#6 How's Style-Analysis Going?

      I really like the style-analysis essay. I like how you have to find rhetorical devices, analyze why the author uses them and use your explanation to support the author's tones. I love this easy-to-follow structure because it just makes the essay flow. You try to argue that the devices used help to convey the tones you sense from the author.  AXES makes this argument more effective. Make an Assertion, give eXamples, Explain why they're used and tie this back to the tones for Significance. Sometimes, I end up rambling and all my info is out of order, but AXES makes it neat and tidy. It's kind of, dare I say it, fun writing these essays. Don't get me wrong, I don't like writing essays. But, this kind is not bad at all, even enjoyably in a way. I like how it's usually a historical passage because what you know in history helps you to analyze why the author may be using these devices. I also like how you provided us with an awesome rhetorical mnemonic device. This way, you have somewhere to start. You can begin with diction or syntax. If you don't know how to start off your essay, look at the mnemonic device, "TADLSSNIDIPPOS", to give ideas of what to write about. Overall, I like these essays because you can easily write a well-structured, effectively argumented essay by using all the wonderful thing you've taught us so far. p.s: you're an awesome teacher Ms. Sobrero! :)
      The only thing I worry about is that I might not understand the text. They can be hard to understand sometimes and they're usually connected to an event in history. What if I'm not familiar with that event? I won't understand it well because I won't know what exactly is being talked about. For example, when we read the speech to the Virginia Convention by Patrick Henry, I was confused at first but when I noticed some key words, I realized that he was referring to the long rule of Britain. If someone wasn't aware of the colonization of America by Britain from the 17th to 18th centuries, they would be lost. They would have an idea, but not the full picture. I'll make sure to pay special attention in history class!!! I shall return, blog!!

#5 How is Reading Film Like Reading a Text?

       So, how is reading film like reading a text. It's very similar. When I was watching The Wizard of Oz, I noticed some elements similar to the rhetorical devices we're learning. For example,  I was reminded of anaphora. Every time Dorothy met someone new, such as Tin-man, Lion and Scarecrow, she sang a song starting with the same words but being changed a little to match the scenario of the character. I couldn't help but notice that the song always started off the same. Also, I noticed the repetition of "Lions, tigers and bears. Oh my!" When reading a text or viewing a film, there's always a hidden message/moral.  In the movie, the message was that you should appreciate everything you have because "there's no place like home." This is evident in Dorothy's experience in a new place foreign to her. She runs away from her Aunty Em and uncle when she feels misunderstood but when she's transported somewhere other than home, she misses it dearly. This sounds like something in a text to me!
      Films and texts can both be interpreted in many different ways, too. Rich texts, when analyzed, can have many meanings. For example, a small text like , symbolizes the flood of ideas and duties of the newcomers with the the "flood of people" (first line). You can also see that the flood of ideas is represented by the flood of parallel sentence structure and emphasis put by the constant use of "they" (anaphora). And, the story about the beheaded flower has many devices used that go hand in hand with the hidden meaning. Ex) the use of short, abrupt phrases goes hand in hand with the short, abrupt death of the flower. In movies, many meanings can be found as well.  Many morals, themes, motifs and meanings   can be found in one movie.      

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!

Meta-Writing Essay

      Today, there was an in-class essay :( I was doing fine in my own little world until I looked up at the board: timed writing assignment. NOOO!!! I was now worried because I really hate essays, let alone in-class essays. I just tried to relax though because panicking won't help the situation. The prompt was given and I saw that it was about yourself. I wasn't too thrilled with it. The first thing I always do is think of all the specific things I'll talk about and then wrap all of it up into a nice thesis. Thesis is the most important part of the essay, I would say. I was a little puzzled by the prompt. It asks for strengths, weaknesses and goals to set. I was frazzled because I thought, "how do I come up with a thesis that sums all 3 of the requirements?" They can each be an independent essay but this essay contains all 3. So, I just mentioned my weaknesses, strengths and goals to improve as a writer in my intro & thesis and tried to support it all by my assertions. I don't think I did that great but I guess it was decent. I was under pressure and time so I just did my best. When I feel rushed, I tend to just get something down because I panic about the time limit. I didn't feel that the structure, diction, and intro was AP like. I like to include a nice hook to grab the reader's attention in the intro but I failed to do so. I wanted to add a hook to my intro but I ran out of time and I didn't know how to squeeze it in (which is a reason I like to  type essays).
      I write better in my house, on the kitchen table, spending my sweet time. But, the AP test isn't like that!!!! My weaknesses of writing are that I'm slow and I could improve my analytical skills. When I say slow, I mean slow.  My strengths were that I could come up with theses that could be well backed up and my grammar & conventions(even though I'm sure I mispelled things!). On the STAR test last year, I got 100% on the conventions part of the writing. But, I have a lot to work on as a writer and I'm sure I'll learn a ton in this class.

My Favorite Book

      I read all three books so now, which one is my favorite? I would have to say Into the Wild. It is so interesting because the author, Jon Krakauer, switches up the order of when things happened. He started off the book with a journal entry by Chris McCandless that didn't make any sense at all. Once you read on, you find out that like somewhere in the middle of the book or so, that this was written by him on his trip to Alaska and it all makes sense. He mixes up the order and later on, you find out what it means. I like the author's style of writing, too. It's not all sophisticated and  hard to figure out. There were really fascinating parts of Chris's life. He made a story about a hitchhiker who no one paid attention to really interesting. Everyone just thought that it was Chris's stupid mistake to journey alone into Alaska but Krakauer didn't. He wrote a book on him.
      On Writing comes next. I think King's language could be cleaner. haha. He cusses a lot and is often inappropriate. I like this book because it has 3 main parts: a memoir, the on writing part, and a part on On Living, about how he almost died in a car accident. The only time I read a book with 3 parts was Oedipus Rex, a summer book for the 9th grade, but that's kind of different. I like his tips, especially that one that bans excessive adverbs, but most of them were kind of obvious. Nonetheless, I liked it.
       How To Read Literature Like a Professor wasn't my favorite, at all. Foster used examples from a bunch of books that I never read, or even heard of. It was kind of hard to relate to him because the books weren't familiar. His sentences were pretty long and he used language that was pretty challenging to comprehend. It sure made me use the dictionary a lot! He was pretty funny though, with his little rules. It's never just rain, every trip is a quest(except when it's not), there's only one story, whenever people eat or drink together, it's communion. Creative mind he has there. He made me laugh a few times. I really think he helped with comprehending literature. He got me thinking of different ways I never would've thought of thinking about something. Well, I think that's it for now. Bye!