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Course Description
English 2 Honors introduces students to a survey of World Literature, ancient to modern and divided by geographic region. Students will read selections from Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East and will have opportunities to form interpretations, engage in discussions, and develop their writing and research skills. English 2 at the honors level requires more outside reading and independent study, further explorations of critical interpretive frameworks, more rigorous discussions, and longer writing tasks than the non-honors English 2 course. After completing this course, students will be prepared to successfully complete the state-mandated End-of-Course exam, which will count as 20% of the student’s final grade. This course is designed to prepare students to advance to English 3 Honors or move into one of the two AP offerings at Eastside.
Major Texts
The Metamorphosis
Gregor Samsa lives an uneventful life. That is, until one morning he awakes to find himself transformed into a monstrous, verminous bug. The celebrated work by Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis is a psychological study of Gregor’s family and the world around him as Gregor endures a new and painful existence of a vermin.
Antigone
Can one woman challenge the absolute power of a king and the rigid laws of the state for the sake of family honor and divine will? In Sophocles' gripping tragedy, Antigone, daughter of Oedipus, dares to defy a decree that forbids the burial of her fallen brother, Polyneices. Driven by unwavering conviction and a profound respect for the laws of the gods, she risks everything for what she believes is right.
Macbeth
One of the great Shakespearean tragedies, Macbeth is a dark and bloody drama of ambition, murder, guilt, and revenge. Set amid the gloomy castles and lonely heaths of medieval Scotland, Macbeth paints a striking, dramatic portrait of a man of honor and integrity destroyed by a fatal character flaw and the tortures of a guilty conscience.
Things Fall Apart
A true classic of World Literature, Things Fall Apart is about Africa’s cataclysmic encounter with Europe as it establishes a colonial presence on the continent. Told through the fictional experiences of Okonkwo, a wealthy and fearless Igbo warrior, the novel depicts the traditional lifestyle of the Igbo people, the conflict with European missionaries, and Okonkwo’s despair as his community capitulates to a powerful new order.
Night
Night is Elie Wiesel's masterpiece, a candid, horrific, and deeply poignant autobiographical account of his survival as a teenager in the Nazi death camps. It's a powerful testament to the depths of human suffering and resilience, forcing readers to confront the horrors of the Holocaust and grapple with questions of faith, humanity, and survival.
Tutoring
If you would like extra help on essays and projects and unfinished classwork, please take advantage of the Eastside tutoring program that's held each morning and afternoon on the English hallway.
I am available after school on Tuesdays until 4:50 if you would like class-specific help.
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