1. Unit 2 Unit 1 Test: Rhetorical Analysis on Thursday DEC 4th.
Argumentative Essay
Unit 2
Unit 1 Test: Rhetorical Analysis on Thursday DEC 4th.

2. Plan only for each of these three essay prompts
Plan only for each of these three essay prompts. State your thesis and bullet specific evidence.
1. In The Spectator for December 15, 1711, Joseph Addison wrote:
“If the talent of ridicule were employed to laugh men out of vice and folly, it might be of some use in the world; but instead of this, we find that it is generally made use of to laugh men out of virtue and good sense, by attacking everything that is solemn and serious, decent and praiseworthy in human life.”
Position: Defend, Negate, or Qualify
Evidence: Observation, Experience, or Reading
2. The first chapter of Ecclesiastes, a book in the Bible, concludes with these words:
“For in much wisdom is much grief, and increase of knowledge is increase of sorrow.”
Position: Defend, Challenge, or Qualify
3. H.L. Mencken wrote in 1924:
“It is almost as safe to assume that the artist of any dignity is against his country, i.e., against the environment in which God has placed him, as it is to assume that his country is against the artist. The special quality which makes an artist of him might also be defined, indeed, as an extraordinary capacity for irritation, a pathological sensitiveness to environmental pricks and stings. He differs from the rest of us because he reacts sharply and in an uncommon manner to phenomena which leave the rest of us unmoved, or, at most, merely annoy us vaguely. He is, in brief, a more delicate fellow than we are, and hence less fitted to enjoy himself under the conditions of life which he and we must face alike. Therefore, he takes to artistic endeavor, which is at once a criticism of life and an attempt to escape from life.”
“So much for the theory of it. The more the facts are studied, the more they bear it out. In those fields of art, at all events, which concern themselves with ideas as well as with sensations it is almost impossible to find any trace of an artist who is not actively hostile to his environment, and thus an indifferent patriot.”
Evidence: Specific Writers, Composers, or other Artist

3. Assertion Journals
Argumentative Essay

4. What’s the point?
The purpose of the Assertion Journal is to strengthen both your analysis skills and your critical thinking skills. Your job is to read the quotation given to you and perform several tasks.
And of course prepare you for the argumentative essay.

5. Step One First you will identify the writer’s claim.
This means you will explain to your reader what the deliverer of the quote is really saying.

6. Step 2 Next, you will defend, challenge or qualify the statement.
If you are defending the quote, explain how the statement is correct.
If you are challenging the quote explain how the statement is incorrect.
If you choose to qualify the statement, you must explain why the statement is partially correct and incorrect.

7. Step 3
Use specific examples and reasoning to support your explanation and arguments supporting, refuting or qualifying the quote.
The way to go wrong in this assignment is to be vague and not support your claims with specific evidence.
DO NOT USE EXAMPLES FROM YOUR OWN LIFE.

8. Examples
The majority of the time, personal examples only have a superficial connection to the quotation. Look to literature, history, science, philosophy and current events to illustrate what the quotation means.

9. How much do I write?
Your responses will need to be at least one to two pages of polished, grammatically sound prose.
THIS IS NOT AN INFORMAL ASSIGNMENT JUST BECAUSE IT IS CALLED A “JOURNAL.”

10. Brainstorm
Quote: “You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality."                                                                       -Ayn Rand
What is Ayn Rand’s claim?

11. "Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws." Plato ( B.C.)
1st paragraph identifies the writer’s claim. In other words it restates exactly what the author is saying in clear language.
 2nd paragraph provides commentary of a more universal explanation using specific examples, while also identifying and discussing the rhetorical aspects of the quote.
  3rd paragraph ties the piece together and serves as an effective wrap-up.

12. Ayn Rand once said, “You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality.” Simply put, one can choose to live their life suppressing their doubts, worries and fears, but eventually these hidden issues will manifest themselves in an unavoidable manner. In another sense, one can choose to live a life of one’s own making, denying both the harsh realities and the joyous events of the outside world, but the forces of the natural world are far greater than the safe harbor of one’s mind and will eventually overwhelm the mental barriers designed for protection. Choosing not to act is an action in itself which bears its own consequences; each act of avoidance compounds on the consequences of its predecessors. The second clause of this quote says that one problem leads to another, and eventually we will be surrounded by more issues of greater difficulty than the original problem we avoided. Rand is correct in her view of reality and its consequences . Through the masterful use of repetition and parallelism, Rand is able to communicate a simple and thought-provoking lesson of life. This lesson is that one way or another; one must eventually confront reality and the problems that come with it. A historical example of this would be the British appeasement prior to World War II. Throughout the 1930’s, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain practiced a foreign policy of appeasement. Chamberlain claimed that by submitting to Hitler’s requests a second world war would be avoided however, appeasement was simply Chamberlain’s way of delaying the inevitable. Chamberlain, and the whole of Europe, was forced to face their fears on September 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland and the reality of Hitler’s intent could no longer be denied . While some people will advocate ignoring or denying the reality of a situation, claiming it will resolve itself without any interference on their part; it is impossible to outrun a problem forever. Eventually, one will be forced to confront the issue and the myriad of new complications that have developed since the original problem surfaced. Whether it is procrastinating on homework or delaying a global war, the avoidance of a problem will eventually return in a new manner requiring resolution.