AP Literature & Composition Activities

For the  required text, complete the required essay described below, and bring the essay and book to English class during the first day of school.

Required Text : Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

“First published in 1952 and immediately hailed as a masterpiece, Invisible Man is one of those rare novels that have changed the shape of American literature. For not only does Ralph Ellison's nightmare journey across the racial divide tell unparalleled truths about the nature of bigotry and its effects on the minds of both victims and perpetrators, it gives us an entirely new model of what a novel can be” (Goodreads.com).

Please write a thesis-driven essay of a minimum of 3 pages on one of the following prompts:

Prompt 1: In some works of literature, a character who appears briefly, or does not appear at all, is a significant presence. Write an essay in which you show how such a character functions in Invisible Man. You may wish to discuss how the character affects action, theme, or the development of other characters.

Prompt 2: Novels and plays often include scenes of weddings, funerals, parties, and other social

occasions. Such scenes may reveal the values of the characters and the society in which they live. Select one of these scenes from Invisible Man and in a focused essay, discuss the contribution the scene makes to the meaning of work as a whole.

Only the novel should be used to complete this assignment. No outside sources should be used, under any circumstances. Do not copy work from friends as work will be checked for plagiarism. Please include an MLA work cited page.

As noted in the AP Contract, inability to complete the required summer assignments will result in withdrawing from the course. This list of summer assignments, as well as more details, are posted on Google Classroom, which you will be notified about via email.