"My First Summer in the Sierra," by John Muir is his journal of his three and half month journey that took up and down the mighty mountains of Yosemite. In the summer of 1864, John Muir left on foot for the mountainous area of California's Sierra Nevada. ... After the end of his trip chronicled in "My First Summer in the Sierra," there was no doubt that land a divine as those that he was able to see on his journey through the mountains, must be set aside and not used for any purpose other than for the use of recreation and healing, for using it for any other purpose would destroy how i...

• Word Count: 1140
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

1. Why did you select this book for your summer reading? Does it apply to a particular interest or career choice? Cassie didn't always make the right decision. Cassie had a troubled life, she began to hang with the wrong crowd, practice magic, and write hatred letters to her parents, and to her tea...

• Word Count: 543
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

The short story "A Summer's reading" by Bernard Malamud depicts several themes, all of which relate to one another. ... For example, in the story "A Summer's reading", George, the main character, shows how lazy he is by showing his lack of interest for work and education. ... In the story George claims to have read 100 books over the summer. ... Although reading that many books is a very hard and challenging task, I believe he will make it, because he knows that he might be able to deceive others but, he can't deceive him-self. ... I hope George succeeds with his reading, mos...

• Word Count: 764
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

As we get little older, we start reading books to learn our ABCs but we never understand that reading is a crucial part of our life. ... When I was young, I was in this program from the local library that awarded you on how many books you can read over the summer. ... At the end of the summer, they would count who read the most books and you would receive an award for it. I was in that program for only one summer, since I never understood what was the reason behind it. ... I still feel that it's not that late and I should start reading but I"m not attracted to reading novels or short ...

• Word Count: 613
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

There were necessary changes that had to be made when making the movie, considering the novel took place during the summer and the movie during Christmas. ... Another difference that made me realize it was summer, happened right after Ralphie got into the fight with Scut Farcus. ... This made it clear to me that the novel was going on during a baseball season, which is in the summer unlike football, which is played throughout the fall. Summer was the fact that was that. I really enjoyed reading and watching both the novel and the movie. ...

• Word Count: 361
• Approx Pages: 1
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

In past summers I didn't have to read so many books, so this assignment was a bit of a shock. ... As many may think that summer reading helps stimulate the mind after sitting down on a couch watching television all day or coming home from a boring day of work. I began my summer with reading "Angela's Ashes: because I thought it was best to get down with the bulkiest book first. ... Even though the summer reading took up most of my free time, I didn't mind it because it kept my brain working so that it wouldn't be a major change from having the summer off and jumping righ...

• Word Count: 1675
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

The Second Summer of the Sisiterhood is the sequal to The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, its about four girls, Lena, Bridget, Carmen, and Tibby, sharing a pair of magical pants with each other while they are apart over the summer. Lena stays home this summer she has broken up with her boyfriend Kostos who she met in Greece last summer. he comes and visits her and tells her that he loves her. ... Tibby goes away this summer to a college class on photography and art. ... Throughout the summer each gurl takes turns with the pants and at the end of teh summer they all met up and exchanged ...

• Word Count: 509
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

The Symbolism of Summer The life of a person can be divided into seasons. ... Just as summer becomes autumn, an adolescent becomes an adult. ... As stated previously, the story takes place in the summer. ... This is evident when the reader is told what Homer is thinking as he watches Sandra reading through his window. ... And the summer was over" (74). ...

• Word Count: 1143
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one like to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box. ... Summers began talking about a new box, but every year the subject was allowed to fade off without anything's being done. ... It is very important while reading that you picked up the word allowed because this proves that the people wanted the thought to go away. ...

• Word Count: 449
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

My Reading Experience I find this assignment extremely difficult because I have very few memories of reading. ... We did most of our reading in class but light reading at night. ... I enjoyed reading for that class. ... I didn't enjoy recreational reading until the summer of my sophomore year in college. I really got into science-fiction books and read nearly six books that summer. ...

• Word Count: 2468
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School

Summers started talking about getting a new box, the people would refuse, not wanting " to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box". The black box is taken out during summer only and the rest of the year it is put away in one place or another. ... Summers conducts the lottery every summer. ... Summers make up the slips ultimately deciding whose "grave" will be next. ... After reading "the Lottery" one realizes how backward even a relatively modern society can get when it comes to traditions and rituals. ...

• Word Count: 481
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

Assignment If you want to know a literary character more fully, ask yourself, "What does this 'person' want?" Choose a character from one of your Summer Reading books and discuss how his/her desires affect his/her choices and actions. Response Dick Hickock is a very interesting man. Dick i...

• Word Count: 760
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Reading makes the world seem peaceful. ... However, reading to me is one thing that is as certain as death. ... "It seemed to me, as I kept remembering all this, that those times and those summers had been infinitely precious and worth saving" (White 384).To White, the lake he discusses throughout the story is a symbol of endurance, it had not changed even though his life had (White, E.B. (1944). ... Reading has made me consider my beliefs many times. ... My thinking and writing capabilities have grown tremendously from reading. ...

• Word Count: 1209
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

These memories made reading and writing so much fun until I hit my 5th grade year. ... In the summer of my 6th grade year I was gloating to my parents about how well I have always done on my benchmark, so they decided to make a deal with my brother and I that if we made an advanced score on benchmark in the next year that they would take us on a trip anywhere we wanted the following summer. ... This not only affected my writing but also my reading too. ... This also occurred in reading too. ... In result reading and writing has a special place in my life unlike most people. ...

• Word Count: 1754
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

June 27th is just after the summer solstice. ... Last, the names of three people in The Lottery are very impressive for the readers felt scared while reading. ... Summers is a "jovial man" (137). ... Summers does not look happy like his name. ... Summers tease good-humoredly with her sep...

• Word Count: 2165
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

The Lottery takes place on a warm summer's day in June. ... Summers instructs everyone to hurry up. ... Summers" (Jackson, Pg. 1). ... Summers, Tessie Hutchinson fails to be on time. ... In this short story by Shirley Jackson, she writes a great deal of irony throughout the reading, in many different ways, it many examples as to what was and why. ...

• Word Count: 1400
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

I have decided to write about 3 books I read this summer. ... So finally this summer I decided to read the Harry Potter books because since the fifth book released this summer and had some amazing sales and reviews I decided to read them. ... I will not give this away just incase you feel like reading the book. That's all I read this summer excluding the summer reading assignment. ... I recommend reading it. ...

• Word Count: 387
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

Hoban's "Summer Recorded" C.D. ... Whereas "Summer Recorded" remembers beautiful times now lost, and how R. ... "Summer Recorded" sends the reader more pictures in pieces than a full story. Reading the poem, you imagine yourself in a wood filled with the wonderful sounds "of a piano lingering honeyed on the air, guitars as musky fruit from an enchanted wood, and flutes a tremulous sad maidens bright with golden hair" (L2-5). ... " Summer Recorded" is a happy memory " of noon and all summer spinning slowly on it's reel" (B ....

• Word Count: 692
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

For AP Language and Composition, I was required to read 3 books during the summer. ... Reading for an AP course should be something which causes students to not only read, but to think about what they are reading. ... After reading three books this summer, it is evident to me that Heart of Darkness is the best choice for an AP course. ... Students are forced to think about what they are reading, which is so necessary in the world we live in today, where we tend to let the media think for us. ... While Heart of Darkness was certainly not my favorite summer reading book, I do believe that it ...

• Word Count: 383
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

By including such bitter word choice Roland successfully conveys a negative attitude towards immigrants and a reading from a modern Australian would now see this racist community as rare and absolutely archaic. ... Lawler acquired success through his play Summer of the Seventeenth Doll which Biddy Allen stated in the Argus "[Lawler] has written a play so superbly true to Australian thought and the Australian stage that theatrical conventions disappear." (29th,November 1955) Lawler uses strong imagery such as "bronzed gods" ...

• Word Count: 610
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Summers, the official of the lottery) but they are not successful because the conservatism of other villagers does not allow them any changes. ... Summers who has enough time and energy to devote to civic activities. ... Summers has a different attitude to this tradition than Old Man Warner but on the other side and in a certain way their opinions about the lottery are much more similar than a reader can realise after the first reading of the story. ... Summers was willing to make some changes in this ritual and to modify some elemnts of it in order to modernize the whole tradition, he would ...

• Word Count: 2043
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

The main topics of the "Final Thoughts" section of our readings deals mainly with oppression. The first reading in this section is titled "Can White Heterosexual Men Understand Oppression?" ... The next reading in the "Final Thoughts" section is "How to Interrupt Oppressive Behavior" by Mary McClintock. Mary gives an example of jokes being made about Helen Keller's disabilities at a summer camp. ... The other children at the camp would torment the other boy and make that particular summer the worst of his life. ...

• Word Count: 820
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

First, he talks about how there should be a change from an increase in schooling to less schooling altogether; he talks about how schools are now cutting into summer vacation by assigning the compulsory reading of novels. The article states that these assignments are discouraging children from reading novels on their own. ... I also agree that schools should not impose reading assignments on students during their vacation or free time. I think that the key word is "free", in the sense that students should be free to do as they wish during their summer break. These types of compulsory readi...

• Word Count: 610
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The reading tests are divided among grade levels: children in grades 5-11 must pass the Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test while students in grades K-4 must perform well on the Developmental Reading Assessment Test. Students who fail to pass required tests under this new system must attend summer school. ... Passing a reading and math test was also installed as a condition for graduation. As part of the system, Chicago spent nearly 42 million dollars on the mandatory summer school in 1998. ... In addition, summer school students passed their promotional tests 54% of the time the second time ...

• Word Count: 1104
• Approx Pages: 4

The narrator tells the story a few years after it has happened and what he remembers about the summer when his brother died. ... The story, "Before the end of the summer" is about a boy named Bennie who overhears a doctor telling his grandmother that she is going to die before the end of the summer. There are many events that lead up to the end of the summer in which many times Bennie thinks it will be the end, but it doesn't happen until the very end of the summer which symbolizes the end of summer as some things ending and new ones beginning. The story, "A Summers Reading" is about a...

• Word Count: 528
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School