Mr. Burke, Yoda and others.

Mr. Burke, Yoda and others.

You may not be a professional writer (yet), but you still use the same tools. Writing is communication. An author wants to show you something, help you understand something, convince you of something. He has tools at his disposal (a painter's palette, if you will). He has words (diction). He has choices (selection of detail). He has comparisons (figurative language). He has sentences (syntax).

Diction simply means word choice. The words you decide to use in your writing to get your message to the reader. We often don't think about the power of words. Consider the following photographs, which cover a similar episode during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina with the notable exception of word choice. Consider the different reactions to the words looting and finding. The first suggests a crime, the second serendipity (or good fortune). Now consider the race of the people in the pictures.

FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPT: The author s choices reveal the author s intent. Writers make choices. In Pre-AP English you need to learn to understand WHY a writer has made particular choices. Why use that word? (diction) Why use that simile? (figurative language) Why use intentional repetition? (sentence structure) In order to communicate ideas, writers must make choices. All choices can be categorized as a literary tool or device.

FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPT: The author s choices reveal the author s intent. For example: A writer might use some form of repetition (e.g., alliteration, assonance, motif, etc.) in order to draw the reader's attention to something important. A writer might construct a sentence in an unusual way in order to draw the reader's attention to certain ideas or images. A writer might make usual comparisons or analogies (e.g., similes, metaphors) in order to help the reader better see his or her understanding. So, a writer's choices reveal his or her intended meaning.

Think of figurative language in this way: A writer creatively uses words either (1.) to explain something otherwise difficult or (2.) to draw attention to something deemed important. By using words figuratively, the writer often changes their original meaning or intent. Generally speaking, figurative language is fun, fanciful, and imaginative. For example "She's hot!" (Most likely, the person uttering such a proclamation is referring to a person's beauty and not body temperature.) "That dirty rat ain't seen nothin' yet!" (The rat is probably a human being.) We saw three gallows erected in the Appelplatz, three black ravens.

Syntax = syn (together) + tax (arrangement), or the arrangement of words in a sentence. Syntax (noun), Syntactical (adjective) In writing, our thoughts are expressed through words. First, we choose what words to use. This word choice, or selection, is called diction. Syntax refers to how we arrange the chosen words to express thoughts. Note that a writer can choose innumerable ways to express the same thought via diction, detail, and arrangement.

As writers, we tend to use certain patterns to arrange our words into sentences. Being unique, we have our own favorite sentence patterns; such distinctive choices contribute to our style. From an AP standpoint, we want to pay careful attention to a writer s syntax. A writer s choice of word arrangement may contribute to the meaning. Consider three of the above examples: I went to the store in the morning. To the store I went in the morning. In the morning to the store went I. Observe the three positions of the subject I. The emphasis in each sentence shifts. The first emphasizes I, the second store, and the third morning. In other words, the focus shifts from person to place to time. A writer can choose what element to emphasize by its placement in the sentence. The information is the same, but the emphasis differs thereby potentially affecting the meaning in the context of the larger passage.

Few consider punctuation a tool of expression; however, think of the possibilities: Compose a sentence revealing anger Get. Your. Butt. Over here. NOW!!!!! [Note how the use of punctuation and capitalization reveals the speaker s rage.] Compose a sentence revealing panic Have you seen, Cindy? I checked the kitchen and parlor but didn t see her. Wasn t she in the living room? I just stepped out for a minute. Cindy! She can t be far, can she? [Note the effect of the dashes. Tying the sentences together suggests racing thought or, in this case, panic.] Compose a sentence revealing confusion I think... well, I know... Hand me that book. [The use of ellipsis in this case suggests trailing thought.]

Taking the time to think about WHAT you need to write about WHO you have to write it for WHY (purpose) Will help you figure out the HOW you will write. Thinking this way doesn t hurt your brain it actually makes it work better. Got it my young masters?

Using what you know now, you will learn to create a THESIS. You will use that thesis to set up your persuasive essay, choose 2-3 examples to PROVE your thesis and provide analysis/explanations HOW each example proves your thesis.