Unit 1 – Overview & Chapter 1
Text: AMSCO Course Textbook
What This Unit Focuses On
This unit focuses on:
🍓 Close reading of texts
🍓 Evaluating how writing works rhetorically
🍓 Composing effective arguments
Close reading means carefully examining how a text communicates meaning, not just what it
says. This includes analyzing diction (word choice), tone, syntax, and structure to understand
how the writer persuades or informs the audience. In AP Language and Composition, close
reading is essential because it helps readers explain why a text is effective or ineffective, not just
summarize it.
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, ⏔ The Components of the Rhetorical Situation ⏔
Main Idea
The rhetorical situation explains the circumstances surrounding a piece of writing or speech.
It helps both readers and writers understand:
🍓 Why the text was created
🍓 What the writer is responding to
🍓 How the message should be delivered
By understanding the rhetorical situation, writers can make intentional choices, and readers
can more accurately analyze a text’s purpose and effectiveness.
⏔ The Rhetorical Situation: Key Components ⏔
The rhetorical situation consists of six interconnected elements:
🍓 Exigence – the problem or issue that prompts the writing
🍓 Purpose – what the writer hopes to accomplish
🍓 Audience – the group the message is directed toward
🍓 Writer – the person creating the text, including their background and credibility
🍓 Context – the circumstances surrounding the text
🍓 Message – the main idea or claim being communicated