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Rhetoric
Rhetoric
The AP Language and Composition Exam places strong emphasis on students’ ability to analyze texts rhetorically and to use rhetoric effectively as they compose essay responses. It’s an important question for teachers, therefore, to consider what students need to know about this often misunderstood term in order to write confidently and skillfully. The traditional definition of rhetoric, first proposed by Aristotle, and embellished over the centuries by scholars and teachers, is that rhetoric is the art of observing in any given case the “available means of persuasion.”
VISUAL RHETORIC
VISUAL RHETORIC
The AP English Language and Composition course focuses on how writers use rhetorical devices in order to make effective arguments. This foundational unit gives students a chance to analyze how visual images — with or without words — argue, influence, and persuade. While the objective is the same for all students, teachers should consider their students’ existing abilities in the basic elements of argumentation and rhetorical strategies before beginning this unit. For some students, this lesson might work best toward the end of the school year, when they are already familiar with rhetoric and therefore more likely to grasp the parallels between written arguments and visual ones. Regardless of when the unit is taught, students should grapple with these essential questions:
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