"Against Nature" by Joyce Carol Oates

"Against Nature" by Joyce Carol Oates

Nature Essays Part Three

Open Ended

Warm-Up:

Pick a topic that you care deeply about. Then, persuade readers that your topic is important in at least 2-3 sentences.

Things to consider: sports, teams, players, artists, influencers, musicians, math, online learning, issues, ideas, education, skincare, haircare, appearances, tv shows, underrated things, overrated things, etc.

Standard

LAFS.1112.RI.2.5 - Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging.

Multiple Select

Select all of our objectives for today! Hint: It is all of them.

• Identify an author's structural techniques

• Analyze structure of a text

• Evaluate the effectiveness of the argument

Essential Question

What structural techniques does the author employ in order to craft her argument? Evaluate whether these techniques are effective or not.

Structural Devices

• Class Activity:

• Provide examples of each structural device

P.E.R.S.U.A.D.E (Rhetorical Devices)

Which of these are most effective? Least effective? Why? Discuss with a patner and be prepared to share out.

Open Ended

Epigraphs, or quotations, often appear at the beginning of a work to summarize or emphasize author's purpose.

Why did Oates choose the two epigraphs to open her essay?

Answer Key

Thoreau and Johnson are both writers; both quotes show frustration with the topic of nature.

Three main types of Essays

Multiple Choice

True or False: The author's main purpose for writing is to argue a point of view

• True (lines 2-5).

• False (lines 2-5).

How does the author feel about nature as a writing topic?

Informational Approach (lines 29-45).

Open Ended

Cite supporting details that inform the reader about facts about the topic of paroxysmal tachycardia.

Multiple Select

Select two pieces of evidence that suggest a NARRATIVE writing structure

• "Let's contemplate the sky" (line 63).

• "isn't that the story of all lives?" (line 68).

• "remember that there is a clever...if you dont panic" (lines 63-68).

• "Lying below the surface of a body of water" (Line 68).

• All of the above.

Multiple Choice

Cite text that suggests an informative writing structure. (Just select one)

• "Let's contemplate the sky" (Line 63)

• "Remember that there is a clever...if you don't panic" (Lines 63-68).

• "Isn't that the story of all lives?" (line 68).

• None of the above.

Open Ended

Analyze and evaluate the effect of the use of multiple structures on the essay.

Ex. The use of multiple structures gives the essay complexity and makes it more persuasive because........

Answer Key

The use of multiple structures gives the essay complexity. In addition, it makes the essay more persuasive because if appeals to the reader's mind, senses, and heart.

Open Ended

Cite an assertion in lines 76-78 that is a fact. Then, make an inference on why Oates included this detail.

Answer Key

The blueness of the sky is an optical illusion. Oates made this statement because it shows that we cannot trust what we see in nature. This supports her point of view that we see nature as we wish to see it, not how it actually is.

Multiple Choice

Analyze and evaluate why Oates includes these stories at this point in her essay.

(wading in water/leeches, dead dog, rabid raccoon...)

• The use of graphic details and vivid images helps readers experience the happy childhood the author had

• The use of graphic details and images helps readers connect to the author

• The images illustrate the author's view that nature is brutal, indifferent to suffering, and should not be idealized.

• The imagery proves that nature is not worth mentioning in writing.

Multiple Choice

Identify the claim Oates makes in lines 117-124.

• The author claims that nature is seen falsely by many people as a "consoling" human "experience". We understand nature superficially and believe what we want about it.

• The author claims that nature is seen falsely by many people as a terrible human experience that can be quite brutal. The author emphasizes how humans should have a better idea and view on nature.

• The author makes neither of these claims.

Multiple Choice

Identify evidence Oates uses to support the claim in the previous slide:

• She gives examples of people's in-depth interactions with nature, (parkin, jogging on the beach, gardening, etc)

• The author provides examples of people at the park, jogging on the beach, and gardening to demonstrate the importance of nature.

• She gives examples of people's superficial interactions with nature, (park, jogging on the beach, gardening, etc)

Cite the examples of rhetorical questions

Open Ended

When opinions cannot be proven, the opinions of people with credibility help add. How does the quotation from Wilde support Oate's argument? (lines 160-178).

Open Ended

Author's may draw attention to their main idea by beginning an essay with some type of thing and then returning back to it again. Remember the epigraphs?

Why, at the end of this essay, does Oates refer to Johnson's quote from the epigraph?

Open Ended

Discuss how Oates appeals to her readers, including her choice of structure and evidence. Share your conclusions.