The first casualty of the craziness this session was this website, but as we all rise this too will.

We looked at a number of schemes and tropes today from The Forest of Rhetoric as many of you had questions about figurative language and syntax. The latter is often the most difficult for my students to notice, as it can seem quite abstract. Play through the overview of schemes and tropes for a better understanding of how an author can use structure and figurative language to make his or her argument more appealing.

I also printed your grades from the website to give each of you a better look at what you should focus on in your final analyses. Remember that you can turn in as many as you’d like before the end of the session.

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.

Those analyses just keep comin’, don’t they? Well, fret not my friends: you’ll be rocking the rhetoric in no time.

Your assignment for the evening is to analyze the “Usemonopoly” section of Jonathan Lethem’s article on copyrights, plagiarism, and intellectual property ((Full text)).

If you’re a bit unsure after your first analytic go-round (and subsequent meeting with me), I’ve penned a handout for your edification. To access it:

1. Go to Google Docs
2. Log in with the email you gave me ((If you didn’t fill out the form, do that then send me an email from the address you want to use. I’ll share lots of handouts this way.)) in the “Tell Me About Yourself” form
3. Find the document entitled “How To Write an Article Analysis”
4. Rejoice

We’ll discuss your analyses tomorrow.