Poor Atticus

Atticus had a tough task- he needed to persuade a tough audience. Did he effectively consider all elements of the rhetorical triangle? Was his closing argument effective? Here is what you guys came up with:

TASK: With a partner, using your knowledge of diction, rhetorical devices and appeals, complete a triple entry journal analyzing the rhetoric of Atticus and the effect on the audience. 5 entries

Atticus Speech	Rhetorical Device/Appeal	Is it Effective?
“In the name of God, do your duty. In the name of God, believe in Tom Robinson.”	Anaphora/ pathos	Him putting God and a black man in the same sentence is not effective. These white southerners regarded God as superior even more than today and associated a black man the devil.
“Which I don’t need to point out to you”	Litote/Ethos	This is ineffective. Sarcasm is humor for the intelligent and he is not understanding his audience. As a large white uneducated audience, they actually do need the message he is trying to relay to be pointed out for them keeping in mind that they are prejudice.
She is a victim of cruel poverty and ignorance	Appeal to pathos	Ineffective because it only succeeds in insulting his audience.
“Now I am confident… come to the decision and restore this man to his family.”		Ineffective because while trying to appeal to their pathos, he was over confident and didn’t consider his audience.

Boo Radley

What beliefs are revealed through Boo Radley?

Bob Ewell

What beliefs are revealed through Bob Ewell?

Mayella Ewell

What beliefs are revealed through Mayella Ewell?

Tom Robinson

What beliefs are revealed through Tom Robinson?

Scout

What beliefs are revealed through Scout?

Atticus

What beliefs are revealed through Atticus?

Weekly Argument Prompt

Suggested time—40 minutes.

Consider the distinct perspectives expressed in the following statements.

If you develop the absolute sense of certainty that powerful beliefs provide, then you can get yourself to accomplish virtually anything, including those things that other people are certain are impossible.

William Lyon Phelps, American educator, journalist, and professor (1865–1943)

I think we ought always to entertain our opinions with some measure of doubt. I shouldn’t wish people dogmatically to believe any philosophy, not even mine.

Bertrand Russell, British author, mathematician, and philosopher (1872–1970)

In a well-organized essay, take a position on the relationship between certainty and doubt. Support your argument with appropriate evidence and examples.

Weekly Argument Prompt

The following passage is from Rights of Man, a book written by the pamphleteer Thomas Paine in 1791. Born in England, Paine was an intellectual, a revolutionary, and a supporter of American independence from England. Read the passage carefully. Then write an essay that examines the extent to which Paine’s characterization of America holds true today. Use appropriate evidence to support your argument.

"If there is a country in the world, where concord, according to common calculation, would be least expected, it is America. Made up, as it is, of people from different nations, accustomed to different forms and habits of government, speaking different languages, and more different in their modes of worship, it would appear that the union of such a people was impracticable; but by the simple operation of constructing government on the principles of society and the rights of man, every difficulty retires, and all the parts are brought into cordial unison. There, the poor are not oppressed, the rich are not privileged. . . . Their taxes are few, because their government is just; and as there is nothing to render them wretched, there is nothing to engender riots and tumults"

President's Day Weekend Homework

1.  In two weeks, we will be using the text Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris for our satire unit. You can buy this text new or used ( try strands or book off right down block to buy used books), borrow from public library or download if you have an e-reader to bring to class

2. Socratic Seminar Wednesday. Dont forget to follow correct format( on blog in case your forgot) and add in folder.
3. Horton Foote's adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird. Enjoy the text no crazy assignments to follow. Quiz upon returning.
DONT LOSE BOOK AND BRING BACK WEDNESDAY! NEED IT FOR MY OTHER CLASSES AND HAVE NO EXTRAS!

Birmingham rhetorical device scavenger hunt

1.Litotes: A trope in which one makes a deliberate understatement for emphasis.	While confined here in a Birmingham jail .. paragraph 1 Crystal group 2 “Of course there is nothing new about this kind of civil disobedience” – group 3 pg 266 paragraph 6
2.Anaphora: A scheme in which the same word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences.	“They have left their… They have gone down… They have carved a tunnel of hope through the dark mountain of disappointment” (Page 272- Paragraph 3) “But when you…” (repeated for at least 9 times) (page 264, paragraph 14, line 5)
3.Epistrophe: A scheme in which the same word is repeated at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences.	“But despite these notable exceptions. I must honestly reiterate that I have been disappointed with the church. I do not say this as one of those negative critics who can always find something wrong with the church. I say this as …” -Bottom of page 270
4.Antithesis: A scheme that makes use of contrasting words, phrases, sentences, or ideas for emphasis (generally used in parallel grammatical structures).	“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”  P. 262 paragraph 4 Dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding of brotherhood.” Pg 263 paragraph 10
5.Parallelism: Similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses.	“But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mother and father, at will and drown your sister and brother at whim” pg 264  para.14
6.Juxtaposition: A comparison by contrast, usually structural similar
7.Periodic Sentence: A sentence, characterized by the suspension of the completion of sense until its end.	“ I have almost reached … a more convenient season.” Page 267 Paragraph 2 second sentence

Tropes and Schemes UPDATED!

Tropes and schemes are collectively and sometimes referred to  as figures of speech. The following is a short list of some of the most common figures of speech. I have selected figures that politicians and pundits use often--especially schemes of repetition and word order, which convey authority.

Anadiplosis - repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause "The crime was common, common be the pain”

antimetabole/chiasmus/Anastrophe: A scheme in which normal word order is changed for emphasis. Example: "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."

Antithesis: A scheme that makes use of contrasting words, phrases, sentences, or ideas for emphasis (generally used in parallel grammatical structures). Example: " Americans in need are not strangers, they are citizens, not problems, but priorities."

Apostrophe: A scheme in which a person or an abstract quality is directly addressed, whether present or not. Example: "Freedom! You are a beguiling mistress."

Epistrophe: A scheme in which the same word is repeated at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences. Example: “I believe we should fight for justice. You believe we should fight for justice. How can we not, then, fight for justice?”

Hyperbole: A trope composed of exaggerated words or ideals used for emphasis and not to be taken literally. Example: "I've told you a million times not to call me a liar!"

Irony: A trope in which a word or phrase is used to mean the opposite of its literal meaning. Example: "I just love scrubbing the floor."

Litotes: A trope in which one makes a deliberate understatement for emphasis. Example: Young lovers are kissing and an observer says: "I think they like each other."

Metaphor: A trope in which a word or phrase is transferred from its literal meaning to stand for something else. Unlike a simile, in which something is said to be "like" something else, a metaphor says something is something else. Example: "Debt is a bottomless sea."

Metonymy: A trope that substitutes an associated word for one that is meant. Example: Using "top brass" to refer to military officers.

Oxymoron: A trope that connects two contradictory terms. Example: “Bill is a cheerful pessimist.”

Periphrasis: A trope in which one substitutes a descriptive word or phrase for a proper noun. Example: “The big man upstairs hears your prayers.”

Personification: A trope in which human qualities or abilities are assigned to abstractions or inanimate objects. Example: “Integrity thumbs its nose at pomposity.”

Pun: A play on words in which a homophone is repeated but used in a different sense. Examples: “She was always game for any game."

Rhetorical Question: A trope in which the one asks a leading question. Example: "With all the violence on TV today, is it any wonder kids bring guns to school?"

Simile: A trope in which one states a comparison between two things that are not alike but have similarities. Unlike metaphors, similes employ "like" or "as." Example: "Her eyes are as blue as a robin's egg."

Synecdoche: A trope in which a part stands for the whole. Example: "Tom just bought a fancy new set of wheels."

Zeugma: A trope in which one verb governs several words, or clauses, each in a different sense. Example: “He stiffened his drink and his spine.”

rhetorical scavenger hunt of the Letter from a Birmingham Jail

TASK: each group tonight is collecting rhetorical devices from MLK's famous text. Tomorrow we will fill it in so we have a comprehensive study guide

RHETORICAL DEVICES

EXAMPLE/HOW IS IT EFFECTIVE?

1.Litotes: A trope in which one makes a deliberate understatement for emphasis.
2.Anaphora: A scheme in which the same word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences.
3.Epistrophe: A scheme in which the same word is repeated at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences.
4.Antithesis: A scheme that makes use of contrasting words, phrases, sentences, or ideas for emphasis (generally used in parallel grammatical structures).
5.Parallelism: Similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses.
6.Juxtaposition: A comparison by contrast, usually structural similar
7.Periodic Sentence: A sentence, characterized by the suspension of the completion of sense until its end.

Monday's Argument Prompt

TASK: use the following prompt to guide your essay ( should use classical model)

American essayist and social critic H. L. Mencken (1880–1956) wrote, “The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe.” In a well-written essay, examine the extent to which Mencken’s observation applies to contemporary society, supporting your position with appropriate evidence.

Persona Analysis Group Teach Assignment

How the speaker is developed: Persona

Martin Luther King develops his argument by conceding to clergymen’s arguments and then REFUTING and questioning their logic! He structures his letter to address all of their points!

Persona ( the speaker , voice or character assumed by an author in a piece of writing) is essential in this letter. We can analyze how Dr. King develops his persona by doing the following:

1. Looking how ( and HOW MUCH) he appeals to logos, ethos and pathos-   what do these statements he makes reveal about himself?

2. How does he structure his argument? 

3. What rhetorical devices does he use- how does this effect the reader?
4. You will present to class- please try to do double entry journal as a word doc so we can project to save time from having to rewrite on the board (easier for you!)

TASK: Thursday you will teach your section of text to class like I did today!

Group 1	262- top 264 (finish last paragraph)
Group 2	264- 266(finish last paragraph)
Group 3	266-268 (finish last paragraph)
Group 4	268-270 (finish last paragraph)
Group 5	270-272 (finish last paragraph)
Group 6	272- end

1.  Read your section of text with group

2.  With your group, analyze text (color code or annotate) to see how persona is developed (ethos, pathos, logos & presentation of the clergymen argument)

3.  Identify any rhetorical devices

4. AT LEAST 5-7 entries

EXAMPLE

Text	What does this reveal about speaker? Rhetorical devices
MY DEAR FELLOW CLERGYMEN:	The use of the word "Fellow"   shows that they are all on equal standing- develops his connection as an equal to clergymen. Rhetorical device:Sarcasm- he is using a term of endearment (fellow) for a group of people who are demonizing him