Skill Focus Putting It All Together Rhetorical Analysis Using An Alchemy of Mind Teacher Overview Levels of Thinking Remember Understand Apply Analyze Evaluate Create Close Reading Grammar Composition Reading Strategies Annotation Determining Author s Purpose Determining Main Idea Inference Paraphrase Summary Literary Elements Analogy Detail Diction connotation denotation Imagery Point of View person perspective shift Rhetorical Shift Style Theme Tone tone determined through diction, imagery, detail, point of view, figurative language, author s style, and syntax tone shift multiple tones vocabulary associated with tone Figures of Speech (Figurative Language) Metaphor extended/controlling Personification Simile Literary Techniques Allusion Irony dramatic situational verbal Literary Forms Nonfiction Mechanics Usage Pronoun/Antecedent agreement Phrases Appositive Gerund Participial Clauses Dependent/Subordinate Independent Sentences Purpose imperative Structure antithetical balanced simple Syntax Techniques Antithesis Juxtaposition Omission asyndeton Parallelism Polysyndeton Repetition anaphora Rhetorical Fragment Analysis of a Text Meaning and Effect related to parts of speech, phrases, clauses, sentences, and syntax Rhetorical Analysis Focused on Syntax Types (modes) Descriptive Expository analytical comparison/contrast definition Persuasive (argumentation) persuasive appeals emotional ethical logical Multiple Mode Expressive Imaginative Personal The Process of Composition Prewriting consideration of audience determination of purpose generation of ideas organization of ideas Drafting organization precise diction sentence variety unity Structural Elements Introduction thesis Body incorporation of quotes topic sentence use of commentary use of evidence Conclusion Organization Patterns (spatial, order of importance, chronological, etc.) Transitions Imitation of stylistic models (beyond sentences) Selection of Detail Selection of Vocabulary Tone Shifts
Materials and Resources Excerpt from An Alchemy of Mind by Diane Ackerman Highlighters of various colors 2007 LTF End of Course tenth grade Free Response Question Putting It All Together Rhetorical Analysis An Alchemy of Mind Lesson Introduction Ideally, most lessons in an English classroom utilizing Pre-AP strategies would blend the skills of close reading, grammar, composition, and thinking. Focusing on a rich text, however brief, analyzing the use of language in it, and using those language techniques to enrich the writer s own technique these activities inform and reinforce students abilities to form connections among all the aspects of language study. Any short, complex text can form the basis of this kind of lesson. The activities that follow are based on an excerpt from An Alchemy of Mind by Diane Ackerman. Activities include all the levels of thinking and should be modeled for students. It is important to remember that connecting concrete s such as figurative language, diction, and syntax to abstract elements such as tone, purpose, or style is difficult for most students. The questions in this PAT lesson are designed to guide students to an understanding of the connections between s and meaning. Activities suggested include the three strands of Close Reading, Grammar, and Composition. Select the activities best suited for your students and the time constraints of your classes.
Putting It All Together Rhetorical Analysis Using An Alchemy of Mind Pre-Reading Activity The Brain Levels of Thinking Remember, Understand, Apply A. Write a definition of brain. B. Think about your brain and what you might compare it with. Fill in the graphic organizer below with similes and metaphors that create an image of your brain. because an air traffic controller because it schedules different flights of thought in and out of my head My Brain Is Like... because because
Activity One: Reading and Interacting with the Passage Levels of Thinking Remember, Understand As you read the following passage, consider these questions: What figurative language does the author use? What is the author s purpose? Read the passage carefully and complete these activities: Draw a line across the page after line 35 to divide the first and second paragraphs. Put a slash mark(/) to indicate the end of each sentence. Highlight every other sentence (optional). 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 Imagine the brain, that shiny mound of being, that mouse-gray parliament of cells, that dream factory, that petit tyrant inside a ball of bone, that huddle of neurons calling all the plays, that little everywhere, that fickle pleasuredome, that wrinkled wardrobe of selves stuffed into the skull like too many clothes into a gym bag. The neocortex has ridges, valleys, and folds because the brain kept remodeling itself though space was tight. We take for granted the ridiculous-sounding yet undeniable fact that each person carries around atop the body a complete universe in which trillions of sensations, thoughts, and desires stream. They mix privately, silently, while agitating on many levels, some of which we re not aware of, thank heavens. If we needed to remember how to work the bellows of the lungs or the writhing python of digestion, we d be swamped by formed and forming memories, and there d be no time left for buying cute socks. My brain likes cute socks. But it also likes kisses. And asparagus. And watching boat-tailed grackles. And biking. And drinking Japanese green tea in a rose garden. There s the nub of it the brain is personality s whereabouts. It s also a stern warden, and, at times, a self-tormentor. It s where catchy tunes snag, and cravings keep tugging. Shaped a little like a loaf of French country bread, our brain is a crowded chemistry lab, bustling with nonstop neural conversations. It s also an impersonal landscape where minute bolts of lightning prowl and strike. A hall of mirrors, it can contemplate existentialism, the delicate hooves of a goat, and its own birth and death in a matter of seconds. It s blunt as a skunk, and a real gossip hound, but also voluptuous, clever, playful, and forgiving. The brain s genius is its gift for reflection. What an odd, ruminating, noisy, self-interrupting conversation we conduct with ourselves from birth to death. That monologue often seems like a barrier between us and our neighbors and loved ones, but 45 50 55 actually it unites us at a fundamental level, as nothing else can. It takes many forms: our finding similarities among seemingly unrelated things, wadding up worries into tangled balls of obsession difficult to pierce even with the spike of logic, painting elaborate status or romance fantasies in which we star, picturing ourselves elsewhere and elsewhen. Happily storing information outside our bodies, the brain extends itself through time and space by creating extensions to the senses such as telescopes and telephones. How evocation becomes sound in Ravel s nostalgic Pour une Infante Défunte, a plaintive-sounding dance for a princess from a faraway time, is an art of the brain. So is the vast gallantry of imagining how other people, and even other animals, experience life. Alchemy: a precursor to modern chemistry and a philosophy popular in the Middle Ages that was concerned with finding a way to change base metals into gold and discover a potion for eternal life.
Activity Two Point of View What is point of view? Point of view is the perspective from which a narrative is told. Point of view also refers to the bias of the person (or thing) through whose eyes the reader experiences the action. There are several designations for point of view: first person narrator uses first person pronouns, both singular and plural: I, me, my, we, us, our, myself, mine, ourselves second person narrator uses second person pronouns and speaks directly to the reader: you, your, yourself, and the understood subject you in an imperative statement third person omniscient narrator enters the minds of all characters uses third person pronouns: she, her, he, him, it, they, them, themselves, their, theirs third person limited narrator limits the omniscience of the narrator to one or two characters and uses third person pronouns third person objective narrator objectively reports what is seen and heard but does not enter characters minds; uses third person pronouns Read the excerpt from An Alchemy of Mind again and complete these activities. In the first column, make a list of the different pronouns used in the passage followed by the line numbers. List the pronouns only once though they appear several times. In the second column, tell whether the pronoun is singular or plural. In the third column, write the antecedent to which the pronoun refers. Pronouns Singular or Plural Antecedent 1. Write one or two sentences in which you explain the effect of using singular third person pronouns to describe the brain.
2. Evaluate the effect of the author/speaker using first person plural pronouns. 3. Based on the various pronouns you have listed on the chart, explain the overall effect of the shifting points of view employed by Diane Ackerman (second person, first person both singular and plural, and third person for the brain). Activity Three Annotation for Patterns in Figurative Language, First Paragraph Annotate the passage marking figures of speech. Highlight each with a different color (or underline, circle, and use brackets). o metaphors o similes o personification Create a dialectical journal focusing on figurative language. o In the left column, give the quote/evidence and line numbers. Also label the. o In the right column, explain the analogy used to compare the brain (commentary). Lines 1 7 Evidence & Device that shiny mound of being (line 1) metaphor mouse gray parliament of cells (line 2) that dream factory Explanation of Comparison The brain is described as a mound due to its shape and shiny because of the fluids of the brain. It is a mound of being because it is the essence of all human life. The metaphorical comparison describes the literal color of the brain (gray matter); the parliament of cells refers to the decision making body of British government, reminding the reader that the brain governs our lives. metaphor
Lines 1 7 Evidence & Device Explanation of Comparison 4. Based on the figurative language journal of lines 1 7, fill in the statement which synthesizes the types of information presented in the comparisons. introduces the brain as a controlling entity which ; in addition, she explains that the brain is packed with 5. Explain the effect of the parallel structure created in lines 1 6. What type of phrase is repeated? 6. Explain how the syntax in lines 1 7 reflects how the brain functions.
Continue through the passage and create a dialectical journal focusing on figurative language in lines 15 28. In the left column, give the quote/evidence and line numbers. Also label the. In the right column, explain the analogy used to compare the brain (commentary) and add any effect on tone. Lines 15 28 Evidence and Device how to work the bellows of the lungs (lines 16 17) metaphor the writhing python of digestion (line 17) metaphor My brain likes cute socks. (lines 19 20) Explanation of Comparison & Tone The lungs are compared to the used to produce a strong current of air, especially used to fan a flame. The tone shifts from wonder-filled and contemplative to more concerned. In comparing digestion to a writhing python, Ackerman suggests that the digestive system twists and squeezes in order to operate smoothly. It could be deadlly if its efficiency were not controlled by the brain. The tone here is almost threatening. The shift to personification of the brain as a separate entity creates a shift in tone, making it But it also likes kisses. (line 20) The brain has many preferences, both physical and emotional. The tone And... (lines 20 22) And... And... And... continued personification in stylistic fragment
7. How does the shifting tone described in your journal entries for lines 15 28 reflect how the brain works? 8. What syntactical is employed to create the repetition in lines 20 23? 9. What types of phrases are found in the stylistic fragments in lines 21 23? 10. How does the repetition contribute to the complex image Ackerman presents of the brain? Stream of consciousness is a technique or style in writing employed by the author to reveal a speaker s thought level, generally seen in a first person narrator point of view. The pattern of thinking is more random, jumping from subject to subject in a shifting sequence of thought and feeling. 11. How does Ackerman s description of the brain mirror the definition of stream of consciousness?
Activity Four Analysis of Second Paragraph, Time and Allusion Levels of Thinking Remember, Understand, Analyze, Evaluate 12. List the words or phrases that reference time in lines 36 55. 13. What do the references to time further reveal about the control of the brain in our lives? 14. The allusion in lines 51 54 (Ravel s Pour une Infante Défunte ) refers to a plaintivesounding dance. The denotation of plaintive is expressive of suffering or woe. What complex capability of the brain, related to sound and emotion, is being described here? The allusion to reveals another adjective capability of the brain in that it can and. 15. Read carefully the last sentence of the passage. What does Ackerman reveal about the brain and what it is capable of understanding? Ackerman concludes her description by adding that the brain adjective not only controls every aspect of an individual s being, but it also can. 16. Consider carefully the statement in lines 42 43: It takes many forms: our finding similarities in seemingly unrelated things. How does this statement illustrate the effect of the figurative language in the passage and relate it to the functions of the brain? Diane Ackerman s purpose is to describe the brain as and in its functions and capabilities. The imagery and syntax reflect this purpose in that they also.
Activity Five Prompt, Thesis, and Composition Levels of Thinking Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Create Read carefully the following writing prompt based on this passage. The Assignment: In this passage from An Alchemy of Mind, Diane Ackerman examines the nature of the brain. Read the passage carefully to determine the author s purpose. In a well-written essay, analyze how Ackerman uses rhetorical s to achieve this purpose. Consider such elements as the appeals, metaphor, paradox, and syntax. 17. Based on your annotation and information from the charts and questions, compose a thesis statement in response to the prompt. In, employs title adjective about brain author,, and to reveal the nature of the brain. adjective about brain and
Composing Topic Sentences and Body Paragraphs Paragraphs should be unified around a main point or topic. The sentences in the paragraph should relate to that topic. Each paragraph should, in turn, support and relate to the thesis. A well-developed paragraph will have a topic sentence with evidence and commentary to support the main point of that paragraph. Read the following topic sentence with the evidence and commentary. Topic Sentence Ackerman immediately uses imagery and syntax to reveal the brain s complexity and vast control of our lives. Evidence She metaphorically describes the brain as a tyrant and parliament. She then makes the comparison using a football term huddle to further the idea of the control of the brain. o Commentary The idea of ultimate control, whether of a government or a game, can be seen in these metaphors. o Commentary Using a tyrant and an implied quarterback, the author uses images that emphasize the brain s ability to control. Evidence Another metaphor and simile makes reference to our wrinkled wardrobe of selves that is stuffed into the skull like too many clothes into a gym bag. o Commentary Each of us has many selves that live in our brains, different personas that emerge, depending on the circumstances in which we find ourselves. o Commentary The image of stuffing all those aspects of our personalities into a gym bag creates a surprising image, with almost a playful tone that reinforces the huddle Ackerman mentioned previously. Evidence In this first sentence of the passage, Ackerman s syntax mirrors her purpose in the repetition of appositive phrases beginning with that. o Commentary The phrases reveal the brain s ability to pile information on top of information, which is one of the attributes of the brain the author illustrates. o Commentary The variety of content in the phrases also reflects the fleeting and often unconnected thoughts of the brain. Conclusion Sentence The first 15 lines of the passage display the author s view of the brain as extremely intricate, yet she presents simple images and comparisons that each of our brains understands. The paragraph above is composed of 11 sentences. The paragraph could as easily consist of 8 sentences. The number of sentences is not the goal as much as including appropriate evidence and commentary and relating each chunk of information back to the thesis concerning the author s use of s to show the purpose of the passage.
Practice: Select one of the following suggested topic sentences or supply your own modeled after the examples. TS In the next section of the passage, Ackerman personifies the brain to reveal another side of thinking as well as creating a shift in tone. TS The seemingly unconnected and odd comparisons contribute to the paradox of the entire passage. TS The effect of the varied syntax contributes to Ackerman s description of the brain by demonstrating how the brain processes thought. TS The varied points of view in the passage reveal the brain as a separate entity yet unite the reader with the author as the universal we. TS The second paragraph relates us and our brains to others, referring to emotions and how we can truly imagine how others live and feel. Use one of the topic sentences, and supply the evidence and commentary to create the body paragraph. TS Evidence o Commentary o Commentary Evidence o Commentary o Commentary Evidence o Commentary o Commentary CS
Additional Composition Activities Using the body paragraph pattern, complete the free response essay based on the prompt. Use the My Brain graph where you created similes and metaphors to describe your own brain. Take one of the ideas and write a paragraph to further describe what your brain can do and how it functions. Extend the metaphor or simile, using language specific to the comparison. Use Diane Ackerman s passage as a model and imitate lines 1 23. Supply the information that fits your personality and thought patterns.