Disaffected youth #1: Here comes that cannonball guy. He’s cool.
Disaffected youth #2: Are you being sarcastic, dude?
Disaffected youth #1: I don’t even know anymore.
(”Homerpalooza,” season seven)

We’ll start by looking at the irony article of last class and using the question to wind our way through it.

Then…(trumpets sound)…looking at the synthetic essays, I think we’d be well served to take at least one more look at how these things are put together, so…

I’m going to ask each small group to put together their own synthetic essay question as well as finding the collection of readings to go with it.

Step 1: Get a topic. Here are the topics to choose from.

1. War
2. Beauty
3. Nature
4. Boxing
5. Genes
6. Food

Step 2: Create a question based on your topic. The question should allow reasonable people to not only have 2 possible positions to choose from, but also have more nuanced positions (the yes buts) to stake out. In other words, not Should the driving age by raised to 18? but What are the privledges and responsibilities that teens should acquire once they become adults?

Step 3: Find the readings associated with your topic. Here, you need 6-8 readings that would give a test taker enough variance in opinion, fact, evidence, and method to allow them to respond adequately on multiple sides of the issue. There must be at least one image. There should be excerpts from sources that are longer than one paragpraph, but under a page.  The selections should span different genres including speeches, books, articles, websites, memoir, etc

Step 4: Prepare to present the synthetic essay to the class. Create a short Keynote/PP that gives us the question and briefly (don’t make us read the excerpts from the screen!) details the readings.

Whew!

I hope to be able to see these in the last 15-20 minutes of class but we may need until the beginning of Monday instead.

HW:  Read both “The Insufficiency of Honesty” by Stephen L. Carter and “The Ways we Lie” by Stephanie Ericsson (both are in 50 Essays).  Compare and contrast the two author’s claims, rhetorical strategies, and creation of persona.  200-300 words.

Image Credit: Wikipedia, The Simpsons

So, if you made it; I hope the WASL-fueled AP experience was everything you wished for and more. I hope to have a pretty good schedule of everything we’re up to between now and the AP test by Wednesday.

Hopefully, you read “Shooting Dad” by Sarah Vowell.  I’ll ask you to answer question 4 and characterize the types of humor in the piece and include at least 10 examples.  Then, we’ll share.

Next, we’ll talk a bit about irony and read this piece from the Guardian.

1. Why does the writer say “We have a grave problem with this word?”
2. Define what you think the author means by Socratic irony? Give your own example.
3. The explanation of Romantic irony is even harder. Give it a shot. Be romantically ironic. I dare you.
4. In the discussion of Irony as a tool of dissent, Heller says this “Where irony springs up as a response to being lied to (by authority, or prevailing culture, or whatever), it is still adhering loosely to Chaucer’s model – it states the lie in order to expose the lie, and is therefore a route to truth.”  Paraphrase and explain what she’s saying.
5. Ok, how about Phase 4, aka us. How does Heller think irony gets used now?  Give me an example in your own experience.
6. What does Heller mean by: “The end of irony would be a disaster for the world – bad things will always occur, and those at fault will always attempt to cover them up with emotional and overblown language.”
7. Why is American telly better than British telly? How does the Six Feet Under example show that?
8. Skip the Germans. And then talk to me about instant messaging and irony. Why is it hard? Or is it?
9. Explain how the conclusion is ironic. Whatever.

HW: Find something ironic. Bring it. Write about 100 words on the nature of its irony. Try not to implode.

Image credit: Guns, c.1981-82 by Andy Warhol art.com