Lesson 2: Schlosser Vs. SinclairComparing rhetoric in Eric Schlosser's “The Most

Dangerous Job” and Upton Sinclair's “The Jungle"

Unit 1 Lesson 3R. Donn, Neville HS 2015

What you will learn:

1. Vocabulary: propaganda, argument, counterargument, muckraking

2. How two authors use different rhetoric to persuade audiences

3. Focus on the ETHOS of both authors--how credible they are--when assessing their work

4. Use Schlosser and Sinclair to write "practice essay" to prepare for research project

BTW. . .Don't get confused!

You have started selecting your topics for your research project due at the end of the nine weeks--this will be argument writing, with a visual element.

Don't confuse that project, which you will work on throughout the nine weeks, with the "practice essay" we will be writing on Sinclair and Schlosser's texts as part of this lesson!

1. Vocabulary

a. Propagandab. Persuasive writingc. Argumentd. Counterargumente. Muckrakingf. Rhetorical appeal v. Persuasive Devices

Key ideas• What does propaganda look

like?• How are persuasive and

argument writing different?• What is a counterargument?• What is muckraking?• What are "Persuasive

Devices"?

Key ideas• Rhetorical Appeals: Ethos, Logos,

Pathos (appeals to reader's sensibilities)

• Persuasive Devices: Figures of speech, imagery, repetition, parallel construction, extended metaphors, poetic language, tone (statements that imply author's attitude), implied arguments that arise from extended metaphors (workers=machines)

2. Rhetoric

Talking with your teams, take a look at the first paragraph of both texts from "The Jungle" and Fast Food Nation. I am deliberately NOT providing background info.

Read the paragraph highlight using the same method as before, and take notes on rhetorical appeals to LOGOS, ETHOS, PATHOS. Share important statements (in yellow) and important, persuasive vocabulary, details, figures of speech (in blue). Add to your existing charts, making sure to indicate which source you are citing and making any necessary notes on significant similarities or differences.

2. Rhetoric

Return to your text. Use the cue column to indicate what persuasive DEVICES you find (direct appeals to reader, figurative language, repeated imagery or extended metaphors). In your Lesson 2 notes, make a Cornell chart JUST FOR these devices/

. . .when quoting. . .

When quoting a text, be sure to put the author's LAST NAME and PAGE NUMBER in parentheses so that you can remember where the quote came from!

"everything of the pig except the squeal" (Sinclair 17)

USING YOUR NOTEBOOKS. . . When recording information, focus on these parts of the text. This way, you can demonstrate your understanding more accurately.. .

SPEAKER

OCCASION

AUDIENCE

PURPOSE

SUBJECT

TONEWelcome to the Jungle. . .

Ethos PathosHow does the speaker’s identity helpestablish crediblity?

How does the speaker’s identity get the reader’s sympathy?

What is believable about the occasion or situation>

What is emotional about the occasion or situation? What audience is more

likely to believe the author’s claims?

What audience is more likely to sympathize?

What is the ethical purpose of the writing?

What is the feeling behind the purpose of the writing?

Is the subject inherently believable?

Does the subjecthave inherent pathos?

Some background. . .Published in 2001, Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal (2001) is a book by investigative journalist Eric Schlosser that examines the local and global influence of the United States fast food industry. First serialized by Rolling Stone in 1999, the book has drawn comparisons to Upton Sinclair's classic novel The Jungle(1906).

Some background. . . Dedicated to “The Workingmen of America, “ The Jungle is a 1906 novel written by the American journalist and novelist Upton Sinclair (1878–1968). Sinclair wrote the novel to portray the lives of immigrants in the United States in Chicago and similar industrialized cities, and exposed the health violations and unsanitary practices in the American meatpacking industry during the early 20th century. Sinclair had to pay for the first printing himself because publishers found it too shocking. Afterward, it was published by Doubleday book company in 1906.

The Jungle trivia. . .The influence of Sinclair's novel eventually led to President Theodore Roosevelt commissioning inspections that led to the establishment of The Food and Drug Administration in 1930.

Unit 1 Focus: Argument Analysis, Rhetoric, and Persuasive Writing

Be ready to use these texts for a timed, in-class writing task that will begin the practice argument writing on these texts. Your annotations and notes will be a HUGE factor in how well you do.

We will conduct a Socratic seminar--your notes are a huge factor there as well Those most prepared will be most likely to succeed.

3. Evaluate ETHOSStep 1: Timed Writing, 15 minutes: Use your notes to write a critical summary of each text.

SpeakerOccasion AudiencePurposeSubject

Tone/Attitude (see the “Tone Wheel” in your packet, as well as the figurative language bookmarks. . .after all, poetic language is one KEY way an author illustrates

complicated attitudes and feelings)

Be sure you look up any words you do not know, and jot them down in the vocab space in your notebooks!

3. Evaluate ETHOSStep 2: 15 minutes: Whole Class Discussion: Remember that an author’s ETHOS, or credibility, is a matter of the author's STRATEGY.

Give examples of authors' strategy in texts you are already familiar with.• Does he/she seem to be well-informed? What is the author's role in the

writing?• Does he/she seem logical, even when appealing to the readers’

emotions?• Does there seem to be heavy BIAS, and does the author seem able to

rise above those biases to present a credible argument?• Does he/she express ideas using language and organizational patterns

that is genuine, original, yet clear to understand?

3. Evaluate ETHOSStep 2: 15 minutes: Whole Class Discussion: Remember that an author’s ETHOS, or credibility, is a matter of the author's STRATEGY.

Based on strategy, which author is more credible (who do you trust more)? Be ready to cite evidence that backs up your statements. As we discuss, take notes in your Cornell charts--these details, plus notes you have already, will serve as the prewriting for your practice essay.

We will have a formal Socratic seminar on this topic after you have make progress on your essays.

4. Write the EssaySee Unit 1 Essay 1 directions for complete prompt, guidelines, and helpful tips for writing your first essay of this class.

Remember we will be pausing to have a Socratic Seminar based on what you have learned from your work.

Socratic Seminar

Which author is more credible? Use

evidence from your texts to support your

points.

What is a Socratic seminar?

Named after the Socratic Method of using questions to prove a hypothesis, it is the art of manipulating a conversation so as to prove the validity of an argument.

Protocol used during discussion:-If you disagree or think something is stupid, don’t just blurt it out. Be tactful: I can see how you’d think that, but the evidence points to. . .Other useful dialogue etiquette:

-”Good job.” Let people know!-“I think you may be missing the fact that_____”

-”I’d like to add to what was just said.”-”You point may be valid if __ , but __”-”Good question. Have you ever considered __________”

PREPARE: “Fishbowl” discussion: Teams all get 15 minutes to compare notes and compile an argument based on this procedure:

__________ROUND 1_______________________ a. State your claim. b. Gather first evidence & explain. c. Gather second evidence & explain. d. Complication: Anticipate and verbalize possible concerns of the opposing view (that the OTHER text could be considered more credible)

_________ROUND 2_______________________ e. Explain why opposing argument is flawed and transition smoothly into final argument. f. Conclude by reiterating claim and summarizing body of evidence.

Fishbowl discussions

IN THE “BOWL”:• Timed (5-10 minutes)• Must argue toward a specific point• Must always rely on textual

evidence.• Must use language of literature

(SOAPSTONE), Logos/Ethos/Pathos, Figurative Language & Imagery, etc.

• All members must speak• Use protocol to encourage all team

members to participate• Take notes while discussingOBSERVERS:• Take notes while listening, be

prepared to ASK or ANSWER questions

Ethos - Extended DefinitionEthos is a Greek word meaning 'character' that is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology. The Greeks also used this word to refer to the power of music to influence its hearer's emotions, behaviors, and even morals. The word's use in rhetoric is closely based on the Greek terminology used by Aristotle in his concept of the three artistic proofs. In rhetoric, ethos is one of the three artistic proofs or modes of persuasion (other principles being logos and pathos) discussed by Aristotle in 'Rhetoric' as a component of argument. Speakers must establish ethos from the start. Collectively, this can involve a "moral competence" which embodies the following components: credibility, respect, trustworthiness, knowledge, authority, expertise, right, thoughtfulness, fairness, accuracy, crediting, professionalism, and proper conduct.

ETHOS Extended Definition

Pathos - Extended DefinitionPathos is Greek for 'suffering' or 'experience' and it represents an appeal to the audience's emotions. Pathos is a communication technique used most often in rhetoric (where it is considered one of the three modes of persuasion, alongside ethos and logos), and in literature, film and other narrative art. Emotional appeal can be accomplished in a multitude of ways: by a metaphor or story telling, common as a hook, by passion in the delivery of the speech or writing, as determined by the audience. In Aristotle's 'Rhetoric', he identifies three artistic modes of persuasion, one of which was “awakening emotion (pathos) in the audience so as to induce them to make the judgment desired.” Collectively, pathos can be embodied the following components: values, beliefs, word choice (diction / rhetorical statements), emotion, own words (being subjective), and stimulating an interest in the subject matter.

PATHOS Extended Definition

Logos - Extended DefinitionLogos (Originally a word meaning "a ground", "a plea", "an opinion", "an expectation", "word", "speech", "account", "reason”) refers to the internal consistency of the message -the clarity of the claim, the logic of its reasons, and the effectiveness of its supporting evidence. The impact of logoson an audience is sometimes called the argument's logical appeal. Collectively, logos can be embodied the following components: reason, the most important appeal, internal consistency, clarity, claims, quality, evidence, support, a crafted appeal, and a logical flow.

LOGOS Extended Definition

Gideon O. Burton's "What is Rhetoric?" is a step by step guide to writing an

argumentative/persuasive essay. The article explains and exemplifies various techniques for writing an argumentative/persuasive essay. "What is Rhetoric?" is easy to comprehend by both novice and expert writers. This article focuses on how to utilize the five major canons (invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery) to invoke emotion and persuade the reader.Burton focuses primarily on how to articulate both language and thought, "A premisefor rhetoric is the indivisibility of means from meaning; how one says something conveys meaning as much as what one says" (Rhetoricae). Knowing how to incorporate what one means is a key component in writing an argumentative essays. Burton does mention the proper usefulness of figurative language in writing, "A figure of speech such as "synecdoche" (in which a part represents a whole, such as referring to one's car as one's "wheels") turns out to be microcosm of the topic of invention Division, which includes looking at how parts relate to wholes" (Rhetoricae). It is essential for a speaker to be able to articulate his words in a manner that will sway his audience.  There are four categories of change in rhetoric. The four categories are: addition, subtraction, transposition, and substitution. These are the "fundamental rhetorical strategies for the manipulation and variation of discourse across a vast area of linguistic levels: word forms, sentences, paragraphs, entire texts or speeches, etc" (Rhetoricae). These categories (strategies) are a means to the ability of transforming an original word into something more unique. Using these will increase the 'flexibility' of rhetoric. "Rhetoric is the study of effective speaking and writing and the art of persuasion". Rhetoric must be divided into categories and defined in order to effectively used. Rhetoric is a comprehensive art that focuses on what one says and how they might say it.