Archive for AP English

Prayer cannot be taken from schools.

{ February 24, 2009 @ 3:47 am } · { AP English }
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       Even though religious instruction in public schools was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court because of separation of church and state, prayer should still be allowed in public schools. A writer from Religious Tolerance declares that although the Supreme Court ruled religious instruction unconstitutional, students may take part in “non-disruptive personal religious expressions.” … continue reading this entry.

Prayer does not belong in public schools.

{ February 20, 2009 @ 5:06 am } · { AP English }
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Prayer in public schools is becoming a great controversy in the United States. In 1962, the Supreme Court ruled that there was no place for prayer in public education. The court rulings did not “remove prayer from school,” but the court took away “government-sponsored worship.” School employees, as government workers, should not be able to influence students in religion. … continue reading this entry.

Prayer has a place in public schools.

{ February 19, 2009 @ 4:33 am } · { AP English }
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The issue of prayer being in public schools is becoming a major issue debated in the United States. Should students be allowed to practice religion freely or should religion be restricted in public schools? The First Amendment of the Constitution, which is greatly misinterpreted, can raise several opinions on whether prayer should be allowed or not. As long as we are protected by freedom of religion and freedom of speech, prayer should be able to have a place in public schools. … continue reading this entry.

Should prayer be allowed in public schools?

{ February 4, 2009 @ 4:37 pm } · { AP English }
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Claim:   Prayer should be allowed in public schools.

Data:  Freedom of speech is guaranteed by the 1st Amendment and the freedom of religion is a form of free speech protected by the 1st Amendment. … continue reading this entry.

Decorating With Rhetoric

{ November 30, 2008 @ 7:00 pm } · { AP English }
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As Christmas time approaches, people are bustling around filling their house with the Christmas spirit. Streets and houses are lined with bright lights and tinsel. Decorated trees are seen in almost every window. Every show on television is beginning to revolve around Christmas. Just like Christmas joy during the holidays, rhetoric is everywhere. Some is easier to spot than others, just like picking out the perfect present for that special someone. As a person spends more time learning and studying rhetoric, they will spot an example of rhetoric everywhere they look! Just like people decorate their house for the holidays, writers are decorating their work with the language of rhetoric.

Examples of Rhetoric (all found in the RUNNER’S magazine):

  •   Rhetorical Question: Do you have what it takes?  (Navy Seal Advertisement)                       
  •  Antithesis: Small Changes, Big Rewards  (Cover of the magazine)
  • Parallelism: Train Smarter, Run Easier, Recover Faster  (Cover of the magazine)
  •  Anaphora: There’s the humanitarian who used a kids’ race to help restore peace and hope in Africa. There’s the high school track coach who turned a team of underdogs into state champions – and college-bound success stories. And there’s the double amputee who is forcing us to rethink our definition of disabilities.  (Heroes Article)   
  •  Epistrophe: You went through it. You decided to be a man about it. You decided to be a woman about it.  (Nike Shoe Advertisement)

Rhetoric is all around! Once a person gets an eye for rhetoric, they will be greeted with an abundance of these wonderful examples. Readers often skim pages to find these devices just like a shopper scans aisle after aisle for the biggest and best sales. Try decorating your work with rhetoric!