The Greatest Gift is One Everyone Can Give!

It has been said that the relationship between Della and Jim in “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry is a truly unselfish love relationship.  Many people aspire to that kind of relationship for themselves.  Others say that people as poor as Della and Jim have no business spending money on such frivolous and unnecessary things like a watch fob and hair combs.  They would say that the couple should be saving for a home or for a “rainy day.”

In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.  

Canon Three Choosing a Style

Share with the class the introduction of your paper. In the comments, please identify the exordium, narratio and partitio of your classmates entry. Also, give a critical analysis of their introduction and respond with what interests you about the topic. Questions you might have about it or what you might like to learn if given the chance to read the paper in its entirety.

Knock Knock!

There are places to go to find arguments! You are looking for arguments about a particular issue, so you know at the first door and ask, what kind of a think is it?(definition) At the second door, you inquire, what can I compare this thing to?(comparison) Upon arriving at the third door, you ponder, what is it's relationship to other things? (relationship). knocking on the fourth door, you ask, in what circumstance(s) does this think exist (circumstances)? And at the fifth door, you question, do outsiders have anything to say about this thing (testimony)?


For an extra 2 points, tell your favorite knock knock joke. No repeats.

Tribute Writing

Write a 350-500 word tribute. It can be for a favorite historical figure, Saint or almost anything else- a book, a pet or even a special pair of sneakers! Do not choose friends or loved ones. It is best to stick with something less near and dear. Notice the virtues that you are praising. Are they culturally defined, or are they virtues per se" Why are you praising them? Are they virtues that are in jeopardy? Would it make sense to praise virtues that are perfectly established, that there is no doubt about? 

Here is a piece of tribute writing that you can can use as inspiration!

In Defense of a Dog

Sales Pitch

In this exercise, you'll practice deliberative rhetoric. You should try and (a) persuade the audience to buy your item by offering its advantages, or (b) dissuade them from buying it by detailing its disadvantages. Your audience is the ECCSS Schoolboard, your item is the iPad. Half of you should persuade the school board to invest in a 1:1 ratio for the high school, the other half should discourage the board from making the investment. DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!! You must have evidence to persuade or discourage the purchase of the iPads. You all have some experience with the iPads, but in regards to cost and statistics, get your numbers right. Also, be sure to establish your authority (ethos), appeal to the audience's emotions (pathos) and also appeal to your audience's sense of logic (logos). As always, this is first come first serve. Half of the class must persuade, half must discourage.

In your comments, I want you to challenge a student who argued the OPPOSITE of what you argued. And when your blog is challenged, you must defend your position. ALL BLOG ENTRIES AND COMMENTS MUST BE POSTED BY SUNDAY AT 9PM. YOU HAVE UNTIL TUESDAY  TO DEFEND THE CHALLENGES POSTED UNDER YOUR BLOG.

Applause, Applause, Applause!

Lou Gherig's Farwell Speech

The King's Speech

George Bush's Address to the Nation

Watch ALL THREE SPEECHES, then choose one and do a rhetorical analysis of it. Try and identify the five cannons of rhetoric in each. You can speak to the invention, organization, style, memory and delivery in each. Also, use the language we have learned. How is the rhetor establishing ethos, and appealing to logic and or speaking to the audiences emotions or pathos? What is the kairos of the speech? And in analyzing style, does the rhetor employ any schemes and or tropes? Really analyze the language. 
Below are links to the speeches in writing for closer analysis.

https://baseballhall.org/discover/lou-gehrig-luckiest-man

https://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/George-VI-King-s-Speech-September-3-1939

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/gwbush911addresstothenation.htm

The speeches must all be done four times, so first come, first served. If you do your blog last, you will have to analyze whichever is left. Although I will say, they are all short and they are all fabulous. You must comment on a speech that you did NOT analyze.

Life is a Fairy Tale!

Choose a fairy tale. Rewrite it in high style AND in low style. For a high style, you might choose the vernacular of one of the following: a doctor, a lawyer, a US president, or Shakespeare. For a low style, imagine the speaker as one of the following: a surfer, a country bumpkin, an urban teenager, or a chatty girl on her cell phone. Here are some fairy tales to choose from:

(You should find and read the fairy tale before attempting the assignment. Also, once a fairy tale has been chosen, it cannot be repeated.)

"The Three Little Pigs""
"The Ugly Duckling"
"Hansel and Gretel"
"Rumpelstiltskin"
"Rapunzel"
"The Elves and the Shoemaker"
"Sleeping Beauty"
"Little Red Riding Hood"
"The Fisherman and His Wife"
"The Gingerbread Man"
"Henny Penny"
"Puss in Boots"
"Jack and the Beanstalk"