SOAPSTone Lets Get Started 1Who is the Speaker

SOAPSTone Let’s Get Started…

1)Who is the Speaker? (The voice that tells the story. ) Remember that it is not enough simply to name the speaker. What can you say about the speaker based on references to the text? Non-Fiction – the author/speaker and any background information that might bear upon his/her text. Fiction – the narrator, not the author, and any implied traits or characteristics that might influence the text. Students should go beyond merely identifying the Speaker by name (occasionally, none will be given). They should be able to apply outside knowledge to Speaker, or infer traits from the text itself.

What is the Occasion? (The time and the place of the piece; the context that encouraged the writing to happen. ) Be certain to discuss both of the following: • Larger occasion - those issues or ideas that must have made the speaker think about this incident • Immediate occasion - the specific cause of the document Non-Fiction – the event that triggered the response Fiction – the primary, specific event being discussed (summary) Students should contextualize historical events or the “environment of ideas” that led to a text being produced. Students should also be able to summarize the events in a few words or phrases.

Who is the Audience? (The group of readers/listeners to whom a piece is directed. ) It's not enough to say "anyone who reads it. " You will want to identify a certain audience by describing some of its characteristics. Non-Fiction and Fiction – the specific person, small group, or larger group a piece is aimed at There may be multiple audiences, and the audience(s) may need to be discovered through student inference of the level of discourse in the text, the diction, the connation of chosen words, and the traits of the Speaker.

What is the Purpose? The reason behind the text? (The purpose could be personal or directed to an audience. ) Decide what the message is and how the author wants the audience to respond. Non-Fiction – what the Speaker wants the Audience to think or do as a result of reading/listening to the piece Fiction – the larger “point” being examined in the piece; the “theme” presented Students should apply social, cultural, historical, etc. perspectives to a text to discover what the author/Speaker is attempting to reveal about those perspectives. They should be able to examine the logic of the argument and/or themes and interpretations being presented.

What is the Subject? (The general topic, content, and ideas contained in the text. ) You should be able to state the subject in a few words or a very short phrase. Non-Fiction and Fiction – the larger context of the text (related to Occasion and Purpose) Students should go beyond the immediate occasion to discover the larger context or issue that eventually led to the triggering Occasion. This should be stated in a few words or a phrase.

What is the Tone? (The attitude of the author/Speaker. ) Try to choose a description of the tone that fits the piece as a whole. Include specific words or phrases from the text and explain how they support your statement. Non-Fiction – the meaning imparted by the author that goes beyond the literal; how the author feels about the subject Fiction – same as above, though it might require a distinction between author and narrator Students should analyze diction, syntax, connation, and imagery to determine the attitude being presented

Political Cartoon (Non-Fiction, Non-Text)

Speaker: Anti-isolationist political cartoonist by Dr. Seuss Occasion: • Larger occasion – the attacks on England by Nazi Germany • Immediate occasion - the Hoolcaust Audience: 1) other anti-isolationists (want to get involved) 2) isolationists (ignoring the situation) Purpose: 1) support those who feel America should enter war 2)shame isolationists for their foolish views Subject: World War II/Indifference to situation Tone: mocking, humorous, satirical

Speaker: President Abraham Lincoln – President during Civil War Occasion: Dedication of Cemetery near site of Battle of Gettysburg (November 19, 1863) Audience: 1)ostensibly, people attending ceremony 2)supporters of the Union 3)those wavering in support of Union 4)critics of the war 5)Confederates Purpose: 1)frame the Civil War as a conflict regarding the essential ideals of the US 2)state the importance of winning the War 3)support believers in the justness of the Union cause and bolster those wavering in support 4)address critics of the War 5)show Confederates the resolve of the Union Subject: 1) Civil War 2) America in general Tone: lofty, elevated, reverential, forceful, definitive, powerful

1. A score equals 20. To what year does Lincoln take us back? Why? 2. To what is Lincoln referring when he says the United States was born “dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal? ” 3. According to Lincoln, what is the Civil War testing? 4. What advice does Lincoln give? What does he want them to realize about the purpose of the Civil War? 5. According to Lincoln, what might happen if the North loses the Civil War? 6. Imagine that Thomas Jefferson has returned to life. He has just read a copy of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. How do you think the author of the Declaration of Independence might react to the speech?

Rhetorical Analysis D—Diction I----Images D-----Details L----Language S----Sentence Structure

Diction/Tropes/Word Choice What words does the author use? “The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones. ” “The question before the house is one of awful moment to this country. ” “Yesterday, December 7, 1941: a day that will live in infamy. ” What type of word patterns (Tropes) do you notice?

What Images does the author create? Visual, olfactory, auditory, tactile, gustatory, kinesthetic How do these images imbue (permeate) the piece with sensory images? “I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my [chest] from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to this. ”

Which Details does the author include and omit? Lady Macbeth mentions he had made a promise (which he had not)…. Atticus points out Tom can only use his right hand, while Mr. Ewell writes left handed Lincoln mentions “four score and seven years ago”

What type of Language does the author use? “All right, then, I’ll go to Hell. ” “Ask Not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country…. ” “We are apt to listen to that siren till she turns us into beasts…. . ” “You are not wood, you are not stones, but men……. ”

Syntax/Sentence Structure/Schemes • • • Simple, compound, complex, compound-complex Use of phrases Sentence variety Vivid verbs, etc. Active or passive voice Patterns in Schemes