AP LANG - Intro to Arguments

Quiz Date 9/9/24

Rhetorical Situation

Surrounding details, factors, and events of speech or other piece of rhetorical argument. Conditions argument is made in that are impossible to ignore.

Writer

The author/speaker/person(s) who create the text. Who are they? Why/How are they qualified?

Subject

The content of the text. What is the main idea? What is the argument or claim?

Audience (Rhetorical Situation Chart)

The intended receivers/listeners of the text. What makes them the targeted group of individuals? What shared values are held?

Exigence (Rhetorical Situation Chart)

(Btwn Subject and Writer) The stimulus of the text: what event inspired/provoked writer to create text?

Purpose (Rhetorical Situation Chart)

(Btwn Audience and Writer) Goal outcome/reaction of text: what does the writer want the audience to believe/understand after interacting with text?

Draw the Rhetorical Situation Chart.

Genre

(Btwn Subject and Audience) Method in which subject is presented to audience (letter, speech, essay)

Context (Rhetorical Situation Chart)

The time, place, and "climate" which text occurs. What larger, historical, cultural, or political issues are present?

Rhetorical Triangle

Speaker, audience, and subject new argument format by Aristotle

Message

Deeper meaning/theme/argument behind a speech. What does it reveal about writer? How does writer tailor this towards audience?

SPACE

Speaker, Purpose, Audience, Context, Exigence

Speaker

Who is delivering the argument: Are they qualified? What corporation/entity is behind them? Are they personally affiliated with the situation? What are their values? Family impacted or race/gender/age? What is their relationship/message with the audience?

Purpose

What is the reason for this speech/goals to achieve? What does the writer want the audience to do? This and the message are different things: this is conveyed through a verb (To mourn ..., to honor ...). Related to delivery of argument

Audience

Who is the argument for? What details describe them? Demographic makeup/affiliations? What do they have in common with speaker? Who speech is aimed towards (Ex: Catholics with Catholics)

Context

What is the big picture: time, date, specific details describing movement in history? Relevant topics of time? (storm)

Exigence

What impels the speaker to speak now? The specific event? (lightning bolt) Ex: MLK's death → Kennedy's Remembrance speech

To introduce social media's positive/negative effect on spreading discussions about serious issues and social movements

Why does author bring up

Molly Crocket

Yale Professor who suggests that expressing outrage online lets us talk the talk but not "walk the walk of actual change"

Research shows that "Too-perfect" lets users express outrage to the point that they cannot meaningfully act (fruitless). Lets them express disdain and walk away without doing anything.

How is the "too perfect" meme related to Molly's research?

Social media allowed for easy and faster spread of information, increasing polarization (fuels but also can drown a movement)

How is current soicety unique in how it deals with differing opinions/perspective in terms of social media?

Social media grants anonymity, fueling more into each discussion. It also allows for diversity of viewpoints and evidence with a much bigger "cancel culture" for expressing opinion.

How has digital tech/social media affected how people disagree with each other? Positive or negative?

Overwhelmed iwth continuous "alternative facts" and "fake news" with political/social bias and need to read between lines/fact check

Why is there a new "urgency" for accurate arugment methods in society?

Any statement deserves a response and can be inherently argued. Adjust language depending on person to get a response.

The author purports that language is inherently persuasive. What does this mean?

if accurate methods aren't used, then false information is capable of being spread in seconds. False information has a tendency to spiral and become more popular (due to social media)

Why is there a new "urgency" for accurate argument methods?

Social media makes arguments more widespread, and the more poeple exposed to a topic the more heated debate it facilitates. Human responses lead to stronger opinions.

What is unique about our current society in terms of mediums/platforms where argument is prevalent?

1. To be effective/persuasive in communicating thought

2. to prevent others from manipulating them (make yourself aware)

Why did Aristotle insist that his students, over 2000 years ago, know/understand the arts of rhetoric?

We're in an age of misinfo, propaganda, and news manipulation: we need to recognize rhetoric so we know when they're being used in media to avoid getting maniupated.

Why is it even more crucial to understand rhetoric today?

1. pay attention to what you read

2. avoid clickbait

3. check the author/sources

4. be able to discern facts with verifiable support

5. learn to triangulate (use other reliable sources to prove facts)

How can you tell if an argument has validity?

Triangulate

to be able to not fully believe a single source; compare it with other reliable sources

Listen rhetorically

to stay open minded and actually listen to the argument (ex: Theology discussion)

inherently persuasive language

language that can shape opinions and convince people to act a certain way based on HOW it is written

because you can argue that any language is inherently persuasive

how is everything an argument?

"echo chamber"

a community in which we only hear opinions from like-minded people

in a negative way: they describe it as a threat to democracy

how does the author use the term "echo chamber"?

as negative images of a hostility and belligerence; "winner takes all" mindset

according to the author, how does our country perceive "arguments"?

convince

leads to an audience agreeing with a claim

persuade

aim to not only convince individuals to agree with their claim, but also convince them to take action

fact-based argument with intent to convict you that facts are true (no extra tricks and straightforward)

how does a writer convince a reader?

emotional appeals through rhetoric that are added on to a fact based argument

how does a writer persuade a reader?

Decision-making arguments

Strongly opposing sides determine best consensus (political elections, legal disputes, choosing a college major)

Exploratory Arguments

Open minded exploring different possibilities without constraints. no usual opponent. (Meaning of life, racial identity, discovery of meaning, etc.)

carl rogers

psychotherapist; "Rogerian" argument was created after him

"Rogerian" argument

to begin with a non threatening approach, then find common ground with the opposing side (creates trust)

who first devised a useful strategy for classifying arguments?

Aristotle

What did Aristotle create?

created a technique to understand a type of argument based on its perspective of TIME

forensic argument

an argument that deals with actions that have occurred in the past; include legal cases involving judgments of guilt/innocence

how are forensic arguments used?

to figure out who did what and for what reason in the past

Epideictic Argument

an argument that deals with current values and addresses questions of praise and blame; include eulogies and graduation speeches

address current societal values, beliefs, and feelings; used to share words of wisdom

how are Epideictic arguments used

deliberative arguments

an argument that deals with action to be taken in the future, focusing on matter of policy

used to explore and speculate about the future; including parliamentary debates and campaign platforms

what are deliberative arguments used for?

stasis theory

way to categorize arguments to consider status/stasis to learn more about disagreement: 1) Did something happen? 2) What is the nature? 3) What is the quality/cause? 4) Action to take?

originally designed to help work through legal cases; can help learn more about issues at hand

how is the stasis theory used?