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Bellringer

Identify the theme of the following paragraph:

The Bundle of Sticks
An old monkey on the point of death summoned his sons
around him to give them some parting advice. He
ordered them to bring in a bundle of sticks, and said to
his eldest son: "Break it." The son strained and strained,
but with all his efforts was unable to break the sticks. The
other sons also tried, but none of them was successful.
"Untie the bundle," said the father, "and each of you take
a stick." When they had done so, he called out to them:
"Now, break," and each stick was easily broken. "You see
my meaning," said their father.
A. It is better to work alone then with others.
B.
There is strength in unity.
C. Tasks become easier if you make them smaller.

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Read Like a Writer
AP ELA 11 August 28th, 2014
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Your Charge…
 Students
will analyze various texts and genres,
including informational, literary, and
argumentative texts, multimedia texts, foundational
US documents, and literary nonfiction.
 Students
will analyze written arguments focusing
on rehtorical elements, figurative language, and
implied undertones.
 Students
will analyze how the above items create
tone, effect, and impact meaning.
 Students
will successfully incorporate and evaluate
multiple sources while avoiding plagiarism by
including specific, relevant textual evidence in a
their own written arguments.
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How we do it…

Work hard

Study rhetorical skills & strategies

Read actively

Think critically

Write like the stuff you’re reading about
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ARISTOTLE….and the history of
Rhetoric

We define rhetoric, classically, as “the art of persuasion,” of
knowing in any given case the available means of
persuasion.

Aristotle’s theory of rhetoric has proved useful to many
students who are charged with making connections between
audience, speaker/writer, and a text.
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Rhetoric = Argument

In class I will often use these words interchangeably. An
argument is simply any piece that makes a claim. Quite
literally everything can be viewed as an argument.

PIE…yummy .

And Now for some VOCAB!
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SOAPStone

S = Subject

O = Occasion

A = Audience

P = Purpose

S = Speaker

Tone= yes
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Subject

In rhetoric, the topic addressed in a piece of writing.

Example…what is the subject here?

Some children seem to be motivated by food more than
others. People wonder what causes these “reactive eaters.”
While some argue they are born that way, our research shows
that reactive eaters are created, not born, and it is because of
parental influences on diet.
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Occasion

An aspect of context; the cause or reason for writing.

Example…what is the occasion here?

The childhood obesity epidemic is a hot-button issue in
politics and the news.
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Audience

One’s listener or readership; those to whom a speech or
piece of writing is addressed.

Examples…who might the audience be?

Readers of the NY Times' online Wellness Column– generally
middle-aged mothers with children, or healthcare
professionals in the nutrition field.
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Purpose

One’s intention or objective in a speech or piece of writing.

Example…what is the purpose here?

To inform the reader about current research being
conducted about reactive eaters. To convince readers that
children develop reactive eating behaviors as opposed to
being born that way. To convince readers of a solution to the
problem: providing better dietary choices as food for hungry
kids.
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Speaker

A term used for author, speaker, or the person whose
perspective (real or imagined) is being advanced in a
speech or piece of writing.

Example…who is the speaker for this?

Tara Parker-Pope, author. She is an author of health books
and a columnist for the NY Times. While nutritional science is
not her specialty, she does write frequently on various health
matters. Scholars in her field view her as a serious journalist
and a valuable point of reference.
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Tone

The Speaker’s attitude toward the subject or audience.

Example…what is the tone here?

The tone the speaker takes in “The Lure of Forbidden Food”
is detached and scientific. Only a few times does she lapse
into a didactic tone. For the most part she remains objective.
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Rhetorical Strategies
Appeals- What
Ethos
Pathos
Logos
are they?
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ETHOS

A Greek term referring to the character of a person.

Character of rhetorician is derived from their authority,
reputation, and credibility.

As Aristotle writes: “We believe good men more and more
readily than others: this is true generally whatever the
question is, and absolutely true where exact certainty is
impossible and opinions are divided.”

EXAMPLE: If the film gets two thumbs up, you’ll go see it
because of whose thumbs are up. (Critic Roger Ebert)
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PAHTOS:

A Greek term that refers to suffering but has come to be
associated with broader appeals to emotion.

Emotional appeals utilize personal experiences or stories,
emotionally charged language, images, and music, etc.

In traditional academic writing, emotions tend to be
dismissed in favor of reason: facts and logic.

EXAMPLE: Countless commercials for humanitarian
organizations such as UNICEF or the ASPCA.
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LOGOS

A Greek term that means “word”; an appeal to logic. This is
the easiest appeal to spot and understand.

A rhetorician can use factual information as a logical appeal,
but logos can also refer to the structure of an argument. If an
argument isn’t constructed logically, no one will care how
solid your facts are.

Logos can effect Ethos. In a world of pie charts and poll
percentages, a rhetorician who uses facts and stats from a
source with no credibility costs them theirs.

EXAMPLE: The facts provided in the research from the article
we read (Penn State).
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Rhetorical Strategies
Using the AP Language & Composition
Textbook, define the following terms on
the handout.

(Use the glossary in the back).











Allusion
Analogy
Close Reading
Connotation
Denotation
Diction
Inference
Imagery
Occasion
Parallelism
Repetition
Theme
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Syntax

Syntax refers to how we arrange words to express thoughts.
Note that a writer can choose innumerable ways to express
the same thought via diction, detail, and arrangement:

Example:

I went to the store in the morning.

In the morning, I went to the store.

I drove to the store this morning.

After sunrise, I went to the store.

In the morning to the store I went.
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Syntax

From an AP standpoint, we want to pay careful attention to a
writer’s syntax. A writer’s choice of word arrangement may
contribute to the meaning. Consider the examples:




I went to the store in the morning.
To the store I went in the morning.
In the morning to the store went I.
The emphasis in each sentence shifts.




The first emphasizes “I,”
The second “store,”
The third “morning.”
In other words, the focus shifts from person to place to time. A writer
can choose what element to emphasize by its placement in the
sentence. The information is the same, but the emphasis differs—
thereby potentially affecting the meaning in the context of the larger
passage.
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Syntax

During close reading of AP level texts, you cannot analyze
every sentence. Instead, look for patterns that appear
throughout the selection. Ask yourself:

Might this pattern in some way contribute to the point the author
makes?

Also, look for “standout sentences”—that is, a sentence whose
pattern or arrangement is unlike anything around it.
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Syntax

The following terms and concepts pertaining to sentence
structure are essential for reading closely and writing good
analyses:
Antithesis
 Ellipsis
 Inversion Juxtaposition
 Parallelism
 Repetition
 Rhetorical Question
 Rhetorical Fragment


Provide a definition for each term in your notebooks.
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Rhetorical Analysis

Here are the questions that you need to ask in order to
analyze an argumentative piece:

Why did the author choose these strategies for the particular
audience, occasion, and/or purpose?

HOW do the rhetorical strategies help the author achieve his/her
purpose?

WHY does the author chose those strategies for that particular
audience and for that particular occasion?
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Write Like a Reader
August 30, 2014
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RA Essay

There are many ways to write an effective rhetorical analysis
essay.

You may find as you become more comfortable with analysis
that you want to deviate from this format. That’s fine as long
as you are still focusing on:

1. SOAPSTone

2. Appeals/Style

3. Questions
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Intro paragraph- RA Essay

The introductory paragraph to an analysis essay is usually
brief. However, it must contain some essential information.

Put SOAPS in your introduction and follow this format:

FORMAT:

1. Speaker, Occasion, and Subject
(Writer’s credentials), (writer’s first and last name), in his/her
(type of text), (title of text), (strong verb – see list)(writer’s
subject).


Well-known essayist and writer, Joan Didion, in her essay, The
Santa Ana, describes the dramatic mood altering effects of
the Santa Ana winds on human behavior.
2. Purpose
(Writer’s last name)’s purpose is to (what the writer does in the
text).

Didion’s purpose is to impress upon readers the idea that the
winds themselves change the way people act and react.
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Intro Paragraph – RA Essay

3. Audience

He/she adopts a[n] (adjective describing the attitude/feeling
conveyed by the writer) tone in order to (verb phrase describing
what the writer wants readers to do/think) in his/her (intended
audience).

She creates a dramatic tone in order to convey to her readers
the idea that the winds are sinister and their effects
inescapable.
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Example

Identify the parts of SOAPSTone in your notebooks.
 Novelist, Amy Tan, in
her narrative essay, “Fish
Cheeks,” recounts an embarrassing Christmas Eve
dinner when she was 14 years old. Tan’s purpose is
to convey the idea that, at fourteen, she wasn’t able
to recognize the love her mother had for her or the
sacrifices she made. She adopts a sentimental tone
in order to appeal to similar feelings and
experiences in her adult readers.
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Body paragraphs – RA Essay

This is the analysis part!

Include a detailed explanation of strategies used by the
writer.

When writing an analysis, it is crucial that you work
chronologically through the text.

You can discuss each paragraph (one at a time)or divide the
text into sections (beginning, middle, end). – This is
dependent on text length.

Transition words to use to move through the text:

Begins, opens, closes, contrasts, shifts to, juxtaposes, ends, moves
to
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Body Paragraphs
Every analysis paragraph MUST:

Identify the part of the text you are analyzing by using
transition words and strong verbs to explain what is being
said.

Identify the strongest rhetorical strategies used in that
particular section. This includes incorporating specific text
examples (exact words from the text – see last page of this
handout for proper format) into your own words.

Do NOT try to discuss every strategy the writer uses; pick the
strongest!

Clearly and specifically explain how the rhetorical strategies
are used to help the writer achieve his purpose and reach his
audience.

The above items must be woven together seamlessly into one
sophisticated paragraph of the body of your analysis essay
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Body Format
 The
first sentence identifies which section of the
text you are discussing and the main idea of that
section.
 (Writer’s last name) (transition word) his/her
(type of text) by (strong verb) that (main idea of
this section of the text).
 The
second sentence conveys the writer’s support
for the main idea by identifying and providing a
specific example for one rhetorical strategy used
by the writer. [This sentence is repeated if you
want to discuss more than one rhetorical strategy.]
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Body Format
 The
third sentence explains how the rhetorical
strategies you discussed in the previous sentences
help the writer achieve his purpose by using an in
order to statement.
 He joins in this time of mourning in order to unify
the nation and humbly admit that “we share this
pain with all of the people of our country” (4).
 The
fourth sentence identifies the effect of the
writer’s use of these rhetorical strategies on the
audience.
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Example

Reagan begins his tribute to the Challenger astronauts by
acknowledging that the shuttle accident has appropriately
postponed his planned State of the Union address and by
expressing the depth of his and his wife’s personal grief. He
appeals to the mournful emotions of the audience by
admitting that he and Nancy are “pained to the core” (3), that
today is rightfully a “day for mourning and remembering”
(2-3), and that the accident is “truly a national loss” (4). He
joins in this time of mourning in order to unify the nation and
humbly admit that “we share this pain with all of the people
of our country” (4). This outpouring of emotion from the
president conveys a calming tone that reassures the Nation
that their grief is both understandable and proper.
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Conclusion

The conclusion is probably the easiest part. Be brief. In onetwo sentences, simply remind your reader of the things you
said in the introduction
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Handouts

KEEP IN YOUR BINDER FOR THE LOVE OF EVEYRTHING
HOLY AND GOOD!
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Reading

Read Virginia Woolf “Professions for Women” on page 356.

Answer the following questions in your notebooks.

1, 3, 5, - Questions for discussion

1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12- Questions for Rhetoric and Style