MICHALAK: SAT writing prep test

Tone

The attitude, use of mood or sentiments revealed by the rhetorical devices

Sanguine

Optimistic, cheeful

An author who uses ______________ diction knows he is writing for an intelligent audience.

sophisticated

What should you not do when analyzing a prompt?

-Do not summarize the author's points or get too much into what he or she is saying -do not enter the argument and start debating whether or not you agree or disagree with the author's argument

What should u do for EACH strategy?

1. Name the strategy 2. Quote an example of the strategy 3. Explain HOW the strategy words, WHAT effect it has one the audience and WHY the author chose it

Condescension

A feeling of superiority

Matter-of-fact

Accepting of conditions, not fanciful or emotional

Patronizing

Air of condescension

Negative tone/attitude

Angry, disgusted, outraged, accusing, condemnatory, furious, wrathful, inflammatory, irritated, threatening

What tools do we already have?

Appeals Style Word choice Tone Figurative language Mode

what are the tools of the trade?

Appeals Word choice Mode Tone

Didactic

Author attempts to educate or instruct the reader

Judgemental

Authoritative and often critical

Accusatory

Charging of wrongdoing

Jovial

Happy

During the holidays, my mother's house glittered with decorations and hummed with preparations. We ate cookies and drank cider while we helped her wrap bright packages and trim the tree. We felt warm and excited, listening to Christmas carols and even signing along sometimes. We would tease each other about our terrible voices and then sing even louder. What is the mood of this passage?

Content, happy. How do we know?: bc of the words "warm, excited, glittered" that are used by the author

Gloomy

Darkness, sadness, rejection

Solmen

Deeply earnest, grave

Example of an introductory paragraph: "In response to our world's growing reliance on artificial light, writer Paul Bogard argues that natural darkness should be preserved in his article "Let There be Dark"

He effectively builds his argument by using a personal anecdote, allusions to art and history and rhetorical questions

Forthright

Directly frank without hesitation

"We'd gone a quarter mile down the trail when we ran into a man walking the wrong way. He had a pack on back- a full, towering, overstuffed pack- and he was sweating hard. His breath sounded like a bellows. I stepped aside to let him pass. I stared. I knew that he was one of the ones who wouldn't make it up to the summit, that he would quit right here at the start. I thought to myself, "Why waste so much of your time?" The author's tone is: -unbiased -amused -disapproving -loving

Disapproving

After New Year's the time came to put all the decorations away and settle in for the long, cold winter. The house seemed to sigh as we boxed up its finery. The tree was dry and brittle, and now waited lonely, by the side of the road to be picked up. What is the mood?

Dreary, depressed. How to we know: bc of the words "cold, sigh, brittle, lonely"

"...The next minute, Winn-Dixie looked like a furry bullet, shooting across the building chasing that mouse. He was barking and his feet were skidding all over the polished Pick-It-Quick flood, and people were clapping and hollering and pointing. They really went wild when Winn-Dixie actually caught the mouse." The author's tone is: -solemn/serious -disappointed -enthusiastic -unbiased

Enthusiastic

Appeals

Ethos, pathos, logos

Bitter

Exhibiting strong animosity as a result of pain or grief

Lyrical

Expressing inner feelings, emotional full of images, songlike

Critical

Finding fault

Neutral tone/attitude words

Formal, objective, incredulous, nostalgic, ceremonial, candid, shocked, reminiscent, restrained, clinical, baffled, sentimental, detached, objective, disbelieving, questioning, urgent, instructive, matter-of-fact, admonitory, learned, factual, didactic, informative, authoritative

Morose

Gloomy, sullen, surly, despondent

It sounds clichéd But at times like this, I miss my dad. I mean, I don't remember him- He died of cancer when I was three Pictures Are all that's left. The author's tone is: -romantic -amused -grieving -informative

Grieving

You are focusing not so much on what they say, but _______ they say it. You are writing about writing.

HOW

Optimistic

Hopeful, cheerful

"Dana grinned malevolently. His teeth were nubby and yellow, like an old barn dog's. Kneeling on Roy's Chest, He hauled back to hit him again." The author's tone is: -romantic -hostile/angry -solemn/serious -excited

Hostile/angry

Choleric

Hot-tempered, easily angered

What is rhetoric?

How a writer or speaker persuades his audience using specific techniques

What is tone?

How the author feels about his or her subject

What is mood?

How the author wants the reader to feel after reading the text

What is the mood of a text?

How the reader feels after reading, the details and word choice can help create the mood.

"When he realized he was still in one piece, he knew that at the very least he must be completely flat, with his face peering out of his own bottom and his brains leaking out of his ears...." The author's tone is: -terrified -excited -humorous -devastated

Humorous

Reflective

Illustrating innermost thoughts

Apathetic

Indifferent due to lack of energy or concern

Caustic

Intense use of sarcasm; stinging, biting

Earnest

Intense, a sincere state of mind

Conventional

Lacking spontaneity, originality and individuality

Erudite

Learned, polished, scholalry

Style

Legal, scientific, formal, informal, etc.

positive tone/attitude

Lighthearted, hopeful, exuberant, enthusiastic, complimentary, confident, cheery, optimistic, loving, passionate, amused, elated, sympathetic, compassionate, proud

The homeless face terrible problems. Many become victims of violence. Serious health problems many begin because they are exposed to bad weather and unclean conditions. Homeless children may miss the chance to go to school. Worst of all, some cities pass laws that make it even harder on the homeless. What is the tone: -positive -neutral -negative Which word best described the author's attitude toward the problems of the homeless? -upset -uncaring -amused

Negative and upset

Quizzical

Odd, eccentric, amusing

Whimsical

Odd, queer, fantastic

Ribald

Offensive in speech, gesture

Indignant

Marked by anger a rounded by injustice

Figurative language

Metaphors, similes, etc.

Mode?

Narration (story mode) / Anecdote (brief story), compare-contrast (one vs. another) , argumentation (what argument), etc

Mode

Personal narrative, examples, compare and contrast

What is the tone of a text?

Tells how the author feels about the subject-his or her attitude. It can be understood as positive or negative or neutral

Contemplative

Studying, thinking, reflecting on the issue

Obsequious

Polite and obedient only for hope of gain or favor

Contemptuos

Showing or feeling that something is worthless; lacking respect

SOAPS

Subjects- what is the piece about? Occasion- What is the current situation? Audience- to what group is this directed? Purpose- why was the piece written? Speaker- who is the speaker or writer?

Donovan and Larry were early for baseball practice. They decided to run up and down the bleachers to exercise before the rest of the team arrived. Larry was first to the top. He whispered to donovan, "look over there." He pointed to a man sleeping on the highest, narrow bench of the bleachers. His pants and shirt were faded, worn, and too large for his thin frame. One big toe stuck out of a huge hole in his sock. His scraped-up shoes sat a few feet away. Donovan whispered, "we should help him out. Let's hide something good in his shoes. Then, when he wakes up, he will have a nice surprise." Larry smiled. He enjoyed giving to others. What is the tone: -positive -neutral -negative Which word best describes the author's attitude toward the homeless man? -angry -sympathetic -uncaring

Positive and sympathetic

Haughty

Proud and vain to the point of arrogance

Malicious

Purposely hurtful

Cynical

Questions the basic sincerity and the goodness of peoel

Derisive

Ridiculing, mocking

what does diction depend on?

SOAPS

Irony/sarcasm

Scornful, disdainful, contemptuous, sarcastic, cynical, critical, facetious, patronizing, satiric, condescending, sardonic, mock-heroic, bantering, irreverent, mock-serious, taunting, insolent, pompous, ironic, flippant, grotesque

Sardonic

Scornfully and bitterly sarcastic

Disdainful

Scronful

Word choice

See above. Also harsh, soft etc

Pessimistic

Seeing the worse side of things

Rhetorical triangle works together to...

Send a message to an audience

Look at slide where matching the words and finding the right word

Slide 26

Ridiculing

Slightly contemptuous banter

Sarcastic

Sneering, caustic

Awe

Solemn wonder

Sorrow/fear/worry

Somber, elegiac, melancholic, sad, disturbed, mournful, solemn, serious, apprehensive, concerned, hopeless, staid, resigned

Planning the SAT analysis essay

Step 1: read the introductory information Step 2: read the text. (Pay attention to and noting the strategies) Step 3: pick our three strategies u can write about with confidence (the most dominate ones) Step 4: write a brief introduction and thesis statement that includes a brief summary of the author's argument as well as a list of the strategies you will be analyzing

What are you asked to do in a rhetorical analysis essay?

To analyze the choices the writer is making-the strategies they are using- and what effect that has on the reader and/or audience

Why do authors use mood and tone when writing?

To convey ideas and create feelings in their readers. This helps to make the story more interesting

The rhetorical analysis question refers to the....

Tools and tricks (rhetorical strategies- word choice, tone, appeals, imagery, sentence order)

Reverent

Treating a subject with honor, respect

Mocking

Treating with contempt or ridicule

"The storm swept across and area from Virginia up to Nova Scotia, Canada. The winds were blowing in excess of 60MPH. The wind from the hurricane force winds were so powerful that in Liberty, New York, the local train station had its roof entirely ripped off..." The author's tone is: -Happy -Terrified -Unbiased -Sarcastic

Unbiased

Objective

Unbiased view

Callous

Unfeeling, insensitive to feelings

Fanciful

Using the imagination

Intimate

Very familiar

What is the essential question when analyzing an essay?

What choices has the writer made to communicate his or her ideas?

Sincere

Without deceit or pretense, genuine

What should you look for in the story?

Words and details that can help u understand the mood and tone

The type of diction a writer uses depends on the ____________.

audience (readers, listeners)

diction has different degrees: nice------awesome unusual------extraordinary hard----difficult-----overwhelming which words have a more positive connotation?

awesome extraordinary hard

diction can change the meaning: big-----chubby-----fat thin-------skinny------gaunt smell------scent------aroma-----odor------stench which words have a more negative connotation?

big fat thin gaunt odor stench

Word choice?

diction- the words the writer chooses to convert a particular meaning

if the author's purpose is to_________, the readers will likely encounter words used in ironic, playful, or unexpected ways.

entertain

Appeals?

ethos, pathos and logos

t/f: word choice does not influence tone/

false

how does diction depend on occasion?

formal diction is reserved for scholarly writing and serious texts. Informal diction is often used in narrative essays and newspaper editorials. colloquial (your region). diction and slang are typically used to capture the language of a particulate time frame or culture. example: Of mice and men, Text messages

which word has a stronger connotation?: house or home

home, because it gives the feeling of security and warmth

what does the subject often determine?

how specific or sophisticated the diction needs to me example: Articles on computers use specialized language. articles on less serious topics use lighter vocabulary.

where is diction used a lot?

in team names, car names, and nail polish names

If an author's purpose is to _________, the reader should expect straightforward diction.

inform

An author who uses more __________ diction knows he is writing for an audience of varied intelligence.

informal

questions to ask while analyzing the tone:

is the tone mostly serious or mostly playful? what two tones can you identify? what emotions do you sense from the writer?

what should you look for when analyzing diction?

patterns: do the words imply sadness or happiness? are any words repeated? ex: Magic Kingdom's Haunted Mansion "Please drag yourselves to the dead center of the room" By carefully choosing the words "drag" and "dead center of the room", the speaker adds to the already ominous tone suggesting that the mansion guests are of danger of becoming ghosts themselves.

the writer's __________-whether to persuade, entertain, inform- party determines diction.

purpose

what is connotation?

refers to the wide array of positive and negative associations (implied meaning), adding attitude to a word

"Just look at the Titanic!" The captain said. "Even God can't sink this ship." Then, on the first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. boom, it hit an iceberg and sank. And as soon a daredevil utters the words "piece of cake" before attempting a stunt, he is doomed. "piece of cake" become his "famous last words..." what is the author's tone: -happy -depressed -unbiased -sarcastic

sarcastic

the girl remembered little from the raid at Okeadan in which she had been captured. she knew her parents had been killed. she had no idea what had happened to her brothers and sisters. much of what she had experienced had been so horrible that she simply shut it out of her mind. what is the author's tone: -serious/solemn -enthusiastic -uplifting -unbiased

serious/solemn

when asked to write the analysis essay, there are certain ____________ that are always at your disposal.

techniques

what is denotation?

the precise, literal definition of a word that might be found in a dictionary

what is diction?

the words the writer chooses to convey a particular type of meaning

Tone?

the writer's attitude or feeling about the subject if his text

what is tone?

the writer's attitude or feeling about the subject of the text. it is a special kind of rhetorical strategy because tone is created by the writer's use of all of the other rhetorical strategies.

t/f: every word has a denotation, but not every word has a connotation.

true

t/f: the speaker may influence the words used.

true

t/f: tone is the attitude and mood is the atmosphere that is created

true

t/f: words chosen to impart a particular effect on the reader reflect the writer's purpose.

true

how do you determine the claim of the essay?

using SOAP

what they will ask in the prompt:

• As you read the passage below, consider how Paul Bogard uses evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims. • reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence. • stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed • Rhetorical Strategies/ Devices • Rhetorical Tools