I made a TikTok recently in which I mentioned SPACE CAT, and I had several AP® Lang students in the comments asking, “What is SPACECAT?”
SPACE AP Lang
The “space” part of SPACE CAT refers to the rhetorical situation: speaker, purpose, audience, context, and exigence. It’s a useful mnemonic for rhetorical analysis essays, one of the three essays on the AP® Lang exam.
These components of the passage are typically present in the prompt, and students often deepen their knowledge of these components as they read the passage.
Many students will write SPACE on their papers and jot down a couple notes. Or, they might label the components in the prompt, such as by writing an “S” above the speaker’s name. These are good annotation habits, but they are just the beginning.
Asking “what is SPACECAT?” is the first step. But now that you know what SPACE means, the question becomes “how do I incorporate SPACE into my rhetorical analysis essay?”
Before the 2020 exam, my students asked me to make a handout with “all those SPACECAT questions I asked in class.” You can access that handout here. But, I’ll break it down for you in more detail below.
What type of passage is it?
On the AP® Lang exam, you’ll be asked to analyze a nonfiction passage. In recent years, the passage has been a speech or a letter, but it could also be an article or an excerpt of a nonfiction text. Regardless of the type of passage, each passage has a rhetorical situation.
Sometimes the prompt will note that the passage is an excerpt, meaning it isn’t the complete speech–some speeches are over 20 minutes long, but passages on the exam are approximately 600-800 words. The prompt might also note that it is the introduction or conclusion of the passage, which is also good to know.
What is SPACECAT: Analyzing the Speaker
In the prompt, you’ll be provided with the speaker’s full name and relevant credentials.
Spelling mistakes happen, but try to write the person’s name correctly. Also be mindful of the pronouns in the prompt.
When first mentioning the speaker, I recommend including their full name. After that, you can refer to the speaker by their last name.
Don’t refer to the speaker by their first name. Doing so implies you know the person closely.
If the passage somehow deals with two people with the same last name, such as the Abigail Adams passage, you can refer to the speaker by their last name and refer to the other person by their first name. Since John Quincy was a child, for that essay, it’s okay to refer to him as John Quincy. Calling him Adams too would likely be confusing.
The prompt will likely include the speaker’s credentials. This could be a title, such as Queen, President, Secretary of State, etc.
“Former President” means the person was not president at the time of the speech but had been president earlier.
“Then President” means the person was president at the time of the speech.
In some cases, such as the 2022 prompt, the speaker might have more recent accomplishments that they did not have at the time of the speech. Knowing this can help you situate the issue in a broader context. Just be sure to read the prompt carefully to determine what the person’s credentials were at the time of the speech.
“Why is this person the right person to give the speech?”
Knowing the person’s credentials can help you determine why the speaker is the “right person” to give the speech. How are they connected to the occasion or topic?
“What are the speaker’s beliefs, desires, and values?”
This question is based off an AP® Lang standard and has become a question I ask regularly in my classes.
A person’s beliefs, desires, or values often influence the content of their speech. If the audience shares those beliefs, desires, or values, then it would be a receptive or amicable audience. This will impact the choices the speaker makes.
Some examples of “values” that have come up in my class discussion are justice, equality, hard work, education, etc.
Sometimes you can infer the person’s values based on their credentials.
So how do you include these details in an essay?
Here are a couple examples:
- Given that, at the time of the speech, Sotomayor is an appeals court judge, the law students at UC Berkeley, some of whom are part of the LatinX community themselves, would likely be inspired by her message of identity.
- As President of the United States, FDR values freedom and security: two ideals threatened by the Empire of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor.
What is SPACECAT: Analyzing the Audience
In the SPACE CAT AP Lang mnemonic, the second letter, “p” is for purpose. However, I like to pair speaker and audience together. So, please forgive me for going slightly out of order.
Speeches and letters often have a clear audience. Sometimes it’s one person, as with many letters. Other times, as in the case of speeches, the audience is a large group of people.
When analyzing the audience for a SPACE CAT analysis or writing a rhetorical analysis essay, think about the audience’s relationship with the speaker and the audience’s beliefs, desires, and/or values.
If the speaker and audience share beliefs, desires, or values, the audience may be a receptive audience. Conversely, if the audience has contrasting beliefs, desires, or values with the speaker, the audience might be a reluctant audience. The speaker likely knows whether the audience is receptive, reluctant, or even hostile and will make rhetorical choices accordingly–given your insight to add to your commentary!
Here are a couple examples of how to analyze the audience:
- Given that she knows her son is reluctant to be on the diplomatic voyage with his father, Abigail Adams compares a judicious traveller to a river, noting that like the river, the traveler–John Quincy–grows stronger the further it gets from its source. The metaphor implies John Quincy will grow “richer” by gaining knowledge and experience on the trip.
What is SPACECAT: Analyzing the Context
Think of context as the “big picture” or the historical timeline.
Ask yourself what relevant events were happening before, during, or even after the speech. For some speeches, this will be easier than others, so if you don’t know much about the time period, don’t panic.
Also, sometimes speakers reference historical events in the passage.
Here is an example of how to incorporate the context into your analysis:
- Considering that, at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, many Americans favored isolationist policies, FDR must prove Japan’s guilt in order to ultimately garner support for the war.
What is SPACECAT: Analyzing the Exigence
The exigence is like the “catalyst” or “impetus.” It’s the immediate reason the the speaker is giving the speech.
This could be because they were invited to speak at an event, such as a funeral, graduation ceremony, or convention. It could be because they are responding to a letter they received. Or, it could be that the speech is in response to a major event, such as a national tragedy.
Here are a couple examples of how to reference the exigence in your rhetorical analysis:
- Given that she is speaking at a graduation ceremony, Albright must be frank with the female graduates. Life will be hard–they will undoubtedly encounter “glass ceilings” in the “real world”–yet they must persevere.
- Given that he is speaking at the funeral of his mentor and friend, Obama honors Ted Kennedy’s legacy by noting the hundreds of laws he helped pen.
- Considering that he is dedicating a statue in honor of the late Rosa Parks, Obama acknowledges the powerful civil rights contributions of a woman who “held no office,” underscoring that an “average” person can be the catalyst for profound change.
Notice that the sentences above reference the exigence but also tie in the message or purpose.
Think of the components of the rhetorical situation as “puzzle pieces.” They fit together not only to create the passage but also to fuel analysis.
What is SPACE CAT: Analyzing the Purpose
Sometimes the prompt will ask about how the speaker makes rhetorical choices to “achieve a purpose.”
In some cases, the prompt references a general purpose. Other times, that information may be omitted.
If the prompt include the purpose, dig deeper. While it’s okay to use the verbs in the prompt, such as “to honor” or “to memorialize,” it can be good to include synonyms or to be more specific. Doing so demonstrates a keener understanding of the passage.
Check out the video below for more information about analyzing the rhetorical situation, including examples of common purposes.
Teachers, if you’re looking for more tips about teaching the rhetorical situation, check out this video.
What is SPACECAT: Analyzing the Message or Argument
Technically, message and argument don’t fit neatly into the SPACECAT AP Lang mnemonic, but they are an important component of the rhetorical situation.
All passages have a purpose. And, you can analyze the purpose even if the prompt asks about the message or argument.
That being said, a passage typically has either a message or an argument.
I like to think of the message as the lesson or “takeaway,” whereas argument are intended to persuade.
Sometimes the message or argument is tied to the occasion. For example, it’s more likely that a eulogy (funeral speech) or commencement speech (graduation speech) have a message instead of an argument. Both have a distinct purpose.
The prompt will ask about the message, argument, or purpose.
When talking about defensible thesis statements in class, I tell my students to include the rhetorical choices plus the MAP (message, argument, or purpose,) whichever the prompt asks for.
Be sure to connect the choices to the MAP in your body paragraphs as well. Don’t lose sight of the MAP.
Now that we’ve answered the question “what is SPACE CAT?” you’re one step closer to writing a strong rhetorical analysis essay.
