Precis Formula

1. Precis Formula • 1) Name of author, type of document, (date) “Title” argues (a description of the author’s major purpose). • 2) A couple of rhetorical terms and, in brief, how they function to convey meaning. • 3) Describe the organization, or structure of the speech, and explain why it is particularly effective for this audience • 4) Writing with (two tone words), author’s name appeals to (a description of the two audiences and why the message appeals to them).

2. Rhetorical Precis Example for Lincoln’s 2nd Inaugural Address 1) Abraham Lincoln in his second inaugural address (1864) argues for the reconciliation of the South with the North, as well as asserting that slavery is the primary cause of the Civil War. 2) Using personification of the “nation” and the “war” Lincoln effectively creates a space where the impact of blame for the start of the war is mitigated. 3) Also by using repetition, parallelism, and biblical allusion Lincoln aligns his authority with God in order to negotiate the end of the conflict and suggest that the “nation” has suffered enough. 4) Writing with reverential intensity and determined purpose, Lincoln effectively manages to create a rhetorical space by which the South can rejoin the union as well as appeal to Northern audiences who have lost many lives and resources in the conflict; in contemporary times the speech is a reminder that sometimes peace is the hardest state to preserve.

3. Rhetorical Precis example for Eudora Welty’s “One Writer’s Beginnings. 1) In Eudora Welty’s autobiographical essay “One Writer’s Beginnings”(1984) she argues that her love for writing began with her love of reading and that two powerful female role models influenced her to become a voracious reader. 2) Using figurative language, repetition, and powerful diction, Welty crafts a vivid description of the formative influences that inspired her to create her own world of words. 3) By juxtaposing the severe Mrs. Calloway and her own mother, Welty shows that inspiration can take both a positive and negative form. 4) Writing with a reflective nostalgia mixed with a hint of shadow, Welty appeals to her public of aspiring writers and also to hopeful students of literature everywhere.

4. Precis Example for “Fear” by Gary Soto • Gary Soto, in his personal essay “Fear”, explores the notion that class and race are a factor in how we as a society interact and are often a contentious sticking point when power is abused. 2) Using simile, personification, and character detail Soto develops the image of Frankie T., the diminutive school-yard bully, who exemplifies the type of abuse and poverty that the students in this neighborhood experience. 3) Soto starts with an anecdote about being bullied by Frankie T. and then juxtaposes this child to child violence with Mr. Koligian’s abuse of Frankie in order to show that violence is not only a fact of life in young Soto’s community, but also that authority figures feel Frankie and Soto are expendable. 4) Writing a mournful, glum remembrance Soto appeals to adults in power and students who have experience bullying.