We wrapped up our reading of President Kennedy’s Inaugural Address today, adding a couple more terms to our list of rhetorical devices:
Your assignment is to look at one of three topics in his speech (unity; past, present, future; and self-sufficiency), clarify his message (he isn’t just arguing “Unity”—what is he trying to convince his audience about unity?), and analyze how he presents it using the three rhetorical appeals. This isn’t a formal assignment, so complete it as you will so that you can maintain an insightful conversation about his rhetoric.
In addition to the above, you should turn in your second article analysis on Tuesday after the break.
We’ve moved rather quickly through the first novels, paring Things Fall Apart with the poem that gave it its name and The Stranger with writings by Camus and Sartre. I asked you to write a summary characterization of your novel’s protagonist (an outline is all that’s necessary) before returning the work. If you haven’t done this, remember that your paper will require a synthesis of several works; it would be easy to lose connections in the shifts.
Also:
We’ve spent the last few days discussing your arguments and debating their merits. One of the things I hope you will take from this course is an ability to hold a sustained conversation about something you’ve just heard about from someone who knows what they are talking about. Asking the insightful questions, making connections to subjects you are familiar with, and maintaining an appropriate air of decorum are all vital to rational discourse—it is fine to sit back and listen as others discuss, but make sure you are thinking about how they are talking and any questions, insights, or comments you might provide.
I returned your analyses today ((I don’t like making general comments about the class’s progress as a whole (since you’re not a mass but individuals), but nicely done!)). I explained why they were returned without numerical grades (but with plenty of annotations, suggestions, and praise), but if you’d like a longer explanation, see this post. The goal is to get you thinking about the specific things you are doing well and not so well rather than how to move a “B” to a “C.” In a perfect world you wouldn’t even think about the averaged score—just focus on the things you need to improve and you’ll do fine. Trust me. ((For extra (external) credibility: talk to last year’s students. They’ll tell you how to make it work.
Today we began a look at JFK’s inaugural ((Etymology of inaugural)) address (copy here). We’ll use it to better understand what makes a good argument and to explore some interesting rhetorical devices.
We spent Monday looking over your essays, looking for shared connections and discussing composition techniques. I (re)emphasized the importance of outlining, as these essays are going to become part of a larger synthesis later.
Tuesday and Wednesday were devoted to application of the themes and motifs (the sublime, light imagery, creation stories, the beautiful, hubris, etc.) that we found in Frankenstein to other works found in your “Frankensources” packet. By taking copious notes in your journals along the way, you have begun writing your papers in earnest without even realizing it; those patterns you’ve discovered will become major points supported by the quotations you’ve noted. Good times.
Read through the works we discussed today and yesterday and journal through chapter 17 for tomorrow.
We began writing our first essay on Friday, spending most of the hour bringing ideas together into outlines, troubleshooting thesis statements, and collecting evidence. Our endeavors were focused on one of two questions:
You should finish this essay this weekend and read through chapter 14 of the novel.
As you work on this essay this weekend, remember that this is not meant to be a final draft. In fact, we won’t be making a final draft of this essay at all; it is your first major step in answering our overall question: What makes Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Romantic?
As you begin writing, keep in mind three questions:
An outline of the above would look like this:
Thesis: Frankenstein’s reaction to his creation can be better understood in the context of Edmund Burke’s beliefs about the sublime and the beautiful.
I. ((One of my answers to the second question above; note that in an actual outline there must be more than one major point.))Â Victor’s reaction to his monster’s awakening seems to illustrate Burke’s understanding of the sublime.
A. Victor is afraid of his creation (Shelley 42).
B. Â Burke argues that the root of the sublime is fear (13).
II. [Another argument in support of my thesis; likely something about the beautiful.]
This is a very simple outline, but follows the rules we discussed in class:
All of the above may be a lot to take in, but we will discuss your process and ideas on Monday. If you have a question in the meantime, post a comment below or send me an email.
