Advanced Placement English Literature: Summer Reading Essay Assignment

In a well-developed essay, that is 500 words or more in length, respond to the following question that is based on the three required reading books: Madame Bovary, The Odyssey, and Song of Solomon.

A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself.  In literary works a symbol can express an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning.  Write an essay that is 500 words or more in length, analyzing how symbols function in all three works of literature you have read for summer reading. Your essay should also include what the symbols reveal about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Do not summarize the plots of all three works of literature.

You will be evaluated on the following criteria for this essay assignment:

*Comprehension, Accuracy, Insight

*Focus and Development (clarify of focus; organization, including a strong topic sentence and closing sentence; use of logically-related ideas to develop the topic; use of supporting details; use of effective language, including present tense verbs)

*Use of Standard English Conventions (grammar and usage, sentence structure, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling)

This assignment NEEDS to be completed and passed in on the first day full day of school!!