Thursday, August 29, 2013

Intro Paragraph Models for Skloot Analysis

Tonight I would like you to write an opening to your essay to bring to class tomorrow. I will not be grading it tomorrow, but I will want to take a quick look at your opening sentence and your hook. Try to use the professional example as a model, as I did for a hypothetical essay about the Ayn Rand commentary. (If you want to see the whole essay by Demby---which is NOT a five paragraph essay, by the way, it is in the Introduction to Rhetoric chapter we read last week.)

INTRO PARAGRAPHS-ETHOS, PATHOS, and LOGOS


Alarmist or Alarming Rhetoric?
by Tamar Demby


In an age when threats to life as we know it seem to grow too enormous to face, it becomes tempting to regard any danger as an apocalypse waiting to happen.  But however huge and urgent an incident appears, it is important to look at the big picture and calmly analyze the true risks of all responses.  Within the context of Japan’s struggle to avert a nuclear meltdown in Fukushima Prefecture, Anne Applebaum, writing for the Washington Post, argues against any further expansion of nuclear power.  However, she undermines her own purpose by basing her argument on unsupported claims, relying on highly emotional language, and failing to establish her ethos as a credible authority on the issue.



A Proud Moment
by Jennifer LaMonte


Today it is easy to take space travel for granted.  It has been almost 44 years since Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong first touched down on the moon’s powdery surface while the world watched, spellbound by wonder, fear, and awe.  The novelist Ayn Rand, writing for her publication the Objectivist, argues that the 1969 launch was a triumphant symbol of all that we hold dear: individualism, freedom, and reason.  She achieves this purpose by basing her argument on concrete sensory details gathered from the launch site, utilizing grand and elevated imagery, and establishing her ethos with her eyewitness perspective.

REMEMBER that you are all operating under the assumption that Skoot's book is an effective piece of rhetoric. Later on, I will give you that task, but for the purposes of this, our first practice at RHETORICAL ANALYSIS, I am narrowing the guidelines a bit.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Analyzing Visual Text for Argument and Ethos/Pathos/Logos

Here is a defense (that uses LOGOS) of the Boston Bomber Rolling stone cover (which we discussed as an example of PATHOS today in 6th period.) http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/explaining-the-rolling-stone-cover-by-a-boston-native-20130719


Chris Ware is a graphic novelist who often does covers for the New Yorker Magazine.  Examine this cover http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2012/09/cover-story-chris-wares-building-stories.html#slide_ss_0=1  and then his "sequel" a few months later, after the Newtown, Connecticut tragedy.  http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2013/01/chris-wares-newtown-inspired-cover-for-the-new-yorker.html

Examine the covers for the details that contribute to his purpose.  See if you can find ethos, logos or pathos in his presentation.

FOR CLASS DISCUSSION ON FRIDAY.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Ashton Kutcher's acceptance speech-Teen Choice Awards

Today we watched this speech in order to practice using SOAPS and the rhetorical triangle in order to analyze a text.  Then we read a letter from Albert Einstein to a sixth grade girl, and George Bush's speech on 9/11 in order to practice analysis.


Tonight your homework is to read an autobiographical piece by Sherman Alexie and complete the SOAPS handout I gave you in class today.  This is due tomorrow.

Friday, August 16, 2013

First Week: Reflection

This week we learned the basic structure and purpose of the Socratic Seminar.  I really enjoyed hearing students share their reading experiences from this summer, but learned a lot about the process along with you.  I was very impressed with the civility of the discussion and the energy that many of you have for speaking, as well as the curiosity you expressed for learning more about current events.  What a great beginning!

Homework Reminder:  Read pages 1-4 in "An Introduction to Rhetoric"  and complete the ACTIVITY on the bottom of page 4, top of page 5.

Also, consider getting a head start on the online assignment posted below, the video excerpt of the David Foster Wallace commencement speech.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

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Friday, August 9, 2013

Homework Assignment: Second Week David Foster Wallace

Welcome to AP Language! To start us off, I would like you to watch the video recreation of the writer David Foster Wallace's 2005 Kenyon College commencement speech "This Is Water." This is only an excerpt---there are complete versions on youtube and a transcript of the speech is printed in our class copy of the Bedford Reader, if you need it. You may need to watch it more than once to understand his purpose and message. After you are done watching this video, I would like you to write a response on a google doc that reveals your thoughts about his answer to one of his central questions: What does it mean to be educated? Quoting specifics will help make your discussion more concrete and insightful. Please submit it using the dropbox on this blog BY FRIDAY, August 23rd. 

dfw commencement speech