Literary-analysis-of-rhetoric essay launch — SOAP framework and the 4-paragraph structure (Lincoln Gettysburg)

Look at MG-17 SOAP. Fill in what you know about Lincoln's Gettysburg Address: Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose. Pair-check with elbow partner.

• Circulate to spot which students need more historical context
• Pull together a class SOAP analysis on the board
• Affirm: SOAP analysis precedes device analysis

Today launches the LITERARY-ANALYSIS-OF-RHETORIC essay — your major spring writing piece weeks 5-9. You will choose a mentor speech from the curated list (Lincoln, King, Sotomayor, Adichie, Murakami, Chavez, Maathai, Nakate, Douglass, Yousafzai, Morrison, Senesh, Harjo, Park, Gyasi — 15 options), analyze 2-3 rhetorical devices the speaker uses, and write a 4-5 paragraph essay explaining HOW those devices serve the speaker's purpose for that audience. The structure (MG-18): INTRODUCTION with SOAP (1 paragraph) + DEVICE BODY 1 (1 paragraph) + DEVICE BODY 2 (1 paragraph) + DEVICE BODY 3 if 5-paragraph (optional) + SO-WHAT CONCLUSION (1 paragraph). The thesis names the speech, the speaker, and the devices: 'In [speech], [speaker] uses [device 1], [device 2], and [device 3] to [achieve purpose].' Each body paragraph follows TOPIC SENTENCE (names device + claim about effect) + EVIDENCE (embedded quotation showing device in action) + WARRANT (explanation of HOW the device serves the speaker's purpose). The SO-WHAT conclusion synthesizes: what does the writer's rhetorical CHOICE reveal about their argument's STRATEGY? Today we model with Lincoln's Gettysburg Address (272 words — short enough to read fully).

• SOAP is your foundation. Devices serve purpose for audience.

  model S = Abraham Lincoln, US President; O = 19 November 1863, dedication of Soldiers' National Cemetery at Gettysburg battlefield 4.5 months after the battle; A = the war-weary American public, families of the dead, soldiers, future generations; P = to honor the dead, redefine the war's purpose around equality, and re-commit the nation to democratic government.

  prompt Fill SOAP for Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.
• Three devices = three body paragraphs. Each devotes one paragraph to ONE device's effect.

  model (1) PARALLELISM in 'of the people, by the people, for the people' — tricolon of prepositional phrases. (2) ANAPHORA in 'we cannot dedicate — we cannot consecrate — we cannot hallow' — three modal-verb clauses. (3) ANTITHESIS in 'the world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here' — contrast in parallel structure.

  prompt What 3 devices does Lincoln use in the Gettysburg Address?
• Thesis names the speech, the speaker, the devices, AND the purpose. All four elements.

  model 'In the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln uses anaphora, parallelism, and antithesis to honor the dead while redefining the Civil War as a struggle to fulfill the nation's founding promise of equality.'

  prompt Sample thesis sentence for Lincoln Gettysburg essay?

• Cold Call: name the 4 SOAP elements for Lincoln Gettysburg
• Pair-share: which mentor speech will you choose for your own essay, and why?
• Thumbs: I can write a SOAP thesis for my chosen speech (up) / I need conferring (down)

M-6-S-WR-07-A Chart

MG-18 essay-structure poster as specified (4-paragraph with optional 5th body) displayed at front. Worked example for Lincoln Gettysburg in side panel.

MG-18 Chart

Literary-analysis-of-rhetoric essay structure anchor: 4-paragraph (or 5-paragraph) card. PARAGRAPH 1 — INTRODUCTION with SOAP intro: name the speech, the speaker, the occasion, the audience, the purpose. State your THESIS — 'In [speech title], [speaker] uses [device 1], [device 2], and [device 3] to [achieve purpose].' PARAGRAPHS 2-3 (or 2-4) — DEVICE-ANALYSIS bodies: each body paragraph analyzes ONE device. TOPIC SENTENCE names the device + claim about its effect. EVIDENCE = an embedded quotation showing the device in action. WARRANT = explanation of HOW the device serves the speaker's purpose. PARAGRAPH 4 (or 5) — SO-WHAT CONCLUSION: synthesize — what does the writer's rhetorical choice reveal about their argument's strategy? Bottom: 'You are analyzing HOW the writer argues, not WHAT they argue. Stay close to the language.' Print-ready 11x17.

• Skim the curated mentor-speech list (15 options). Choose 2 candidates. Pre-fill SOAP for each.

  scaffold Pre-filled SOAP info available for all 15 options on the curated list
• Decide your final mentor speech. Draft a thesis sentence using the MG-18 thesis template.

  scaffold Sentence-frame: 'In [speech], [speaker] uses [device 1], [device 2], and [device 3] to [purpose].'
• Identify 2-3 candidate devices in your chosen speech. Mark in highlighter.

  scaffold MG-2 rhetorical-devices master at desk; partial-fill if speech is long

• Write your thesis sentence. Use the MG-18 template. Name 2-3 devices.

• Restate: SOAP precedes device analysis; 4-5 paragraphs with thesis + device bodies + so-what
• Preview tomorrow's idiom analysis lesson

• Finalize your mentor-speech choice. Read it fully. Bring tomorrow with 2-3 devices identified and a draft thesis.