Ap Lang Midterm
Education Unit:
1. “Genius and Drill”-Ralph Waldo Emerson-1878
Ethos:
-Influential thinker and writer
-Graduated from harvard divinity school
-Founded Transcendual club
-pop. lecturer
Type: Essay
Synopsis:
-the importance of respecting the individuality of students.
-He argues that education should nurture a child’s natural abilities rather than impose rigid structures.
-
2 Claims:
-education must respect the child’s natural tendencies
-True learning requires both inspiration and disipline
Quote: "The secret of Education lies in respecting the pupil”-individualism and progressive education
2. “A Talk to Teachers”-James Baldwin-1963-civil rights movement (African American)
Ethos:
-Influential Fig in American Lit
-Famous Author of many novels
-Social Critic of race relations+sexual identity
-Poetry and Playwriter
Type: Speech
Synopsis:
-He addresses to teachers how we are living in a dangerous time
-He explains the paradox of education
-shift as he
-America is a lie and was built by convicts, but adults find deception comforting
-AAs know that in America they are considered “less” v early
-Society criminalizes minorities, and when legal paths to success are limited, unethical ways are the only way to.
-AAs resentment can create uprising (esp in quiet ones:maids)
2 Claims:
The paradox is that education is meant to create individualists who want to change society while also teaching them to conform to society.
-It is vital for teachers to make a social change by teaching students a true understanding of the past and the present of AA history
Quote: “The paradox of education is precisely this—that as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated.”-purpose of education and uses a paradox
3. “Let Teenagers Try Adulthood”-Leon Botstein-1999-After Littleton
Ethos:
-President of Bard College
-Author
Type: Opinion Piece-In NYT
Synopsis:
-No MS or HS
-Teens should graduate @ 16 bc mature faster: Specialized College Insitutions +work field
-Teens care abt superficiality bc all same age group
Two Claims:
- Highschool should be abolished
-By 16 teens need to grad @ 16 be around other age groups (work and/or college)
Quotes: “American high school is obsolete and should be abolished.”-A critical stance on trad high school system
4. “What America Can Learn from Smart Schools in Other Countries”-Amanda Ripley-2016
Ethos:
-Investigative Journalist +Author
-Work in Time, NYT, The Atlantic, WSJ
Type: NYT Article
Synopsis:
-Every 3 years students have to take PISA that tests them to solve problems they haven’t seen
-America is below avg for developing countries in math, and average in reading and science
-Group of analysts play game and guess what country is which solely on results (guess rate from 30-85)
-States have adopted cc learning
Claims:
-American education needs to be fixed in order to advance
-Smarter countries have resources for needier children and high quality preschools, rigorous consistent standards
5. “Me Talk Pretty One Day”-David Sedaris-2000
-Grammy Nominated humorist, essayist, playwright
-Contributer to National Public Radio
-6 best selling essay collections
-Writes funny short stories
-Nominated for 3 Grammy Awards for best spoken word and best comedy album
-satire works of human condition
Type: Essay Collection Excerpt
Synopsis:
-his experience as a 41-year-old student learning French in Paris.
-intimidated by younger, more confident classmates and struggles to understand the language.
-The teacher ridicules the students harshly, making Sedaris feel insecure.
-Despite the teacher’s cruelty, Sedaris slowly begins to understand French, though he still cannot speak it fluently.
Claims:
Effective learning can cause discomfort and struggle, but have good results bc of perseverance
Harsh teaching methods can unintentionally drive progress
6. “Why We Desperately Need to Bring Back Vocational Training in Schools”-Nicholas Wyman-2015
Ethos:
-CEO of the Institute for Workplace Skills and Innovation
-Author
Type: Forbes Magazine Article
Synopsis:
-the idea of separate leaning tracks based on skill: college-bound-trad and no college-academics+vocational
-all kids won’t benefit from college
-some kids dont go to college and some kids dont do well after
2 Claims:
-college doesnt work for everyone bc everyones diff skills
-For kid’s success vocational education needs to be added back to the core of high school
Gender Unit:
“Women’s Brains”-Gould
Type: Column in Natural History (1980)
Ethos: Paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, author, Harvard
Claim: Trying to justify sexism with inaccurate scientific claims is flawed and biased.
Synop:
-Broca found men’s brains are larger than women’s
-Lebon likened women’s brains to gorillas and small children
-Broca’s studies were wrong due to his not accounting for size differences and him using aging women, showing bias
“Professions for Women”-Woolf
Type: Talk to Women’s Service League (1931)
Ethos: novelist, critic, essayist
Claim: Wome face societal expectations that limit their ability to express their true selves, and to succeed in obs women must overcome the barriers
Synop:
-Writing is accessible
-Angel in the house is societal expections of a victorian women
-Woolf “kills” angel to be her true self
-Overcome psycological barriers
-Furnishing empty room of possibilities
Staples (African American)
Type: Essay (1986)
Ethos: Author, Writer 4 NYT
Claim: Race and gender cause society to make assumptions that can have a psychological impact on the person affected
Synop:
-First Victim Woman-scares white woman walking at night
-Black men seen as threats and associated with violence and crime
-Whistles classical music to not seem as threat
-acknowledges women’s vulnerability but black men also have burden of judges based on racial sterotype
-young men embrace intimidation
“I Want a Wife”-Brady
Type: Magazine Article (1972)
Ethos: Editor, Author
Claim: Wives have unrealistic expectations placed upon them due to an imbalance of gender roles
Synop:
-Satirical
-repetition of “i want a wife”
-list expectations on women/requests for wife
-role of women in trad wife roles
“There is no Unmarked Woman”-Tannen
Type: NYT Article (1993)
Ethos: Author
Claim:
Women are constantly marked by societal expectations related to their appearance and behavior and men have the privilege of being “unmarked”
Synop:
-Woman in office
Marked-Is defined by being attached to something else
Unmarked-Can stand alone
-In nature/biology, men are marked and women unmarked
-Words: Mr. vs Ms./Mrs.
“Toxic Masculinity is Killing Men”-Holloway
Type: : Essay (2015)
Ethos: Writer, Editor
Claim: Toxic Masculinity is enforced by society and leads to unhealthy suppression and behaviors.
Synop:
-Boys taught from 3-5 to suppress emotions and be tough
-media has harmful stereotypes of men
-emotional damage
-leads to destructive behaviors-alc, abuse, violence
3 important quotes:
“What is herself?” (Woolf)-Women must define their own identity
“The emotionally damaging ‘masculinization’ of boys starts even before boyhood, in infancy.” (Holloway)
“There is no unmarked woman” (Tannen)-women cannot escape societal expectations related to appearance/actions
Community Unit:
“Where I Lived, and What I Lived For”-Thoreau
Type: 2nd Chap of Walden-1854
Ethos: Philosopher, Poet, Essayist, Naturalist, Harvard, Influenced by Emerson
Synop:
-Lived in woods to live life in purest form
-liked purpose, not routine
-Did not like news, railroads, postal
-ppl like spectacle over substance
-timelessness
Claims: -enjoy the simplicity of life
“Simplify, simplify.”-live life free of unnecessary distractions. Reduce materialism, routine, and social pressures and focus on simplicity and purpose.
“Letter from Birmingham Jail”-MLK (African-american)
Type: Letters responding to clergyman-1963
Ethos: Father and grandpa ministers, founded southern christian leadership Confrence
“ Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”-Justice is interconnnected, and alowing injustice persist in one place undermines the importance of justice in other places.
Synop:
-Reply to clergys complaints of his peaceful protests
-Interrelatedness
-mad clergys care more abt demonstrations than issue
-facts, negoc., self-pur, direct action
-wait=never
-just (moral and follows god) and unjust laws (out of harmony w moral)
-white moderates worse than kkk-lukewarm bad
-compares himself to jesus, socrates-extremist of love
-mad @ condemning police bc police violent
-long bc in jail
Claims: Civil disobedience is ok in face of unjust, break unjust laws, be extremist of love
“This is Water”-Foster Wallace
Type: Graduation Speech-2005
Ethos: novelist, short story writer, essayist
Synop: -old fish and young fish
-dark take on the mundaneness of life
-complains abt traffic and grocery shopping
-think of the circumstances of those around you
-more positive outlook on life
-dont be self-centered
-awareness
Claim: See the positives of things and be aware of the circumstances of others
“Mother Tongue”-Tan (Born to Chinese immigrants)
Type: Essay-2003
Ethos: Best-selling Author
Synop:
-Saying speech that soung wrong bc mom in room
-Uses basic english w mom and her mom speaks broken english
-lang of intimacy
-og ahamed bc celieved reflected quality-not true
-depart stores, banks, restaurants dont take her seriously
-tumor story only took daughter serious
-better in math than english bc of this
-still majored in english and defied odds
-Englishes:
-simple(w mom), broken (mom speaks), watered down (translation), internal (imagines mom)
Claim: Difficult living with an accent in america as minority w accent, value of lanuage
5.”The F-word” -Dumas (Iranian-American)
Type: Essay/Exceprt from “Funny in Farsi”-2002
Ethos: Author
Synop:
-Americans make fun of diverse names
-Went by Julie bc it was easier to find jobs and make friends
-She felt like she had an evil twin and decided to switch back
-Mom at her childs school called her “f-word”
Claim: It is challenging to take on a new identity while preserving original self
6. “Words don't mean what they mean”-Pinker
Type: Book excerpt-2007
Ethos: Psychologist, Science Author
-We talk in vagueness bc the plain truth is too harsh and is not the norm
-Affects relationships
-Politically can lead to disaster
“So every sentence has to do two things at once: convey a message and continue to negotiate that relationship.”-The duality of communication.
Claim: People speak indirectly and it is the social norm to not tell the straight truth due to society’s norms
Environment Unit:
“Let Them Eat Dog”-Foer
This is a satire piece written by an outspoken vegetarian who discusses the unreasonable taboo against eating dogs in America. He begins the piece by highlighting the paradox between people’s love for dogs and their willingness to eat other animals. “They’ll eat cows, pigs, and chickens without a second thought, but the idea of eating a dog makes them recoil in horror.” He sets his satirical tone through phrases such as, “Dogs are practically begging to be eaten,” and with his “Stewed Dog, Wedding Style” recipe. This tone elucidates the absurd double standards while making the reader uncomfortable. Foer argues throughout the piece that the taboo of eating dogs is unnecessary and is not logical because they do not hold any value or significant mental capacities; it is not a taboo in many other places and is not bad for us. His use of logical arguments appeals to the logos of the readers and undermines the emotional objections that readers may have. An example is when he stated, “If we justify eating animals based on their mental capacities…there’s no reason dogs should be treated any differently.” He then appeals to pathos, evoking emotions of disgust in the readers by using vivid imagery of dog slaughter. For example, when he gruesomely stated, “Imagine the sound of a dog’s whimper…before its throat is slit and its body left to bleed out.” He uses the idea of eating dogs to suggest the idea that eating dogs is equally as repulsive as the idea of eating any other animal and ultimately criticizes factory farming as a whole.
Personal opinion: I found this piece both thought-provoking and unsettling; it forces me to confront people's inconsistent attitudes toward animals. The idea of eating dogs is disturbing, and the horrors of factory farming made me reconsider how we view animal consumption. The graphic imagery kept me disturbingly engaged yet disgusted at the bias towards dogs that Western culture has.
“Why Science Is So Hard to Believe”-Achenbach
This Washington Post op-ed discusses the reasoning behind people’s skepticism of scientifically proven data. Achenbach claims that human skepticism is caused by a confirmation bias where people only look for evidence that supports their beliefs; organizations that fund fossil fuels are trying to encourage skepticism and the inclination for people to want to fit in a group. The author uses skepticism of global warming, evolution, and vaccines as examples of controversial topics that have all been proven by science. The satirical and ironic tone is created by statements such as “There are so many of these controversies these days, you think a diabolical agency had put something in the water to make people argumentative.”. This ironic statement portrays a satirical tone that mimics the rejection of scientific evidence. He uses logical explanations and scientific reasoning to challenge the skepticism, appealing to logos. Such as his scientific reasoning on the benefits of fluoridation, “Actually fluoride is a natural mineral that…hardens tooth enamel and prevents tooth decay.” His appeal to reason emphasizes that science is meant to uncover truths based on evidence. Achenbach also alludes to Galileo’s conflict with the church, “When Galileo claimed that the Earth spins on its axis…he was asking people to believe something that defied common sense.” Throughout the piece, he juxtaposes scientific facts with ungrounded fears. For example, he stated, “It’s safe to eat food containing genetically modified organisms because…there’s no evidence that it isn’t…but to some people, the idea of transferring genes between species conjures up mad scientists.” His overarching claim is that when an individual’s natural beliefs interfere with proven science, it leads to the society we have today, divided by a series of existent and speculative beliefs and fears.
Money Unit:
“On Dumpster Diving”-Eighner
Ethos: Became homeless, published in magazines, writer
Type: Magazine article (1991)
Synop:
-The author dumpster dived before becoming homeless
-prefers the term scavenging and said it was skillful and honorable: knowledge, safety, quality
-value of discarded goods
-scroungers can create difficulties
-glimpes to others lives
Claim: Scavenging for survival not only reveals society’s wastefulness but also fosters resourcefulness and adaptability in ways that challenge societal views on consumption and necessity.
Ehrenreich
“Serving in Florida”-Ehrenreich
Type: Chap. in Nickel and Dime (2001)
Ethos: Best-selling author, scientist, PhD, magazine writer, author, worked as server, maid, salesclerk
Synop:
-She worked at Jerry’s and Hearthside
-The restaurant industry is disgusting and uncaring towards workers
-constantly working, no time for yourself, exhausted
-Flow state
-Low wages alter your personality
Claim: The server industry overworks their servers and inhumane conditions
Schlosser
“In the Strawberry Fields”-Schlosser
Type: Article (1995)
Ethos: Journalist, Best-Selling author, documentary maker, Princeton, Oxford
-La fruta del diablo, strawberries are intricate and delicate to pick, so california takes advantage of illegal immigrants from mexico
-Dont know how much they will get paid, unpredictable, homeless
“ growers of California and the peasants of rural Mexico created an agricultural system that has locked them into mutual dependence.”
Claim: A critique of american agriculture and their dependence on illegal immigrant while deporting, and exploiting them.
Tolentino
“The Gig Economy Celebrates Working Yourself to Death”-Tolentino
Type: New Yorker essay (2017)
Ethos: Writer for New Yorker
Synop:
-Lyft controvesial pregnant driver story
-raises question about our system
-capitalism and the american dream is instilling unhealthy habits and encourages overworking
-Lyft and Uber drivers
Claim: The gig economy promotes unhealthy working habits and reveals the problem of America, which creates a problematic system where this is normalized.
Quote: “An individual working himself to death is evidence of a flawed economic system”
“What the Bagel Man Saw”-Dubner-Levitt
NYT Magazine article-2004
Ethos: American authors and journalists
Synop:
-Quit his job to start a honor system based business selling bagels in offices
-Revealed human nature and honesty of office environments
-Holiday seasons negatively affected sales
-Dishonety connected to office size, certain times of the year, seniority/power
-How many people pay when hes not there
-Where things are sold from is important
-White collar crime: Don’t know who it affects and is unviolent
Claim: Human nature rationalizes dishonesty as harmless in environments where they won't get caught, and they do it in white-collar settings where minor theft feels inconsequential.