AP Language and Composition (Rhetorical Analysis)
One of my Wyzant students asked me an interesting question during one of our sessions, and I have been turning it around in my head ever since.
How do I respond to an AP Rhetorical Analysis prompt when I find the speaker's claim to be fallacious, or I simply do not agree with it whatsoever?
Just for the sake of argument, let's pretend that you're a student who is responding to the 2017 Rhetorical Analysis prompt, which is a 1997 commencement address that then U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright delivered to the graduating class of Mount Holyoke College. Her speech goes into great detail about how the United States is a prosperous nation, is going in the right direction, and is in a unique position to improve the lives of people living in developing nations (particularly the women who live in these countries).
However, let's pretend that you are more concerned with the gender divide here in the United States, and believe that our federal government must first address income disparities between men and women in the U.S. before turning its sights towards nations such as Burma, Burundi, and Guatemala. Furthermore, let's pretend that you do not see America as the prosperous beacon of light that Albright describes it as, and you consider yourself an isolationist.
So what do you do here? Do you use your rhetorical analysis of the reading passage to strike-down Albright's arguments, or do you pretend to agree with Albright's claims and use your analysis to validate her message? And if you do go out of your way to contest the reading passage, would this count against your score, seeing that the College Board probably selected the speech because it found merit in Albright's message? Finally, would refuting an argument in the Rhetorical Analysis section perhaps improve a student's chances of getting that elusive "sophistication" point?
I had no answer for my student, and I'm wondering what you all think.
2 Answers By Expert Tutors
Monica L. answered • 05/21/20
Experienced English Teacher and Published Author
According to the College Board, the objective of the rhetorical analysis is the following: Students will read a nonfiction text and analyze how the writer’s language choices contribute to the intended meaning and purpose of the text.
With this in mind, I don't believe the prompt gives space to refute Albright's arguments. We are not analyzing the merits of her argument, but rather the way she constructs it. Students do not need to take a stance for or against Albright's argument. They should simply discuss whether she argues well and why or why not. I feel as though arguing against the given text would take away from the concision of the answer to the prompt.
That is just my opinion but I think it makes the most sense given the nature of the prompt.
Adam B. answered • 05/21/20
Took Public Speaking in College
I took this very test when I was in high school. I was among the first group of students who ever saw this prompt. The position I took was to agree with Allbright, as that was the opinion that I truly had. However, I think that any opinion that would be provided is valuable. The purpose of grading this assignment is not to give points to prompts that you agree with, but to analyze the rhetorical style. The graders know going in that students may fake their opinion, so they will only analyze your rhetorical style. Choose whichever side will provide a convincing, supported argument, and do not worry about the personal political opinions of the grader.
(Sidenote: Any competent teacher would grade the same way. These tests are graded by ordinary teachers, and not by members of the College Board; any convincing argument that you create will receive a good score or grade.)
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Rhetorical Analysis for Albright’s Commencement Speech in Mt. Holyoke College
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The void upon which a woman occupies cannot be filled since a woman’s work never done. A phrase that every American woman embraces as part and parcel of their day to day livelihood. One such woman, Madeleine Albright, being the first female United States Secretary of the state, still upheld the place of a woman in the society. Her service as the Secretary of state was between 1997 to 2001, after which she also served in a couple of United states highly ranked positions. During her service, Albright once gave a commencement speech in Mt. Holyoke College, where she firmly addressed the female students to live a positive life so that they can earn their success. In her commencement speech, Albright builds up her credibility with both personal and state facts in relation to reputable sources so as to successfully deliver an emotional appeal to the graduating students about life.
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In addition, in her speech, Albright uses parallel structure, “In Guatemala, I have met women who strive to maintain peace and justice and end discrimination and abuse” (Albright, 56-59). This expression emphasizes the efforts women are making to make the world a better place to live, thereby creating a speaker-audience connection on how the audience should address their difficulties when they befall them. Similarly, Albright uses syntax, “As one goes up his road in life, they will, if they aim higher enough and meet resistance” (Albright, 69-70). She emphasizes the need to set individual goals and being ready to achieve them no matter the harsh conditions that come with them. Perseverance is the road to everyone’s success after setting goals straight and abiding by them at all times.
In conclusion, Albright’s commencement speech at Mt. Holyoke College was entirely aimed at empowering the girl child who all this time was viewed as a lesser being. She addresses a number of issues with authentic and credible examples where women have brought up change in the society creating an ample environment for the graduating females to relate and anchor their goal perseverance on. Generally, She gives a motivational speech on how the female gender should set their success paths straight and abide by them at all times without giving up for better results in the future.
2018 AP ® ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION FREE-RESPONSE QUESTIONS.
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AP Language Rhetorical Analysis: Madeleine Albright Speech Excerpt-Quiz
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Here are 15 paragraph/line-specific MCQs on the excerpt from Madeleine Albright's Mount Holyoke College Commence Speech in 1997. Questions focus on: the rhetorical situation, claims, evidence, tone, figurative language, author's purpose, diction, parallelism, and juxtaposition.
This was the text for the Rhetorical Analysis Essay on the 2018 AP Language Exam.
* the speech excerpt text is free online from College Board
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Question 2: Rhetorical Analysis (2018) Sample Student Responses 3 Sample F [] Madeline Albright's commencement speech in í õ õ ó at Mount Holyoke college came at a time of peace and prosperity for American society. However, in the speech, she urges her audience to seek out problems that still exist in the world and to help fix them.
Question 2: Rhetorical Analysis 2020 Scoring Commentaries (Applied to 2018 Student Responses) 4 September 2019 Sample F 6/6 Points (A1 - B4 - C1) Row A: 1/1 The response earned a point for Row A because it provides a defensible thesis relative to the rhetorical choices Albright made to convey her message. In paragraph one, the response
In 1997, then United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright gave the commencement speech to the graduating class of Mount Holyoke College, a women's college in Massachusetts. Read the following excerpt from her speech carefully. Then write a well-developed essay in which you analyze the choices Albright makes to convey her
Madeleine Albright Commencement Speech Rhetorical Analysis Essay In Madeleine Albright's Commencement Speech (Given to a Mount Holyoke College graduating class) She uses multiple Rhetorical Devices such as anaphora, epistrophe, as well as her syntax to push her point access to her audience. Her point, being, that this class is one to "break ...
Rhetorical Analysis Rubric explained with 2 samples from Madeline Albright's Commencement Address. The samples essays are located on The College Board Centra...
This year's rhetorical analysis question asked students to identify and evaluate the rhetorical choices made in a commencement address, specifically a speech by Madeleine Albright to the graduating class of 1997 at Mount Holyoke College. As in past years, this year's prompt asked students to consider the rhetorical situation ...
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Video breaking down Madeleine Albright's 1997 Mount Holyoke speech from the 2018 AP English Language exam.
Question 2: Rhetorical Analysis (2019) Sample Student Responses 2 Sample PP [1] During the British occupation of India, they exerted colonial monopolies and control against the Indian people. The Indians rebelled against these monopolies, similar to the American revolution against the British.
Rhetorical Analysis Of Madeleine Albright's Speech. 777 Words4 Pages. In 1997, the Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, gave a speech to the graduating class of the women's Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. Her speech emphasizes the importance of women's rights and the importance of perseverance and the ability to make a difference.
According to the College Board, the objective of the rhetorical analysis is the following: Students will read a nonfiction text and analyze how the writer's language choices contribute to the intended meaning and purpose of the text. With this in mind, I don't believe the prompt gives space to refute Albright's arguments.
AP English Language and Composition Question 2: Rhetorical Analysis (2018) Sample Student Responses 3 Sample F [1] Madeline Albright's commencement speech in 1997 at Mount Holyoke college came at a time of peace and prosperity for American society. However, in the speech, she urges her audience to seek out problems that still exist in the world and to help fix them.
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In 1997, then United States Secretary Madeleine Albright gave the commencement speech to the graduating class of Mount Holyoke College, a women's college in Massachusetts. Read the passage carefully. Write an essay that analyzes the rhetorical choices Albright makes to convey her message about the importance of perseverance. 5 10 15 20 25 30 ...
Madelein Albright, the United States Secretary of State, gave a commencement speech to the graduating class of Mount Holyoke College in 1997. With that being a women's college in Massachusetts, Albright uses emotional appeal, examples, descriptions and metaphors to inspire and motivate the graduating class to continue achieving greatness, especially as women in society.
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Here are 15 paragraph/line-specific MCQs on the excerpt from Madeleine Albright's Mount Holyoke College Commence Speech in 1997. Questions focus on: the rhetorical situation, claims, evidence, tone, figurative language, author's purpose, diction, parallelism, and juxtaposition. This was the text for the Rhetorical Analysis Essay on the 2018 AP ...
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