Week 2 Notes ~ 8/24, 8/26, 8/28

Literacy Narrative - First Major Assignment

You will select a piece of literature (fiction, non-fiction narrative, film, music, video game, etc.) that has “changed your brain chemistry” if you will. What have you consumed that has shaped part of who you are and prompted you to embark on this educational journey? While part of this will take the form of a short essay, you can be as creative as you’d like — collaging, making a playlist or soundtrack for your life, a short documentary. You get to decide but the presentation must be at least 3 minutes long. The essay component need not exceed 500 words.

  • Due on Monday, September 21st, 2026

  • expect to see a written essay - 500 words

  • no limit on how many texts you can use

  • presentation, key word: creative

    • try to think outside of the box, beyond a slideshow/canva

Rhetorical SItuation

  • speaker → character, ethics, associations, bias, experience (what actions are they taking), knowledge

  • audience → bias, values, needs, emotions, background (how is the speaker connected)

  • occasion → event, time, place

  • exigence → why here? why now? why this? (motivation for saying something)

  • message → structure, clarity, reasoning (what is their line of reasoning?)

  • purpose → what the speaker wants the audience to: do, think, believe, or feel

Call to Unity

  • speaker: 8 clergymen, white men, different religions, based in Alabama

  • audience: MLK Jr., protesters, people who read the newspaper it was published on

  • occasion: MLK Jr. led protest, Good Friday, election of new mayor, Birmingham, April 1963

  • exigence: Civil Rights Movement, posted in the Birmingham newspaper, their beliefs as religious leaders

  • message: unwise & untimely, incite violence, work with law enforcement, take it up in the courts, this is led by outsiders

  • purpose: think their views are correct (shift public opinion), MLK Jr. as well, want the people to stop protesting, the better way is to work with law enforcement, reaching out to more people, shaming the audience, instilling fear into the audience.

Vlog Presentations

  • submit an INQUIRY video → i’m wondering something, and it made me look up this

  • you will present on one of the presentation days, you will present your findings based upon both the major reading and the supplements from the playlist

  • after your findings, you will lead discussion