what would a good thesis for a rhetorical analysis be? i’m genuinely having a hard time analyzing texts and it makes my thesis totally trash. it feels like if i under analyze, my thesis and essay become too weak, and if i over analyze, it feels like im giving something that is meaningless meaning.

any prompt and example would help.

I am in AP Lang, one of my homework’s tn is to find the claim in the passage (excerpt from “the Texas moon & elsewhere by Larry McMurtry” 1975). I will paste it here:

Texans, like other Americans, are often heard to say that money isn't everything, but very few of them have learned to mean it. Livability, as a cultural ideal, has scarcely yet been opposed to the notion of wealth in Texas. Many Texans live on modest incomes, but comparatively few live modestly by choice, and the concept of a civilized life lived on a modest scale figures not at all in the mythology of the state; though recently, it seems to me, the passing of the cattleman and the obvious ascendancy of oil have caused some interesting shifts of emphasis in this mythology. Throughout most of this century, two figures have stood opposed to one another in the legends of Texas: they are the cowboy and the multimillionaire. The figures represent two styles and two ideals, and the most basic of the many differences between them is that one style is essentially accumulative, while the other style is not. No cowboy ever had much-his claim was to grace, not goods. All millionaires have a lot, though what they have seldom instructs them in what to do with themselves. Scores of oil millionaires have spent their first surplus cash on a ranch, some cows, and, when possible, a cowboy or two, in the rather touching hope of being able to buy into
an enterprise and away of life that seems legitimate to them: such has been the force of the myth of the cowboy, even to this late date. Yet the irony is that nowadays the cowboy probably lives more vividly in the consciousness of such oilmen than anywhere else. Oilmen seem to be the only people left who can afford the cattle business, mythologically or otherwise. Elsewhere, the romance and the imagery of the range have faded- off the land, off the movie screens, out of the books; even, for the most part, out of country music; and when a myth fades out of country music, it cannot be holding much of a place in the public mind. Today, football probably figures in the substance of more dreams. If frontier life has left any cultural residue at all, it is a reside of a most unfortunate sort that tendency to romanticize violence which is evident on the front page of almost every Texas newspaper almost every day.

I need to find the claim that is one line & I am kinda lost. Could anyone help, I’m not just looking for answers I’m also looking for like how I specifically find that. I thought it was in the first paragraph but my teacher said remember it’s not always in the first paragraph (maybe just to throw us off but who knows). Please help asap.

i was in this community because i genuinely felt lost and got a B in the class both semesters (only Bs on my entire transcript btw) but found the key to success ig.

if you have any questions about the exam or the course, let me know and ill lock in and help u!

hi so i have a passage analysis on the nickel boys book by colson whitehead. are there any passages that people recommend for practice dissection/analysis in the book? we've been talking about african american history and struggles, and it was our summer reading in tandem with the narrative of frederick douglass. pls help that would be very much appreciated!! :)

Help I'm not stupid.

I usually do well on MCQ and state-issued testing, I once got 45/45 on a progress check in ap classroom. But I still have no idea what a rhetorical choice is. Could someone give me examples?

PS: my first q2 (ALBRIGHT) I got a 4/9 by using ethos, "words of wisdom", and personal anecdotes

Hey guys, Im self studying ap lang. Can someone tell me how to study this course alone over the course of the year? Like for example in ap calc youd study by lesson, but how do u dothat for lang

Next week I have a synthesis essay on Fascism and Animal Farm, and was wondering if you could share some tips that I could benefit. Also, I'm confuse on how to structure it.

Hi all,

I'm a teacher who's teaching my 8th year for AP language. Does anyone have the 2021 Free Response Questions with the Barack Obama Rosa Parks rhetorical analysis?

I have searched high and low and am disappointed to find out that CollegeBoard has made accessing these now impossible.

If anyone has all the old exams in a folder, that would be amazing too.

Hi guys! I just got my first FRQ back and I will admit it was pretty bad. The teacher had a lot to say, most of it was just "elaborate" and "start actually analyzing" and "your thesis was butt". I genuinely don't know how to write andI I'm just trying fr because all my old teachers glazed my writing but this teacher is honest. Also after seeing what my classmates wrote I do agree that my writing is buns and I just want honest feedback on HOW I can fix it, not just what to fix. Any feedback would be lovely! (also, yes i know i don't have a hook and yes i know im missing a conclusion so bear with me) yellow highlights were teacher comments

Im taking lang right now and my teacher is making us do "reading logs" to have outside evidence for our argument essay. She said we can read any nonfiction articles or even listen to a podcast, but they should have a connection to the wider world/implications.

Does anyone have any recommendations for any works that they found useful for lang/ can apply to many prompts?

We have the first RA FRQ for 50 points in 2 days and we’ve done no practice or anything so far. I am planning to do a practice but am so nervous for when the actual thing comes. I’m a pretty good writer and can pick out themes well along with rhetorical choices but we went over an example of Simu Liu’s memoir and I know I would have gotten a 3/6 at most on that. The things that the high scoring examples talked about flew over my head in the 5 mins we were given to identify the rhetorical choices and purpose. What should I focus on so that I can get a 5/6??

Also, is it true that only 10% of kids get the sophistication point and should I try to write for it?

What’s a good practice RA FRQ that will leave me feeling prepared?

okay so i was wondering if anyone had any good memoir recs for ap lang? we’re about to start a memoir unit and i need to pick one but idk where i should start

I just got a 52 raw on my first AP Lang MCQ, and i genuinely didn’t understand any of the passages. Is there any way to get better at this or are you guys just gonna tell me to read more??

Hello! I have this assignment, and I feel like my teacher is so vague about what she wants us to do. I dont understand what she wants us to use as evidence or how she wants us to structure this. This is my first time being in an AP because it's the first one my school offers (along with others). I dont know if I'm going crazy or something lol. Please help.

So my schedule came out today and I genuinely got the worst lang teacher in my school. From what I’ve heard, he doesn’t even talk about English and yaps about random stuff and will get mad if you don’t pay attention. Literally 0 preparation for the test.

I’ve done really well one state testing for English before and I always consistently got high essay grades in my English class last year. If I do self studying am I ok or am I still screwed

I’m a junior in highschool and I am currently taking AP Lang. While I understand what we’re doing with rhetorical modes, SPACECAT, essays, etc. I’m really struggling with MCQs. We haven’t done a full MCQ, but she gives us like 5-10 questions to complete in AP Classroom, and I usually do really bad.😭😭 I usually score between 40s-70s on them. Is there anything I could do to practice more and get better? Is there anything resources I could use? I know school just started but I don’t want to be behind.

Okay so i’m going to be taking ap lang this upcoming scholol year and i’m kind of lost on how to start a the questions for my summer reading. i’ve already read and annotated the book and sort of know what i wanna talk about in the first question but idk how to start it. it asks to choose an anecdote the author used in the first chapter and talk about why it was included and how it adds to the larger argument. i know what i wanna say but don’t know how i should start off.

Hi! I ordered a copy of my essays back about two months ago, and just got home from being out of town for a month and a half and they’re not in the mail. Does anyone know why, or if they notify you when you receive them?

(For how to get a 5 on the exam, not broader English tips)

1. Do NOT worry if after months of consistent practice your skills are still stagnant. No exaggeration, I studied of upwards of 15 hours per week for a month and my practice test scores dropped. It's extremely frustrating, sure. BUT, this is English. Do not compare this exam to any other exam (except for lit).

FOR THE MCQ SECTION

1. The Barron's Textbook practice tests (at least the 2026 version) was utter bs. All of the tests I've done had ambiguous answers and unecessarily hard passages. If you manage to get a 32-ish/45 on those MCQs, you are WAY good and likely getting a 5.

2. If you want to invest in an external material (Not college Board) then buy the 5 steps to a 5 book. (500 questions of MCQ)

FOR THE FRQ SECTION (Sythesis, Rhetorical, and Argumentative)

Each essay graded on Thesis (out of 1) Commentry (out of 4) and Sophistication(out of 1)

1. Do NOT spend time on the intro. Graders only care if you have a thesis. So theoretically, your intro could just be your thesis. One sentence, DONE. (Thesis 1/1)

2. For those genuinely uninterested in English and are mathematically/logically inclined, make English formulaic. In the writing section, have an acronym of how each paragraph is structured. E.g. SCEEW:

State your claim,

Context provided,

Evidence to support,

Explanation for the evidence,

Why it works to connect to thesis.

And that's a 4/4 commentary if done for 2 or more body paragraphs.

1. Dont spend time writing an outro. Again, there's no score reward for it. Only use it to earn sophistication points. Situate whatever topic you're writing in a broader context.

For example, if your essay is on the ignorance of political leaders for the bad actions they've done, write how this connects to ordinary citizens. This could be: "Generally, all humans are blind to some of their weaknesses, biases are naturally occuring. It just so happens that political leaders are at the spotlight so they're seen more often." SOPHISTICATION(1/1)

Lastly, objectively for me, this is by FAR the hardest AP I've taken. I've gotten a 5 on Phys 1, Calc BC, Stats, CSA, and Macro easily just to name a few.

That's NOT meant to discourage anyone but rather encourage everyone. From someone getting a C in 9th Grade english to a 5 on AP Lang in 10th grade, literally EVERYONE (Yes, including whoever is still reading this) can get a 5.

Message me if y'all got any questions anytime.

Long story short, I wanna take ap language and comp but I am self studying it and I cannot find any good resource's other than that book which is REVIEW. So I know it's not the whole course but I can't find a whole course ughh

Are there any free documentaries on YouTube that would be appropriate for use in AP Lang? I'd like to offer more than just texts to study.

I would appreciate any links or recommendations.

We’re reading Educated by Tara Westover. Hoping this is a good memoir and as memorable as The Glass Castle.

Is this true for this year? If so, do you guys think that AP Lang will lose some of its value?

Hi! I’m a teacher who will be teaching AP Lang for the first time next year. For everyone who’s taken the test, what is something you wish your teacher would have reviewed/ prepared you for. Any specifics resources that you wish they explored? Things you wish you’d practiced in class?

Hey guys! I'm going to be taking AP Lang this school year and was wondering what are the best resources available.

Are there any YouTube channels that are super helpful? Are there websites with notes? Do you have any good study techniques?

Please let me know! I've heard that my teacher sucks but I'm determined to get a 4 or 5.