Advanced Placement English Language and Composition 2
Instructor: Michael Thornton
May 6, 2014
Race and Class Essay Planning
In synthesizing arguments, the student reads a variety of essays or excerpts that focus on different aspects of an issue. It is up to the student to define their response to the articles, and demonstrate a clear analysis as well as an informed opinion.
There are various ways to approach the synthesis argument essay, but one of the most important methods of defining a position is finding the common points of persuasion in each argument. In order to do this, the student should be familiar with the conventional categories of rhetoric, and the stylistic devices that writers employ to communicate their perspectives on an issue.
Read Shelby Steele’s “On Being Black and Middle Class,” posted on the class website.
How would you approach the following prompt?
Write an essay analyzing the rhetorical strategies Steele uses to create a balance in the essay between narrative and analysis. Focus on how he makes his argument extend beyond his specific and limited experience.
What strategies would you emphasize, beyond narration? What stylistic devices would you mention that support these various strategies? (1) Write a list of Steele’s strategies, and concisely explain your reasoning for choosing these.
Don’t write the essay; just demonstrate your strategic thinking.
Now, do the same with the “Race Speech” by Barack Obama, available online via the class website. (2) What rhetorical strategies does Obama employ? Use the following template to guide your planning:
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What is the main point Obama is making? (State in no more than two sentences.)
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What is one counterargument to this point?
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Identify three quotations from the essay that are significant because they are provocative, informative, assertive, or even confusing. Write each one out and then explain your understanding of the quote and why you chose it. Talk about rhetorical strategies in your analysis.
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List three stylistic devices Obama uses, and include an example of each.
Finally, read the article by Ta-Nehisi Coates on Bill Cosby in The Atlantic
– there is a link to this article on the class website. (3) List the connections that you can make between these three essays.
Consider content, rhetorical strategies, and stylistic devices.
You can list these in outline form, or actually create a web that graphically illustrates how you would compare and contrast these articles. This is due on Wednesday, May 7.
Turn in a hard copy in class.