Fri, Feb 17

 

DUE: DRAFT response to short-form essay

HMWK:

• FINISH short-form essay; SUBMIT to TURNITIN by SUNDAY 11:59pm
• READ in LC McMurtry "Kill 'em! Crush 'em! Eat 'em raw!" 453-458; Consider questions 1,2 - no written response required 

TODAY: Draft peer review

 

Unit5 Short-Form Formal Essay Peer Review

Introduction

1.1.    This is a formal essay, so it requires some kind of lead-in. What strategy does the author use to draw the reader into the paper’s topic? Anecdote? Universal truth? Interesting statistic? Rhetorical question? Or do they dive right in to the text to be addressed?

1.2.    How effective is the lead-in, considering the thesis? Does the lead-in naturally and fluently lead the reader’s thinking to the paper’s thesis?

1.3.    What is the thesis? Is it one sentence? Two? Underline it.

1.4.    What does the thesis promise will be covered in the paper? Is any outline given away?

1.5.    Overall, what does the outline promise for the paper’s body content? What particulars will be discussed? What limitations are provided, such as specific paragraphs to be investigated, or the number of examples to be covered?

Body paragraphs

2.1.    Is a transition provided at the top of the body paragraph? How well does the paragraph’s first sentence flow naturally from the last sentence of the previous paragraph?

2.2.    Where is the paragraph’s topic sentence or main point? It should be explicitly stated within the first couple sentences, so locate it. How well is the paragraph’s focus and limitation stated in the first three sentences? To what extent is the reader told exactly what to find in this paragraph?

2.3.    Did the student provide examples in the form of summary, paraphrase, or direct quote? How much of the paragraph is comprised of example/evidence vs. explanation/elaboration? The ratio must lean heavily toward the latter.

2.4.    At the end of the paragraph should be some kind of concluding statement that brings together the essential elements of the paragraph. This functions as a proverbial ribbon or bow that tops off the small discussion of the paragraph. Is such a sentence or statement present? How does the reader know what to take away from the paragraph?

Prose

3.1.    Each sentence you read must follow logically from the previous sentence. Read sentences as pairs and as you read, evaluate how fluently the ideas flow from one sentence to the next. Note breakdowns.

3.2.    The entire paper must be free of the “evils” of flat writing. No “to be” verbs, if at all possible. No passive voice – only active. All verbs are in the same tense – present tense is suggested. The subject in each sentence deserves the action ascribed to it.

Your score will be determined by your performance on the three strands of rhetorical analysis:

1. Your analysis of the text chosen
2. Your use of examples and explanation
3. Your prose

 

Thu, Feb 16

 

DUE: READ MLK "I Have a Dream" and investigate online rhetorical analyses

HMWK: Complete draft response to short-form essay prompt - BRING TO CLASS

TODAY: Talk about and work on short-form essay

 

Investigation of how to extend discussions of particular words. Notes are as follows:

 

Franklin’s word choice emphasizes the servitude of his earlier years and the value he placed on the freedom he found in quitting Boston. In addition, the movement from indentured servant to free citizen reveals Franklin’s vanity and desire for public attention.

• ·         Master  
• ·         services from me as he would from another
• ·         he demeaned me too much
• ·         I made bold to give our rulers some rubs in it
• ·         A young genius that had a turn for libeling and satire
• ·         A fresh difference … assert my freedom
• ·         IRONY: this I … reckon one of the first errata of my life
• ·         Perhaps I was too saucy and provoking
• ·         IRONY: I had already made myself a little obnoxious to the governing party

 

In paragraph one, Banneker employs careful word choice to align the situation of the slaves with that of the early Americans under rule of the British crown. His purpose in this analogy is twofold: To invite Jefferson to recall the abhorrent feelings of servitude in his own life and the subsequent joy in liberty that followed, and to establish a link between God’s providence and the fight for freedom from slavery.

• ·         Tyranny of the British Crown – brutal leader; corruption; dictator; oppressive; heartless – Banneker employs the word “tyranny” to refer to the actions of the British Crown on the colonists. His use of this word brings to mind forceful, oppressive rule by one person or group over another. One thinks of dictators, corrupt governments that rule heartlessly and brutally. Banneker wishes J to recall the time when he was one of the oppressed by the Crown. He assumes in J feelings of anger, a lack of control, and hopelessness from the time of British rule. By arousing these feelings, B hopes to provoke empathy in J for the situation of the slaves, and ultimately his help in abolishing slavery.
• ·         State of Servitude – Similarly, B refers to a “State of Servitude” when recalling British rule. The word servitude means one being is at the complete disposal of another. Under this system, one can only be master or servant. Servitude means sacrificing oneself for the whims and wishes of someone else – these is no other option. He implies that J was once a servant of the British, and this feeling related to that servitude resulted in a successful revolution in order to J and others of (confinement). This association is intended to bolster?? Further?? Support?? … rouse J’s empathy … the acknowledgement of the slaves’ feelings … the connection between America’s history and the treatment of the slaves … invoke empathy with the slaves … compare the tyranny of the British with the injustice of slavery.
• ·         Variety of dangers to which you were exposed
• ·         Human aid appeared unavailable
• ·         Miraculous and providential preservation
• ·         Freedom and tranquility
• ·         Blessing of Heaven
• ·         Injustice

 

Which text will be your selection??? 

 

Wed, Feb 15

 

DUE: 

• COMPLETE and SUBMIT a Franklin response 1.5-2pgs; submit to TURNITIN
• PRINT a hard copy of Franklin response; bring to class

HMWK:

• Begin unit "Short Form Formal Essay" prompt: Select one of the landmark texts. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the speaker (or author) crafts the text to achieve his/her purpose. (2-4pgs)
• DRAFT due Fri in class - hard copy
• FINAL due SUNDAY to TURNITIN by 11:59pm 
• READ MLK - "I Have a Dream" and investigate online rhetorical analyses 

TODAY: Discuss Franklin responses; discuss Short Form essay assignment

 

Franklin

 

Three segments of the narrative:

 

Paragraphs 1-6	Paragraphs 7-11	Paragraphs 12-end

 

1. Discuss the events that occur within each segment – What’s going on?
2. Discuss how people are presented through Franklin’s lens – What words and phrases are used to characterize the people about whom he writes?
1. His brother
2. Other individuals
3. Other groups
4. Strangers in general
3. Discuss words and phrases that provide insight into Franklin’s emotions and maturation. How independent is he at the start? Middle? End?
4. Where are shifts in mood? This can be triggered by changes in sentence type and length, alterations in phrasing, and shifts in diction.

 

Your group gets 15 minutes to discuss your segment and discuss all four prompts. You will then report back to the large group. We will conclude in 30 minutes.

 

Considerations for short-form essay:

 

1. Select a text you both LIKE and UNDERSTAND – your own interest will make it easier to write a response
2. Your response is a rhetorical analysis. You must identify features of the text and explain how the author uses these to develop the meaning or to achieve a particular effect or purpose.
3. Use your knowledge of AP’s essay scoring guidelines to understand your evaluation – you must address all three strands:
1. Analysis
2. Evidence/explanation
3. Prose
4. An introduction and conclusion are expected, because the reply is an outside-class formal essay response
5. Consider rhetorical strategies from the general to specific. i.e. Organization governs the piece as a whole, syntax is found at the sentence level, and diction is the most pointed word-level investigation
6. In organizing your own response, consider alternatives to grouping paragraphs around strategies. What about moving through the text from start to finish? The organization of your essay’s paragraphs should be conducive to fluent reading

 

 

Tue, Feb 14

 

DUE: (nothing in writing - continue work on Franklin response)

HMWK:

• COMPLETE and SUBMIT a Franklin response 1.5-2pgs; submit to TURNITIN
• PRINT a hard copy of Franklin response; bring to class

TODAY: In-class timed essay practice; debrief of timed essay prompt

 

35 minutes to complete an AP essay

 

Debrief and discussion of the prompt 

 

Mon, Feb 13

 

DUE:

• Discussion Qs for Plessy/Ferguson and Brown/Board 
• LC 420-423 Pronouns Exercise 1 

HMWK:

• READ in CA Franklin from the Autobiography 178-183 
• RESPOND in an outline to "For Writing" #1 on 183 - select your quotes from the text to include in the outline

TODAY: Supreme Court cases and refuting precedent

 

Overview of week's schedule (see daily lessons here)

 

Discussion of Plessy/Ferguson

 

Discussion of Brown/Board

 

QUESTION: How did the Brown v Board decision refute paragraph 10 of the majority opinion in Plessy? 

 

Fri, Feb 10

 

DUE: Plessy/Ferguson "For Discussion" 1,2,6

HMWK: 

• READ in CA Plessy vs Ferguson case; answer "For Discussion" prompts 1, 2, 6 - DISCUSS FRI
• READ in CA Brown vs Board case; answer "For Discussion" prompts 1, 2, 5, 6 - DISCUSS MON
• READ my response to your Kennedy piece; email me a reply/reflection on the comments - DUE FRI
• READ in LC 420-423 "Pronouns" do all prompts in Exercise 1
• CONSIDER: How's your research coming along? 

TODAY: alternatives for "to use;" action verbs

 

Other ways to say a rhetor “uses:”

• ·         Employs
• ·         Utilizes
• ·         Implements
• ·         Engages
• ·         Exercises (careful here – it has to fit the sentence)
• ·         Takes advantage of (only if you can prove the technique perfectly matches context and audience)
• ·         Puts to use (wordy, and connotes a kind of blue-collar work in constructing rhetoric)
• ·         Makes use of (this is wordy, and it’s the definition of “to use” so it seems silly as a substitution)

 

A rhetor

• ·         Argues
• ·         Asserts
• ·         Frames an issue or argument in a certain way
• ·         Compares
• ·         Contrasts
• ·         Juxtaposes
• ·         Investigates
• ·         Defines
• ·         Supports
• ·         Refutes
• ·         Qualifies
• ·         Cites
• ·         Refers (to something/ someone)
• ·         Advances
• ·         Affirms
• ·         Alleges
• ·         Contends
• ·         Defends
• ·         Justifies
• ·         Reasons
• ·         Suggests
• ·         Appeals
• ·         Contends
• ·         Demonstrates
• ·         Denotes
• ·         Elucidates
• ·         Establishes
• ·         Exhibits
• ·         Explains
• ·         Implies
• ·         Indicates
• ·         Reasons
• ·         Supports
• ·         Substantiates
• ·         Proclaims
• ·         Professes
• Pronounces 

 

 

Thu, Feb 9

 

DUE: n/a

HMWK:

• READ in CA Plessy vs Ferguson case; answer "For Discussion" prompts 1, 2, 6 - DISCUSS FRI
• READ in CA Brown vs Board case; answer "For Discussion" prompts 1, 2, 5, 6 - DISCUSS MON
• READ my response to your Kennedy piece; email me a reply/reflection on the comments - DUE FRI
• READ in LC 420-423 "Pronouns" do all prompts in Exercise 1
• CONSIDER: How's your research coming along? 

TODAY: Sharpening writing - reminders and new tips

 

Lessons from today's examplars (in no particular order):

 

• ANSWER THE PROMPT. Thou shalt not divert thy attention from the prompt nor assume what the prompt desires (that is not already explicitly stated). 
• Ensure that your thesis or statement of purpose reflects an understanding of the prompt
• Ex: In the Kennedy assignment, you would need to include these for aspects:
• Kennedy (the rhetor)
• active verb 
• one rhetorical device employed by Kennedy
• Kennedy's aim in employing the rhetorical device (as it relates to one of the four proposed elements of inaugural speeches) 
• In your thesis, promise only what you plan to offer. Conversely, do not promise more than you will deliver.
• Ex problem: When prompted to explain one technique employed by a rhetor, your thesis claims that many of the rhetor's chosen techniques contribute to his overall purpose. Instead of promising an analysis of "many" (which is at least three) you should focus on just the limitations of the prompt
• While looking for precise verbs, beware of verbs with negative connotation and unintended meaning 
• Ex problem: Kennedy targets the unification of the American people (indicates he aims to destroy unification)
• Ex problem: Kennedy deploys ... (connotes preparation for a battle) 
• Select words that have connotation commensurate with the tone and purpose of your text. Do not select informal words for a formal essay.
• Ex problem: ...Kennedy uses a slew of rhetorical techniques
• Ex problem: ...Kennedy has an organized list to ramble through  
• Select active verbs and assign them to the subject. Avoid tired verbs like to use
•  The following words are verboten: very, really, pretty, throughout
• Be aware of your essays suggested organization. When you write two paragraphs, it is assumed a thesis will be found in paragraph one that governs both one and two. If you only write one paragraph, it is assumed your thesis/purpose will be within the first few sentences. If you give more than three paragraphs, then the first is assumed to function as an introduction w/o a discussion of any of the topics to be found in a body paragraph
• Cite sources accurately and precisely
• Ex: Mehltretter (the student author) did not propose the four elements of inaugural addresses; she borrowed the idea for the four elements from one of her sources. So to attribute the four elements to Mehltretter is erroneous - you must attribute the two scholars as cited in Mehltretter. 

 

Wed, Feb 8

 

DUE: LC pg 501 Exercise 1 on verbs

HMWK: n/a

TODAY: effective verb usage; writing tips/tricks

 

Tue,  Feb 7

 

DUE: "analysis of an analysis" of the Gettysburg Address

HMWK: LC Pg 501 Exercise 1 on verbs

TODAY: Techniques in Lincoln; effective verb usage

 

1/2 class discussion on Lincoln

 

1/2 class work on verb exercise

 

Mon, Feb 6

 

DUE: 

• READ online some sites dedicated to "rhetorical analysis Gettysburg Address"
• READ Gettysburg Address
• WRITE and POST (Turnitin) response to prompt: Explain how any one of Kennedy's rhetorical techniques contributes to one of his purposes in the inaugural address. (about 1 pg) SUBMIT TO TURNITIN.COM and submit a hard copy; MAKE AN ATTEMPT to incorporate a PERIODIC or CUMULATIVE sentence in your response.

HMWK: Analyze a rhetorical analysis of the Gettysburg Address. Select an analysis from the free web, yet do not use one on the first page of Google search results. Pick apart the assertions of the analysis' author(s) and propose the degree to which the analysis is valid

TODAY: Kennedy's techniques - antithesis, anaphora, parallel structure, chiasmus, etc.

 

Discussion of Kennedy's inaugural

 

Fri, Feb 3

 

DUE: Informal exploration of an element of inaugurals

HMWK:

• READ online some sites dedicated to "rhetorical analysis Gettysburg Address"
• READ Gettysburg Address
• WRITE and POST (Turnitin) response to prompt: Explain how any one of Kennedy's rhetorical techniques contributes to one of his purposes in the inaugural address. (about 1 pg) SUBMIT TO TURNITIN.COM and submit a hard copy; MAKE AN ATTEMPT to incorporate a PERIODIC or CUMULATIVE sentence in your response.

TODAY: tone; rhetor purpose; rhetorical techniques; explication

 

Groups meet to discuss where, in Kennedy's speech, they notice him addressing the various elements typical of inaugural addresses.

 

Groups report

 

Brief discussion of weekend prompt

 

Sample response for wkend assignment:

 

NOTES: The response meets the assignment requirements by addressing how a rhetorical technique (antithesis) helps the rhetor (Kennedy) accomplish his immediate purpose (removing divisions and uniting Americans as “a people”).

 

Kennedy addresses the first of the four elements of inaugural addresses early in his speech when, in paragraph two, he aims to unify Americans through the use of antithesis. After a divisive election season where Americans would have aligned themselves with a particular political party (and against another), Kennedy erases differences and claims that the inaugural unites all Americans in a “celebration of freedom.” He encourages Americans to forget the differences that divided them weeks before with the claim that the event is “not a victory of party.” Although he and the Democrats were celebrating their victory, and the Republicans ruing it, he denounces these partisan celebrations and braggadocio. The first part of his antithesis claims that the inaugural is not to be seen as a partisan victory. The second half of the phrase affirms how it should be seen and celebrated: as a “celebration of freedom.” The second half of his antithesis, therefore, unites Americans previously divided. The use of antithesis in the part of the speech helps him accomplish his purpose. By discouraging partisanship, he encourages construction of, as Mehltretter puts it, “a portrait of ‘the people.’”

 

Thu, Feb 2

 

DUE: LC Exercise 3 898-99

HMWK:

• DUE MON in class and by midnight SUN online - Explain how any one of Kennedy's rhetorical techniques contributes to one of his purposes in the inaugural address. (about 1 pg) SUBMIT TO TURNITIN.COM and submit a hard copy

TODAY: Practice with periodic, inverted, and cumulative sentence types; occasion, context, and purpose in JFK's inaugural address

 

Review of Exercise 3 homework and small discussion

 

Focus on Kennedy's inaugural address in small groups: Each group will be given one aspect of the quotes below to investigate in the speech. These two small segments of text, taken from a Penn State University paper by student Sara Ann Mehltretter, propose elements and purposes of Kennedy's address. Each group will read their assigned segment carefully and endeavor to find evidence to support Mehltretter's assertion(s).

 

In her paper “John F. Kennedy,’Inaugural Address’” for The Pennylvania State University, Sara Ann Mehltretter references Karlyn Campbell and Kathleen Jamieson, who assert inaugural addresses generally contain four identifying elements: “First, inaugurals aim to unify their audience after a politically divisive election by rhetorically constructing a portrait of "the people" as committed not to partisanship but the common good. Second, they typically rehearse a set of communal values drawn from the collective memory of the American people. Third, inaugurals set forth the ideals and political principles that will guide the new administration's policies and actions. Finally, inaugurals demonstrate that the president understands and appreciates the requirements and limits of his executive power.” (Online, retrieved 2/1/12)

 

Mehltretter argues

 

Kennedy's speech was no doubt a fine example of the inaugural genre. But it also was a forceful, persuasive response to a particular situation--an escalating cold war that, in Kennedy's view, would demand commitment and sacrifice from all Americans. Kennedy's Inaugural Address was not merely ceremonial or ritualistic. To the contrary, it crafted a vision of public service that inspired a whole generation of political and civic leaders, boldly announced an ambitious and far-reaching policy of defending freedom around the globe, and influenced American presidential discourse for decades to come. In the process, the address also may have exacerbated cold war tensions and encouraged a more rigid, hard-line American foreign policy. In dividing the world between the forces of good and evil and committing the United States to a "long twilight struggle," Kennedy employed a polarizing rhetoric that not only put the Russians on the defensive, but also foreshadowed the rhetoric of later American presidents, including Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. Such divisive rhetoric was not new to the American presidency and the rhetoric surrounding the cold war; Kennedy, however, used the polarized worldview to ground his bold foreign policy plan. (Online, retrieved 2/1/12)

 

 

Wed, Feb 1 (can you believe it?)

 

DUE: LC Exercise 3 898-99

HMWK: n/a (rare!)

TODAY: tone, parallel structure, antithesis, anaphora, chiasmus

 

TONE - Brief discussion of tone in song lyrics ("Run to the Hills" by Iron Maiden) 

 

TONE - Handout from "Voice Lessons" - piece by Tom Wolfe from The Right Stuff

Author's notes: Wolfe's attitude toward the astronaut is one of enthusiastic fascination, and his tone is spirited and conversational. He addresses the astronaut informally and directly (you, well, dummy!), but his diction and use of detail show Wolfe reveres the astronaut. He is THE astronaut. He has a famous body and is one of the seven greatest pilots and seven bravest men in America. Everyone assumes the astronaut must be fascinating to listen to.

Wolfe's attitude toward the people who come to see the astronauts is good-natured mockery. The tourists are fawning hero-worshippers, as the diction clearly indicates. They are hotshots who (nevertheless) latch on to the astronaut; they want to breathe the same air as the astronaut; they want to occupy the same space as the astronaut. They want something hot, and they assume that the astronoaut must be fascinating to listen to. The tourists are shallow and impatient, quick to demand a "show." The syntax also reinforces the tone. It is informal and conversational, capturing the enthusiasm of the tourists. The short sentences and punctuation (ellipses, dashes, exclamation points) also create a mood of excitement and reflect the enthusiasm of the crowd.

 

John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address

• Parallel structure
• Antithesis
• Anaphora
• Chiasmus 

 

 

Tue, Jan 31

 

DUE: Reading Qs from Chief Seattle and Susan B. Anthony

HMWK: In LC, complete Exercise 3 on pages 898-899

TODAY: Sentence types; applying sentence types; devices and techniques in Susan B. Anthony

 

Review of Exercise 1 from LC 897-898

• Sentence types and their characteristics

 

Application of periodic or cumulative sentence to an analytical sentence about the Chief Seattle piece

 

Discussion of Susan B. Anthony

 

TONE - Brief discussion of tone in song lyrics ("Run to the Hills" by Iron Maiden) 

 

 

Mon, Jan 30

 

DUE: Responses to Chief Seattles letter to Franklin Pierce

HMWK: READ in CA Susan B. Anthony, select TWO prompts and write replies

TODAY: Occasion, purpose, intent, devices, techniques

 

Discussion on Chief Seattle's letter. Issues to be discussed:

 

What occasioned the letter

The topic/subject of the letter

The letter's audience

 

---

 

Teacher notes on Chief Seattle:

 

Chief Seattle employs understatement in order to express his keen understanding and disapproval of how the white man's ways will destroy nature and society as he knows it. He poses himself as an ignorant Indian who takes pleasure in the simple things nature offers. However, when he claims that the Indian does not fully understand the white man's ways, as in the last sentences when he states "we are savages," he does so for ironic effect.

 

In paragraph one he separates the white from the Indian, painting the white man as an intruder, a "stranger who comes in the night." This makes the Indian appear wronged - the white man is a thief who moves in the mystery of darkness. Chief Seattle asserts that the white man sees the earth as something to be used to satisfy needs and desires, insinuating that the Indian lives a more harmonious relationship with nature. The impression is of a thief arriving in the night, taking what he needs, and leaving before light comes on him at daybreak. So the white man moves across the land, taking what he needs and moving on to the next area to 'conquer,' perhaps because he is not easily satisfied when there is more of unknown to explore.

 

When he uses the word "savage" it does not ring true to the reader. The way he paints the white man's actions leaves the reader seeing that the true savage is the white, not the red man. His purpose is to cause his audience to "look in the mirror" to see the hasty, unchecked, wild way they behave, and to point out that because all life is temporal anyway, this style of conquer and move on will result in the inevitable fall of nature and the white man's society. The question becomes, "What civilized man would allow this type of behavior?" Yet the use of the word "savage" also seems to be for effect. He knows he will likely not be viewed as an  equal to the President, so he poses himself as ignorant.

 

For the white man, "the earth is not his brother, but his enemy;" whereas for the Indian, there is a symbiotic relationship between man and nature, as man is an integral part of his natural surroundings. This latter aspect is illustrated in paragraph two, where Chief Seattle lists some simple pleasures of nature. While saying that the white man's cities "clatter" and "insult the ears," he juxtaposes the society of the red and white.

 

It appears Chief Seattle wonders at what the goal of destruction and "clatter" must be. From what he sees, there is no productive, peaceful end to what he witnesses that will result in a continuance of both nature and man.

 

One reason he writes to Franklin Pierce would be that the President is the Chief of the white man, so it makes sense that a Chief would address another Chief directly, not through an "underling" such as Governor Isaac Stevens. With so much talk of dreams, it is likely that Chief Seattle will discover the "grand plan" of the white man by inquiring at the top level. If the President can shed light on the logic of the white man's behaviors, then Chief Seattle can begin to understand. However, he cannot at present.

 

Fri, Jan 27

 

DUE: Report your research topic choice

HMWK:

• READ LC 823-824 Chief Seattle's letter; answer #1-6 (#7 may be difficult to fulfill)
• READ LC 893-897; answer all items in Exercise #1
• Make preliminary forays into the free web for general exploration on your "frontiers" topic idea 

TODAY: Multiple choice experience

 

NOTE: Take notes on the multiple choice stems (ways they phrase and pose prompts) as well as the subject of questions asked (i.e. tone; writer's attitude; effect of a word)