1st Two Rhetorical Modes: Definition & Description

      So far, we have explored 2 of the 10 rhetorical modes: definition and description. The definition essay was pretty, dare I say it, fun. I normally  hate essays but this one didn't have very strict rules and was kind of free-form. I picked the slang word "props", which is used to give someone proper recognition for something they did. I had a little 2-sentence intro and started talking about it right away, since it was only a 200 word essay. You would think it's easier to write an essay with a small amount of words but, it's actually harder; you have to get to the point and sometimes you don't feel like you got the point across the way you wanted to because of the limit. Anyway, I looked up the etymology of "props" and it came from the phrase, "proper recognition", popularized by rappers in the 1980s. I tried to put in some quality examples, to give an idea of how to use the word. If I were to go back and change it, I would talk more about the examples, explain them (AXES), even though the word count would go over 200. Overall, it was enjoyable and not too stressful.
      The description essay was a tough one for me. First of all, I put a lot of emphasis on the artwork to pick because I have to write a whole 300-500 essay on it. It look me awhile and I finally picked Irises, by Van Gogh. I kept on thinking about "the descriptions must tie to the theme" so, I tried to pick a painting that had many noticeable descriptions that I could connect to a theme. I was down to 2 choices when I narrowed it down: Irises and a painting depicting a poor family. I liked the latter because the theme was "poverty", which could easily( I thought) be tied to the description: dark, dull colors, sullen facial expressions and .....that's all I could think of. I wanted at least 3 descriptions so, I moved on to the other choice, whose theme was "the joy found in nature." I saw that Van Gogh used bright colors, put emphasis on the vivid flowers and made them free-form, having  movement; I went ahead and chose it. Writing it was difficult to me because I wanted to just talk about what I saw but, everything had to support the theme, kind of like a thesis or claim.
      I tried my best to have AXES in my body paragraphs, stating the description(A), giving an example of it(X), explaining why Van Gogh did this (E) and then for Significance, I talked about how the description tied to the theme. I hope I did well!

The Language of Composition, pg. 1-6

      What is rhetoric? Rhetoric, as I would define it, is the act of using clever literary devices to persuade the audience to favor your viewpoint towards something. In Lou Gehrig's speech, he talks about the good things in life, trying to overshadow his bad diagnosis. He tries to persuade the stadium to believe that even though he got a "bad break", he had a lot to live for. That's basically his thesis, or claim. He provides evidence(or examples, if referring to AXES) that support this assertion, such as he has "never received anything but kindness and encouragement from [his] fans." When I first read it, I couldn't help notice that I noticed (haha) that he used repetition to convey his point: "that's something!". He said this phrase many times and this is an effective rhetorical device. Speakers also use pathos, ethos, and logos. Pathos, or appeal to emotions, was used wen he used greatest, wonderful, honored, grand, blessing, diction with a good connotation. An argument that appeals only to emotions is descibed as weak because it presents an argument against an opinion. Logos, or reason, is when speakers/writers provide rational ideas that support the claim. It is actually beneficial to mention a counterargument, an idea that opposes your point. You first concede that it may be true but then, you refute the validity by proving it wrong. For example, in a persuasive essay I wrote last year, I tried to persuade the reader that school lunches should be changed to be more healthy by using organics. I proposed a counterargument, the problem that it would be more expensive and unaffordable for all. I refuted it, however, by talking about the hidden costs that come with "cheap" industrial farming. 30% of the oil we use is used in this method of farming, for example. Ethos is character appeal. It emphasizes the shared values between the writer and audience. For example, if the speaker and audience share qualities, like their both doctors, they are drawn by the similarities.
       There are a lot of literary devices that help convey rhetoric, or effective persuasion. Included are the appeals of ethos, pathos and logos. Tone plays a key role in ethos, as well as pathos. Well, I think that sums it up. Bye!

An AP Grader for a Day

      Today, we graded AP "style-analysis" essays, which were samples from actual test-takers last year. I was kind of confused about how to write this kind of essay but today's grading cleared it up. I liked them all really, but my favorite was NNNN1, which I gave a nine. I gave out a 5, an 8, another 5, and a 9. I thought they analyzed the rhetorical strategies very well and their writing sounding sophisticated and urbane. They talked about asyndeton, polysyndeton, pathos, emotional appeal, the way the syntax was and how the diction used was. This gave me a picture of how these essays would normally be; I was kind of wondering before we read these samples.
      When grading, the first thing I do is read the thesis and see if it includes proper rhetorical strategies actually mentioned in the passage. Then I see if all the assertions support it well and provide effective examples. I liked NNNN1 a lot because his/her language was sophisticated, she seemed to know what she was doing, seemed in control and analyzed the reading well. The thesis was well supported by the body paragraphs and provided examples that persuaded me to believe what she was saying. I put a lot of emphasis on the thesis because it is basically the basis for the whole essay and every sentence you say must lead back to it. I also thought NN1 was pretty good. It seemed like she was trying to prove that Kelley used pathos, instead of rhetorical devices but I think she analyzed it well. I liked this experience and I thought it was kind of fun :) I hope my essay doesn't fall into the hands of a mean grader!!  I want them to grade by the criteria I grade by, but I'm sure that's what everyone feels as well. So, I'm not the only worried one. Bye!