Argument (Also called Persuasion or Rhetoric):
The Forest of RhetoricThis site is intended to help beginners, as well as experts, make sense of rhetoric, both on the small scale (definitions and examples of specific terms) and on the large scale (the purposes of
rhetoric, the patterns into which it has fallen historically as it has been taught and practiced for 2000+ years).
The Three Elements of Argument Use these elements to evaluate the effectiveness of an argument.
Thomas Huxley  "The Method of Scientific Investigation"  This famous nineteenth century lecture on the scientific method is famous for its well-written explanations of the logical processes of induction and deduction.  Read the article carefully.  Then summarize these logical processes in your own words.  Apply Huxleyís theories when evaluating the effectiveness of the logic of other works of literary merit.
Mark Twain  "The Art of Lying"    Directions:  Mark Twain wrote the following essay, then read it at the Historical and Antiquarian Club of Hartford as an entrant for a thirty dollar prize.  He did not win the prize.
Read the essay.  Then write a carefully reasoned essay evaluating Mark Twainís arguments about the ìdecay of the art of writing.î  You might consider Twainís unusual use of both logical and emotional appeals, his conscious creation of irony and humor,  as well as his conscious use of some of the illogical fallacies defined in this chapter.  (Note:  A guiding checklist in included.)
Editorial from The Iowa City Press-Citizen    This anonymous editorial was published in December 1985 after Dale Burr, a 63 year old farmer, faced with the loss of his farm because he could no longer repay his loans, shot the bank president, his wife, and himself.  Read the editorial carefully.  Then write a carefully reasoned essay evaluating the argument for reaching out to suffering farmers.  Notice how the writer establishes a favorable rapport (ethos) with the reader by balancing logical and emotional appeals with an excellent  manipulation of syntax, repetition, and other stylistic devices.  (Note:  A guiding checklist in included.)
Dan Rather  "Leadership in the Nineties"
This speech was delivered in the J. W. Marriott Hotel in Washington, D. C.,  on April 6, 1990, at a luncheon meeting during a three-day convention for the highly influential American Society of Newspaper Editors.  The ASNE is influential because its members determine editorial and news policy on daily newspapers and four wire services throughout the United States and Canada.  Then write a carefully reasoned essay evaluating the effectiveness of the argument for changing editorial policy.  Notice how Rather establishes a favorable rapport (ethos) with the audience by balancing logical and emotional appeals.
Joseph Addison  "The Purpose of the Spectator Papers"
This editorial appeared in The Spectator, No. 10.  Rather than defining the purpose of his publication, he is really trying to convince more people in London and Westminster  to order this paper daily "for their own good . . .   to be punctually served . . . as a part of their tea equipage."  Read the selection carefully.  Then write a carefully reasoned essay that evaluates the effectiveness of Joseph Addison's persuasion.
Daniel Defoe  "The Education of Women"  from An Essay Upon Project  Daniel Defoe wrote what is considered to be the first novel written in English--Robinson Crusoe (1719).  He also wrote several other novels including Moll Flanders (1722).  This excerpt comes from  An Essay Upon Projects--a book of essays dealing with subjects such as the education of women, roads, banks, jails, asylums, insurance, income tax--subjects which created controversy in Defoe's life.  He seemed to always be in trouble because of his opinions.  Read the following excerpt on the education of women.  Then write a well-organized essay which evaluates the effectiveness of Daniel Defoe's championship of the education of women with his 18th Century, male  audience. 
A Webquest for Understanding Fallacies

Wholistic Scoring Rubric for Critical Thinking  The rubrics found at this site apply well to how to evaluate an argument. 

Close Reading: . . . . .. . . . . .  .. . . . . . . . . 
Analyzing the Rhetoric of the Princess Di Eulogy  from Sondra Zeldin, Chatsworth High School, Chatsworth, California. . . . . .  . 

Comparison and Contrast:
Checklist for the Forty-Minute Effect Comparison and Contrast Essay

Compare and Contrast Two Version of a Declaration of Independence  One by H. L. Mencken and the other by Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Compare George Orwell and Toni Morrison. Write a well organized essay that compares and contrasts both writer's views on the importance of language and their concerns about its loss of effectiveness.

Compare "First Reactions" to "The Attack on America" by writers of literary merit.

Grouping Works by Theme The following list of works of literary merit have been paired by themes that have been implied or explicitly stated in previous AP Literature and Composition examinations since 1970.

Galapagos Archipelago by Charles Darwin and  The Encantadas (Enchanted Isles) by Herman Melville.

Works of Literary Merit Grouped by Theme

Contests of Knowledge:
Stylistic or Rhetorical Devices Games

Creative Suggestions:
Collection of Book Report Ideas 109 Different Ways to Respond
More Ideas Than You'll Ever Use for Book Reports 
341 ideas for book projects from three different teachers.
E-mail Classics Just for Fun  Puns, Parodies, Language Play, Bloopers, etc.
91 Ways to Respond to Literature

Extra-Credit

Critical Thinking:
Fostering Critical Thinking using Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" Speech:  Grade 10-12
from Mary Barton, Bishop Carroll High School, Wichita, KS 

Diction:
Changing the Diction of E. B. White's "Once More to the Lake"from  Sondra Zeldin, Chatsworth High School, Chatsworth, California
Judging the Speaker's Effective Use of Diction

Essays Online
Click here to get a complete list of online
Powerful Essays

Essay Tests:
Last Minute Hints

Student Grading Made Easy with Comprehensive Checklists

Exposition:

Extended Writing Projects:
How to Write an Extended Paper that Analyzes the Language of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

How to Write an Extended Paper that Analyzes the Language of Walden by Henry David Thoreau

Favorite Quotes and Aphorisms:Favorite Quotes and Aphorisms:
Quotations for English Language and Composition.Read quotes by authors from the Recommended Reading List for AP English Language and Composition Courses.

The Forty-Minute Agree or Disagree Essay: 
How to Write an Agree or Disagree Questions

Checklist for the Agree or Disagree Essay

The Forty-Minute Agree or Disagree Essay Test Examples:

The Forty Minute Argument. Find all kinds of test examples that require the student to develop a personal stance on an abstract issue based on personal experiece, observations, or reading.

How to Evaluate an Argument

A Checklist for Evaluating an Argument

The Forty-Minute Evaluation of an Argument Test Examples:

Checklist for any Forty-Minute Essay Which Evaluates an Assertion

Ida B. Wells-Barnett  "Mob Murder in a Christian Nation"

Henry V Speech to his Troops at Agincourt

The Forty-Minute Essay on Attitude, Tone, POV:
Checklist for the Forty-Minute Tone, POV, or Author Attitude Essay

"The Gettysburg Address" by Abraham Lincoln

An Excerpt from Herman Melville's Typee

 The Forty-Minute Effect  Test:
John F. Kennedy's 1961 Inaugural Address How does President Kennedy manipulate the language to mold the audience's attitude toward self, state, and duty?

Checklist for the Forty-Minute Effect 
Essay:

The Forty-Minute Purpose Essay :
Checklist for the Forty-Minute Purpose Essay:

Grammar Usage:
Post It Notesfrom Sondra Zeldin, Chatsworth High School, 
Chatsworth, California
Parts of Speech in "Jabberwocky"from Sondra Zeldin, Chatsworth High School, Chatsworth, California
Guide to Grammar and Writing

Journal Writing:
William Starr (Liberty IN) on Active Journaling

The Cornell SystemA Short Explanation about how Note-taking can be enhanced by dividing the paper in two sections.

Multiple-Choice Testing:
A 12 Pont MC Test on Mohandas Gandhi's Open Letter to the Führer, Adolph Hitler

A Fifty-Point Practice Multiple-Choice Test based on five passages from the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Practice Test Three: A Fifty-Point Practice Multiple-Choice Testbased on four passages from Nathaniel Hawthorneís "The Sister Years," Francis Parkman's Conspiracy of Pontiac,  Mark Twain's The Innocents Abroad,  and  Henry David Thoreauís Walden.

MC Slam   Multiple Choice Competition

Non-Fiction:
Non-Fiction Chart  One Way to Take Notes on History, Biography, Science, Political, and Nature Writings:
Nonfiction Book Report:Adding Interest and Relevance through Choice

Maya Angelou
Web Links  Biographical and critical information, e-texts and partial lesson plans 

James Baldwin,  The Fire Next Time
Teacher's Guide
Nobody Knows My Name 
Teacher's Guide

Willa Cather   O Pioneers
My Antonia

Stephen Crane  The Red Badge of Courage

Charles Dickens
       Web Links  Biographical and critical information, e-texts and partial lesson plans 

Ralph Ellison  The Invisible Man 
Teacher's Guide

Frederick Douglass Web Links  Biographical and critical information, e-texts and partial lesson plans

Ernest J. Gaines,   A Lesson Before Dying
Learn more about Ernest J. Gaines;
Read the first chapter or hear the author read it/
Discover more books by Ernest J. Gaines;
Augment your discussion with this Teacher's Guide.

Nathaniel Hawthorne
The House of the Seven Gables
The Marble Faun
The Scarlet Letter

Gloria Naylor  Mama Day
Teacher's Guide

George Orwell  1984
Character Profile
40 Point Multiple Choice Test

Edgar Allan Poe
The Fall of the House of Usher

Mark Twain 
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court 

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Character Traits
Main Themes
Links
Full Text Versions of Mark Twain's Novels Online
Suggested Essay Topics
Satire and Irony in each chapter: Chapters 9-31
50 Question Quiz

The Prince and the Pauper

The Tragedy of Pudd'nead Wilson

Research Paper:
Research Strategies: Finding your Way through the Information Fog

Topics for the AP Language and Composition Research PaperThe following list of works of literary merit have been paired by abstract topics that have been implied or explicitly stated in previous AP Language and Composition examinations since the middle 80's.

Research Paper Links

Rhetorical and Stylistic Devices:
Glossary of Rhetorical and Stylistic Devices

Student Presentation, Links to Devices, and Tests for Rhetorical and Stylistic Devices from Barbara at JAproofrok@aol.com

Literary Terms - Matching Term with the Example

Satire:
A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift 1729

Short Story Classics: 
Short Story ChartOne Way to Take Notes on Short Stories.

Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914)
The Damned Thing 
An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge 
One of the Missing 
One Summer Night 
A Horseman in the Sky 
What I Saw of Shiloh 
George Thurston 
Killed at Resaca 
Chickamauga 

Willa Cather  On Gull's Road

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) 
The Schoolboy's Story

Kate Chopin (1851-1904)
At The 'Cadian Ball 
The Storm [A Sequel to "At the 'Cadian Ball"] 
Regret 
Ozème's Holiday 
At Chênière Caminada 
The Story of an Hour 
A Respectable Woman 
Kate Chopin's Short Stories

Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Great Stone and Other Tales of the White Mountains
My Kinsman, Major Molineux 
Young Goodman Brown 
The Birth-mark 
Rappacciniís Daughter
The Ministerís Black Veil 
The May-Pole of Merry Mount 
The Snow-Image 
Lady Eleanore's Mantle 
Alice Doan's Appeal 
Ethan Brand 
Wakefield 
The Gentle Boy 
Endicott and the Red Cross 
Feathertop 
The Gray Champion 
The Great Carbuncle 
The Great Stone Face 
The Ambitious Guest 
The Wives of the Dead

Sarah Orne Jewett (1849-1909)
A White Heron 
Miss Tempy's Watchers 
The Hiltons' Holiday 
The Foreigner 

Herman Melville (1819-1891) 
Bartleby, the Scrivener 
Billy Budd, Foretopman 

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)
The Gold-Bug 
The Tell-Tale Heart 
The Cask of Amontillado 
Ligeia 
The Black Cat 
MS. Found in a Bottle 
The Fall of the House of Usher 
The Masque of the Red Death 
The Purloined Letter 
William Wilson 
The Pit and the Pendulum 
The Imp of the Perverse

Frank Stockton (1834-1902)
The Lady or the Tiger 
The Griffin and the Minor Canon 
The Widow's Cruise 
My Unwilling Neighbor 
A Piece of Red Calico 
Love Before Breakfast 
Captain Eli's Best Ear 
The Christmas Wreck 

Mark Twain (1835-1910) 
The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County 
The Private History of a Campaign That Failed 
The Story of the Old Ram 
The Californian's Tale 
The Story of the Bad Boy Who Didn't Come to Grief 
 

Setting:

Speeches and Essays of Literary Merit:
Speeches and Essays ChartOne Way to Take Notes on Speeches and Essays
Online Essays by Frederick DouglassA Huge Collection of Articles written by Frederick Douglass
The Art of Communication:Women's Plight to Be Heard 
Nora Ephron Wellesley College Commencement

Style:
A Practical Guide to Understanding Diction

A Practical Guide to Understanding Syntax

The Realistic, Terse Prose of Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms

The Unusual Style and Structure of Toni Morrison's The Beloved:Write an Analysis of any of the following:  The Experimental Chronological Structure, the ever- switching point of view, the use of both verse and stream of consciousness writing, the  use of objective correlativism, the use of Biblical allusions and much ambiguous symbolism.

Test-Taking Strategies:

Tone:
Practice Using Tone to Convey a Message

A List of Tone Words

Transcendentalism:
Louisa May Alcott
Reminiscences of Ralph Waldo Emerson
Thoreau's Flute
Transcendental Wild Oats
Read all her Works

Henry David Thoreau
Thoreau, Walden, and the Environment Writings, Overview, Quote of the Day, and More.
A Transcendental Journey

Vocabulary:
Ambrose Bierce
The Devil's Dictionary

A Glossary of General Vocabulary Words Used on the 1982 English Language and Composition Multiple-Choice Test:  Grade 11 

Vocabulary Page Analyzing the Diction of Martin Luther's  Letter to Pope Leo X in 1520  While reading the text, click on the highlighted vocabulary words, read the definition and  synonyms to get a look at all the senses of the word.  Then click on the back button to return to the text, and continue reading.  After a careful reading of the text, write a well-organized essay which analyzes how the author's diction helps to reveal his attitude toward Pope Leo X and other elements of the church hierarchy.

Writing
The Purdue Online Writing Lab Handouts on Basic Writing Concerns

Writing Labs and Writing Centers on the Web