Summer Reading 2010

English V- 12th Grade

Required Books:
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Assignment for Waiting for Godot:

Complete a thorough characterization on either Vladimir or Estragon. Your

characterization should be one, double-spaced page. When completing the
characterization, consider physical appearance, personality, dialect/language, role in the
story, habits/mannerisms, and beliefs/philosophies. Include two quotes from the play,
which are either said by or about the character to support your characterization. This
short paper will be due the second day of class. Students will be performing select scenes
in class and will eventually take a test on the play.

Assignment for The Picture of Dorian Gray:

Read The Picture of Dorian Gray and the critical article by Bryan Aubrey on the novel.
As you read the novel, highlight quotes that develop each of the following themes: good
vs. evil, youth, mortality, innocence, and transformation. Highlight any information in
the article that would support or augment any one of these themes. Be prepared to
discuss the novel, themes, and article the second week of class. Students will be given an
in-class essay on the novel.

Works to be read during the academic year:

Short story and poetry selections

Wilde: Importance of Being Earnest
Conrad: Heart of Darkness
* Shelley: Frankenstein
*Lessing: The Fifth Child
*Haddon: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

If a student uses any sources other than the books themselves, the information must
be correctly cited using the MLA format.