Presidential Oratory and Rhetoric

Objectives:

Improve application, analysis, evaluation, and synthesis skills.
Recognize rhetorical techniques and their effects.
Develop argumentation skills through the study of models.
Recognize differences in language and style over time.
Discover common themes/ideas/subjects in presidential rhetoric.
Learn American history through presidential biography and oratory.
Improve speaking, listening, writing, and presentation skills.

Reflection Activity:

Explain what you have learned about the power of persuasive writing, rhetorical techniques, and the similarities and differences among the speeches we have read.
Why is presidential rhetoric so important, especially today?
What have you learned about American ideals through your engagement with the literature? How have those values changed and/or remained the same over time?
What techniques can you use to improve your own writing?

Analysis of "How It Feels to Be Colored Me" by Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston, an important voice of the Harlem Renaissance, was an American folklorist, anthropologist, and novelist best known for her work, Their Eyes Were Watching God. Sadly, she died in 1960 after suffering financial and medical difficulties. In 1973, Alice Walker, another famous American writer, "rediscovered" Hurston and promoted her body of work. In the classic essay, "How It Feels to Be Colored Me," Hurston explores the idea that all of us have multiple selves, depending upon the context and environments in which we find ourselves. Hurston's writing has an ebullience, self-assertiveness, and pride that is particularly evident in this text. She was a flamboyant and dramatic personality, at times clashing with fellow writers from the Harlem Renaissance, who believed that black Americans should use their art to speak out against racial oppression and the white majority. Hurston chose not to align herself with the political ideologies of ot...

All Classes--Analysis of Patrick Henry's Speech in the Virginia Convention

Scholars: It is good to read examples of analytical writing because it helps you understand how to write your own analysis essays. The habit of reading and studying models (examples) is the best way to learn how to write more effectively. Below is an analysis that I wrote on Patrick Henry's Speech in the Virginia Convention.

Teacher Model--Responding to an Argumentative Prompt

Below is an example of a written response to the AP English Language and Composition Argumentative Prompt (2011). I will use this in my classroom to model for students the writing process on the AP Exam. (The response was written in a 40-minute timed session when I attended an AP Summer Institute.) I want to show students that AP Readers understand that their writing is a draft and that they will not be marked down because of cross-outs and penmanship that is difficult to read. The caveat I would tell students is to of course try to write as legibly as possible. If the penmanship is very poor, the AP Reader will struggle and may miss important content in the student response.

Mulhern's English Site

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