American Literature and Rhetoric

Guided Tour of American Literature & Rhetoric

1 Rhetorical Analysis

     ACTIVITY Recognizing Civil Discourse

The Rhetorical Situation
Abraham Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address

Occasion, Context, and Purpose
     ACTIVITY Defining a Rhetorical Situation

The Rhetorical Triangle
     ACTIVITY Analyzing the Rhetorical Situation
     Billie Jean King, Serena Is Still Treated Differently Than Male Athletes

Rhetorical Appeals
Ethos
          Building Ethos
     J. D. Vance, from Hillbilly Elegy
     ACTIVITY Building Ethos
Logos
          Conceding and Refuting
     ACTIVITY Analyzing Logos and Counterargument
     Jia Tolentino, from What It Takes to Put Away Your Phone
Pathos
          Making Balanced Appeals
          Richard Nixon, from The Checkers Speech
     ACTIVITY Analyzing Pathos
     Diana Abu-Jaber, from On Recognition and Nation
Combining Ethos, Logos, and Pathos
     Helen Keller, Letter to Mark Twain, 1906
     ACTIVITY Combining Ethos, Logos, and Pathos
Analyzing Visual Texts | Identifying Rhetorical Appeals
     Tom Toles, Rosa Parks (cartoon)
     ACTIVITY Identifying Rhetorical Appeals in a Visual Text
     Nate Beeler, Government Is Watching (cartoon)

Analyzing Rhetoric and Style
Diction
          Figurative Language
     ACTIVITY Analyzing Diction
     John Muir, from Save the Redwoods
Syntax
     ACTIVITY Analyzing Syntax
     John F. Kennedy, from Inaugural Address
Tone 
     ACTIVITY Analyzing Tone
Analyzing Visual Texts | Analyzing Visual Rhetoric
     Dodge Durango (advertisement)
     ACTIVITY Close Reading a Visual Text
     KFC Hot and Spicy Chicken (advertisement)

From Reading to Writing: Crafting a Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Shirley Chisholm, from People and Peace, Not Profits and War
Preparing to Write: Annotating Nonfiction
ACTIVITY Annotating an Excerpt
Developing a Thesis Statement
Supporting Your Thesis
ACTIVITY Organizing a Rhetorical Analysis Essay
     Writing Topic Sentences
ACTIVITY Writing Topic Sentences
     Using Quotations as Evidence
     Documenting Sources
ACTIVITY Writing a Body Paragraph
Revising a Rhetorical Analysis Essay
ACTIVITY Revising a Paragraph
Analyzing a Sample Rhetorical Analysis Essay
     Joseph Barrett, "People and Peace, Not Profits and War"
ACTIVITY Providing Peer Feedback for Revision
CULMINATING ACTIVITY Crafting a Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Dwight D. Eisenhower, Order of the Day

2 Evidence-Based Arguments
What Is Argument?

Understanding Claims
ACTIVITY Identifying Arguable Claims
Types of Claims
     Claims of Fact 
     ACTIVITY Making Claims of Fact
     Claims of Value
     ACTIVITY Making Claims of Value
     Claims of Policy
     ACTIVITY Making Claims of Policy

Understanding and Analyzing Evidence
Types of Evidence 
     Personal Experience 
     Anecdotes
     ACTIVITY Using Personal Experience and Anecdotes as Evidence
     Current Events
     Historical Information
     ACTIVITY Using Current Events and Historical Information as Evidence 
     Expert Opinion
     Quantitative Evidence
ACTIVITY Analyzing Evidence
Florence Kelley, Speech on Child Labor

Logical Reasoning and Organization: Shaping an Argument
Induction
Deduction
ACTIVITY Using Inductive and Deductive Reasoning
Logical Fallacies
     Red Herrings and Ad Hominem Fallacies
     Faulty Analogies
     Straw Man Fallacies
     Either/Or Fallacies
     Hasty Generalization
     Circular Reasoning
     Post Hoc Fallacies
     Appeal to False Authority
     Bandwagon Appeal
ACTIVITY Identifying Logical Fallacies
Analyzing Visual Texts | Identifying Fallacies in Visual Texts
PETA, Feeding Kids Meat Is Child Abuse (advertisement)
Heap Analytics, Same Data, Different Y-Axis (graphs)
ACTIVITY Identifying Fallacies in Visual Texts
Omega Watch, George Clooney''s Choice (advertisement)
U.S. Department of Education, High School Graduation Rate (graph)
Patterns of Development 
     Narration 
     Judith Ortiz Cofer, from The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria
     Description
     Theodore Dreiser, from A Certain Oil Refinery
     Process Analysis
     E. B. White, from Farewell, My Lovely! 
     Exemplification
     Sarah Grimké, from Letter on the Equality of the Sexes
     Comparison and Contrast 
     Eleanor Roosevelt, from Women Must Learn to Play the Game as Men Do
     Definition
     Barack Obama, from 2004Democratic National Convention Speech
     Cause and Effect
     Robert F. Kennedy, from The Mindless Menace of Violence
ACTIVITY Analyzing Patterns of Development

Working with Sources to Build an Argument
Approaching Sources
ACTIVITY Approaching Sources
Examining Sources
ACTIVITY Examining Sources
Synthesizing Sources

From Reading to Writing: Crafting an Evidence-Based Essay
Conversation: Has Technology Changed the Way We Think?
     Jacqueline Howard, This Is How the Internet Is Rewiring Your Brain
     ACTIVITY Summarizing a Source
     Americans'' Cell Phone Use during Social Activity (graph) 
     ACTIVITY Analyzing Quantitative Evidence 
     Nicholas Carr, The Illusion of Knowledge 
     ACTIVITY The "Yes, But" Game: Conceding and Refuting
     Sherry Turkle, from Stop Googling. Let''s Talk. 
     ACTIVITY Comparing and Contrasting Sources
     Alison Gopnik, Is "Screen Time" Dangerous for Children? 
     ACTIVITY Playing the Believing Game
     Osmani Simanca, Technology Shackle (cartoon) 
     ACTIVITY Using Visual Texts as Evidence
Preparing to Write: Identifying Key Issues
ACTIVITY Formulating Your Position
Developing a Thesis Statement
Supporting Your Thesis 
     Introducing Your Argument
     Acknowledging the Counterargument
     Supporting Your Argument with Evidence
     Citing Sources
ACTIVITY: Writing a Body Paragraph
Revising an Evidence-Based Argument Essay
ACTIVITY Revising a Paragraph
Analyzing a Sample Evidence-Based Argument Essay
     Christopher Rowley, "Has Technology Changed the Way We Think?"
ACTIVITY Providing Peer Feedback for Revision
CULMINATING ACTIVITY Crafting an Evidence-Based Argument Essay Conversation| The First Amendment: How Free Is Free Speech?

• Thane Rosenbaum, Should Neo-Nazis Be Allowed Free Speech?