Question of the Week (12/16/11)

Our last question of the week in 2011! Hall cites four types of reading, which one do you use most prevalently and which one would you like to cultivate. For instance, I use reading to escape everyday when reading for pleasure, but I would like to cultivate reading to engage. Then elaborate on your reasons why. Explore this question. Posts are due by the end of the school day on Tuesday. Enjoy your holiday break.

Question of the Week (12/2/11)

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   When watching 12 Angry Men who comes closest to your own style of communication? Who is farthest? Remember to comment on another classmate's response. Posts are due by 3 p.m. on Monday. Enjoy your weekend.
  

Logical Fallacies

Greetings! Please post your arguments -- including your fallacy here. Many thanks.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp_l5ntikaU

Question of the Week (11/18/11)

Seen right: The cast of the original movie version of Twelve Angry Men. Credit: Image courtesy of Studio One.

Those who wrote our constitutions knew from history and experience that it was necessary to protect against unfounded criminal charges brought to eliminate enemies and against judges too responsive to the voice of higher authority. ….Providing an accused with the right to be tried by a jury of his peers gave him an inestimable safeguard against the corrupt or overzealous prosecutor and against the compliant, biased, or eccentric judge."
— The Supreme Court of the United States, Duncan v. Louisiana (1968)

Twelve Angry Men, originally written for television by Reginald Rose in 1954 and subsequently adapted for stage (1955), film(1957) and television again (1997), effectively conveys the central importance of the right to a jury trial afforded by Article III of the Constitution as well as Amendments V, VI, and XIV. Focusing on the right to a trial by "an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed," the play/film also addresses related constitutional provisions, including the presumption of innocence until proven guilty and the right to counsel. More broadly, the play/film embodies the central insight of Alexis De Tocqueville in his classic work Democracy in America, that the jury system is one of the most important political institutions for democratic self government. It educates citizens about the law and legal process, helps them understand their duties as citizens, and in the best case, improves their deliberations as citizens.
Do you agree or disagree with the statement above? What is another important "political institution"? How are these rights abused, or better yet, misused? Post your response by Monday at 3 p.m. We will further our discussion on this topic and this film after the holiday break. Enjoy your weekend.

Question of the Week (11/10/11)

Drawing on your analysis of Kennedy's rhetorical strategies, write a speech in which you extort your audience to take action for a cause in which you strongly believe. You need not ask them to lay down their lives, but use language effectively to stir them to some significant action. Enjoy your long weekend and have your posts completed by 3 p.m. on Monday. We will read some aloud on Tuesday during class. Your x-day next week will be on Thursday.

Question of the Week (11/4/11)

Write a satirical essay, putting to use some of the strategies you have observed in Swift's writing. You might think of this assignment in terms of advocating one solution to a problem while pretending to advocate another. Or you might think of it in terms of playing the fool among knaves. Or you might think in terms of borrowing Swift's super-rational, at times mathematical reasoning for a cause that is utterly irrational—or so rational that it forgets to take feeling, morals, etc. into account. This week post your essays by 3 p.m. Tuesday. Don't forget to read another essay and include your response. Enjoy your weekend.

Question of the Week (10/28/11)

Watch this:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3gB1zgpGqs
Read Why We Crave Horror Films by Stephen King in your 100 Great Essays book (if you left the book at home the essay can be found online). Answer question 2 and post your answer to the blog by 3 p.m. on Halloween. We will discuss this essay in class on Tuesday.

Question of the Week (10/7/11)

Compare and contrast spoken and written language. What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of each? What can the purveyors of written language learn from the masters of spoken language that can enrich their writing? Use the language Gloria Naylor uses in the "A Question of Language" essay as an example. All the usual rules apply, but your posts are not due until Tuesday at 3 p.m. Enjoy your long weekend!

Question of the Week (9/29/11)

http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/caricature/


Click the link above and read the article on the history of the "n" word.  How is it that words come to have such power in them? Is it because of the word itself; how it is said; to whom and by whom it is said? Do words change in context and over time, or is the history of the word always prevalent? Post your thoughtful response by the end of school on Monday. Remember to post to another classmates' response if you're not first. Enjoy your weekend.

Question of the Week (9/22/11)

Watch the video at http://www.history.com/videos/martin-luther-king-jr-i-have-a-dream#martin-luther-king-jr-i-have-a-dream


Listen to Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech and read the text of the speech below. Cite at least 3 rhetorical devices Dr. King uses and post your thoughts on why these devices were employed. Then, compare this speech with his "Letter from Birmingham Jail" in your 100 Great Essays book on p. 328. How does the rhetoric change from spoken to written word? What are the major differences? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text. Post your response to another classmates' post (if you are not first), and be sure to post by the end of the school day on Monday. Enjoy!

Question of the Week (9/8/11)

Conduct a little online research of the history of the English language. How has it changed since its inception? What are its origins, and how do they differ from modern English as we know it? Post your findings, and share at least one link from an interesting site. Comment on another classmates' post as well, if you are not first to post. Posts are due by the end of school on Monday.

Question of the Week (9/1/11)

Does William's language change throughout the book? If so, how? Does he speak to his friends and family differently? If so, how? Do you speak to your friends differently than you do your family or other adults? Why? Does the use of the Malawian dialect enhance the book? Does it provide more insight into the country's culture? Use examples, in the manner of quotes (always cited in MLA format), to support your findings. Be sure to post your response by Monday at midnight (you get some extra time this holiday weekend). See the course expectations for more information on the blog.

Welcome to Reading and Rhetoric

Remember:

Each Friday a question will be posted on the classroom blog. You will have until Monday, at the end of school (3 p.m.), to post your thoughtful response and a response to a fellow classmate's response to this question. If you are FIRST to respond to the Question of the Week (QoW), you will not be required to respond to a classmate's response. Keep in mind that the blog is timestamped, so every minute counts. Each complete blog response is worth 20 points unless otherwise stated; 2 points will be deducted for each day blog responses are late and are counted as a zero on the Friday of the following week when a new blog question is posted. This is an easy way to earn points, but can be detrimental to your grade as the zeros add up.