Living Room Candidate Presentations

Today in class we read and analyzed Richard Nixon's (then a senator) "Checkers" speech, which is infamous for saving his senatorial seat and eventually paving his way to the White House (we all know how that turned out!) The speech is an excellent example of the use of Intensify/Downplay.

As you read the speech, note ten examples of intensify/downplay, citing the specific use as listed below. Also, be sure to note the tone, audience and purpose.

INTENSIFY/DOWNPLAY

This is a dual method of rhetoric that is very common in all methods of persuasion, but especially in advertising and politics. In Intensification, the persuader seeks to increase the significance of certain elements that they want the other person to take more seriously or see as particularly important. Intensifying may be done by repetition, association and composition. Downplaying is the opposite of intensification and can be done using the same (but reversed) techniques. In addition, the author or speaker may also utilize diversion, omission and confusion.

Intensifying Techniques:
1. Repetition: Repetition of a word or visual pattern not only causes it to become remembered (which is persuasive in itself), it also leads people to accept what is being repeated as being true. Thus an advertiser of soap powder may focus on how wonderfully white clothes become by repeating the word 'whiteness'.
2. Association: Association links the item with an idea or something which already has emotional connotation, for example something desired or feared. The soap powder advertiser may thus use attractive people in wonderfully clean (but not too up-market) houses. It also is using the unspoken idea that cleanliness is desirable (and, by extension, extreme cleanliness is extremely desirable).
3. Composition: Intensification may also be enhanced through the overall composition of what is being presented, for example contrasting the message with an opposite. Thus the soap powder advertiser may start with a person wearing muddy clothes.

Downplaying Techniques:
1. Diversion: When we divert or distract a person from something we do not want them to attend to, then we may succeed in reducing their attention to it. The soap powder advert may divert from concerns about damaging the environment by highlighting the small quantity of powder needed for each wash.
2. Omission: Another way of downplaying is simply to say nothing about the things that will counteract our arguments. Thus the soap powder manufacturer will not talk about the damaging effects of constant washing of clothes.
3. Confusion: Confusion may be used when the other person knows about an opposing argument. it may also be used to obfuscate weaknesses in one's own position. A typical way of doing this is by showering the other person with data, or perhaps asking them complex questions about their own position. Soap powder manufacturers may, for example, give a scientific argument about how their product works.

p.s. I just have to tell you again how much I enjoyed your presentations on the rhetoric of campaign commercials. I find myself pointing out various rhetorical strategies and logical fallacies as I watch the smear campaigns during this midterm election season. What about all of you?

We will continue our study of political rhetoric next week; though our focus will shift from current examples to more historical examples.


Enjoy the weekend and enjoy reading Zeitoun!

Zeitoun, Parts II and III

Part II and Part III Questions (p. 95 – 212, in the hardcover edition)
Due: Wednesday, November 3rd
Please note: This is a ten point assignment.

Your next Friday reading (Nov. 5th) will be an analysis of an editorial cartoon. This week’s cartoon does NOT need to be about a current event. In fact, I’d prefer one that deals with past historical events: Some suggested topics: September 11th , The Challenger Explosion (1986), Pearl Harbor, Hurricane Katrina, the Civil Rights Movement, FDR’s “New Deal”, the Women’s Right movement, etc. Please bring in TWO printed copies of the cartoon to pass around because we will discuss them as a class.

1. Make a list of TEN images Eggers presents about the flood. Select the image of the flood that was most vivid to you and analyze the appeals of that image. This site is a good online source for photos of the devestation and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. (Just be sure to analyze Eggers' presentation, not the images you see here).

2. Analyze Zeitoun’s strong, almost poetic, feelings about his canoe, and his travels in it.

3. Despite living in the United States for many years, Zeitoun is heavily influenced by his past.
a. Which of Zeitoun’s brothers do you think influenced him more: Mohammad or Ahmad? Justify your answer by including citations from the text.
b. What do the stories of Zeitoun’s past add to the book?


4. Cathy’s family doesn’t hide the fact they see her and her children as a burden.
a. Would you have gone to Phoenix, as Cathy did? Was it a wise decision? Do you have a friend like Cathy’s friend Yuko:” I’m your sister. You’re my sister. You’re all I have.”

5. Imagine yourself to be Zeitoun and write a letter to Kathy utilizing intensify/downplay in which you explain your reasons for staying OR imagine yourself to be Kathy and write a letter to Zeitoun, in which you explain your reasons for wanting him to leave. Your letter should contain at least four examples of intentify/downplay. Each example should be underlined. At the end of the letter, identify the specifics of the technique (repetition, association, composition, diversion, omission, confusion) and explain how these techniques help achieve the purpose of the letter.

6. Kathy’s relatives in Syria urged her to leave the United States: “Syria is so much safer,” they said. You need to move back here.” Most of their concerns were based on the portrayal of New Orleans by the media.
a. Did the media overstate the chaos of New Orleans?
b. How did the portrayal of the disaster create stereotypes for those not in proximity to the disaster? Did you notice similarities between the myths presented in the media about Katrina and the myths presented in the media about Columbine?

7. Was it correct for Mayor Nagin to assert to the world that New Orleans had become an “animalistic state.” In your answer, be sure to discuss the connotation of diction used by political leaders (including President Bush, who compared the hurricane to 9/11).

Zeitoun

Topics for Discussion (please focus your Friday readings on current topics dealing with the issues listed below):



1. First Amendment rights (religion, speech, press, assembly, petition)
2. Rights of Prisoners
3. Federal response to emergency situations (like Hurricane Katrina, 9/11 and other catastrophes, both “Acts of God” and man-made)
4. Human Rights issues (healthcare, poverty, education)


The following questions provide a guideline for discussion on the book.


Part I:
1. Analyze the meaning of the Cormac McCarthy and Mark Twain quotes on page 10. Specifically, why do you think the author includes these quotes as a preface to the book?

2. Why is it important for Eggers to make the distinction that “this book does not attempt to be an all-encompassing book about New Orleans or Hurricane Katrina. It is only an account of one family’s experiences before and after the storm”?

3. By choosing to portray the response to the hurricane through its effects on one family, what sort of history does Eggers aim to achieve?

4. Identify, quote and analyze FIVE rhetorical strategies.

5. The book opens with “Friday, August 26,” an expository chapter that introduces us to Zeitoun’s family life and his business life, the two very interconnected. What are some of the ways in which the descriptions here draw you in as a reader, and make these people and their situation real? Why is the timeline a good structural choice for this story?

6. Explain the effectiveness of Eggers’ characterization of Hurricane Katrina.

7. Explain the purpose behind Eggers inclusion of the flashbacks of Abdulrahman Zeitoun’s childhood. How do these flashbacks compare with the flashbacks Art Spiegelman used in MAUS?

8. Analyze Eggers’ portrayal of the Zeitouns religious beliefs. How does this portrayal dispel many of the common stereotypes Americans have about Muslims?

9. On page 57, Kathy Zeitoun’s mother tells her “now you can take that thing off.” On page 68, Kathy recounts her problems at the DMV. What insight is provided into Kathy’s dynamic with her non-Muslim family?

10. In his attempt to portray the Muslim religion in a positive light, does Eggers pay a disservice to Christianity in terms of Kathy Zeitoun’s experience? Kathy was raised as a Southern Baptist. Do you think Kathy would have remained a Christian had the evangelical preacher not called her up in front of the congregation and mocked her doubts about her faith? What insight in regards to Kathy’s character, is gained from her reaction to the preacher? Analyze the effectiveness of the juxtaposition of the flashback in the concluding pages of Part I.

The Rhetoric of Campaign Commercials

Today in class we began analyzing the rhetoric of campaign commercials. Isn't it interesting how much they've changed over the years? Next week, each of you will present an analysis of a presidental televison ad campaign from the past sixty years. Be prepared to present beginning Monday, but be aware that you may not present until Friday.



1. Go to http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/ and research the various campaign commercials from your selected year.
2. Select one commercial from each candidate that you feel best illustrates the use of rhetoric.
3. You will present your clips to the class and then orally analyze the tone, audience and purpose. Obviously, the audience is American voters, so I’m looking for something very specific.
4. Identify and analyze the effectiveness of the rhetorical strategies. Specifically, I’ll be looking at how well you analyze the imagery, diction, logical fallacies and appeals to ethos, pathos and/or logos.
5. Feel free to create a handout or PowerPoint presentation to enhance your presentation to give to your classmates.

Additionally, we read "Politics and the English Language" by George Orwell. p. 540 of the Norton Reader. TAP it. p. 550 #1, 2, 3.

First Amendment, Part Deux

We continued our discussion of the role the First Amendment plays in the high school environment today. I thought you all handled yourselves very well and were able to discuss things objectively. Remember, if you articulate your opinions clearly and without insult, people are much more likely to listen.

In class: Read and analyzed the Hazelwood supreme court ruling.
Homework: Friday reading. Also, select a topic focusing on one of the freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment and, using two to three example of distincto, effectively create an argument for your point of view.

First Amendment Socratic Seminar

I loved hearing your opinions during today's Socratic Seminar. Tomorrow we'll focus on the role religion plays in the classroom, be it in a science class or an AP Langauge class. ;)

Our rhetorical strategy focus today was distincto. Your homework tonight is to read the letter from the ACLU to President Bush and modify five sentences in the letter to include distincto. For example: (modifying the first sentence of the letter using distincto): The National Prison Project...documenting the abuses experienced by Louisina prisoners in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina; and by abuses, I mean suffering in a way that no American, regardless of their criminal background, should ever have to suffer."

Other handouts to items we discussed today:
The 2 Live Crew
Challenged Books
Hazelwood Summary
Hazelwood Supreme Court Ruling

Hey, there's no homework tonight...Thanks Cobb County!

Due to the perceived need for more testing of juniors (by way of the checkpoint test administered in AP Lanuage today--just one of a thousand tests you'll encounter during the 2010-2011 school year), I'm rewarding you with a homework free evening. Bear in mind, however, there is a Friday Reading* due Friday, so think ahead!

For fun: Feel free to analyze the tone of this post. Did you notice any effective examples of rhetoric?

This week's Friday reading is a "traditional" FR, so select an opinion or editorial. I'd love to see you select an article dealing with First Amendment issues, since this will be our focus this week. See what you can find about the Westboro Baptist Church and soldiers funerals or the recent congressional French ban on Muslim women wearing the burka.

Columbine Socratic Seminar

Today in class we analyzed Cullen's method of presentation as well as the difficult questions the author raised.

To prepare for tomorrow's in-class-essay, focus on what you interpret the Second Amendment to mean, the role of our government in upholding the Constitution and the role guns play in our culture.

Columbine Online Discussion: Part V

1. In 'Ready To Be Done' Cullen begins wrapping up the aftereffects of the killings. What events (e.g., the sealing of the parents depositions, Michael Moore's conclusions, Mr. D's divorce) were predictable and which came as a surprise to you?

2. How did reading Columbine affect you? Has it changed the way you treat others or the way you would react if a fellow student made the sort of threats that Eric and Dylan made?

3. In the 10 years since Columbine there have been more than 80 school shootings. What lessons have been learned? Do you think this type of violence will ever be stopped?

4. Analyze Cullen's writing style in 'Quiet.' Was this a good place in the book to place the chronology of events from the killer's perspective?

5. In 'At The Broken Places' Patrick Ireland says "The shootings were an event that occurred. But it did not define me as a person. It did not set the tone for the rest of my life." How do the vignettes about the school, the memorial and the survivors confirm or dispute this statement?

6. What appeal to pathos stuck with you the most in this book? Explain your answer.

7. Which person in the book had the most impact on you personally? Explain your answer.

8. Columbine is a book that many people have said was "a good book, but a hard one to read." Would you agree or disagree? Explain.

9. How has this book effected the way you feel about gun control in the United States.

Online Discussion: Part IV: Take Back the School

1. How do you feel Eric matches up with the psychopathy checklist as described for juveniles on page 243? Which of Eric's behaviors exemplify the list Dr. Fuselier checks off on page 239? Given what you've read in the chapter 'psychopath' do you think Eric's parents played a role in his behavior - or was he 'born bad'?

2. The ultimate question that 'Psychopath' leads to is: Do you think Eric Harris was a psychopath? Why or why not? Do you think the label is useful or simply stigmatizing?

3. The students of Columbine were repulsed by the use of their school name as a proper noun to describe school shootings or school violence. Does Cullen's book help or harm their cause?

4. Analyze the rhetoric in the sympathy letters from the Harrises and Klebolds?

5. Eric and Dylan settled on a time and a place a year before the attack. Did this seem like rather long term planning for these two, given what we've seen of their failed plans? Are you surprised that they were able to carry this off without slipping up and letting someone else know about it in advance? Both boys wrote about NBK (as they called it) in their yearbooks. Dylan even goes so far at to mention revenge in the commons. Why do you think no one picked up on this? Do you think they were toying with people by providing as much information as they did ahead of time?

6. Again, you may have noticed many news stories lately covering cyber bullying and other types of bullying. How far should a school go to protect bullying victims? If someone is being tormented on Facebook, YouTube, etc. by classmates, is it the school's responsibility to step in?

7. Analyze the rhetoric of Wayne Harris' bullet point lecture for Eric. Does it surprise you that Eric was under this much scrutiny and yet was able to do what he did?

8. 'Who Owns The The Tragedy' is a chapter in which Eric and Dylan don't appear. Do you think that focusing on someone other than them provides a relief to the reader? Do you think Dave intentionally gave the reader breathing space here?

9. In 'Who Owns,' Cullen writes further about the recovery of Patrick Ireland. What do you feel we can learn about human resiliance from his story? Do you feel that the forgiveness that he espoused is necessary for complete healing? Why do you think it was more difficult for Patrick's mother to forgive the killers than Patrick?

10. In 'Who Owns,' Cullen details the struggle between the school and the media upon its reopening. Does the media seem unnecessarily insensitive to you or are they just trying to do their job? Where do your sympathies lie here - with the parents, the media, or is it mixed?

Additional suggestions for Transactional Journals

Yesterday, we read Molly Ivins' editorial on guns, "Get a Dog, Get a Knife, but Get Rid of Guns." Today we read Lillian Rubin's "Guns and Grief." Remember that you can use these pieces for one of your research journals. Likewise, let what you read inspire you to create more journal entries.

Some additional ideas we've discussed in class are:
1. According to Cullen, many of the Evangelical Christian parents in Columbine were comforted by their faith in the face of their children's deaths. Write about a time when your religious convictions have given you solace.
2. Assume you are one of the counselors who evaulated Dylan and Eric, and write a report on one of the boys, explaining possible motives for the massacre. Consider all the causes--immediate and remote, main and contributory--that might have led to his decision to commit this terrible crime.
3. The Virginia Tech shooter had been a student in several creative writing courses where he wrote extremely violent and disturbing short stories. Assume you are one of his writing professors, and write an article for the school newspaper in which you briefly summarize the causes of the tragedy, but focus on the specific effects of the crime on various segments of the university community.
4. Explain how reading this book has changed your perspective on students who are different from you. Do you feel like you've been bullied? Do you feel like you have been a bully? Do you regret the way you've treated someone? Would you feel responsible if a victim of your bullying reacted violently to others and said it was because he/she was bullied?

Online Discussion: Part III: The Downward Spiral

1. How do you feel about the tone of the chapter 'Jesus Jesus Jesus'? Is it suitably respectful to the religious beliefs of the people in Columbine in their reaction to the attacks? Is it analytical enough of the beliefs?

2. What do you think of the beliefs portrayed in 'Jesus Jesus Jesus'? What do you make of the phenomenon surrounding Cassie Bernall? Do you think that people in the community created their own saint to make something good out of a horrible incident?

3. At the beginning of 'Good-bye' we learn more about Dylan's belief system and Eric's expressions of hate on his website. Given the disparity between their beliefs do they seem to be an unlikely team to you? What do you think was the 'glue' that held their relationship together, given the differences? As Eric expressed hate for so many people and Fuselier saw that as contempt do you think that Eric felt contempt for Dylan?

4. Eric's website (complete with bomb instructions) was reported to the police on August 7, 1997. Does this seem like a place where Eric's eventual plans could have been stopped? Why do you think that this violent information seems to have been ignored and wasn't followed up on? Do you feel like the police should have been held responsible for not following through more thoroughly?

5. 'Good-bye' has the first musing of Fuselier regarding Dylan and Eric's sanity. Given what you read here do you feel that they were sane? Do you think Cullen has presented enough information about psychopathy at this point in the book to allow the audience to make a decision regarding whether or not Eric is a psychopath?

6. What did you make of the story of the 15 crosses? Were you surprised by the reaction of the community (including the expressions of forgiveness)? What did you think of Brian Rohrbough's reaction? The carpenter who put up the crosses turned out to be a con man. Do you think that the type of exploitation he represents is typical in this type of tragedy - or is that just a cynical viewpoint? Does it even matter what the carpenter's intentions were if people found comfort from the crosses?

7. Eric and Dylan became enthralled with films like 'Natural Born Killers' and 'Lost Highway' and musicians like Nine Inch Nails. Do you think society commits an injustice to filmmakers and musicians when we tie them to the actions of deranged killers? Do you think there is any justification in being concerned with the effect of violent films and music on teens - and/or is this something that requires the attention of a parent on a case by case basis?

8. Many people, including Michael Moore in 'Bowling for Columbine,' thought the NRA should have rescheduled their conference in Denver. What do you think?

9. Even while he was entering diversion Eric had a website up which threatened to kill people. Dylan brought it to the attention of Brooks Brown. What was Dylan's motivation in revealing the website to Brooks?

10. Do you think that things have changed since Columbine regarding online threats - or do you think that this sort of thing could be posted on a website now without consequences? (Think about the recent cyber-bullying suicides like Tyler Clementi and Phoebe Prince reported in the media).

11. What do you think of Eric's comments with regard to God and people in 'The Book of God.' Do you think that he really saw himself as being superior to other humans? Do you think that this led him to be able to justify his acts - or is that over thinking this whole thing because we look for things that would give justification because we would need it - but someone like Eric didn't?

Online Discussion: Part II: After and Before

Rememer to answer five questions and comment on five of your classmates' responses. Remember to follow the format for posting your answers and your comments.

1. In 'Vacant' we read of how the families learned of the deaths. Which of these stories affected you personally and why?

2. National polls taken after the attack listed a variety of causes contributing to the attack including violent movies, video games, Goth culture, lax gun laws, bullies, Satan and the parents. 85% of the public in a Gallup poll blamed the parents. What is your opinion of the list and the blaming of the parents?

3. At the beginning of 'Rush to Closure' we read that the Denver Post printed the headline 'Healing Begins' 36 hours after the attack. What effect do you think that this had? Do you think it hindered the healing of people who were still processing the attack?

4. Why do you think the heroic version of Danny Rorhbough's story was widely reported? Do you think that people find it easier to accept tragedies of this sort if there is something meaningful in a victim's last actions?

5. What is your opinion of the differences in the reactions to the attacks by Rev. Oudemulen, Rev. Kirsten, Rev. Marxhausen and Barb Lotz?

6. What did you learn about Dylan Klebold in the chapter 'Gifted Boy'? Do you believe his intellect made him feel different from others (and perhaps an outcast)? Do you think his anger management issues had implications for his eventual depression and violence?

7. What did you take away from the chapter 'Hour of Need'? Do you think Rev. Marxhausen acted as a good pastor to the Klebolds? What did you think of Dylan's memorial and the parish's reaction to it?

8. In 'Threesome' Cullen writes 'Dylan and Zack needed Eric. Someone to do the talking.' How does Cullen's description of their friendship resemble the relationship between Dick and Perry from In Cold Blood?

9. In 'Black' Cullen flashes back to Eric and Dylan's sophomore year. How does Cullen utilize this time shift? 

10. In 'Media Crime' Cullen takes on the myths of the Trench Coat Mafia, Goth outcasts hunting down jocks and other myths. Do you feel this chapter helped clarify the motivations of the killers for you? Why do you think that the public continues to believe these myths?