battalions” (4.5.52-53) Ophelia has suffered the loss of her father, her brother, as well as the loss of her relationship with Hamlet. Writer Harry Smith further iterates this idea in his widely acclaimed criticism “Sorrow and Sadness” when he states: “Ophelia is the quintessential ‘good girl’ of Shakespearian tragedies. On paper, she does everything right: she listens to her father, she follows her brother’s advice, and she remains pure and innocent before she marries. What does this get her? Nothing but misery.” This shows that Ophelia is not immune to tragedy even though she has always been a good and dutiful daughter, sister, and girlfriend.

This paragraph follows the basic SEE2QE structure. Notice that both quotes prove the same point but are from different sources.


Twelfth Night or What You Will – Directed by Trevor Nunn (1996)

Viewing Guide and Discussion QuestionsDirections: As you watch the film, take careful notes and answer the following questions thoroughly with explanations. You may need to watch particular scenes more than once to provide an accurate quote from the film. You WILL need to perform some outside research to answer some of the questions. Be sure to provide accurate (and scholarly) sources for your responses.

1. Why does Viola disguise herself as a boy?

2. How does Viola’s male “alter-ego” disguise as “Cesario” create comedic situations? Provide 3 strong examples from the film in the following chart (this is where you may need to go back in the film a few times to get an accurate quote. In lieu of a line number, provide the time stamp on the film where there quote is said). Hint: How are stereotypical gender roles bent or challenged in the examples you’ve provided and why is it humorous? Explanation of using “THIS SHOWS THAT _____” can be found in An Introductory Guide to Synthesis Essays & Papers in this packet

Comedic Situation (briefly explain

scene)

How is this comedy linked to gender

roles (how are roles bent or

challenged)?

Provide a quote from the film showing the

challenged gender role WITH time stamp from film

Statement using “this shows that

_______” in regards to gender


3. What are the possible meanings of the play's second title, What You Will?

a. Do these meanings have anything to do with the content of the play? b. If so, how do they relate to the themes and content of Twelfth Night? Explain

giving specific examples (textual evidence) from the film.

4. How does Twelfth Night portray love?

a. Are there different kinds of love? b. What are they?c. Are some forms of love better than others? Why or why not? Explain

5. Why does the play go out of its way to leave Viola in her "Cesario" disguise at the play's end?

6. What are the implications of Viola getting engaged to Duke Orsino while still dressed as a boy? Explain using quotes from the play to help prove your point (use the time-stamp to document the quote).

7. Who else disguises themselves and why?

a. What disguises are literal and what are they meant to protect the person from? b. What other kind of masks do characters wear? c. When do they come off and why?

8. Describe at least three (3) parallels that exist between Viola and Olivia. What are we (as the audience) supposed to learn about either/both character as a result of these parallels? Explain using quotes from the film (with Time Stamp).

9. What effect does the “Malvolio” plot have on the play as a whole? What theme does this plotline emphasize and how does it affect other characters in the play?

10. Twelfth Night's representation of cross-dressing suggests that gender is a fluid social category rather than a fixed identity. When Sir Andrew Aguecheek challenges "Cesario" to a duel, the comedic situation that ensues suggests that bravery has nothing to do with being anatomically male, which challenges traditional ideas about men and masculinity. In a Brief Constructed Response (2-4 paragraphs) discuss the humor involved in this scene and how or why socially accepted gender roles of the time contribute to the humor.


11 Honors Annotation Guidelines

Annotating is the act of taking notes within the text (marginal or Post It notes) as you read. It involves marking the text with substantive commentary regarding the author’s content and/or style.

When completing an annotation, there needs to be a clear purpose to the annotations reflective of the goals of the reading. For instance, students tracing motifs need not be responsible for setting or characterization. Annotation should not be limited to identifying an element; annotation should explain the significance of the technique or element and its contribution to the unit’s focus.

Suggested areas of focus

Characterization (development of characters) Thematic development Literary devices such as symbolism, motifs, foreshadowing Genre conventions such as those for tragedy, comedy, epic, novel, short story Critical perspectives such as historical, psychoanalytical, feminist, post-colonial, Marxist At the Pre-AP level : diction, detail, syntax, point of view, organization of selected

passages How the ending appropriately concludes the work

MethodsStudents may use any of the following methods:

Brackets Highlighting Underlining Post Its (As this is not written on the actual passage, it must be detailed and indicate

passage to which it is referring).

Students may not use:

Random pieces of paper Post Its that have been torn in half.

All methods must be consistent and contain written explanations of annotated areas. Students should avoid summaries and generalities at the end of the chapters or marginal notes not anchored in a specific passage. Students should make a reasonable number of annotations: 10 on every page is too many; one every 20 pages is too few.

AssessmentStudents will be assessed on the number and frequency of annotations, the significance of the commentary, and the topics and literary aspects identified in the text. Annotations will be read randomly and therefore must be specific enough that their meaning can be discerned. Please see attached rubric for grading. Roughly 50%of your annotations will be read thoroughly and critically to receive a grade according to the rubric.


Annotation Rubric

Name __________________________________________________ Title of Text ____________________________________________________

Outstanding

(25)

Excellent

(21)

Good

(17)

Fair

(13)

Number & frequency of annotations

Number of annotations is appropriate to text;

exhaustive annotations cover the page and every aspect of the work; text was

actively read.

Number of annotations is appropriate to text; multiple notations are on each page; most aspects of the work considered; text was

actively read.

Number of annotations is lacking; a number of annotations appear on

each page, but only some aspects of the

work considered; some active reading is

verified.

Few annotations overall; multiple

aspects are ignored; difficult to determine

active reading.

Significance of commentary

Notations and questions are apt, impressive, and intellectually stimulating;

annotations will provide numerous discussion

points.

Notations and questions are

appropriate and detailed; annotations

will assist in furthering discussion and/or

provide a new perspective.

Notations and questions are

standard and/or lack detail; annotations may add to basic discussion.

Notations and questions are lacking

in substance and academic quality; minimal room for

discussion.

Variety of topics: character

development, theme, POV,

symbolism, and motifs

All important literary aspects are identified; detailed commentary

is provided.

Many literary aspects are identified;

adequate commentary is provided.

Some literary aspects are identified; focus is

too much on only a few literary aspects;

commentary is scarce and/or inaccurate.

Few literary aspects are identified and/or identified incorrectly;

commentary is missing and/or

inaccurate.

Pre-AP Topics: diction, detail, and

syntax

Thorough consideration and

commentary of author’s choice of

Some consideration and/or commentary for

author’s choice of words and details.

Word and detail choices are addressed, but

randomly and inconsistently.

Commentary on word and detail choices is scant and lacking.


words and details.


English 11 Honors Summer AssignmentThe Prompt

Please read and annotate Pride and Prejudice, watch the film Twelfth Night, and read “Letters from Jane Austen…” and the Literary Critique: “Time and the Women of Pride and Prejudice”. Using textual evidence in the form of specific examples AND quotations from these four texts, answer the following prompt in a well-developed essay of 4-7 paragraphs (or about 2-3 pages).

a. Please refer to the Synthesis Essay Guide in this packet to ensure you know the basics of writing a synthesis essay.

b. Each paragraph MUST include two (2) quotations from two (2) separate texts. c. You may use additional outside sources. d. You MUST have a Works Cited and parenthetical citations in proper MLA Format.

With the rise of female power from the time period of William Shakespeare in the early 1600s to Jane Austen in the early 1800s, women in British literature developed more central roles. However, female characters were able to challenge social expectations and gender roles in order to acquire independence and/or power. This was not without great personal struggle and various impediments.

In a thoughtful synthesis essay, defend, challenge or qualify the idea that the female characters in William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice challenged gender roles and social expectations amidst great personal struggle, but were able to attain independence to the benefit of their gender.


All essays will be graded using the PARCC rubric (included). Grade Equivalents indicated on Rubric.


Grade 6-11 PARCC Scoring Rubric for Research Simulation Task and Literary AnalysisConstruct Measured

Score point 0 Score point 1 Score point 2 Score point 3 Score point 4

sion as ils

The student responsedemonstrates no

comprehension of ideas by providing inaccurate or no analysis and little to no textual evidence

The student response demonstrates limited comprehension of ideas stated explicitly and/or inferentially by providing a minimally accurate analysis and supporting theanalysis with limited textual evidence.

The student response demonstrates basic comprehension of ideas stated

explicitly and/or inferentially by providing a generally accurate

analysis and supporting the analysis with basic textual evidence.

The student responsedemonstrates comprehension of

ideas stated explicitly and/or inferentially by providing a mostly accurate analysis, and supporting the analysis with adequate textual evidence.

The student rdemonstrate

comprehensioexplicitly and inproviding an aand supportinwith effectivetextual eviden

Expression

The student response The student response The student response The student response The student responseis undeveloped and/orinappropriate to the task;

addresses the prompt and develops the claim or topic and provides minimal development that is limited in its appropriateness to the task by using limited reasoning and text-based evidence; or is a developed, text-based response with little or no awareness of the prompt

addresses the prompt and provides some development of the claim or topic that is somewhat appropriate to the task, by using some reasoning and text-based evidence;

addresses the prompt and provides mostly effective development of the claim or topic that is mostly appropriate to the task,by using clear reasoning supported by relevant textual evidence

addresses the provides effecomprehensivof the claim oconsistently apthe task by usconvincing reasupported by evidence;

lacks coherence, clarity, and cohesion.

demonstrates limited coherence, clarity, and/or cohesion, making the writer’s progression of ideas somewhat unclear

demonstrates some coherence, clarity, and/or cohesion, making the writer’s progression of ideas usually discernible but not obvious;

demonstrates coherence, clarity, and cohesion, making it fairly easy to follow the writer’s progression of ideas;

demonstratescoherence, clacohesion, mafollow the wrprogression o

has an inappropriate style, with little to no awareness of the norms of the discipline.

has a style that has limited effectiveness, with limited awareness of the norms of the discipline

has a style that is somewhat effective, generally attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline.

establishes and maintains a mostly effective style, while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline.

establishes aneffective stylethe norms anthe discipline

Knowledge of Language

Conventions

The student response to the

prompt demonstrates no command of the conventions of standard English. Frequent and varied errors in mechanics, grammar, and usage impede understanding.

The student response to theprompt demonstrates limited

command of the conventions of standard English at an appropriate level of complexity. There may be errors in mechanics, grammar, and usage that often impede understanding.

The student response to theprompt demonstrates some command of the conventions of standard English at an appropriate level of complexity. There may be errors in mechanics, grammar, and usage that occasionally impede understanding, but the meaning is generally clear

The student response to theprompt demonstrates full command of the conventions of standard English at an appropriate level of complexity. There may be a few minor errors in mechanics, grammar, and usage, but meaning is clear.

Rubric Score

4+4

3.53

2.52

1.510

Works Cited

Boyle, Laura. "Life in Regency England." Jane Austen Centre. The Jane Austen Centre, 18 July 2011. Web. 29 May 2015.

Goddard-Rebstein, Hannah J. "Time and the Women of Pride and Prejudice." 2013 JASNA Essay Contest Third Place Winner College/University Division. Jane Austen Society of North America, 2013. Web. 01 June 2015.

Harman, Claire. "Jane Austen: An Influential Woman." Stylist Magazine. Stylist (UK), 2015. Web. 01 June 2015.

Robens, Myretta. "Letters of Jane Austen." Pemberly. The Republic of Pemberley, 2011. Web. 01 June 2015.

Shmoop Editorial Team. "Pride and Prejudice." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 01 June 2015.

"William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night Study Guide." Orlando Shakespeare Theater. Ed. Anne Hering. Harcourt Education, 2010. Web. 01 June 2015.


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