Sotomayor Essay - Nicholas Barber
Judge Sotomayor combines fond memories of her childhood with rhetorical choices to use emotional and relatable memories, contradiction, and unique word choice to say that her family history doesn’t make her Latina, but her upbringing and culture do.
Judge Sotomayor starts her speech with a word the listener has likely never heard before Using “Newyorkrican” immediately grabs your attention as you wonder what the word means. After it’s explained, she uses the definition to transition into her family's story about immigrating to the United States. Instead of saying something like “this word means…” Judge Sotomayor says she is “born a bread New Yorker of Puerto Rican born parents.” This makes the transition into her parents' story smoother than stating the definition would have made it.
After explaining why her parents came ti the US, Judge Sotomayor goes in-depth on cultural food like “morcilla” and the songs she would hear at family events. Lantern around line 42, she talks about how every Latin American family, “has their own unique food and different traditions.” This isn’t only held true for Latin Americans though. Any listener to this speech has special traditions with their families, and Judge Sotomayor’s traditions may get listeners to think about their traditions. This creates a connection with her audience that strengthens her case by relating herself to the audience.
Judge Sotomayor sharply changes the subject of her speech to discuss how to define a Latino/Latina housing her history degree. She explains her definition of a Latina as a people “colonized by Spain who maintained or adopted Spanish … as their language.” Inwardly after giving this definition, she discredits it by saying that she feels it misses out on what truly makes her Latina, which is the upbringing and culture described earlier in the passage. By contradicting a definition she made, Judge Sotomayor acknowledges another viewpoint on her argument and provides her thoughts on why it’s incorrect.
Combining her contradiction and appeal, Judge Sotomayor makes the point that our past doesn't determine our ethnicity. Instead, it’s how we celebrate it. She uses this point to make a comment on “tension and attempt to maintain” cultural differences and argues that we should all celebrate each other's cultures.
on the uploaded document.
0 General Document comments
0 Sentence and Paragraph comments
0 Image and Video comments
General Document Comments 0
Your thesis does a great job of identifying the rhetorical choices Sotomayor uses to convey her message about her identity. You’ve pinpointed how emotional memories, contradiction, and unique word choice shape her narrative. When crafting a thesis, consider emphasizing how these choices reveal her personal journey and contribute to a broader understanding of identity. For example, you might highlight how her vivid imagery and anecdotes engage the audience emotionally, creating a sense of shared experience. This personal touch helps drive home her message that identity is more about lived experiences and cultural practices than mere ancestry.
Would you like to explore more about the use of contradiction in her speech, the emotional impact of her anecdotes, or how her unique word choice strengthens her argument? Remember, you can choose more than one path or suggest another idea you want to dive into further!
Revise or edit your writing right now. If this is your document, click on a sentence or a paragraph number in the left panel, then hit Edit, make your changes and hit Update. You can also hit Suggest Revision on a document that you have been invited to. Another option is to hit Add to Document, and then you can add New Content for deeper, multi-paragraph rewrites.
Please Note: Everything in this comment is AI-generated. It is made up to sound like your helpful AP English Language teacher in room 126.
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment
You’ve done a great job highlighting Judge Sotomayor’s use of emotional and relatable memories to convey her identity. To strengthen your explanation of the evidence, try to delve into how these choices impact the audience emotionally or intellectually. For example, when she uses the term “Newyorkrican,” discuss how this unique word choice immediately establishes a personal connection and curiosity, making the audience more receptive to her message. Also, consider the cultural food examples—how does this vivid imagery not just connect her to her culture but also invite the audience to reflect on their own cultural identities? This creates a shared experience that underscores her thesis about identity being shaped by upbringing and culture rather than mere heritage.
Would you like to explore more on how Judge Sotomayor’s contradictions enhance her argument, how her rhetorical shifts engage the audience, or how her ethos builds credibility? Let me know which path you’d like to take, or feel free to suggest another area to discuss. Let’s take this essay to the next level!
Revise or edit your writing right now. If this is your document, click on a sentence or a paragraph number in the left panel, then hit Edit, make your changes and hit Update. You can also hit Suggest Revision on a document that you have been invited to. Another option is to hit Add to Document, and then you can add New Content for deeper, multi-paragraph rewrites.
Please Note: Everything in this comment is AI-generated. It is made up to sound like your helpful AP English Language teacher in room 126.
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment
Great question! To demonstrate an understanding of the rhetorical situation in Sotomayor’s speech, you can start by identifying the context, purpose, and audience. Consider how Sotomayor’s role as an appeals court judge and a Latina addressing law students shapes her message. She crafts a personal narrative that intertwines her cultural experiences and identity, making her speech relatable and impactful. For example, her use of the term “Newyorkrican” immediately draws in the audience and transitions smoothly into her family’s immigrant story, showcasing her understanding of her diverse audience and the need to bridge cultural divides.
Do you want to explore how her anecdotes create an emotional connection, how the shift from personal to broader societal identity strengthens her argument, or how the “salad bowl” metaphor captures her central message? Let me know which path you’d like to take!
Revise or edit your writing right now. If this is your document, click on a sentence or a paragraph number in the left panel, then hit Edit, make your changes and hit Update. You can also hit Suggest Revision on a document that you have been invited to. Another option is to hit Add to Document, and then you can add New Content for deeper, multi-paragraph rewrites.
Please Note: Everything in this comment is AI-generated. It is made up to sound like your helpful AP English Language teacher in room 126.
New Conversation
Hide Full Comment