Grade 12 - English

Honors: English 12 (Credit: 1.00)

The English 12 Honors course asks students to closely analyze British literature and world literature and consider how we humans define and interact with the unknown, the monstrous, and the heroic. In the epic poems The Odyssey, Beowulf, and The Inferno, in Shakespeare’s Tempest, in the satire of Swift, and in the rhetoric of World War II, students examine how the ideas of “heroic” and “monstrous” have been defined across cultures and time periods and how the treatment of the “other” can make monsters or heroes of us all. Reading Frankenstein and works from those who experienced the imperialism of the British Empire, students explore the notion of inner monstrosity and consider how the dominant culture can be seen as monstrous in its ostensibly heroic goal of enlightening the world. Throughout this course, students analyze a wide range of literature, both fiction and nonfiction. They build writing skills by composing analytical essays, persuasive essays, personal narratives, and research papers. In order to develop speaking and listening skills, students participate in discussions and give speeches. Overall, students gain an understanding of the way British and world literature represent the array of voices that contribute to our global identity. Course Materials Semester 1: Optional Robinson Crusoe. Daniel Defoe. (Barnes & Nobel Classics, 2005). ISBN-10: 1593083602 / ISBN-13: 9781593083601. Other editions acceptable. NOTE: This book is provided in digital format in the course. If students wish to read offline, the above purchase is recommended. The Tempest. William Shakespeare. (Simon & Schuster, 2004). ISBN-10: 0156027321 / ISBN-13: 9780743482837. Other editions acceptable. NOTE: This book is provided in digital format in the course. If students wish to read offline, the above purchase is recommended. Semester 2: Required Life of Pi. Yann Martel. (Mariner Books, 2003). ISBN-10: 0156027321 / ISBN-13: 9780156027328. Other editions acceptable. NOTE: This book is provided in digital format in the course. If students wish to read offline, the above purchase is recommended. Semester 2: Optional Frankenstein. Mary Shelley. (Dover Publications, 1994). ISBN-10: 0486282112 / ISBN-13: 9780486282114. Other editions acceptable. NOTE: This book is provided in digital format in the course. If students wish to read offline, the above purchase is recommended.