Adrien Alsobrook
White Station High School 2018-2019
Web Site: aalsobrook.weebly.com
“Rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds of men.”
Plato
Welcome to Advanced Placement Language and Composition. The focus of Advanced Placement Language and Composition is understanding, analyzing, and writing non-fiction prose, connecting fiction prose (drama and novels) to rhetoric and argumentation, and using multiple sources to develop and support your own arguments. The required preparatory reading and assignments for AP Language and Composition includes reading one book on understanding and crafting arguments, one book on analyzing novels, and one novel. Each book has a unique assignment; they follow this cover page.
Information on the summer assignment may be found on my webpage: aalsobrook.weebly.com. Please feel free to email me during the summer at my school email address: . I’m always happy to answer your questions.
Advanced Placement English Language & Composition
Grade 11
Summer Reading
How to Read Novels Like a Professor, Thomas C. Foster, 2017 ed.
The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck
Thank You for Arguing, Jay Heinrichs, 2017 ed.
Attached is a separate assignment for each book.
Note that assignments forThe Grapes of Wrathmust
be typed in MLA format, in 12 pt. Times New Roman font.
ALL ARE DUE THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
NO LATE OR INCOMPLETE WORK ACCEPTED
If you are going to be absent on this day, send your work to school with a friend, a parent, or a classmate.
Advanced Placement English 11 Language and Composition Summer Reading
Assignment 1:
Book-Marking Assignment for
How to Read Novels Like a Professorby Thomas C. Foster
Below are the instructions for book marking. Marking a book allows you to:
- have a personal dialogue with the text
- identify and appreciate the tools the author employs
- comprehend and remember what you read
- refer to specifics within the text with ease
- make connections to other texts and the world
This skill of book marking (annotating) will assist you with the in-class writing and discussion activities centered on the books that will occur in the first weeks of school. If you do not know how to annotate, please read the article, “How to Mark a Book,” by Mortimer J. Adler, PhD.
and/or attend the SCS District AP Summer Camp June 18-22 at the University of Memphis.
Attendance is also recommended if this is your first time to take an advanced English class at White Station and you did not take Pre-AP English 10.
The following are the expectations for your book marking:
- Within the text of the book, highlight anything that strikes you as important, significant, memorable, etc., AND comment in the side margins about why you highlighted it. This book deals with the structure and terms of a novel. There may be many terms you do not know, so be sure to mark those as well as their definitions. The expectation is that you will think and comment critically about what you are reading. Although this may not occur on every page, it will be a significant part of the end product.
Simply highlighting isNOT annotating. Annotating is marking AND relating to the text by writing notes.
- Within the text of the book, circle or draw a box around any vocabulary words that are unfamiliar to you. Look them up and jot a brief definition or synonym nearby. There are many opportunities for vocabulary enrichment throughout the book; read carefully.
- Be sure to connect what you are reading to other texts you have read. Mark the titles
in the marginsand note why the text you noted relates to the literary element Foster is discussing.
Your book-marking assignment will be due the first day of the school year.
Enjoy your summer reading.
Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Summer Reading
This assignment must be typed!!! 12 pt. Times New Roman, double-spaced
Assignment 2: The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
This novel is very important in the study of both language and American literature. There is no predetermined format for the assignment below, but make sure that each part is labeled and your ideas are your own and they are as complete and organized as possible. Your grade will be based on the thoroughness of this assignment; however, use MLA formatting; the maximumlength is 2 pages, double or one-and one-half (1.5) spaced, and 12 point Times New Roman font.
Take notes on the following aspects of the novel:
1. WORD CHOICE. What can you say about the author’s use of language? Is it formal or informal? How is the use of particular words appropriate to the plot, characterization, setting, and theme?
2. PLOT. What do you think is the single most important event that takes place in the novel? First, describe the event. Next, explain why you feel it is important—give at least three specific reasons. Last, consider the following question: Is the event realistic? If your answer is yes, describe what makes the event believable. If your answer is no, give your reasoning.
3. CHARACTERIZATION. Choose one character in the novel that you consider most important. What makes this character so pivotal to the plot or theme? Then choose one character that you believe to be superfluous to the plot. Explain why you feel it would have been okay for the writer to leave this character out of the story.
4. GOOD WRITING. Choose a passage from the novel which is especially effective, one that you feel has powerful writing. The passage may be one or two paragraphs, or it may be several pages. First, indicate where it is located; then explain what gives it power. Explain thoroughly what makes this particular passage an example of good writing.
5. MINI-REVIEW: What is your opinion of the novel? Should others read it? Why or why not? Offer your insight about the novel.
Remember, this assignment is about your ideas and insights, not someone else’s – that is called plagiarism!!!
Please be concise, use complete sentences, and treat this as you would an academic discussion in my classroom.
This will begin our discussion of the novel.
Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Summer Reading
Assignment 3:
Part I Thank You for Arguing– Jay Heinrichs (3rd Edition, 2017)
Preparation
- Obtain a copy of They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein (Third Edition with 2016 MLA updates. You will be using this text throughout the year. Please get a copy of the third edition and have it in class by the third day of school.
- Obtain a copy of Thank You for Arguing by Jay Heinrichs, 2nd or 3rd editions.
Thank You for Arguing by Jay Heinrichs
What makes an argument work? Jay Heinrichs’ book provides you with insights into the nuts and bolts of persuasion by building on a foundation of classical rhetoric but then linking it to the tricks of the great speakers of history as well as to pop culture. When we return to school, we will examine exemplary writings, figure out what makes them tick, and learn to use these tricks of the trade in our own writing.
Note-taking Assignment for Thank You for Arguing
- You will read Chapters 1-17, pp. 1-198.
- Annotate each chapter for the most important points, vocabulary, and ideas.
Assignment 3: Part II Thank You for Arguing– Jay Heinrichs (3rd ed., 2017)
Use this book as the reference for your assignment. After reading each chapter, refer to the question handout that follows. Fill in the spaces for your answers to the questions. Write legibly and concisely. Your answers will serve as a summary to help you remember the most important parts of each chapter and to begin our focus on analyzing and writing arguments.
It will also serve as a study tool for the AP Language exam in May, 2019.
Please be aware that failing to turn in your summer assignment on the first day of class will result in a failing grade for the assignment and a failing grade for the assignment.
If you fail to complete the summer assignment, you will receive a 0 for each part you do not complete. There are no exceptions to this rule.
Name______
Period ______
Assignment 3: Part II Thank You for Arguing– Jay Heinrichs (3rd ed., 2017)
Thank You for Arguing – Chapter 1, “Open Your Eyes”
- What tense do the most productive arguments use?
- What is rhetoric?
- What are Aristotle’s three traits of credible leadership?
- What is chiasmus?
- What is the Chanticleer fallacy?
Chapter 2, “Set Your Goals”
- What is the difference between a fight and an argument?
2. What distinguished the couples who stayed married?
3. You succeed in an argument when you______
You win a fight when ______
4. What is conceding a point?
5. What are Cicero’s three goals for persuading people?
Thank You for Arguing –
Chapter 3, “Control the Tense”
1. What are the three core categories (“issues”) of persuasion?
2. Which tense do the various categories favor?
3. What suggestion does Heinrichs make for when an argument turns to fighting?
4. What is Argument’s Rule Number One?
5. What is wrong with most arguments?
Chapter 4, “Soften Them Up”
1. What are Aristotle’s three most powerful tools of persuasion?
2. What is logos, ethos, pathos?
3. What is the most powerful logos tool?
4. What is the most important pathos tactic?
5. The concession side of ethos is called ______.
Thank you for Arguing
Chapter 5 – Get Them to Like You
1. What is the word Heinrichs uses for character-based agreeability?
2. What is the way to show proper decorum?
3.How does Heinrichs recommend one dress?
4. What does Heinrichs suggest if you are going to speak in front of people of a different culture?
5. Persuasion doesn’t depend on being true to yourself; what does persuasion require?
Chapter 6 –Make them Listen
1. What is the perfect audience?
2. What are the three traits of persuasive leadership?
3. Today we are more likely to use what word, rather than virtue, when referring to rhetorical persuasion?
4. What beats bragging?
5 What is another technique that can boost rhetorical virtue?
6. In rhetoric, values and virtue do not refer to absolute righteousness or truth; they are more importantly the appearance of righteousness and the adoption of what your audience values so that the audience will trust you. True or False?
Thank You for Arguing
Chapter 7, “Use Your Craft”
1. What is the second major element of ethos?
2. What does the audience think when you have practical wisdom?
3. What are three tools to get an audience to trust your decision?
4. Every proposal should have what three parts?
5. Why is inconsistency a useful leadership tool?
Chapter 8, “Show You Care”
1. How can you make your audience believe in your selflessness?
2. Heinrichs mentions several tactics to demonstrate disinterest. What are two of them?
3. What is the ideal state of persuadability?
4. What is dubitatio?
5. In one-on-one argument, what technique of dubitatiois effective?
Thank You for Arguing
Chapter 9 “Control the Mood”
1. Where does emotion come from?
2. What argument tool is better than name-calling or ranting?
3. Pathos depends on controlling your emotions and being understated. What kind of speech should you
use?
4. What emotion works best in persuasiveness, and why, and what is its problem?
5. What is the easiest way to stimulate anger?
6. How does Heinrichs suggest rousing your group’s patriotism?
7. Emulation is an emotional response to a ______.
Chapter 10 “Turn the Volume Down”
1. What effect does passive voice have?
2. What are the three ways to achieve comfort (or cognitive ease) in your audience?
3. How can you give an angry audience a sense of control?
4. What is meant by “setting a backfire”?
5. When does setting a backfire work best?
Thank You for Arguing
Chapter 11 “Gain the High Ground”
1. What rhetorical mistake can be fatal?
2. In a political debate, which is more likely to carry more weight, morals or the advantageous?
3. What is a commonplace?
4. What is the commonplace’s evil twin?
5. What is one recommended way to spot a commonplace?
Chapter 12 “Persuade on Your Terms”
1. What are the four steps in the technique for the strategy called stance? (Put in descending order.)
2. What is labeling?
3. True or False? Heinrichs recommends accepting your opponent’s definition and then defending it as a
positive trait.
4. What are the framing techniques?
5. Why should you switch the debate to future tense?
Thank You for Arguing
Chapter 13 “Control the Argument”
1. What is one important difference between rhetorical logic and dialectic logic?
2. What does deductive logic start and end with?
3. What does inductive argument start with, and then move toward?
4. What is enthymeme?
5.What can be used to create a rhetorical example?
Chapter 14 “Spot Fallacies”
1. What are the three questions to ask to determine if an argument contains a fallacy?
2. What is reductio ad absurdum?
3. All fallacies result from a breakdown between what and what?
4. What is the straw man fallacy?
5. What are the seven fallacies discussed in this chapter?
Thank You for Arguing
Chapter 15 “Call a Foul”
1. While logic has many rules, argument has one. What is it?
2. What was the mistake that presidential candidate Michael Dukakis made in his reply to Bernard Shaw?
3. What suggestion does Heinrichs make for when someone takes offense at what you said?
4. What is the central weakness of the rhetorical fouls identified in this chapter?
5. Which one of the following is NOT a rhetorical foul: switching tenses; inflexible insistence of the
rules; humiliation; straw man fallacy; innuendo; threats; nasty language or signs; utter stupidity.
Chapter 16 “Know Whom to Trust”
1. What test does Heinrichs suggest for defending yourself from an ethos manipulation?
2. To Aristotle, where did the sweet spot of every question lie?
3. Fill in the blank. “Virtue is a state of character, concerned with ______.”
4. What are the tests for determining someone’s trustworthiness and sincerity?
5. What problem does rhetoric allow you to skip in order to focus on the person?
Chapter 17 “Find the Sweet Spot”
1. What is the “That depends” rule of practical wisdom?
2. What is the second component of phronesis (practical wisdom)?
3. What is the greatest phronesis ability a persuader can have?
4. In considering your compatibility with another person, what two questions about caring and cause are
recommended?