We wrapped up our reading of President Kennedy’s Inaugural Address today, adding a couple more terms to our list of rhetorical devices:

• Anaphora: “To those . . . . To those . . . .” “Let both sides . . . . Let both sides . . . .”
• Chiasmus (antimetabole): “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

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.

Article analyses due Monday!

Also, if you took a practice exam over the break, give it to me and I’ll be happy to give you some feedback.

Your goal is to record a conclusion and its premises every day. I do not suggest looking for formal arguments; the point is to recognize them when they pop up. This will be a daily assignment, and a difficult one at first, but it’ll soon become second nature.

The assignment will be made of two parts:

• A listing of premises and conclusion
• Inductive or deductive?

We will play with this a bit as the year goes on, perhaps adding venn diagrams or ways to counter the argument, but it will be two parts only at this point.

This assignment is worth one point every day. (For reference, most essays are worth fifty, and analyses are worth ten apiece.) Both parts must be present and correct in order to get credit. You may only turn in one per day, so no makeups unless you’re absent.

I recommend using an index card for each day. Keep one or two in your wallet, or a few clipped together in your bag; just make sure you take them everywhere—you never know when one will pop up!

In our continuing quest to better understand the essential elements of any argument, each of you will be writing a more extended analysis of an advertisement. It can be a commercial, a print ad, or even an infomercial. (I’ve never had anyone analyze an infomercial before, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work…)

The format for these analyses is in your syllabus.

Post questions or good commercials you come across (as long as you aren’t using them) below. Your response should be typed, and in this format.

Update: It seems that I neglected online advertisements. While we will focus primarily on the form and content of individual arguments, it is always interesting to take a look at the bigger picture. The video below illustrates the scope and possible impact of online media and advertisements. It is aimed at businesses (especially around the 3:00 mark), I thought it worth sharing.