AP LANGUAGE EXAM Last test prep unit!! =) Argument Prompt (#3)

The Question Question will direct you to: –Read a quote or short passage. –Write an essay to support, refute, or qualify the writer’s claim. –Use appropriate evidence to develop your argument. Evidence: Literary examples, current events, history, personal examples (as a VERY last resort) As always, avoid movies, tv shows, “trendy teen reads” unless REALLY appropriate OR unless they are based on true events

What does the question mean? Key words in the question: –Claim: Alerts you to write in an argumentative form. It is an assertion; a conclusion whose merits you seek to establish. –Support: Agree with the author’s claim. –Refute: Disagree with the author’s claim; aka challenge, dispute. –Qualify: Agree or disagree in certain circumstances under certain conditions; aka modify, show several sides of a claim, explore from different angles

Meaning of question continued… Evidence: What you use to support your argument. May range from personal experience, to examples from history, to examples from literature you have previously read. Develop: Your argument must move forward; do not just make one point and “develop” it by adding illustrations.

Common Question Do you need to repeat the instructions in your essay? –Formulating a thesis in direct response to the instructions is an effective strategy. –Instead of repeating the instructions word for word, first analyze them to determine what exactly is being asked. Then, form your thesis in response. (Utilizing a quote from the given prompt, or at least referring directly to the prompt, is a good idea.)

Methods of Shaping Your Argument # 1 Agree or Disagree…then list examples Approach is “safe” but often effective. Agree or disagree in your thesis then support it with relevant details/examples in the body. These “safe” essays can work well and earn high scores, but often simply repeat the same point. Do not feel forced to stick with this typical pattern of writing (the 5 paragraph response). Essentially, this pattern is a one-point essay, meaning that the examples you use all make the same point. These essays are like raising your voice: with each example the volume goes up, but the same point is repeated.

Method # 2 (Hand out sample question- 2003) (Re)Definition Define or redefine claims asserted in the essay prompt, and use that process to structure the essay. Student sample response thesis: “Though often controversial and viewed as ‘mindless,’ entertainment positively contributes to society and enriches rather than ruins our society. Entertainment is a means to express and communicate ideas and information in order to vastly increase and encourage cultural sensitivity and diversity.” This student “redefines” the typical definition of entertainment (as tv, movies, music) to include a method of expression and communication. This essay, while using evidence and examples in its body such as Hamlet, Great Expectations, and even Sesame Street, has more complexity and is more organic than a typical 5 paragraph essay.

Method # 3 Consequence Agree or disagree in terms of consequence. This prompt almost suggests this approach, with reference to “eventual effect” These essays look beyond the assertion that the claim is true or not true, and focus more on defining consequences and, again, redefining the issue. Student samples: “Since entertainment shapes society, females idolize those portrayed in entertainment and find themselves lacking in beauty. High school girls starve themselves, quest for plastic surgery…” In this approach, you have to be careful to use concrete examples that do not merely offer hypothetical situations.

Method # 4 Yes…but… Method lends itself to qualifying an argument. Address counterargument as a way to craft an argument. Redefine terms and explain points, using examples more to illustrate than to carry the argument. Student sample: “It is important that people are able to separate entertainment from real life, spending time watching TV, but being able to recognize its limitations…People may fail to differentiate between what is real and what is not.” Writer is not agreeing or disagreeing, and is instead appreciating multiple sides of the issue. In this approach a writer does not “sit on the fence,” but might explore both sides to arrive at a conclusion or judgment.

Remember! The methods addressed are not the “list” of ways to create an argument. It is important to simply realize that many different approaches to argument writing work, and you do not have to limit yourself to the 5 paragraph structure of thesis, 3 supporting examples, conclusion.

Common Problems Not taking a clear position or wavering between positions without ultimately arriving at a conclusion or judgment. Substituting an expository essay (only to inform, explain, or describe) instead of an argumentative essay. Being reluctant to engage in “verbal combat.” Sliding off topic by focusing too much on (or summarizing) your supporting literary examples.

More common problems Lacking clear connections between claims and data- stating your own assertions without backing them up with evidence. Analyzing rhetorical strategies or style of the given prompt instead of creating an argument. *People do this ALL THE TIME, especially if the prompt itself is on the longer side. Committing any of the MANY logical fallacies

Remember Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle (in all areas of writing) Speaker- establish your own credibility by appealing to pathos and logos. AudienceSubject

Rhetorical Triangle Aristotle believed that speakers could observe how communication happens and use that to develop solid arguments. Subject, audience, and speaker are connected and interdependent, hence the triangle. Subject: speaker evaluates what he/she knows already and needs to know, investigates perspectives, determines evidence that is most useful. Audience: speculate about the reader’s expectations, knowledge, and disposition with regard to the subject. Speaker: writers use who they are, what they know and feel, and what they’ve seen and done to find attitudes toward subject and their understanding of audience. Decisions about formal/informal language, use of narratives or quotations, tone, objectivity all come as a result of writers considering their voices on the page.

Remember Ethos, Logos, Pathos with the rhetorical triangle Appeal to logos by offering clear, reasonable premises and proofs. Appeal to ethos by demonstrating you, as a writer, are credible and knowledgeable about your subject. Connect your thinking to your reader’s own ethics/morals. Appeal to pathos by drawing on emotions and interests of readers. Use personal stories or observations to provoke reader’s sympathetic reaction.