Essay Notes

1. Essay Notes • If you’re arguing a position, put it in ¶ 1 • Better a single sentence that makes your thesis clear than a huge intro paragraph with gobs of context and no clear thesis • SUPPORT EVERYTHING • All essays need specific support. Bring stuff up on the argu. (R-O-E, L-I-M-E). Cite source on the synthesis. Quote the analytical text. • Make sure your support is logical! • “Although” ≠ “However” • Intro.’s subordinate clauses—not a transition • “Although, some may disagree with me.”

2. Essay Notes Thesis Thistles 3-point is fine, but rather than rehashing all 3 at the end, end with a snappy trope or scheme that reiterates your main point Another way to spice up the 3-point thesis is to let rephrased examples stand in for the points Without advertising, charities would live in obscurity, corporations would monopolize the market, and people would remain in the dark about potentially superior products. If using a “clause, clause, clause” thesis, stay // The penny should be retained because it is a symbol of our heritage, abolishing it would hurt the poor most, and it is not a waste of time or space.

3. Essay Notes • Be your classroom self • Don’t use slang, but don’t put on airs • Never force anything • Don’t pull out rhetorical terms or use sources just to impress; make sure there’s a point • EVIDENCE OF THOUGHT • More valuable than any term or fancy word • Show that you can think analytically—what context-specific strategies and choices do you notice, even if they aren’t devices we studied? • e.g. “repeated death imagery” • “Downe knows his wife will be skeptical…uses the first chunk of his letter to address his good conditions in America.” • “a backhanded insult to Jefferson, since he wrote those words himself”

4. Essay Notes • Remember: top essays begin in style • Quotation, general observation, background • “Benjamin Banneker wanted desperately to abolish slavery, as shown in his letter to Thomas Jefferson…” • Not just a fragment stating your topic • “The flag.” “The penny.” “Museums.” • No TV intros! • An Aye for an “I”? • “I” is OK, but not in analytical • Strong transitions • “However, Carson does not only rely on the audience’s sympathy for animals. She also uses logic and establishes her credibility.”

5. Analytical Adages • Don’t just say a purpose exists—identify it and analyze it! • NOT THIS: “Benjamin Banneker wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson arguing slavery.” • THIS: “Banneker attempts to sway Jefferson against slavery by means of logical analogy, emotional and religious language, and numerous appeals to flattery.” • Don’t evaluate; analyze. • A good analytical essay doesn’t show whether you like the text, but merely that you recognize what the author is doing.

6. Analytical Adages • “emphasizes the point” / “makes it flow” • Emphasis is meaningless w/o a specific purpose • Everyone wants their words to “flow”; what else is going on here? • Everything you find must serve purpose! • Finding some great obscure scheme won’t help you if you can’t relate it to your purpose. • Be sure you are making a claim, not just listing examples of a device • The really important sentence comes after the quoted evidence • More than just a restatement of your thesis; it’s an explanation of how the quoted passage accomplishes the purpose identified earlier.

7. Analytical Adages • Don’t Be a “User” • “Carson uses diction.” What kind? How? • Find more thoughtful ways to say it than “So-and-So uses” a strategy • Carson asks pressing rhetorical questions • Carson relies on pathos appeals • Carson employs… • Carson’s diction is… • Avoid passive voice • This essay is all about analyzing how an author DOES something, so give her credit for doing it—no “diction is utilized,” no “by doing this, it shows that”

8. Analytical Adages • Be sure you are making a claim, not just listing examples of a device • The really important sentence comes after the quoted evidence • More than just a restatement of your thesis; it’s an explanation of how the quoted passage accomplishes the purpose identified earlier. • If you find yourself listing seven words in a row as examples of “good diction,” put down your pen and rethink your life. • Particularly in old texts, “sophisticated diction” isn’t a notable strategy; it’s par for the course. • Notice the rhetorical situation and its effect on the rhetor’s choices • “[Green assumes] the persona of the depraved slave owners whom members of the audience can spitefully recall…”

9. Argumentative Adages • Avoid fallacies! • Especially generalizations in intro/closing • “Americans would lose their freedom” • “This is what makes us all unique and special” • Narrative Frames • Great for beginnings and endings • Contexts! • Angles from which to argue / potential organizers

10. Synthesis Stuff • CITE sources! • You want credit for all the sources you use • Don’t forget about quote blending! “” , “ : “ • Use sources in complex ways • Combine, compare, contrast • Visual sources are there for creative, not trivial, use • EVIDENCE OF THOUGHT • Style, Style, Style! • “This small, annoying piece of copper should have been abolished years ago, and something needs to be done now.” • Don’t forget counter-argument! • Can be ongoing throughout essay

11. IF YOU MUST CRAM… • Look over these: • ROCKING THE ESSAYS • Essay PPTs • Multiple Choice strategies • List of argumentative contexts • Quote incorporation strategies • Trope and scheme definitions • The Jolliffe diagram • Latin abbreviations • Tone vocab • READ SOMETHING YOU LIKE!

12. Go Forth and Conquer! • Remember, if you write a satisfactory essay, you’ll get a mid-range score. • “9” essays are amazing. • If you want a perfect score, your ideas and your command of language must wow the reader. • Be bold. • Now is not the time for “almost,” “maybe,” or “seems.” • Know what you want to say and say it well. • See you at the AP-rayer service!