In honor of Halloween, I would like to post this group of extra credit questions for my English III students.
First, listen to the following song. (You will have to do this on your own time, as the video is not cleared for our school network.) The lyrics are also available here, if you do not have access to YouTube videos outside of school.
Now, remembering what we have been studying about rhetoric, complete the following.
1. Find examples of ethos, logos, and pathos in the speaker’s argument.
2. Thinking of the rhetorical (or Aristotelian) triangle, what is the relationship between the speaker and the subject? The audience and the subject? The speaker and the audience?
3. Does the speaker address counterarguments? If so, what are they, and how effective is his refutation?
4. How effective is this speaker’s argument? Is he likely to persuade the listener to his desired course of action? Why or why not?
5. Discuss the speaker’s diction. Does he use charged or loaded words, or does he primarily use words with neutral connotations?
6. What does this example demonstrate about the idea that there is always an acceptable compromise, if people are willing to give enough on both sides?
Make sure to put your answers in an MLA-format document and turn it in soft copy through the link on our Google Classroom. Extra credit will be awarded for those who answer well. (And, believe me, after your last test, you want extra credit.)