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.

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.