AP Language and Composition 2019-2020

1. AP Language and Composition2019-2020 Sept. 6, 2019 Lesson 4 Aim: “The luckiest man on the face of the Earth.” Mr. J. Cabat Jhcabat.wordpress.com @joshcabat jcabat@roslynschools.org

2. Our two goals for the year… • Learn how to recognize the techniques of rhetorical persuasion, and then how to integrate these techniques into our own writing to make our arguments stronger • To use as many American texts as we can get our hands on to wrestle with the question of what it really means to be an American in 2019, and to explore the gap between what we say we are on paper and what we are in day to day reality • And by text, I surely don’t mean just the printed word… AP Lang

3. friday, September 6 • DO NOW- • Setting up summer reading presentations • TODAY WE WILL: • Use one of the most famous speeches of 20th century America to begin to employ the type of analysis we’ll be doing all year.

4. schedule • Monday 9/9 – Ethos, Pathos and Logos • Tuesday 9/10 – Advertisements and the Art of Persuasion • Wednesday 9/11 – Rhetoric and Terror • Thursday 9/12 and Friday 9/13 – Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language”

5. “the luckiest man on the face of the earth” • “Farewell Speech”- Lou Gehrig. July 4, 1939 • It’s always necessary to know the occasion and the context! • What’s his purpose?

6. analysis • Occasion—Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day • Context- Gehrig’s recent announcement of his illness and his subsequent retirement. Also, Gehrig at that time held the record for consecutive games played (2130) and was one of the greatest sluggers of all time. For such a powerful athlete to fall victim to a disease that strips away strength and coordination seemed an especially cruel fate. Just a couple of weeks earlier, Gehrig was still playing ball; but by the time he have this speech, he was so weak that his manager had to help him walk out to the mound. • Let’s read the speech together. Then, read again silently, and annotate to look for purpose. What is Gehrig’s purpose in writing and delivering this speech? AND, how does he do/achieve this?

7. Purpose? • Thank his fans and teammates • Demonstrate that he remains positive • Emphasizes his past luck and present optimism and downplays his illness. Makes a single reference to the diagnosis and does so in the strong, straightforward language of an athlete: he got a “bad break.” • There is no blame, no self-pity, no plea for sympathy. • Throughout, he maintains his focus: to thank his fans and teammates for their support and get on with watching the ballgame. • Gehrig responds as a true Yankee, not just the team but the can-do Yankee spirit of America, by acknowledging his illness and accepting his fate with dignity, honor, humility, and even a touch of humor. • Can you identify his argument?

8. SOAPSTone • Subject • Occasion • Audience • Purpose • Speaker • Tone • Example—Einstein’s letter to a 6th grade student

9. Let’s apply the technique to something more modern Step 1 What do you see (1st step in rhetorical analysis)—just list! Don’t interpret! Step 2 Check for paterns/groupings Step 3 Concepts/Ideas? Step 4 4- Write a thesis statement– what + active verb + concept/idea

10. Concepts/Ideas? America—red, white, and blue Big truck—Midwest Cheeseburger vs. Tofu Active approach to life— “grab life by the horns” big, stomp, fast, strong, going somewhere Powerful– size of car, pulling trailer, tough guy driving If we created a parody of this, which car would you choose as the tofu?

11. analysis • Rhetorical triangle– subject (powerful SUV), audience (potential SUV buyer), and speaker (Dodge and ad agency) • Ethos- text at top left—associations to Dodge cars and trucks—power, dependability, toughness • Pathos- food (cheeseburger=real food; tofu=fake; cheeseburger=want to eat; tofu=what you’re supposed to eat • Logos- Durango is affordable; it makes sense to own one

12. Analysis • DODGE DURANGO. This is the most affordable SUV with a V-8. Dodge Durango. With nearly four tons of towing, this baby carries around chunks of those wimpy wanna-bes in its tail pipe. • Note the aggressive tone. How is it created? • Repetition of Dodge Durango—hard consonant sounds • Colloquialism “baby” contrasts with the image of the car as a predator eating its competition • Owner of this SUV (me! Ha!) is one whose car is his/her “baby” and who is the leader of the pack, not a “wimpy wanna-be” • Logo (ram’s head) and slogan (“grab life by the horns”)—both the words and image play with the connotation of horns—strength, masculinity, and noise • Imperative sentence=call to action— “Don’t be a wimp! Enjoy life now!” • “Big fat juicy cheeseburger” acknowledges our natural desire for pleasures that are not always healthy, but who can resist when the alternative is tofu?

13. Analysis • Image • Less aggressive than the logo • Features a man and a woman pulling a motor home—family atmosphere • Perhaps a pitch to the rising number of women buyers or to the use of an SUV as a less stodgy replacement for a minivan • Ocean and sky= beautiful day for the couple to be out for a ride • So what’s the ad’s message?

14. Dodge Durango • Take a minute and write a thesis statement that details what this advertisement is arguing. • What + Active Verb + Idea/Concept