Rhetoric: Change: Michelle Obama & Lennie James

In this lesson, we will explore one of the most influential women of our time: Michelle Obama. We will explore Obama's letter to herself, and consider how rhetoric was used to help her reflect on some of the biggest challenges she's ever had to face.

In this lesson, we will consider how Michelle Obama uses rhetoric to give her younger self advice at times when she needed it the most. We will explore how rhetoric has been used to create a reassuring, personal tone by Obama, in a way that we have never seen rhetoric used before.

In this lesson, we will use rhetoric to allow us to write our own 'a letter to myself'. We will do this by drawing from our experience of the rhetoric form so far. We will consider how to structure a response that would persuade our younger self to take our good advice and think about why people might write letters to themselves in times of difficulty.

In this lesson, we will look Lennie James' use of rhetoric with advice and warning. We will learn how Lennie James writes with a particular style to appeal to his audience in a unique and personal approach within his open letter.

In this lesson, we will compare the differences and similarities in the use of letter form as a way to encourage change by Michelle Obama and Lennie James. We will explore the key purpose of both letters. We will then study how both writers use rhetoric in similar or differing ways to reflect on the change that impacted themselves, others, and the world as a result.