End of Course Testing

Today (and tomorrow too!) class time was dedicated to the End-of-Course-Test. At the end of class, all of you should be dedicated to working on Thursday's assignment.

Please remember to be to class on time tomorrow for the second part of the EOCT. Get a good night's rest and eat breakfast!

*While there is no homework tonight, there is a Friday Reading due this week, so if you find some extra time, get a jump start.

Humor and Faith

We read Francis Bacon's "Of Youth and Age" on page 552 of the NR. Yes, this is one of those essays that, though brief, elicits groans of "this is hard to read!" I suggest then, that you think of the words of Samuel Johnson as you read Bacon's essay: "What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure." That being said, we read Bacon as a precursor to the general philosophies, maxims and morals we will associate with Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenence. As we read Bacon's essay, I asked you to take notes on the differences between young and old. We discussed these differences and then read the preface to Prose Forms: Maxims and Morals on p. 737-8 of the NR. In class: Read Benji (OK, OK, Ben...) Franklin's excerpts from Poor Richard's Almanack. Select your five favorite maxims and explain what Franklin meant and how that meaning can translate to your life/our lives today.

Because of our testing schedule tomorrow and Wednesday, tonight's homework assignment is due Thursday when you come to class. Additionally, remember to bring Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenence with you on Thursday! You will also need to bring a one-subject notebook for journaling. Remember, for this assignment, your journals cannot be typed. This writing is meant to be a free excercise that explores your stream of consciousness--and writing your thoughts on the computer often causes you to be too self aware of what you're writing. I don't want you to get caught up in the self editing process for this assignment.

Today's assignment:
Reinhold Niebuhr's "Humor and Faith," p. 1141 in the Norton Reader. Before you read the essay, answer this question: Do you associate religious faith with humor or laughter? Why or why not? (It is essential you answer this question before you read the essay, so your response will not be skewed after reading Niebuhr's essay. All you need to do is jot down your thoughts, so you can respond honestly to the assignment after you read).

1. TAP the essay and answer questions #1, #2.
2. For question #1, identify one appeal to ethos, one appeal to pathos, and one appeal to logos that Niebuhr makes in the essay. For each, give the example and explain how it fits into that category of appeal.
3. While answering question #2, incorporate the strategies of rhetoric Niebuhr uses to convey his views of man and God.

JOURNAL: In your journal, respond fully to the prompt in #3, p. 1150.

Thanksgiving Break

Today, we finished the film and turned in Friday Readings. 

My Thanksgiving gift to all of you is a week free from AP Language work (unless you have not yet met the EOCT practice requirements) to spend with your friends and family. I am personally very thankful to have such a wonderful group of young men and women in AP Language. You truly make my job special and I appreciate each and every one of you. You are hard workers, thoughtful students and people whom I believe will truly change the world for the better.

When we return from the break we will begin reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. This is an older book, so you should have no problem locating it at the library. It's available in paperback for around $6 (new). 

Enjoy the break!

Synthesis Essay

Today in class:
Students wrote a synthesis essay from the 2008 AP Exam. You had 55 minutes total to complete the essay (15 for reading the six documents and planning your position/40 minutes to write the essay). Keep in mind that when you sit for the AP exam in May, you will only have TWO hours to finish the three essays. I've said it before and I'll say it again (and probably many more times before May): WEAR A WATCH on the day of the exam and plan accordingly!

After the essay, we began reading Virginia Woolf's "A Room of One's Own," p. 1074 in the Norton Reader. As you read, take annotations on the rhetoric Woolf uses to craft her purpose. 

After reading, TAP the essay and, on p. 1084, answer questions #1, #2 and #3.

More Synthesis Practice and More analyzis of Parables

Today in class we...
Continued to review for the end-of-course exam. Please remember the exam is administered over two days, Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. It is vital that you be in class to take the exams because making them up at a later date is not easy and I want you to be in class as we close out the semester.

Today we continued to study the synthesis essay. We practiced taking notes on the various documents and how to best formulate a position. Remember: Taking a position is not the same thing as "choosing a side." It means that you have a well articulated point of view on the subject. Take your time and make sure the documents you use to synthesize your position create an effective argument. The synthesis essay is one where you will use rhetorical strategies to develop your position.


In class today:
Read and analyze the Zen Parables (Norton Reader, beginning p. 1119) and explain:
1. The purpose/lesson/moral
2. One unanswered question
3. Two important symbols. For each, identify the symbol, its symbolism and explain how that symbol helped convey the author's purpose.
4. One additional rhetorical strategy effectively used by the author to convey the purpose. Identify the strategy and evaluate its effectiveness in relation to the purpose.

Prose Forms: Fables and Parables

Today in class we continued our study of the synthesis essay by reviewing previously administered AP English Language and Composition exams.

In the Norton reader, we read page 1110 - 1111 for notes on the purposes behind Fables and Parables. Essentially, the audience is left to figure out the "lesson" or "moral" of the story for themselves. The introduction to this section also raises some additional interesting questions. For example: In a fable or parable, which is more important--the story or the message? Why is the moral hard to extract? Why are their unanswered questions? What/Who are the important symbols of the narrative?

According to the reading, "writers will verge continually on strict prose narrative, but through skill and tact they can preserve the essayists' essential commitment to the definition and development of ideas in relation to experience."

Together, we read Aesop's "The Frogs Desiring a King." We discussed the moral of the fable as well as unanswered questions we may have had and symbols Aesop used to make his point. Additionally, we discussed the symbolism of the various animals in the fable. Remember that we are studying these religious text from a literary standpoint only. Keep this in mind when you are analyzing the text.

Homework:
Read the following fables/parables..
1. Plato's "The Allegory of the Cave" (1112-1115)
2. Jesus Christ's "The Ten Virgins" (1116)
3. Jesus Christ's "The Ten Talents" (1116-1118)
4. Jesus Christ's "The Prodigal Son" (1118-1119)
...and list the following:
1. The purpose/lesson/moral
2. One unanswered question
3. Two important symbols. For each, identify the symbol, it's symbolism, and explain how that symbol helped convey the author's purpose.
4. One additional rhetorical strategy effectively used by the author to convey the purpose. Identify the strategy and evaluate its effectiveness in relation to the purpose.

The Synthesis Essay

Today in class we discussed various approaches for success on the synthesis essay. This essay will be the first essay on the AP exam and will probably be the essay you spend the most time on since you will have several documents ro read through before preparing and writing your argument. However, spend no longer than 55 minutes total on this essay. Also, while it is the first essay, you can write your essays in whichever order you choose.

Today in class we also completed a practice American Literature EOCT.

Next week we will continue to work on synthesis essays and preparing for the
EOCT.

Enjoy your weekend and don't forget to complete your online assignments!

Democracy

I asked all of you today if we lived in a democracy. Thankfully, most of you answered correctly--we do not. We live in a democratic republic; that is, we elect our representitives, senators, governors, presidents democratically and then those leaders, in turn, make decisions that are allegedly in our best interests. What would you think of the ability to vote for each issue, bill, or proposition, rather than leaving it up to our elected leaders? Some of those ideas are explained in the two viewpoints of Democracy we read today.
Read: Carl Becker's "Democracy" and E.B. White's essay of the same name on p. 882 - 884 of the Norton Reader. TAP both essays. On p. 883, answer questions 1 - 2. On p. 884, answer questions 1 - 3.

Also, if you still have not registered on usatestprep.com you need to do so immediately. You have until tomorrow to complete the two practice games: Alpine Climber and Naughty Chicken. Tomorrow, you will need to log on and take a practice exam. If you score a 90 percent or higher you do not need to take the exam again.

Zeitoun Socratic Seminar

If you missed class today, you missed our Zeitoun Socratic Seminar. As a reward for your excellent discussions and thoughtful observations, there was no homework tonight. However, you do, of course, have a Friday reading due this week, so you might want to get a jump start on that assignment this evening.

The Rhetoric of the Declaration of Independence

Today in class, we read Thomas Jefferson's original draft of The Delcaration of Independence as well as the final copy used by out government today. Think how interesting it would have been if the founders of the country has gone with Jefferson's first draft. Do you think slavery would have still existed? Why do you think so many of the founders (especially those from the South) wanted Jefferson to change some of his wording? This just goes to show you how powerful words truly can be. After reading, answer questions #1, #2, and #3.

Homework:
1. Read Elizabeth Cady Stanton's "Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions" on page 878 of the Norton Reader. TAP it and answer questions 1 - 3 on page 880.
2. Be prepared for tomorrow's Socratic Seminar discussion of Zeitoun. Yes, we will have food!

Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau

My apologies for being absent, but I have a sick child to tend to. Because I am not at school, I do not have access to the abridged version of Thoreau's essay.
If you were in school today, then you have a copy of the assignment and are aware of the work:

1. What is the TAP? (Were you expecting something else?)
2. Does Thoreau present a convincing argument for acting on one’s principles? Why or why not?
3. Does Thoreau fulfill the role of a conscientious objector? (One who advocates civil disobedience—the deliberate and public refusal to obey laws that violate one’s personal principles).
4. What does Thoreau stand for philosophically? What about practically?
5. In the essay, Thoreau describes government as a “wooden gun.” Evaluate the effectiveness of this metaphor.
6. List THREE rhetorical strategies Thoreau uses to achieve his purpose. Name the strategy, list the example, and explain why it is effective.


Thoreau's language is challenging, but do your best not to become overwhelmed. He is rather verbose, but his points are quite clear.

Machiavelli lays it down for the Monarchy

I am sorry for my absence today.
Today, we read and analyzed Niccolo Machiavelli's "The Morals of the Prince." As you read, think about the advice Machiavelli gives to princes and if that advice is applicable to all leaders.  On page 870, answer questions # 1 - # 4. Also, don't forget to analyze the tone, audience and purpose of the essay.

Remember to continue reading Zeitoun and working on your analysis questions.

Zeitoun, Final Questions

ZEITOUN
Part IV and Part V Questions
Due: Wednesday, November 10

Topics for Discussion (For this week’s Friday reading (due Friday, Nov. 12), you need to find an opinion article or editorial AND an editorial cartoon that conveys the same perspective. You only need to analyze the article, but you should also include an explanation of how the cartoon relates to the editorial).
• Please note that page numbers listed are from the hardcover edition.
1. Make a list of TEN rhetorical strategies Eggers uses in Parts IV and V. For each strategy, identify it by name, provide the definition, and analyze its effectiveness in conveying Eggers’ purpose. Your analysis should include what your perceive the purpose to be. Since you are analyzing throughout the last parts of the book, the purpose will not be the same for each strategy.
2. Part IV (203–90) tells the story of Zeitoun’s imprisonment. Here we learn in great detail how Zeitoun is denied the right to call Kathy, how his injured foot is not attended to, how the other men are beaten, stripped, and starved, how he prays constantly, yet loses hope. What is the impact, as you read, of this narrative?
3. “Zeitoun is a more powerful indictment of America’s dystopia in the Bush era than any number of well-written polemics” (Timothy Egan, New York Times, August 13, 2009). Would you agree with this statement? How does Zeitoun serve as a contribution to the history of hurricane Katrina and the failure of government to handle the disaster effectively?
4. Analyze Eggers’ presentation of Kathy’s situation, and her actions once she learns where Zeitoun is. The aftermath is more difficult, and she still suffers from physical and psychological problems that seem to be the result of post-traumatic stress. What was the most traumatic part of her experience, and why (319)?
5. Given that the other men who were imprisoned with Zeitoun were held much longer than he was, and that Nasser lost his life savings, is it surprising that these men were not compensated in any way for their time in prison (320–21)?
6. What is Zeitoun’s feeling now about what happened? How does he move forward into the future, as expressed in the book’s closing pages (322-25)?

George W. Bush and the Rhetoric of 9/11

Today in class we read George W. Bush's address to the nation the night of September 11, 2001. You need to analyze the speech for tone, audience, purpose and effective examples of rhetoric. Please be prepared to discuss the effectiveness of the strategies in class tomorrow. Also, think about the similarities and differences in TAP and rhetoric in comparison to Bush's speech and Leonard Pitts, Jr.'s "We'll Go Forward From This Moment."

We also began the documentary film, 9/11.

Remember to work on Friday reading!

Ronald Reagan and the Challenger Explosion

Those of you that were absent today will need to make up the analysis essay of Nixon's "Checkers" speech ASAP.

Today in class we read and analyzed Ronald Reagan's address to the nation following the Challenger tragedy. Your homework is to analyze the tone, audience and purpose as well as the most effective rhetorical strategy per paragraph (ten total). This work is due Wednesday, since tomorrow is a student holiday. (If you're 18...don't forget to vote!) The school internet system is still full of kinks, so the link for the Reagan address is to a website rather than the Google doc. Send me an email if you're still having problems.

Since this is a rather detailed assignment, you just might have a Quickwrite assignment Wednesday.