Wrapping up Nixon

AP Language

August 21st, 2015

Themes: , ,

Nixon chilling with his dog. From nixonfoundation.org

I gave you feedback on your Nixon outlines yesterday. Type up the final analysis this weekend (MLA format and such) to turn in on Monday. We’ll begin JFK’s inaugural address then. Email me if you get stuck ((or even better, share on Google docs)), but look to the big handout first—there is plenty of information there on terms and appeals to help you pull the ethos analysis together.

Tuesday we’ll have a chance to discuss arguments you bring, so keep your eye open in the next few days for one that grabs your attention. As is always the case with assignments like this, avoid simply googling “argument” or even “confederate flag argument”; we are inundated with arguments daily and I want to help make you aware of this.

If you’re interested, here’s the video of Nixon’s address.

Jump to mention of his wife (note the understated dress which, according to Wikipedia, was knitted by supporters).

King Me

AP Language

August 19th, 2015

Themes: , ,

Sorry about neglecting to update yesterday! We took a break from Nixon and discussed some arguments (and issues) that you all brought in. Your passion for the subjects was fantastic! I’m very excited to do it again next week. Presidential rhetoric can be inspiring, but may seem less immediate than the works you brought in.

Today we wrapped up Nixon’s speech and you began writing your first analysis. We are learning by doing here, so don’t worry if it feels a bit unclear. Here’s an excerpt from a previous student’s work to give you an idea of what we are working toward:

The audience—the average, tax-paying American citizen—has a potentially negative view of any person who may be involved in politics. Due to so may examples of politicians whose moral values have been worse than expected, politicians’ ethos have generally crumbled.

To lift this assumption from his own credibility, Nixon makes clear his modest personal life. He speaks of his two (though small) homes, and of the slight financial stress they have caused. Mention of debt immediately “speaks” to the audience, as they can likely relate to his troubles. Their pre-existing feeling of stress translates into empathy for Nixon.

He takes a more positive approach in his use of emotion in mentioning his family—his wife and child. Yet again, relating to the audience with a kindness toward their family, he uses their feelings of love and adoration to make his own situation relatable.

These are small paragraphs, and not supported with the text (please support your points), but this works well. The student begins each paragraph with an overview of Nixon’s actions, follows with paraphrasing from the speech as evidence (please cite yours), follows that with insight into the audience’s feelings about the topic, then concludes with analysis that shows their new vision of the candidate as a relatable man.

Here’s another example with the same elements more tightly united:

The manner in which Nixon displays American virtue gives him a special edge with the audience—primarily patriotic Americans. He uses the repetition of “I’m proud” (Nixon 3) to convey his inherent pride as an American, and pride in the work that he’s done to accomplish his goals, like any normal citizen would. He later quotes Abraham Lincoln, who says, “God must have loved the common people—he made so many of them” (Nixon 5). This may resonate with the audience, as Abraham Lincoln was a truly model American, and for Nixon to appear as virtuous as Lincoln gives him credibility. A bit later in the speech, Nixon admits that he “loves his country” and thinks it’s “in danger” (Nixon 6) and if he is showing concern for the average and everyday American, then what makes him any different from the rest of America?

This one does nicely in tying Nixon’s words to a belief shared by the audience and relating it to their hypothetical view of the candidate within each sentence.

Tonight (as I have your readings and the beginning of your outlines) take a look at the “Rhetoric” handout I gave you—what genre does this speech fit best within? There are several parts to the “Ethos” section—what appeals named within do you recall from the speech?

More tomorrow, then on to Kennedy! As always, send me an email or post a comment if you have a question or idea.

Nixon’s “Checkers” Speech

AP Language

September 4th, 2013

Themes: , , ,

We’ve moved from David Foster Wallace’s great commencement address to a source a bit older: Richard Nixon’s televised plea for his credibility in 1952. The goal in reading this one is to better understand the use of ethos in an argument.

Class Credit and Credibility

AP Language

September 22nd, 2010

Themes: , , , ,

Progress reports went out today. Please let me know if you have any questions, but here are a few things to remember:

Please ignore the letter grade on the report. While it does reflect the average of your progress in class so far, that letter does not tell you what you should be working on. A person who has a fair grasp on all of the skills (3’s across the board) will have a 64%. A person who has mastered (a 5 in the gradebook) only two of the skills and all but ignored the other three (2’s in the gradebook) will have the same score. Please ignore the letter grade in the report; look to the gradebook for better information.

Still shocked by the D (64%)? If you are used to holding an A or B throughout the year, let go of that notion for this class. Your grades reflect your current mastery of skills that we will spend this semester working through. It is still early yet, so your grades are likely to be low. As a quick reminder, the following is the general rubric for all skills:

Not attempted 0
Below basic 2
Basic 3
Proficient 4
Mastery 5

As I say when I pass back any assignment: You may rework anything I’ve graded. There will be no penalty for reworking; if you show better understanding, the grade in the gradebook will go up. You may also see me after 7:30 every morning (except late-start Thursdays), most lunch times, or anytime after school to show improved proficiency of a skill. Obviously, if you aren’t completing assignments or talking with me after class, your grade will suffer. But, if you are taking chances in your writing, participating in class discussions, asking questions, and discussing with me the problems you’re having, you should be fine.

This week so far:

We began this week’s discussion of ethos with a look at the corn industry’s (Corn Industry’s?) petition of the FDA to change the name of “high fructose corn syrup” to “corn sugar,” a name certainly more sweeter to the ear, if not the mouth ((Don’t hate me for that.)). Our discussion centered on SweetSurprise.com and the possible effects of the name change on the public’s perception of the ingredient.

On Tuesday we watched a bit of President Obama’s “town hall” speech in which the President defended a number of his administration’s economic policies and fielded questions from citizens. This event was quite fortuitous, as the argument he presented was primarily aimed at gaining trust and alleviating tension.

Today we watched a bit of former President Nixon’s “Checkers” speech as an imperfect comparison to the town hall meeting discussion on Tuesday. Your assignment tonight is to look through the transcript for appeals to ethos (described in the giant handout), note them, and come to class tomorrow prepared to discuss their efficacy.