11 AP II Take Home Final

Exam
Laurel Levine
Ms. Nagi
12 June 2015

Collegiate Writer
Excerpt from my social concerns essay
"Jordan Baker, a famous golfer, continuously tests the boundaries of her assigned gender
identity, engaging in both premarital sex, and being the only women in the novel capable of
having a career. Though she is a refreshing change to the novels endlessly predictable female
characters, she is met with the stereotype of being inherently masculine in nature through
asserting her independence. Though there is nothing wrong with being a masculine woman, it
can be seen in the book that the only women who comes close to being truly independent, one
Miss Jordan Baker, is in fact seen as manly. She is described as being a slender, small breasted
women (Fitzgerald 11) as if her physical appearance is directly related to what gender role she
identifies with. Regardless of Miss Bakers physical attributes, her occupation as a golfer places
her among the ranks of men. But then when faced with accusations of cheating, her lying is
attributed to being female and that Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame deeply
(Fitzgerald 58)."
I believe this essay in particular highlighted my skills as a collegiate writer who is able to
interpret passages and synthesis them to one another. The prompt for this essay allowed for me to
be more abstract in my ideas and therefore I was able to develop a perspective of my own on the
selected passages. I am especially proud of this essay because I feel as if though I was able to
communicate my ideas effectively as well as have in depth analysis which is usually a problem
for me. Another thing that I excelled with in this essay was my use of quotes to add to my ideas.
I made sure to have no stand alone quotes as well as having the quotes be both relevant and
logical to the surrounding writing. I am quite proud of my diction in this piece as well as the

structure of my essay along with tying everything back to my thesis. This piece is my strongest
example of my collegiate writing skills and I strive to write like this in the future.

Multiple Choice
The passage "Dialogue Between Gout and Mr. Franklin"
Although I did not get a hundred percent on this multiple choice, I had an easy time
understanding and responding with answers that reflected serious thought. When looking over
my practice AP tests, it can be seen that comprehension questions are what I struggled with most.
But during this passage I comprehended and excelled at those questions with ease and
understanding. By using my critical thinking skills I was able to distinguish that gout was
personified in this passage to speak to Franklin on what he should and should not due to his
illness. I was also able to determine that there was a comical tone and that the dialogue reflected
the medical reasoning for illnesses and their repercussions at the time. I am proud of how I did
on this passage because it was quite long and out of my comfort zone with the time period but I
was still able to understand and analyze the central theme and message of the passage and if
needed would be able to write an effective essay on the matter.

Effective Argument
The UN's women health ambassador Emma Watson addressed the UN and the world
about the issues of gender equality and a program she was launching to aid in its development.
She spoke of the true meaning of feminism and how it was to bring equality to both male and
females rather than societies view of being a feminist being synonymous to man hating. She
crafts her argument using both logical and emotional appeals in order to sway the audience
towards her view on the cause and to convey her message effectively. She spoke of her own

stories and experiences of how she was affected by stereotypical gender roles and how she was
not treated equally to her male counterparts. She shares how even at the age of "eight I was
confused at being called bossy, because I wanted to direct the plays ... but the boys were not."
she noticed a difference in how she was treated based on her gender identity. She also uses
appeals to logic to further her argument and to refute the ideas of those that oppose her. By using
examples of how gender equality affects both genders rather than just females, the male audience
is drawn into rally behind the feminist's cause.

Visual Analysis

This piece by an artist named Meek is often credited to Banksy due to the similarities in the style
of peaceful protest and message. By creating this image in a common position that the homeless
are in it pushes the viewer to contemplate the real issues of homelessness in society. The artist
used the word "Change" due to its multiple definitions allowing for the message to have a deeper

message. By using the colors black and white the artist gives the viewer an idea that the issue of
homelessness is "black and white" and that the real issue in the country is how we are not
working to help and change this issue. Although the artist utilizes only a few words on the piece,
the message is both clear and concise that there needs to be a change to how we address the issue
of homelessness in our country rather than dismissing it as not a problem. This piece has an
effect argument on the issue of homeless people that is more adequately expressed through fewer
words rather than a message with the explanation already stated backed with statistics.

Logical Fallacies
Although the Old Spice commercials are both memorable and funny, they also have
multiple logical fallacies that remove credibility from its advertizing and product. In fact most of
these commercials there is no mention of the quality or properties its product has as an effective
deodorant. One example of a logical fallacy in these commercials is the hasty generalization that
"Anything is possible when your man smells like old spice". This message gives off the idea that
the impossible will happen when you use this brand of deodorant when in reality all that will be
affected is your sweat and smell. Another fallacy that occurs in these commercials is the
bandwagon fallacy. This fallacy gives off the impression that since a successful athlete uses this
deodorant that it is popular and credible and is the right choice in deodorant. This fallacy
suggests that men should strive to smell like him since he is successful and attractive and
therefore has credibility. Even though this man is not a specialist in deodorant, he as portrayed as
someone you should listen to and believe their message. The logical fallacies in this commercial
highlight that even in reputable advertisement, flaws in reasoning are present.

Works Cited
Meek. Begging for Change. 2004. Stencil. National Gallery of Australia, n.p.
"Old Spice | The Man Your Man Could Smell Like." YouTube. YouTube, 4 Feb. 2010. Web. 1o
June 2015.
"Peterson's AP English Language & Composition." Issuu. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2015.
Watson, Emma. "Emma Watson: Gender Equality Is Your Issue Too." HeadQuarters. N.p., 20
Sept. 2014. Web. 19 Jan. 2015.<http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2014/9/emma
watson-gender-equality-is-your-issue-too>.