Which of the three sentences is best?
A. They’re not using the technology to replace their real-world social life; they’re using technology to augment it.
B. They’re not using technology to replace their real-world social life; instead, technology is simply augmenting their social life.
C. They’re not using the technology to replace their real-world social life; they’re using technology to augment their real-world social life.
Most students pick A because it is the most clear and most concise sentence. It is and example of a balanced sentence: a sentence with two parallel independent clauses.
It is also a very effective sentence for making a counterargument. The opponent's argument is set-up in the first clause and then countered in the second clause.
Assignment: Write a balanced sentence that reveals a contrast or that makes a counterargument.
Examples:
They’re not wasting time watching football; they’re savoring time, sharing the game they love.
It’s not a tax increase; it’s a revenue enhancement.
Essential Question: How can a balanced sentence be used to make a counterargument?
Terms to know: Parallelism, balanced sentence, anaphora, counterargument
Showing posts with label Anaphora. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anaphora. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Persuasion Points 1
11AP
What’s the difference between the two sentences below? What’s the difference?
A. Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, we shall bear any burden, we shall meet any hardship, we shall support any friend, we shall oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
B. Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
The first features anaphora; the second features parallelism.
Re-write Sentence B to reveal the parallel phrases:
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall:
-Pay any price,
-Bear any burden,
-Meet any hardship,
-Support any friend,
-Oppose any foe,
in order to assure the survival and success of liberty.
Assignment: Write a mission statement for a person or organization of your choice, using at least 3 parallel verbs.
Essential Question: What is the difference between parallelism and anaphora?
Terms to know: parallelism, anaphora
9th Honors:
Which of the following is best?
A. Anacortes, Washington, is a great place to live. It has beautiful forestlands. It has a small town feel. It has a low crime rate.
B. Anacortes, Washington, is a great place to live because of its beautiful forestlands, its small town feel, and its low crime rate.
Notice that sentence B states a claim, three premises in a single fluent sentence.
Assignment: Write a single sentence that states a claim and three premises.
Essentail Question: What is the difference between claim and a premise?
Terms to know: claim, premise
What’s the difference between the two sentences below? What’s the difference?
A. Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, we shall bear any burden, we shall meet any hardship, we shall support any friend, we shall oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
B. Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
The first features anaphora; the second features parallelism.
Re-write Sentence B to reveal the parallel phrases:
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall:
-Pay any price,
-Bear any burden,
-Meet any hardship,
-Support any friend,
-Oppose any foe,
in order to assure the survival and success of liberty.
Assignment: Write a mission statement for a person or organization of your choice, using at least 3 parallel verbs.
Essential Question: What is the difference between parallelism and anaphora?
Terms to know: parallelism, anaphora
9th Honors:
Which of the following is best?
A. Anacortes, Washington, is a great place to live. It has beautiful forestlands. It has a small town feel. It has a low crime rate.
B. Anacortes, Washington, is a great place to live because of its beautiful forestlands, its small town feel, and its low crime rate.
Notice that sentence B states a claim, three premises in a single fluent sentence.
Assignment: Write a single sentence that states a claim and three premises.
Essentail Question: What is the difference between claim and a premise?
Terms to know: claim, premise
Friday, February 05, 2010
Revision With Anaphora
Today in class I showed students the following two versions of the same passage. Previously they had written on the following prompt: In a crisis, is it best to act quickly and instinctively, or should you slow down and be more careful and deliberate? I asked students to read the passages and identify the anaphora (see Anaphora Day: August 28). I then asked:
Does the anaphora in Version 2 make it better or worse than Version 1?
Version 1
In a crisis, immediate, instinctive action is not always the best alternative because as humans we should capitalize on our evolutionary advantage: our ability to think and deliberate before acting. Certainly time is an issue. If you are Peyton Manning and a 300 pound opponent is about to squash you, there is no time to stop and deliberate; instead, you must act immediately. However, the best players, like Peyton Manning don’t use just instinct. They spend the time they have before a game planning, thinking, deliberating, studying film, and anticipating what they will do when the opponent is blitzing. It’s this kind of planning that gives them the advantage come game time. They have used the time allotted and their brain power to its full advantage. It is this careful planning and thinking that separates us from animals and that separates the great athletes, CEOs, generals, and presidents from the average ones. It was the great Dallas Cowboy quarterback Roger Staubach who said, “Spectacular achievements are always preceded by unspectacular preparation.” Deliberate planning and thinking is not always as flashy and impressive as decisive, immediate action, but it is, in the long-run, more important.
Version 2
In a crisis, immediate, instinctive action is not always the best alternative because as humans we should capitalize on our evolutionary advantage: our ability to think and to deliberate before acting. Certainly time is an issue. If you are Peyton Manning and a 300 pound opponent is about to squash you, there is no time to stop and deliberate; instead, you must act immediately. However, the best players, like Peyton Manning, don’t use just instinct. They spend the time they have before a game carefully planning and carefully thinking and carefully deliberating and carefully studying film and carefully anticipating what they will do when the opponent is blitzing. It’s this kind of planning that gives them the competitive advantage come game time. They have used the time allotted and their brain power to its full advantage. It is this careful planning and thinking that separates us from animals and that separates the great athletes, great CEOs, great generals, and great presidents from the average ones. Hall of Fame quarterback Dallas Cowboy quarterback Roger Staubach said, “Spectacular achievements are always preceded by unspectacular preparation.” Deliberate planning and thinking is not always as flashy and impressive as decisive, immediate action, but it is, in the long-run, more important.
Students' comments about the passages helped to illustrate the kinds of questions that writers ask as they revise. Some students felt that the anaphora in Version 2 was a bit over-done. They preferred the second use of it in "great athletes . . . " over the first use of it in "carefully planning . . . ." Some did notice, however, that the "carefully planning" sentence shows how form can follow function. Repeating the word "carefully" as well as the word "and" slows down the sentence, which echoes the writer's point: don't act swiftly -- slow down and take your time. My goal here was to show that rhetorical devices like anaphora aren't just decorations. Instead they are tools that writers use for a purpose -- the right tool helps the writer accomplish his goal, just as the right rhetorical device helps the writer make his point.
Does the anaphora in Version 2 make it better or worse than Version 1?
Version 1
In a crisis, immediate, instinctive action is not always the best alternative because as humans we should capitalize on our evolutionary advantage: our ability to think and deliberate before acting. Certainly time is an issue. If you are Peyton Manning and a 300 pound opponent is about to squash you, there is no time to stop and deliberate; instead, you must act immediately. However, the best players, like Peyton Manning don’t use just instinct. They spend the time they have before a game planning, thinking, deliberating, studying film, and anticipating what they will do when the opponent is blitzing. It’s this kind of planning that gives them the advantage come game time. They have used the time allotted and their brain power to its full advantage. It is this careful planning and thinking that separates us from animals and that separates the great athletes, CEOs, generals, and presidents from the average ones. It was the great Dallas Cowboy quarterback Roger Staubach who said, “Spectacular achievements are always preceded by unspectacular preparation.” Deliberate planning and thinking is not always as flashy and impressive as decisive, immediate action, but it is, in the long-run, more important.
Version 2
In a crisis, immediate, instinctive action is not always the best alternative because as humans we should capitalize on our evolutionary advantage: our ability to think and to deliberate before acting. Certainly time is an issue. If you are Peyton Manning and a 300 pound opponent is about to squash you, there is no time to stop and deliberate; instead, you must act immediately. However, the best players, like Peyton Manning, don’t use just instinct. They spend the time they have before a game carefully planning and carefully thinking and carefully deliberating and carefully studying film and carefully anticipating what they will do when the opponent is blitzing. It’s this kind of planning that gives them the competitive advantage come game time. They have used the time allotted and their brain power to its full advantage. It is this careful planning and thinking that separates us from animals and that separates the great athletes, great CEOs, great generals, and great presidents from the average ones. Hall of Fame quarterback Dallas Cowboy quarterback Roger Staubach said, “Spectacular achievements are always preceded by unspectacular preparation.” Deliberate planning and thinking is not always as flashy and impressive as decisive, immediate action, but it is, in the long-run, more important.
Students' comments about the passages helped to illustrate the kinds of questions that writers ask as they revise. Some students felt that the anaphora in Version 2 was a bit over-done. They preferred the second use of it in "great athletes . . . " over the first use of it in "carefully planning . . . ." Some did notice, however, that the "carefully planning" sentence shows how form can follow function. Repeating the word "carefully" as well as the word "and" slows down the sentence, which echoes the writer's point: don't act swiftly -- slow down and take your time. My goal here was to show that rhetorical devices like anaphora aren't just decorations. Instead they are tools that writers use for a purpose -- the right tool helps the writer accomplish his goal, just as the right rhetorical device helps the writer make his point.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
