Do This FIRST When Writing a Rhetorical Analysis! | AP®* Language Question 2

Main ideas / lessons

• Rhetorical analysis for AP Lang becomes easier when you first understand (and parse) the prompt/assignment.
• AP Lang doesn’t just mean “stress”; it means answer the prompt. The key skill is critical reading of the assignment.
• The video demonstrates how to break down AP English Language Question 2 using an official 2012 prompt about a John F. Kennedy press conference.
• The process helps keep students focused and prevents “treasure hunting” for rhetorical devices without a clear purpose.
• The central strategy is to create a “winning question” that guides what you must learn from reading the passage.

Methodology: “Task analysis process” (4 steps)

The speaker emphasizes doing these steps before reading the text and writing the essay (on exam day).

1. Identify the “tag” in the task

   • Tag = title, author, genre
   • Procedure:
     • Identify author and genre first (usually easiest).
     • If there’s no official title in the assignment, create your own working title.
     • Example:
       • Author: John F. Kennedy
       • Genre: press release / press conference context
       • Working title created: “Kennedy’s Address to the American Public on Steel Prices” (author + genre + audience/topic)

2. Find rhetorical background information

   • Look for context in the task that will help you interpret the text later.
   • Include details such as:
     • When it happened (1962)
     • Economic situation (country emerging from an economic recession)
     • Trigger event (steel company executives raised steel prices by 3.5%)
     • Speaker’s role/position (Kennedy was president)
     • Kennedy’s recurring message (he called for national sacrifice)
     • Purpose context (the remarks were a direct response to the steel price increase)
   • Important note:
     • Background information may or may not explicitly state the purpose, but it helps you form predictions and understand what’s happening.

3. Identify the “command element” (what the essay must do)

   • Determine what the essay prompt is asking you to do by focusing on the instruction that begins with “analyze.”
   • The video’s logic:
     • If the task were “define/summarize/explain,” that would be different—but AP Q2 requires analysis.
   • Example:
     • Task is to analyze the rhetorical choices Kennedy makes to convey his message about the actions of steel company executives.
   • “Team” (the analysis focus):
     • Kennedy’s rhetorical choices
     • Kennedy’s message
     • Steel executives’ actions

4. Create a “winning question” (the most critical step)

   • Goal: convert the analysis instruction into a focused question that tells you what you must figure out while reading.
   • Procedure (step-by-step):
     • Look at the task instruction beginning with “analyze.”
     • Determine the infinitive after it:
       • Infinitive = “to” + an action verb
       • Example: “to convey”
     • Draw a vertical line to the left of the word “to.”
     • Use only the text to the right of the line (do not look at the left side, which may distract).
     • Create a question that begins with “what” (not why/how).
     • The question should be:
       • “What can’t I know until I read this passage?”
   • Example “winning question”:
     • What is Kennedy’s message regarding the actions of steel company executives?
   • Why it works (as explained):
     • If you can answer that question by the time you finish reading, everything else becomes easier.

How the strategy leads to writing the essay (conceptual walkthrough)

• After identifying the message:
  • Deduce what the audience should do based on that message.
• Then:
  • Find textual evidence that reveals the message.
  • Explain how Kennedy’s rhetorical actions/evidence:
    • show the message
    • motivate the audience to act the way he wants

Speakers / sources featured

• Speaker: “Garden of English” (instructor/host; not given by name in the subtitles)
• Referenced historical figure (example prompt source): John F. Kennedy
• Instructional/source material referenced: AP English Language Question 2 (2012, College Board)
• Referenced organization: College Board
• Referenced program/brand: Lang Support (Garden of English)