English HL 1 IB
Congratulations on successfully completing English 2 Honors! Welcome to English HL 1, the junior IB literature class at Foothill High School. I am eager to embark on the 2021-22 school year with you as we grow as a community of learners that is focused around the International Baccalaureate mission to “develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.”
1. This summer’s required text is F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
As you read and annotate The Great Gatsby, please reflect upon Fitzgerald’s use of voice and point of view.
Also, please consider the following essential questions:
★ What is the effect of Fitzgerald’s use of color imagery? How does color imagery contribute to
mood, characterization, symbolism, and theme throughout the novel?
★ What tensions about wealth and status in American society are revealed in The Great Gatsby?
How does this novel contribute to our understanding of the American Dream?
Thank you for being prepared to engage in meaningful analysis and discussion during the first week of school.
Please be sure to bring your annotated text to class starting on day 1.
To verify your close reading
of Fitzgerald’s novel, you can also expect a comprehensive exam.
*While this text is widely available online as a PDF, students are discouraged from use of an ecopy for this
assignment. If it is possible, please consider securing and annotating on a print copy of this text.
**The Great Gatsby is such a celebrated text that has been adapted by filmmakers many times over. Please know
that you will be given the opportunity to enjoy, analyze and compare some of these films with Fitzgerald’s original
text when we come together as a class.
2. READ ANYTHING/EVERYTHING YOU CAN!
Books! Poems! YA Literature! Anime! Graphic Novels!
Aside from the required reading, you are also encouraged to read other literary texts, based on your interests,
ranging from young adult fiction and poetry to novels and memoir. Summer is the opportune time to read that
book you’ve heard everyone raving about but never had the time to read yourself. The most important part of
this requirement for this part of the assignment is that whatever you read, make it something that you LOVE!
Moreover, it is critical that you use this summer to relax and get ready for what will surely be an exciting year
ahead! One of the best ways to do that is to read books for the purpose of entertainment! Enjoy!