Wednesday, May 14 day 2 analyzing King's speech for rhetorical devices

Due Monday, May 19 vocabulary quiz on literary / rhetorical terms 2
Due Monday, May 19 argumentative essay (class handout/ copy below). I am posting this today, as some folks are almost finished with their analysis of King's speech. I will post a copy of this assignment again tomorrow. 
Due Thursday by the end of class: analysis of King's speech. Remember that you are turning in only the response sheet, not the whole packet. There is a copy of this assignment on Tuesday's blog.
Note also that on Monday, May 12, we analyzed three commercials. If you were no here, you will need to watch these. This was a class participation grade; that means in the 40% category. As well, the punctuation practice on colon usage last Friday was a graded classroom participation grade.
In class today: continue working on the rhetorical analysis of King's speech. 
If you are absent for a school performance or AP exam, make plans to work on the essay over the weekend, as it is due at the end of class on Monday.

Assignment due Monday, May 19. Think about a topic that you personally find important. This may be social, economic, political or environmental. You are to write an essay of no fewer than 400 words in which you make an argument to bring people around to your way of thinking. This should be three paragraphs. You are to employ all three rhetorical devices: logos, ethos and pathos. As well, you should incorporate either the technique of anaphora or epistrophe  and parallelism.  In case you are struggling for a topic, I have listed some suggestions below. As well, I have broken down the essentials you need to know to write an affective persuasive or argumentative essay. Please review, before beginning your paper. As always, if you write a careful outline, the paper will build itself.

What is an argumentative or persuasive essay? The argumentative essay is a genre of writing that requires you to investigate a topic and establish a position on the topic in a concise manner.

How should you organize your essay?
 
The structure of the argumentative essay is held together by the following:
1) A clear, concise, and defined thesis statement that  reviews the topic in a general way. It is essential that this thesis statement have a narrow focus. You are not writing a book.

2) Clear and logical transitions.
Transitions are the mortar that holds the foundation of the essay together. Without logical progression of thought, the reader is unable to follow the essay’s argument, and the structure will collapse. (see sheet of transition words). Make sure to address a conflicting opinion, noting how it might not be well-informed.

3) A conclusion that does not simply restate the thesis, but readdresses it in light of the evidence provided.
This is where folks are struggling. Remember that this is the portion of the essay that will leave the most immediate impression on the mind of the reader. Therefore, it must be effective and logical. Do not introduce any new information into the conclusion; rather, synthesize the information presented in the body of the essay. Restate why the topic is important, review the main points, and review your thesis. You may also want to include a short discussion of more research that should be completed in light of your work. DO NOT REPEAT THE INTRODUCTION!

IF YOU NEED AN IDEA

1.         Should students have to wear uniforms?

2..        Should all American citizens have to complete a year of community service?

3..        Should students have to pass a basic skills test to graduate high school?

4.        Should prostitution be legalized and regulated by the government?

5.       Should large businesses and corporations be required to employ a number of minorities

                 proportionate to the population?

6.      Should college athletes be paid?

Review of rhetorical terms and techniques

anaphora-  (noun) repetition of a word or words at the beginning of two or more successive verses, clauses, or sentences.  Its purpose is to make the statement memorable, to emphasize an idea, thought or passage and to provide a linking thread.   Examples: “Every day, every night, in every way, I am getting better and better”

                                         “My life is my purpose. My life is my goal. My life is my inspiration.”

                                         “Buying nappies for the baby, feeding the baby, playing with the baby: This is what your life is    

                                         when you  have a baby.  

                                         “I want my money right now, right here, all right?”

epistrophe- (noun)- stylistic device that can be defined as the repetition of phrases or words at the end of the clauses or sentences. Its purpose is to make the statement memorable, to emphasize an idea, thought or passage and to provide a linking thread.

                      Examples: “The big sycamore by the creek was gone. The willow tangle was gone. The little enclave of

                                        untrodden bluegrass was gone. The clump of dogwood on the little rise across the creek–now

                                        that, too, was gone….

parallelism – (noun) - the use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same; or similar in their construction, sound, meaning or meter. This method adds balance and rhythm to sentences giving ideas a smoother flow and thus can be persuasive because of the repetition it employs.

                         Examples: Like father, like son.

                                          The escaped prisoner was wanted dead or alive.

                                          Easy come, easy go.

                                         Whether in class, at work or at home, Shasta was always busy.

      

logos- (noun)- a mode of persuasion that uses logic and reason as a means to convince an audience of the presenter’s

                            argument.  

ethos-(noun)-a mode of persuasion that uses ethical appeal as a means to convince an audience of the author’s credibility or character.

pathos-(noun)- a mode of persuasion that uses emotion to convince an audience of the presenter’s argument.

               

Transitional Words & Phrases

Using transitional words and phrases
helps papers read more smoothly, and at the same time allows the reader to flow more smoothly from one point to the next.

Transitions enhance logical organization and understandability
and improve the connections between thoughts. They indicate relations,
whether within a sentence, paragraph, or paper.

This list illustrates categories of "relationships" between ideas,
followed by words and phrases that can make the connections:

Addition:
also, again, as well as, besides, coupled with, furthermore, in addition, likewise, moreover, similarly

When there is a trusting relationship coupled with positive reinforcement, the partners will be able to overcome difficult situations.

Consequence:
accordingly, as a result, consequently, for this reason, for this purpose,
hence, otherwise, so then, subsequently, therefore, thus, thereupon, wherefore

Highway traffic came to a stop as a result of an accident that morning.

Contrast and Comparison:
contrast, by the same token, conversely, instead, likewise,
on one hand, on the other hand, on the contrary, rather,
similarly, yet, but, however, still, nevertheless, in contrast

The children were very happy. On the other hand, and perhaps more importantly, their parents were very proactive in providing good care.

Direction:
here, there, over there, beyond, nearly, opposite, under, above,
to the left, to the right, in the distance

She scanned the horizon for any sign though in the distance she could not see the surprise coming her way.

Diversion:
by the way, incidentally

He stumbled upon the nesting pair incidentally found only on this hill.

Emphasis
above all, chiefly, with attention to, especially, particularly, singularly

The Quakers gathered each month with attention to deciding the business of their Meeting.

Exception:
aside from, barring, beside, except, excepting, excluding, exclusive of, other than, outside of, save

Consensus was arrived at by all of the members exclusive of those who could not vote.

Exemplifying:
chiefly, especially, for instance, in particular, markedly, namely,
particularly, including, specifically, such as

Some friends and I drove up the beautiful coast chiefly to avoid the heat island of the city.

Generalizing:
as a rule, as usual, for the most part, generally, generally speaking, ordinarily, usually

There were a few very talented artists in the class, but for the most part the students only wanted to avoid the alternative course.

Illustration:
for example, for instance, for one thing, as an illustration,
illustrated with, as an example, in this case

The chapter provided complex sequences and examples illustrated with a very simple schematic diagram.

Similarity:
comparatively, coupled with, correspondingly, identically, likewise, similar, moreover, together with

The research was presented in a very dry style though was coupled with examples that made the audience tear up.

Restatement:
in essence, in other words, namely, that is, that is to say, in short, in brief, to put it differently

In their advertising business, saying things directly was not the rule. That is to say, they tried to convey the message subtly though with creativity.

Sequence:
at first, first of all, to begin with, in the first place, at the same time,
for now, for the time being, the next step, in time, in turn, later on,
meanwhile, next, then, soon, the meantime, later, while, earlier,
simultaneously, afterward, in conclusion, with this in mind,

The music had a very retro sound but at the same time incorporated a complex modern rhythm.

Summarizing:
after all, all in all, all things considered, briefly, by and large, in any case, in any event,
in brief, in conclusion, on the whole, in short, in summary, in the final analysis,
in the long run, on balance, to sum up, to summarize, finally