AP Language and Composition with Mr. N. Gwozdz—Summer Assignment 2018-19

Hello and welcome to AP English Language and Composition for the 2018-19 school year. This class is about how language is strategically used (especially in arguments). Look up the definition of rhetoric for some insider information.

We will all go through a formal introduction when the school year begins, but let’s just focus on the summer assignments for right now. First, a couple policies you should know.

Any typed assignment in this class should be completed in accordance with MLA formatting. If you are unfamiliar with MLA formatting, search “Purdue Owl MLA” in your favorite search engine for a helpful resource.

Outside of major life events, there will be no late assignments accepted in this class.

Any assignment that is plagiarized will be given a zero and the student(s) involved will be asked to make a schedule change. If you allow someone to copy, you are in the same boat.

Assignment #1: Getting Connected: Follow a Columnist

There are about twelve weeks of summer break. Over those twelve weeks, you will be asked to follow a columnist from the list on the next page. For eight out of the twelve weeks, you will read one essay from your columnist and type at least three paragraphs that perform the following:

 Summarize the article (five sentences or less)  One paragraph that responds to the following questions: o What does the author want you to think? o How does he/she attempt to get you to do that? o Were those strategies effective? Why or why not?  Reflection: What are your thoughts about the argument you read? Find some way to personally connect with it and write. What are your own thoughts on the topic? Why? It is okay to disagree! Just be sure to explain yourself.

Each week should have its own page(s). On the first day of school, you will hand in a physical copy of all of your work. Choose a columnist from the list on the next page.

Assignment #2: Learning the Language: Define and give an example of each of the following rhetorical terms. This should be written by hand and brought to class on the first day.

Allusion Chiasmus Metonymy Rhetorical Question

Aristotelian Appeals Colloquial Diction Octave Repetition

Amplification Conceit Onomatopoeia Imagery

Analogy Connotation Oxymoron Irony (all three)

Anaphora Consonance Paradox Symbol

Antecedent Euphemisms Parallelism Synecdoche

Appositive Euphony Periodic Sentence Syntax

Assonance Figurative Lang. Personification Understatement

Alliteration Juxtaposition Prose Voice

Cacophony Loose Sentence Pun Theme *There is one required textbook for this class* Everything’s an Argument (6th Edition) by Andrea Lunsford. ISBN: 978-1457606069. Feel free to purchase this used. It is currently about $10 used on Amazon. Please try to acquire a copy before school starts. Send me an email if this is problematic for you.

These assignments should be brought to class on the first day of school. If you do not have your assignments completed, you will start the year with an F. Nobody wants that, so please be mindful of the approaching school year. Make sure you proofread your work.

The columnist assignment should be typed, and the vocabulary assignment should be hand written.

If you have any questions over the summer, please feel free to send me an email at [email protected]. I have no idea where I will be, so it may take a couple of days for me to return your email. Don’t wait until the last minute! I look forward to seeing you next year!

Example paragraphs for Summer Assignment #1.

Some of the terms and language used in these examples may be foreign to you. That is okay. Be sure to do the assignment to the best of your ability and you should be okay.

For paragraph #1, please be sure to summarize only the main points and necessary information to understand to topic at hand.

Here is an example of paragraph #2 from Mackenzie Maison (2017-18)

The way in which Charlie Savage writes this article is very informative and it effectively gets his point across to his audience. The cause and effect explanation of the “disappearing” video tapes in court prove to the audience that the government performs questionable acts regarding the victims who are sentenced to be tortured. It has even been stated that Haspel was running a secret prison in Thailand where prisoners were said to be “subjected to water-boarding and prolonged sleep deprivation”. Along with this evidence, logical appeal is also present throughout Savage’s article. He explains acts such as the Civil Liberties Union in a Freedom of Information Act and the Freedom Information Act. All in all, it is unacceptable that there are still torture practices going on in our world today.

Here is an example of paragraph #3 from Lauren Livernois (2017-18)

I also think that Americans need to have a debate on torture and interrogation methods because many people were unaware of the way prisoners are being interrogated. At the very least, Americans should know about the renditions and torture methods. However, I am not against the torture methods themselves. I think the prisoners and terrorists that are subject to the interrogations should endure torture to obtain information. After the cruel and inhumane crimes they have committed, they should be allowed to be tortured, especially if they refuse to reveal important knowledge. I also think that the leader of the CIA should not be someone who hid “secret prisons” and allowed for the “destruction of 92 tapes” on “enhanced interrogations”. As citizens, we have the right to know about interrogation policies. If someone is trying to hide something from the American people, it is most likely something illegal or unjust. Here is what some past students had to say about some of the columnists they followed. You may choose one of these columnists for your summer assignment.

David Brooks (New York Times)- David Brooks is a journalist from the New York Times. His articles range in topics, but he discusses various political views, popular culture, reoccurring problems in society, and human habits. He has a very analytical, thoughtful view about society and how we are manipulated with technology, which is ironic because he expresses this feeling through an online column. I would recommend following his column if you want to sit and ponder life and society every Wednesday night. You would enjoy his column if you are skeptical of the government and the ways that media manipulates our perspective on life.

Michelle Goldberg (The New York Times)- Michelle Goldberg has written for a handful of different news companies, but she's currently a New York Times columnist. She is liberal and a feminist, but she's very opinionated. She really dislikes Trump, but her opinions are usually presented in an educated manner. I recommend this columnist if you're unsure about what it means to be Feminist

Alexandra Petri (Washington Post)- Alexandra Petri is a young, female columnist that writes for the Washington Post. All of her articles are very satirical and sarcastic. She often writes from other's perspectives in order to further argue her point and bring out the absurdity of the opposing side. She frequently addresses the current problem of sexual assault in many of her recent articles. Petri never outwardly expresses her political views, but she appears to lean a lot more towards being a democrat. I recommend this columnist if you appreciate satire and mockery.

David Chapman (Chicago Tribune)- Steve Chapman is a journalist from the Chicago Tribune. Chapman's articles are very satirical and he puts a lot of his personality into his writing. His main themes for his columns are based around politics and he is a thriving libertarian. With that being said, he most definitely is not a fan of Donald Trump. Mr. Chapman seems to be a supporter of equal rights for all due to some brief sentences he has written in past columns. Chapman is extremely opinionated and will win you over with his strong supporting details. He has never written with a boisterous tone, but he definitely has a smart attitude. I recommend this columnist if you like to really think. The way he writes his columns are so well and sassy, but sometimes he leaves little remarks or even rhetorical questions that can change your whole opinion on a column in seconds.

Thomas Friedman (The New York Times)- Thomas Friedman is columnist for the New York Times. Friedman uses rhetorical questioning and logos to support his claims on political issues. He criticizes President Trump's decisions concerning the United States in nearly every article he publishes. He talks a lot about how climate change and globalization is affecting the United States. I recommend Thomas Friedman if you are interested in a more liberal opinion presented with rhetorical questioning and logical appeal.

Richard Cohen (Washington Post)- Richard Cohen is a columnist from the Washington Post. Although most of his recent articles have been political, he does write about other interesting topics that make you start to think. He is very candid and not afraid to speak his mind. I really enjoyed reading his columns and am going to miss reading his insight. I recommend this columnist to someone who enjoys a more liberal read and who also likes to hear others opinions in a very forthright manner.

Kathleen Parker (Washington Post)- Kathleen Parker is a journalist from the Washington Post. Parker's articles are mostly very political, focusing on scandals or things going on during the Trump Administration. She has a very common topic of talking about sexual abuse from men in politics, being a conservative yet very feministic person. She dislikes the way Trump has acted before and while he is in office. She uses a lot of satire and metaphors throughout her pieces. Parker always leaves the reader thinking and can change your opinion on the topic in seconds. I recommend Kathleen Parker if you like feminist pieces, and like a strong writer who makes strong points about her topics.

Andrew Rosenthal (The New York Times)- Andrew Rosenthal focuses his pieces on political aspects of the world. His main focus is our President Donald Trump. He criticizes many (if not all) decisions or comments he has made. He reviews these comments and decisions with a sarcastic tone that appears in every article. He writes from a liberal standpoint giving his own ideas without explicitly mentioning them. Overall I enjoyed his pieces because of the sarcasm and humorous diction. Leonard Pitts Jr. (The Miami Herald)- Leonard Pitts Jr. is a columnist for The Miami Herald. His articles consist of politics and highly controversial topics spread all over the media. He often discusses American ignorance and will generally repeat an idea or opinion in order for it to be heard. As far as I can tell he is a Democrat. He also disapproves of Trump and is not afraid to speak what he thinks. Pitts Jr. uses rhetorical question commonly to engage his readers in prolonged thought. Essentially, giving his audience something to take away. I recommend this columnist if you are interested in taking the broad spectrum of politics and popular topics into a different outlook.

Dana Milbank (Washington Post)- Dana Milbank is a journalist from the Washington Post. His articles are mostly satirical, but he explains politics very well if you aren't familiar with something. His common theme is Trump. He dislikes the current President A LOT. He also has no prejudices against LGBT people (as far as I can tell) and is on the feministic side. He can get quite boisterous, however.

Gail Collins (The New York Times)- She writes satirical articles with a lot of verbal irony and allusions. Most of her articles are about Trump's decisions and his incapability for the presidency. She has very passionate, liberal views on most topics. I recommend that you choose Gail Collins if you have strong opinions against Trump and you enjoy satirical humor.

Charles M. Blow (New York Times)- Charles Blow is a columnist for the New York Times. He writes about three to four times a week and his articles are kept up to date. He argues his opinions on the negatives of Trump's presidency. Blow uses other people to support his arguments and his hate towards our president is made pretty clear through his writing. I would say that he is an assertive person and is very straight forward in his articles. I recommend you choose this person if you have similar views on Trump.

Peggy Noonan (New York Times)- Peggy Noonan is a columnist from the New York Times that mainly writes her columns on popular political events at the time. For the most part she writes about topics that are easy to find on the news or another reliable source fairly easy to get additional information on. Noonan does not agree with Trump or his actions. Her columns were very educational, but I found them to be kind of boring. I would recommend you chose this columnist if you are looking for informative columns instead of a humorous ones.

Mitch Albom (Detroit Free Press)- Mitch Albom writes for the Detroit Free Press and typically writes straightforward. He mostly gives his opinion on the events occurring at the time and gives his opinion without using a lot of rhetorical strategies. He writes a lot of sports articles, but he publishes a few articles a week and usually writes at least one article worth writing about. I recommend that you choose Mitch Albom if you appreciate someone that gives their opinion straightforward.

Julie Turkewitz (New York Times)- Julie Turkewitz is a journalist from the New York Times. Her articles use a strong use of pathos. She never had an article where she talked about her political views. Julie would show more insight on the people affected by shootings or drugs and not the people who cause the problems. She posts pretty much weekly and one to two articles but never really had a set schedule. I would recommend Julie Turkewitz for anyone who wants to take some focus off of the president and politics and focus on society and what goes on in it. I would also recommend it to anyone who likes to really depressing things that may make you cry.

Anne Applebaum (Washington Post)- Anne Applebaum posts at random intervals, but there are usually one to two new articles per week that you will be able to analyze. She uses mostly allusions to tie her articles to other things going on in the world. She writes mostly about foreign affairs, mainly based around Poland because that is where she lives. Some of her articles are hard to follow if you don't keep up with stuff going on around the world, though. I recommend you choose this person if you are interested in foreign affairs and update yourself regularly on stuff going on around the world.

Nicholas Kristof (New York Times)- Nicholas Kristof is a humanist and feminist, his work revolves around health and global affairs. Usually he keeps a serious tone throughout his articles, but every now and then he throws in a sarcastic jab or witty comment. Kristof’s writing is easy to understand and pretty straightforward. He posts at least two times a week (the days vary). I recommend that you chose Nicholas Kristof if you want to stay informed about our country’s current issues and health.

If there is someone else you would like to follow, seek approval from your teacher first.