1st/2nd AP LANG/ENG 1101
**IMPORTANT: LOOKING AHEAD TO WHAT WE'LL BE ACCOMPLISHING IN CLASS THE REST OF THIS SHORT WEEK/TWO DAYS NEXT WEEK, and YOUR MAJOR **WRITING** ASSIGNMENT TBA IN CLASS ----:
'HYBRID ESSAY' PROMPT
- Use the next few days of class (TBA) to complete the following REQUIRED/GRADED ASSIGNMENT NOTES TAKEN TOGETHER IN CLASS AS WE DISCUSS EACH TEXT regarding our "HYBRID" DRAFT ESSAY for the WRITTEN/VISUAL/AUDITORY RHETORIC we've been exploring this week in class:
- FIRST: CHOOSE THE ONE (1) PIECE/RESOURCE from the list that we've explored (below)
- NEXT (**GUIDED BY ME ----): WRITE A THESIS STATEMENT/CENTRAL ARGUMENT based on the "meaning in the message" of your piece
- **remember to make your thesis/assertion a statement that you can use "text evidence" in addition to our analysis notes from class to back up/give evidence to support your statement (*samples posted below)
- AND FINALLY (GUIDED BY ME ---- and more time ---- if needed/TBA): COMPOSE A COMPLETE/DRAFTED FIRST/INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH WITH YOUR THESIS STATEMENT as your LAST SENTENCE OF YOUR INTRO PARAGRAPH! (*samples below)
- More thorough information about completing the rest of this IN-CLASS 'HYBRID ESSAY/PROMPT RESPONSE' to come AT THE END OF THIS WEEK; STAY TUNED!
“Rhetoric is the ability, in each particular case, to observe (to make use of) the available means of persuasion.”
–Aristotle
Consider the quote above from ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. Then in a well-organized, multi-paragraphed, essay, EVALUATE and EXPLORE the extent to which this statement holds true for rhetorical effectiveness of the particular piece of written, visual, and/or auditory rhetoric you have chosen from the last week of class (and listed/linked below). **Keep your particular text the central focus of your claim of effectiveness, and use the notes you took from class discussion of your piece to add evidence and validity to your claim. AVOID MERELY SUMMARIZING THE TEXT YOU HAVE CHOSEN.
- **you may use "we" 1st person-plural construction in this response
- **a "personal example" ("For example, the most chaotic time in my life occurred when...") is not necessary for this essay response; in fact, it may be best to avoid this approach here
**SAMPLE INTRO PARA./ALLSTATE INSURANCE SUPERBOWL COMMERCIAL:
The ability of a modern advertiser to create a positive ‘spotlight moment’ can bring both financial and name-recognition success to a company. Oftentimes, those moments come through the continued strength of a trademark logo or character--and they always carry a hefty price tag. Take, for example, our iconic Superbowl TV commercials. For a few million dollars, in just mere minutes, viewers can be placated, entertained, convinced of the need to purchase a lifetime supply of Doritos, or moved to tears by puppies and horses. Whatever the outcome, the power of advertisements are a driving force in American capitalist society. And the effectiveness of those ads relies on the message an audience perceives as well as the medium which transports that message. In viewing the 2013 Superbowl Allstate Insurance Commercial, viewers are hit with historical allusions drawing upon the origins of chaos in humanity that effectively convince us of the need to be well protected in all instances of life. The effectiveness of the commercial’s sound and sight imagery is twofold: viewers are forced to think quickly while considering all the blunders of human history back to our expulsion from the Garden of Eden, and the presence of the ‘Mayhem’ archetypal character serves as the catalyst for us to act before we too become victims of his/its chaotic ways.
(next para...) To be clear, hardly anyone ever sits down to watch the Superbowl with the intentions of looking for a good car insurance company. However, Allstate capitalizes upon its place in the car insurance industry through humorous disasters that befall upon humans to persuade us of our own propensity for disaster.
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**SAMPLE INTRO PARA./WWII PROPAGANDA POSTER:
Humans have always made war upon one another, for both petty and justifiable reasons. Even so, the lines of what and who is ‘right’ are often blurred by social and cultural perspectives of conflict. With respect to World War II, however, the justifiably sanctioned actions of the Western Front Allied forces were a necessity, considered by many as the saving grace in ridding the world of the threat of Nazi tyranny. And to further persuade the American public to fall in line behind the heroic acts of their men at arms, those stateside looked no further than the powerful propaganda created on the home front. The U.S. Government propaganda poster “When You Ride Alone, You Ride With Hitler!” illustrates all the qualities of what Aristotle referred to as “the available means of persuasion.” The sheer effectiveness of the poster ultimately comes from its colorful yet balanced composition in addition to the urgent tone that sends its message loud and clear to an American audience: either one is for or against the American war effort of conservation of resources, and there is NO middle ground.
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**SAMPLE THESIS STATEMENT/ASSERTION/"Dulce et Decorum Est" POEM:
Owen's use of gruesome visual imagery and figurative language shows both his WWI audience as well as a modern audience the darker side of combat; that although war often tends to be romanticized and celebrated, the impact upon those who fall victim to its glorification comes at a high price.
**SAMPLE THESIS STATEMENT/ASSERTION/"The Terror of War (Napalm Girl)" PHOTOGRAPH:
Photojournalist Nick Ut's 1972 photograph of nine-year-old Kim Phuc starkly displays the traumatic effects of the Vietnam War upon innocent children; in addition, the legacy of both Phuc and this photograph remind viewers that out of tragedy can eventually come hope and reconciliation.
**SAMPLE THESIS STATEMENT/ASSERTION/"Born in the USA" SONG/VIDEO:
Springsteen's "Born in the USA" is essentially an indictment of United States' failures in taking care of its veterans who return home from war; both the song and the video use patriotic imagery and a narrative structure to help paint a picture of veterans who suffer as a result of a broken system.
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'HYBRID' ESSAY RESPONSE WRITTEN/VISUAL/AUDITORY RHETORIC RESOURCE CHOICES: --TV COMMERCIAL/ADVERTISEMENT: "2013 Allstate Superbowl Forbidden Apple Mayhem Commercial"
--WWI POEM: "Dulce et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen (1921)
--WWI POEM: "Dulce et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen (1921)
--[WWI-related] SONG LYRICS /MUSIC VIDEO: "One" by Metallica (1989)
--WWII POEM: "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" by Randall Jarrell (1945)
--WWII US GOVT. PROPAGANDA ART: "When You Ride Alone, You Ride With Hitler!" (1943)
--VIETNAM-ERA 1963 "SPOT NEWS" Pulitzer Prize-WINNING PHOTO: "The Ultimate Protest (The Burning Monk)" by AP Photographer Malcolm Browne (primary source photo[s] and informational site)
--WWII POEM: "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" by Randall Jarrell (1945)
--WWII US GOVT. PROPAGANDA ART: "When You Ride Alone, You Ride With Hitler!" (1943)
--VIETNAM-ERA 1963 "SPOT NEWS" Pulitzer Prize-WINNING PHOTO: "The Ultimate Protest (The Burning Monk)" by AP Photographer Malcolm Browne (primary source photo[s] and informational site)
--VIETNAM WAR 1973 'SPOT NEWS' PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING PHOTO: "The Terror of War (Napalm Girl)" by AP Photographer Nick Ut; *also secondary source informational & Kim Phuc interview/follow-up article here: "How the Vietnam War's Napalm Girl Found Hope After Tragedy"
--[VIETNAM-WAR-related] SONG LYRICS: "Fortunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969)
--[VIETNAM WAR-related] SONG LYRICS/MUSIC VIDEO: "Rooster" by Alice In Chains (1992)
--[VIETNAM WAR-related] SONG LYRICS and VIDEO: "Born in the USA" by Bruce Springsteen (1984)
--[VIETNAM-WAR-related] SONG LYRICS: "Fortunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969)
--[VIETNAM WAR-related] SONG LYRICS/MUSIC VIDEO: "Rooster" by Alice In Chains (1992)
--[VIETNAM WAR-related] SONG LYRICS and VIDEO: "Born in the USA" by Bruce Springsteen (1984)
**ALSO PLEASE NOTE: the NOTES you have taken on ALL THESE x10 VISUAL/AUDITORY RHETORIC CHOICES over approx. the past two weeks will also be TURNED IN FOR A GRADE TBA. Please keep in mind the 'fluid' yet DELIBERATE nature of these presentations/your expectations in class:
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- make sure you've taken effective notes/gotten notes for ANY PRESENTATIONS YOU MISSED (*AND written them out YOURSELF/MADE THEM YOURS!)
- ask questions!
- consider the MEANING IN THE MESSAGE delivered by each writer, artist, musician, photographer, etc.