Intro to AP Lang!
What do we do in AP Lang?
What is the author trying to say?
(purpose, objective)
How does the author reach that
objective? (writing/rhetorical strategies or
techniques)
Are those writing techniques effective?
Another objective
You learn to write by reading. Another
goal is to emulate the writing techniques
of effective writers. Therefore, we will
read an obscene amount of excellent
writing.
AP essays
3 different types of essays on the exam
1. Synthesis
2. Rhetorical analysis
3. Argumentative/position/open-ended
AP synthesis essay
Directions: The following prompt is based on the accompanying six sources.
This question requires you to integrate a variety of sources into a coherent, well-written
essay. Refer to the sources to support your position; avoid mere paraphrase or summary.
Your argument should be central; the sources should support this argument.
Remember to attribute both direct and indirect citations.
Introduction
Television has been influential in United States presidential elections since the 1960’s.
But just what is this influence, and how has it affected who is elected? Has it made
elections fairer and more accessible, or has it moved candidates from pursuing issues to
pursuing image?
Assignment
Read the following sources (including any introductory information) carefully. Then, in
an essay that synthesizes at least three of the sources for support, take a position
that defends, challenges, or qualifies the claim that television has had a positive
impact on presidential elections.
Refer to the sources as Source A, Source B, etc.; titles are included for your convenience.
Source A (Campbell)
Source B (Hart and Triece)
Source C (Menand)
Source D (Chart)
Source E (Ranney)
Source F (Koppel)
AP rhetorical analysis essay
The passages below are from two different
novels. In each passage, a man is proposing
marriage. Compare the rhetorical strategies
—such as arguments, assumptions,
attitudes, diction—used by the speakers in
the two passages and comment on both the
intended and the probable effects of the
proposals on the women being addressed.
AP Argumentative/position/open-ended
The lines above are from a speech by King
Lear. Write a carefully reasoned essay in
which you briefly paraphrase Lear’s
statement and then defend, challenge, or
qualify his view of the relationship
between wealth and justice. Support your
argument with specific references to your
reading, observation, or experience.
What are AP readers looking for?
(taken from real AP readers)
Self-reflective, self-aware
Notice complexity
Provide explanations of details, examples,
and content
Can represent multiple viewpoints
Sees writing as an ongoing conversation
What are AP readers looking for?
(taken from real AP readers)
Approach texts with uncertainty and
embrace it
Withhold judgment until text is read
Consider each text with an open-mind
Appreciate texts singly at first, then
together
What are AP readers looking for?
(taken from real AP readers)
Not just content, but form and content
Approach research as a conversation
Do not view essay prompt as a linear task
Healthy skepticism is important
Prioritize text considerations (synthesis)
Writing
The art of writing is more organized than
you might think.
Various rhetorical modes :
1. Argumentation and persuasion
2. Cause and effect
3. Classification and division
4. Comparison and contrast
5. Definition
6. Description
7. Exemplification
8. Narrative
9. Process
Writing
How do you know which mode to use?
How do you know why an author chose a
particular mode in which to write?
Depends on your purpose; ask yourself,
“what is the most effective way to present
what I want to say?”
Reading: Specific strategies
Annotating
Previewing
Outlining
Summarizing
Paraphrasing
Synthesizing
Questioning to understand and remember
Contextualizing
Reflecting on challenges to your beliefs and values
Exploring the significance of figurative language
Looking for patterns of opposition
Evaluating the logic
Recognizing the logical fallacies
Recognizing the emotional manipulation
Judging the writer’s credibility
Comparing and contrasting related readings
Beginning study of rhetoric
**Pgs
4,5,6 in
Rhetoric: Everyday
using language Use
effectively and persuasively
AP Lang Journal: 8/26/10
“Words - so innocent and powerless as
they are, as standing in a dictionary, how
potent for good and evil they become in
the hands of one who knows how to
combine them.” ~Nathaniel Hawthorne
Journal prompt: For you, how can you use
words to become potent for good and
evil?
Rhetorical
context
Taken from: http://www.usna.edu/Users/english/mace/slide1.html
Audience
What does your audience already know
about the subject?
What prejudices will they have?
What will they expect?
What should they learn?
Writer or Speaker
How will you show your credibility?
How will you show your expertise?
What is your goal or purpose?
How can you make an impression?
Purpose
Do you want to persuade?
Explain?
Narrate?
Describe?
Inform?
Express yourself?
Ethos
writers appeal to a reader’s sense of
ethos (notice wording)
Sense of character
Is the writer credible or trustworthy?
May emphasize shared values between
audience and writer
May involve writer’s reputation
May make a good impression
Expertise, knowledge, experience,
training, sincerity, or a combination
Logos
Writers appeal to a reader’s sense of
logos (notice wording)
Offer clear, rational ideas
logic
Have main ideas, specific details, facts,
data, or testimonies
Appealing to logos also means offering
counterarguments
Concede that there are other viewpoints
Refute those other viewpoints
Pathos
Writers appeal to a reader’s sense of
pathos (notice wording)
Using emotions can be effective for your
audience
Using correct words, understanding
implied word meaning: connotation
Include concrete, vivid details
Figurative language
Use of visual images to appeal to
emotions
Analyzing Visual Texts Using
OPTIC
Paying attention to the details is a habit that is a necessary part of effective analysis.
As you analyze visual texts, including paintings, photographs, advertisements, maps,
charts or graphs, the OPTIC strategy can help you construct meaning. OPTIC
stands for Overview, Parts, Title, Interrelationship, and Conclusion. As you
examine a visual text, respond to each element:
O- Write a brief overview of the image: in one complete sentence, what is this
image about?
P- Key in on all of the parts by noting any details that seem important. This can be
anything: color, figures, textures, scenery, groupings, shadings, patterns, numbers,
etc.
T- Use the title to clarify the subject of the image. Consider both literal and
metaphoric meanings. What does the title suggest?
I- Specify the interrelationships in the image. In other words, how the parts are
related, both to one another and the image as a whole. Consider how the parts come
together to create a mood or convey an idea or argument.
C- Write a conclusion paragraph about the image as a whole: think about what the
artist, photographer, creator, or designer might be trying to capture and convey, and
what ideas, arguments, or implications this image presents.
