We are surrounded by rhetorical language—from television to radio, from the Internet to our teachers, from our peers to our parents. All seek to influence us in some manner through verbal and nonverbal language. The Advanced Placement English Language exam assesses our ability to recognize these rhetorical processes. Do we understand the rhetorical intent (or purpose) of a person’s speech? Do we recognize the intended effect on the audience? Can we understand WHY the person has chosen the utilized strategies (as opposed to other means)?
The Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Exam tests a student’s ability to recognize the relationship between choice and intent. The exam largely eschews the imagined, preferring nonfiction literature such as essays, newsreporting, expository letters, historical analysis, etc. Within the past few years, exam writers have released questions asking students to consider the rhetorical use of modern media, including television, blogs, and talk radio. Without question, the exam has taken greater and greater steps towards emphasizing real world application of rhetorical concepts.
Political campaigns are a perfect vehicle to teach and analyze rhetorical strategies. Campaigns are fluid, constantly in motion and forever changing. To win an election, a candidate must win a plurality of votes. To win votes, a candidate must convince others to cast votes on his or her behalf. Fundamentally, then, a political campaign is a rhetorical process.
As our major, ongoing project this year, AP students will follow the current Presidential campaign. Working in teams and as a class, we will follow the Democratic and Republican campaigns, collecting data and analyzing decisions. We will attempt to understand HOW the candidates plan to convince others to cast their votes for him or her. As events unfold, we will attempt to understand WHY the candidates make changes to their campaign strategies. The words HOW and WHY are central to Advanced Placement analysis: To be able to answer these questions demonstrates understanding of the rhetorical nature of language.
