AP Language and Composition - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

AP Language and CompositionStudy Session Notes

Argumentative EssaySlide2

The Argumentative Essay

The AP English Language Exam's Persuasive/Argument essay, or Question 3, essentially requires the student

to produce

a clear, sophisticated response to a question that, at its heart, captures a large, enduring issue.

Because of this

, the process needs to focus not just on the expression of the ideas, but, primarily, the depth of the

student’s perspective

.

This

lesson will introduce three steps in that process: recognizing the true issues, creating

a conversation

to arrive at a sophisticated answer, and the organization of the essay, in that order.Slide3

2010 Argumentative Prompt

Question 3 of the2010 AP Exam asks students to defend, challenge or qualify a statement of Alain de

Botton

about humorists

' role in society.

To

most students, this should be an accessible prompt, as they are familiar with

many forms

of humor, even if they have not yet considered the effect on society.

For

top scoring essays, the true work

is done

before the first line of the essay is penned.

These

activities are designed to guide students to the

most sophisticated

response they can produce, understanding that each student has a different capacity and base

of knowledge

from which to work.Slide4

Activity 1: Recognizing the Larger Issue

Sometimes Question 3 will directly capture the larger issue, and sometimes it will mask the

issue in

a more modern or topical spin on an enduring issue.

Question

writers may ask a question like "Do

extreme views

benefit a society?"

-which

is already the expression of the deep

issue

Or

they may ask "Do

social networking

sites negatively impact interpersonal skills?"

-which

is a more specific question that requires

the student

to pull from it the true issues that the question raises.Slide5

Activity 1: Recognizing the Larger Issue

Practice in pulling the deeper issues from not only essay prompts but also literature in general will help

the students

understand that, in the end, they are entering a conversation that has been ongoing in the public

sphere for

a long time.

The

more they understand that concept, the more inclined they will be to broaden

their perspective

, which will ultimately lead to a more nuanced, sophisticated answer

.

The 2010 argument prompt straddles the line between directly capturing a general issue - the role of humorists

in society

- and suggesting large issues that students can discover, such as why a society would need the shield

of humor

to hide behind.Slide6

Activity 1: Recognizing the Larger Issue

The process of developing an argument requires you to understand that you are adding

your voice

to an ongoing debate.

For

many current issues, at heart lies a bigger issue that

has persisted

for decades, if not centuries.

As

time unfolds, the culturally engaged of all stripes (e.g

., authors

, artists, philosophers, politicians) contribute their own answers to the questions the

issue raises

.Slide7

Activity 1: Recognizing the Larger Issue

Examples

:

Thomas

Jefferson

with

“The Declaration of Independence”

-What

is the ideal form

of government

?

William

Golding with

Lord of the Flies

-

What

is the true nature of man?

Harper

Lee with

To Kill a Mockingbird

-

What

influence does society have in

shaping our

prejudices? Or, what obligations do the just members of society have to

other members

of society?Slide8

Practice identifying the larger issue(s)

Should

a driver's license be available to only those teenagers who are either currently

enrolled in

high school or who have graduated from high school

?

-Does

success in education indicate responsibility, or, conversely, does a lack of success in education indicate

a lack

of responsibility?

-Is

driving a necessity in our society?

-Does

the inability to drive prevent people from

the ability

to support themselves?Slide9

Practice identifying the larger issue(s)

In the United States, should corporations be allowed to contribute an unlimited amount

of funds

to political campaigns

?

-Should

a corporation's "voice" be protected as though it were a person's "voice"?

-Does

this idea of

corporate participation

reflect the intent of the framers of the

Constitution?

-What

is the true intent of a

representative democracy

?

-Are

money and voice equivalent?Slide10

Practice identifying the larger issue(s)

With the ability to communicate instantly and to purchase nearly anything online, is

the internet

a positive or negative in terms of the social health of society

?

-What

are the benefits and drawbacks of face-to-face communication?

-Is

community an abstract idea, a

feeling, or

is it a physical construct, a location?

-Is

physical isolation the same as social isolation?Slide11

Now consider in the 2010 prompt the larger issues that the question suggests:

Prompt:

In his 2004 book,

Status Anxiety, Alain de

Botton

argues that the chief aim

of

humorists

is not merely to entertain but “to convey with impunity messages

that might

be dangerous or impossible to state directly.” Because society allows

humorists to

say things that other people cannot or will not say, de

Botton

sees humorists

as serving

a vital function in

society. Think

about the implications of de

Botton’s

view of the role of humorists (

cartoonists, stand-up

comics, satirical writers, hosts of television programs, etc.). Then write

an essay

that defends, challenges, or qualifies de

Botton’s

claim about the vital role

of humorists

. Use specific, appropriate evidence to develop your position

.

Larger issues

:

-Does

society need "dangerous" messages?

-What

does it say about a society that it needs humor

to deliver

these messages?

-Does

humor trivialize real issues?

-Does

humor reach a larger audience than

earnest discussion

?Slide12

Activity 2: Concession, Counterargument and the Conversation

A

concession

addresses what the other side’s argument is or may be.

-By addressing it, you show your audience that you are sophisticated and considerate

-You understand all sides of an issue, not just your own.

A

counterargument

, after the concession, discusses why the other side’s argument is not accurate or appropriate.

-Used correctly, the concession and counterargument can demonstrate your maturity and reasonableness.

-Used incorrectly, it can show just the opposite – a mind that is closed and lacks insight.Slide13

Look at Patrick Henry’s speech to the Virginia Convention in 1775 as an example:

“They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction?”

Concession

: “They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary.”

-Here, Henry acknowledges the argument of those who do not wish to fight the British.

-By acknowledging their argument, not only does he show that he understands the points they make, and thus is open-minded.

-The acknowledgement also provides him with an opportunity to refute that point, thus strengthening his own argument.

Counterargument

: “But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction?”

Activity 2: Concession, Counterargument and the ConversationSlide14

Practice coming up with concessions in response to the following topic:

Your school’s dress code

With which element do you agree or disagree? (choose one side)

Put yourself in the shoes of someone taking the other side – what would be that person’s strongest argument against you?

-Remember, don’t demonize – assume your opponent is a fair-minded person.

Activity 2: Concession, Counterargument and the ConversationSlide15

Coming up with valid arguments against your perspective can be difficult, but it will lead you to more sophisticated answers.

The more you are aware of potential holes in your argument, the stronger you can make it by filling those holes.

The conversation map is an excellent pre-writing strategy for working through the complexity of an argument, developing concessions and counterarguments, and forcing yourself to search out the most sophisticated answer you can find.

Look at the following conversation map responding to the prompt “Should high schools have dress codes?”

Activity 2: Concession, Counterargument and the ConversationSlide16
Slide17

Now, with a classmate, create a conversation map over this topic of humorists’ role in society, similar to the one provided earlier over a school’s dress code. Think about all the questions and answers that need to be considered before reaching a conclusion.

Prompt

:

In his 2004 book,

Status Anxiety,

Alain de

Botton

argues that the chief aim of humorists is not merely to entertain but “to convey with impunity messages that might be dangerous or impossible to state directly.” Because society allows humorists to say things that other people cannot or will not say, de

Botton

sees humorists as serving a vital function in society. Think about the implications of de

Botton’s

view of the role of humorists (cartoonists, stand-up comics, satirical writers, hosts of television programs, etc.). Then write an essay that defends, challenges, or qualifies de

Botton’s

claim about the vital role of humorists. Use specific, appropriate evidence to develop your position.