LTF - Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand – Determining Author’s Purpose Through Rhetorical Analysis
Carefully read the excerpt.
Close Reading: Understanding the Passage as a Whole; Levels of Thinking: Remember, Understand, Apply
Read each paragraph again, In the space below write the one word topic of each paragraph. Then write a sentence summarizing the main idea of each paragraph following the examples.
Subject What does the author say about the subject?
Paragraph 1 Thoroughbred horses Thoroughbreds are very impressive animals that move
with speed and agility despite their great size and weight.
Paragraph 2 Jockeys _______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Paragraph 3 ____________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________
Paragraph 1 – Connecting Rhetorical Devices to Meaning; Levels of Thinking: Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze
1. Hillenbrand begins paragraph one with a metaphor that makes an assertion about race horses. The metaphor compares
____________________ to _____________________.
2. Since most readers associate engines with cars, the metaphor implies that a racehorse is an impressive engine. What words or phrases in Paragraph 1 do you associate with engines (or cars) rather than racehorses?
3. In the spaces below, write examples of diction and/or details from the passage that support the author’s assertion that horses are impressive engines. You must include at least two additional examples. Your commentary should clearly explain how the evidence supports the idea that horses are impressive engines.
Diction or Details (evidence) Commentary
1. “equipped” 1. Most car advertisements begin, “This car is equipped with power brakes, power
Locks, CD player…” By telling the reader the horse is “equipped” with quick
reflexes, the author is emphasizing the comparison of the horse to an engine.
2. __________________ 2. __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. __________________ 3.___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
4. What assertion does the writer make in line 9? The horse’s __________________ is a _________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Look up and define the word paradox. In your own words, explain why the body of a thoroughbred is a paradox.
6. With a partner, think of other animals or situations that might be described as a paradox.
7. What is the author’s purpose in paragraph 1?
8. Why is this information important for the reader?
Paragraph 2: Connecting Logical Appeals and Syntax to Meaning; Levels of Thinking: Remember, Understand
To present an effective argument, a write should use all three appeals – logical, emotional, and ethical. A logical appeal depends on reasoning and evidence, appealing more to the intellect than the emotions. Logical reasoning depends on the following: facts as evidence; research; reliance on authority; effective comparisons; cause/effect; tradition.
In paragraph 2, the author makes the assertion that “the extraordinary athleticism of the jockey is unparalleled.” Since this is not a statement of fact, but rather an opinion, she then makes several logical statements to support her claim. Identify these statements according to the type of evidence Hillenbrand uses to create a logical appeal.
Expert testimonial:
A fact:
Expert testimonial:
A fact:
Effective comparison:
Paragraph 3: Levels of Thinking: Remember, Understand, Analyze
To make an emotional appeal, a write must understand the basic needs – to be loved, to be safe, to be healthy – that all humans have in common because when our basic needs are threatened, we experience similar emotions: sadness, fear, anger. In addition, writers can also create emotional appeals through such emotions as excitement, humor, surprise, etc.
9. Use the emoticons below or create your own to show the emotion you feel to the following phrases.
a. “jockeys to be so rubber-legged”
b. “knocked from his stirrups and sent flying downward in front of a pack of horses”
c. “He was saved”
d. “to catch Longden with one hand”
e. “hurled him right over the back of his horse”
f. “in the same predicament”
g. “snagged the jockey with the ease of an outfielder”
h. “incredibly, Longden won the race.”
10. As you read the passage, did you expect Johnny Longden to with the race?
11. When a situation turns out differently than one would expect, it is referred to as
12. Look back at the emoticons you selected for question 9. Select at least two complementary words that convey the overall feelings you experienced.
13. Why do you think the author included the narrative account of Johnny Longden in this passage?
14. What effect does the emotional appeal have on the passage as a whole?
Figurative Language (Figures of Speech); Levels of Thinking: Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze
Figures of speech are words or phrases that describe one thing in terms of another. They always involve an imaginative comparison between seemingly unlike things. Not meant to be taken literally, figurative language is used to produce images in a reader’s mind and to express ideas in fresh, vivid, and imaginative ways. Two commonly used figures of speech are similes and metaphors.
Simile – comparison of two different things or ideas using the words like or as
Metaphor – a comparison of two unlike things NOT using like or as
In the spaces below, write additional examples of figurative language (simile/metaphor) found in paragraphs 2 and 3. Then thoroughly explain how this rhetorical device affects meaning in the passage.
Figurative Language Explanation (literal meaning) Effect
1. “A horse’s body is a constantly 1. A topographical map shows outlines 1. This comparison emphasizes
shifting topography…” of mountains, valleys, rivers. The the muscular shape and
horse’s body shows an outline of his contour of the horse’s body.
skeletal and muscular frame. It reminds the reader of his
power and speed.
2.
3.
15. Why does Laura Hillenbrand spend the entire first paragraph describing the horse before she describes the jockey and their experiences?
GRAMMAR: Simple sentences; Levels of Thinking: Remember, Understand
Simple sentences consist of a subject noun or pronoun, a verb, and its complements. Even though a simple sentence expresses a complete thought, writers often include additional phrases – groups of words that functions as a single part of speech – to add meaning and clarity for the reader. However, even with the addition of phrases, the sentence remains a simple sentence with only one independent clause. Simple sentences can be very short or very long depending on the number of phrases and modifiers the writer uses.
Both of the following sentences are examples of simple sentences:
1. Men fall.
2. Frightening pedestrians in their path, the men fall, twisting and tumbling with great speed down the concrete sidewalk
toward the street filled with speeding cars and trucks.
Adding meaning through Phrases
In Paragraph 1 of the passage, Hillenbrand uses only simple sentences or independent clauses. All of the sentences contain one independent clause with additional modifiers and/or phrases. To help you with this activity, number the sentences in paragraph 1 and place a slash (/) at the end of each sentence.
Sentence 1: Levels of Thinking: Remember, Understand, Analyze
1. Write the prepositional phrase.
Write the independent clause.
2. How does the use of the prepositional phrase change the meaning of the sentence?
Sentence 2: Levels of Thinking: Remember, Understand, Analyze
3. Normally, a preposition is followed by an object of the preposition. In this sentence, the author uses three consecutive prepositions. Write the three prepositions.
4. Replace the words “up to” with the word “approximately,” “almost,” and “as many as.” Discuss how each of the substitutions affects the author’s meaning.
5. Write any other prepositional phrase that you see.
6. Now write the independent clause.
7. Write any other words that have not been included in the independent clause or prepositional phrases.
8. Who or what in this sentence is “tipping the scales at up to 1,450 pounds”?
“Tipping the scales” is an example of a participial phrase. Participles are verb forms (usually ending in –ed or –ing) which function as adjectives. The participle, along with any modifiers of it, is called a participial phrase. Participles and participial phrases may come before or after the noun or pronoun they modify, but they should be in close proximity to avoid confusion on the part of the reader.
Sentence 3: Levels of Thinking: Remember, Understand
9. Write the eight prepositional phrases in Sentence 3.
1. _____________________________ 5. _______________________________
2. _____________________________ 6. _______________________________
3. _____________________________ 7. _______________________________
4. _____________________________ 8. _______________________________
10. Write the independent clause that is left after removing the prepositional phrases.
11. Now write the word that is left. _____________ Who or what in the sentence is equipped?
12. Since “equipped” is a verb used to describe the pronoun “he,” it is functioning as an adjective. Therefore, the word
“equipped” is an example of a ___________________.
13. “Equipped with reflexes much faster than those of the most quick-wired man” is called a ______________________
______________________.
Sentence 4: Levels of Thinking: Remember, Understand, Analyze, Create
14. Unscramble the following word groups from Sentence 4. Write at least two variations of the sentence.
a. through the air e. crafted to slip
b. his body f. with the ease
c. of an arrow g. of mass and lightness
d. is a paradox
Underline the participial phrase in each sentence you have written. How does placing the participial phrase at the beginning of the sentence affect the meaning of the sentence?
Other Types of Verbal Phrases: Levels of Thinking: Remember, Understand, Create, Evaluate
In addition to participial phrases, there are two other types of verbal phrases: infinitives and gerunds.
*An infinitive is the word “to” plus a verb> Infinitives can function as adjectives, adverbs, or nouns.
*A gerund is an –ing verb form that functions as a noun.
Examine the sentences below:
A. To pilot a racehorse is to ride a half-ton catapult.
(infinitive phrase) (infinitive phrase)
S LV PN
B. Race riding is exceptionally exhausting.
(gerund phrase) (participial phrase)
S LV PA
Even though the basic pattern in these sentences is similar, the use of different kinds of phrases has created variety for the reader. The use of the same type of phrases joined by a linking verb also creates a balanced or parallel structure (parallelism).
15. Now rewrite Sentence A, changing the first infinitive phrase (the subject) to a gerund phrase.
______________________________ is to ride a half-ton catapult.
16. Now rewrite Sentence B by changing the gerund subject to an infinitive.
_____________________________ is exceptionally exhausting.
Notice that the sentence structure is no longer parallel. Which sentence do you prefer, the original or the changed one? Why?
Sentence Imitating: Levels of Thinking: Remember, Understand, Analyze, Create
Now look at the sentence below. Place brackets around the participial phrase. Then underline the words that create parallelism.
“He pursues speed with superlative courage, pushing beyond defeat, beyond exhaustion, sometimes beyond the structural
limits of bone and sinew.”
17. How does the parallel structure in Hillenbrand’s sentence affect meaning?
18. Imitate the syntax or sentence structure of Hillenbrand’s sentence to create an original sentence of your own. Use Thoroughbred for the subject of the independent clause. Consider these verbs: gallop, dash, hurtle, fly, race, pursue, compete, struggle, battle. Choose one of the verbs for the independent clause and add –ing to another to create a participial phrase.
19. How does the parallel structure in the sentence you have created affect the meaning of the sentence?
20. Fill in the blanks below to describe the effect of parallel structure on the author’s purpose.
By using _________________________, the writer emphasizes ________________________________________. The repetition of the word _____________________ leaves no doubt that _______________________________________________.