Paine “These Are the Times that Try Men’s Souls ” (1776)
Discussion Questions
1. Identify Paine’s thesis, rhetorical method, purpose, and audience. Write a bullet-point
précis pre-write. Hint: consider Paine’s use of antithesis and parallel structure.
2. The descriptive section at the beginning of Paine’s essay states that this piece “was read
to American troops on the eve of the Battle of Trenton by order of General Washington.”
a. Describe the historical context of this piece. Be thorough, accurate, and
descriptive.
b. How is this essay relevant to subsequent events throughout history? Be specific.
3. Answer “For Discussion” questions 2 & 3 in your CA textbook (p. 465). Use a t-chart to
answer these two questions. Be very thorough in your responses!
Thomas Jefferson “The Declaration of Independence” (1776)
Discussion Questions
1. Identify Jefferson’s thesis, rhetorical method, purpose, and audience. Write a bullet-point
précis pre-write.
2. Jefferson was trained as a lawyer and was accustomed to framing and presenting
arguments. How does Jefferson refute the ideas that George III is a just king and that
Americans owe him their loyalty? What evidence does he present about the injustices
committed by the king and Great Britain, to prove that Americans are entitled to decide
their own fate?
3. Many Americans did not support the Revolution and remained loyal to the English
government. Identify holes and possible refutations in Jefferson’s argument.
4. The descriptive section at the beginning of Jefferson’s Declaration states, “in the text that
follows, the underlined words and phrases were in the first draft but were removed in the
final draft. The words and phrases in the margin are those that appeared in the final
version.” Aside from being confusing to you, AP English Language and Composition
students reading this piece over 200 years after it was originally written, what do you
notice about the revisions? To whom do the revisions appeal? What can you learn, for
your own writing, as a result of analyzing Jefferson’s revision process?
FDR “Pearl Harbor Address” (1941)
Discussion Questions
1. Identify Roosevelt’s thesis, rhetorical method, purpose, and audience. Write a bulletpoint précis pre-write.
2. How does Roosevelt seek to unite Americans? What sense of identity does he evoke?
What themes does he dwell upon? What ethos appeals does he make? What pathos
appeals?
3. How does Roosevelt establish a sense of the enemy for his audience? What kinds of
logos or other appeals does he use? How do syntax and diction reinforce the appeals?
Look, for example, at his use of repetition in the series that opens “least night,” at midspeech (paragraph 6).
4. Compare and contrast the rhetorical demands of a presidential address calling for war
with an inaugural address or other presidential speech. Which type of speech do you
believe would be the more difficult to write and deliver? Why?
George W. Bush “Address to Joint Session of Congress” (2001)
Discussion Questions
1. Identify Bush’s thesis, rhetorical method, purpose, and audience. Write a bullet-point
précis pre-write.
2. To whom was this speech directed in addition to the immediate audience in the Capitol?
Consider multiple extended audiences. What elements of the speech seem targeted to the
different audiences? How does Bush meet the potentially divergent interests of his
audiences?
3. What strategies and appeals does Bush use to unite both Americans and their allies? How
does he characterize the enemy? How does he differentiate between friends and enemies
of the Muslim faith? Why was it important to do so? After reading this whole speech, go
over the text again, and analyze the ways in which appeals to authority and common
values, emotions, and logic contribute to the speech’s effectiveness.
4. Evaluate how the structures in the speech contribute to its persuasiveness. Consider
overall structure – introduction, body, conclusion – and sentence-level strategies, such as
repetition, parallel construction, and short sentences.