Step 1: The Transcontinental Railroad changed the face of America by connecting the east and west coast of America. It was essential to westward expansion but had dire effects on Native Americans and rural farmers. Read the following speeches. Then complete the chart based on your reading.
Speech A
Speech B
We could not, as a nation, grow larger if we continued to think smaller. This iron road has granted us the opportunity to expand our minds and our country. It has made the impossible possible. It has connected the heart of our great nation with a central artery that runs through nearly 2,000 miles of America. Thanks to the effort of Union Pacific and its friendly counterparts, the economy of this great country has bloomed. Not only is cross-country trade now in place, but we also have greater access to trade with the world. What used to take six months of travel and thousands of dollars for an individual to travel to California in a stagecoach has been decreased to days with minimal cost. Let us rejoice in our accomplishments and ride the rails to the future!
We were made a promise by the “great” railroad men not long ago. But what’s in a promise? Their words were empty, but their pockets were filled. Now our mouths are empty, along with the fields and our hope. Us farmers used to make ends meet with our hands and our crops. Now we can’t feed our families or make an honest wage. The trains drove costs for our crops down and erased us from the marketplace. To get back on my feet, I took a job building the very thing that demolished me. I got a dollar a day working for the railroad. I slept in a train car with dozens of other men. I worked 16-hour days seven days a week. I saw men die at the hands of one another or the equipment. So tell me, Mr. Railroad Man, was your grand idea worth it? For me, it was the end of the line.
Speech A
Speech B
Central Idea
In one sentence, state the central idea of speech A:
In one sentence, state the central idea of speech B:
Rhetorical Appeals
Provide one example of a logos appeal from Speech A:
Provide one example of a pathos appeal from Speech B:
Rhetorical Devices
irony
rhetorical question
antithesis
zeugma
metonymy
synecdoche
Paste one bolded rhetorical device from Speech A.
Identify which type of rhetorical device your example is.
Paste one bolded rhetorical device from Speech B.
Identify which type of rhetorical device your example is.
Comparing Perspectives
How does Speaker A’s perspective differ from Speaker B’s? Respond in a well-developed paragraph that addresses the speeches’ opposing perspectives, central ideas, rhetorical devices, and rhetorical appeals.
Step 2: Examine the two political cartoons. Then complete the chart.
Cartoon A
Two trains face each other head on. The train on the left is labeled San Francisco. The train on the right is labeled New York. Each train has a car attached with people excitedly waving flags. The front of each train has a large hand attached to it, and it looks as though they are about to shake with each other.
Cartoon B
A stadium of people. On the left are a group of wealthy men. On the right are a large group of ordinary looking people. In the center of the stadium, two characters appear. A giant golden knight holds a large javelin atop a golden horse-shaped train labeled monopoly. A man’s face is at the point of the knight’s spear. He is barefoot and sits atop a small thin horse labeled poverty. The caption reads, “The tournament of today. A set-to between labor and monopoly.”
Central Idea
In one sentence, state the central idea of cartoon A:
In one sentence, state the central idea of cartoon B:
Which artist would likely agree with the speaker of speech A?
In a response of 2-3 sentences, explain which cartoon you feel shares the same central idea as speech A:
Which artist would likely agree with the speaker of speech B?
In a response of 2-3 sentences, explain which cartoon you feel shares the same central idea as speech B:
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