Hello My Definitional Muses--
Later in class today, (Wed 2/23) we begin the journey through definitional argument and "genus vs species," from your textbook. Don't feel like the guy with the thick glasses stuck in the basement looking for his stapler in Office Space, here is an overview of the speech which may help you with yout outline. As you prepare your case, selected from our class packet, and get ready to argue in a speech format, consider the following structure:
1. Intro, with a clear thesis statement of your main claim. ie: I am here today to argue that Billy stold the ketchup! Preview of your mainpoints, or the BECAUSE part of the enthymeme you began with your major claim above(about key definitional terms and clarification, such as "stealing" vs "oversight or accident")
and a review of the case for your audience, (from the packet, which you should provide a citation for) followed by a transition to the body of speech.
2. body of speech to include identification of key definitional terms, references to APA/MLA citations from your bibliography that give you authority/credibility to make your claim (legal websites, journals on your topic, newspaper examples of similar cases, etc. ) and discussion of genus and species from your book, as well as how it applies to YOUR particular case. Then, transition into a summary.
3. Begin the conclusion with conclusive language, letting us know you are wrapping up. ie: Before we wrap this up, let me quickly review my main ponts.
Next, Review the evidence you gave in the body of speech briefly, followed by your thesis statement AGAIN, repeated from intro and now, followed by your explicit warrant. For instance: Today I have clarified how the legal definition of stealing (stealing is a key term) makes it very clear that concealing ketchup under one's clothing and running out the front door of Safeway without paying is clearly "stealing" rather than an "accident." (accident is another key term) THESIS: As I stated in my introduction today, (SO) Billy stold the ketchup/EVIDENCE: because if he had forgotten to pay, he would not have hidden it under his jacket and run out of the store. While the term "accident" fits the genus of stealing, it clearly violates the species, THEREFORE (repeat thesis) Billy stold the ketchup. (SINCE) We all know that in a civilized society, you only get what you pay for (explicit warrant), the actual court trial agreed with my argument here today, and Judge Johnson found Billy guilty as well. (I will give you the ACTUAL RULING for this part in class today, but you must state it in the end, after your warrant, as shown here).
"Uh, yeah, it's not a Half-Day...."
Hand in after your speech, to me, your notecards, and your typed APA or MLA bibliography of all sources used, including the packet for the case itself. As you prepare for this speech, your 2-part blogging assignment is this:
1.Using the movie and the clip we saw in class, post a serious question you have about developing your definitional argument. (ie: What are the key terms about "stealing" that come up when the three main characters decide to rip off the company and how do they justify this as "not REALLY stealing?"Number this as part one.
2. In a short part two, respond to anyone else in the classes' posting and try to help them with their question, offer advice and/or another example from the movie Office Space, the book or your own personal experience. Make it clear to whom you are addressing this part, so they can benefit from your input. Enjoy the fact that Office Space is HILARIOUS, but please take the nuts and bolts of Definitonal argument seriously so we can all achieve the best grades possible on this first speech! Feel free to post questions to me as well that the whole class will benefit from, but use Office Space, not your actual case. Any specific questions about your own case should be directed to me in class or via private email, okay? -- NOW: WHERE'S YOUR "FLAIR???"
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Erreur glissante de pente
Ha...see how much sexier argumentation sounds when you use French??? Erreur glissante de pente is French for The Slippery Slope Fallacy. Just in time for Valentine's Day, you can woo the object of your interest by saying, "Pardon, mon ami, regardez cette pente glissante ! (Excuse me, my love, look at that slippery slope!") Isn't that romantic? I KNOW!!! The slippery slope fallacy can be funny or serious. IE: If you smoke a bowl one time when you are eighteen, you'll end up adicted to crack and hallucinating and jumping out of a window...is a slippery slope...think of a snowball rolling down hill, starts out tiny, ends up HUGE! See how this fits into humor? Slippery slope, glissante de pente can be very funny! My Dad is the king of glissante de pente!!! "Sandra...If you don't change your oil every three thousand miles, your car wil certainly blow up !"
Examples of Serious Slippery Slope Claims
"We have to stop the tuition increase! The next thing you know, they'll be charging $40,000 a semester!"
"The US shouldn't get involved militarily in other countries. Once the government sends in a few troops, it will then send in thousands to die."
"You can never give anyone a break. If you do, they'll walk all over you."
"We've got to stop them from banning pornography. Once they start banning one form of literature, they will never stop. Next thing you know, they will be burning all the books!"
For this blog, 1. State an original (read your classmates' & come up with YOUR OWN or critique somebody else's) humorously exagerated slippery slope argument in OR about one of the superbowl commercials OR halftime show (HINT: think Janet compared to Paul...was that a slippery slope??? Oui oiu...) Tell me why your entry is a slippery slope in a way that shows you understand the fallacy, adding one French word of your choice! ***go here for quick and EZ translating from English to French PLUS: an instant increase in dating activity---- http://world.altavista.com/ The three funniest or most creative bloggers will get double credit, so don't be battez! ("Whack" in French)---Sincèrement, Mme. Wheeler
Examples of Serious Slippery Slope Claims
"We have to stop the tuition increase! The next thing you know, they'll be charging $40,000 a semester!"
"The US shouldn't get involved militarily in other countries. Once the government sends in a few troops, it will then send in thousands to die."
"You can never give anyone a break. If you do, they'll walk all over you."
"We've got to stop them from banning pornography. Once they start banning one form of literature, they will never stop. Next thing you know, they will be burning all the books!"
For this blog, 1. State an original (read your classmates' & come up with YOUR OWN or critique somebody else's) humorously exagerated slippery slope argument in OR about one of the superbowl commercials OR halftime show (HINT: think Janet compared to Paul...was that a slippery slope??? Oui oiu...) Tell me why your entry is a slippery slope in a way that shows you understand the fallacy, adding one French word of your choice! ***go here for quick and EZ translating from English to French PLUS: an instant increase in dating activity---- http://world.altavista.com/ The three funniest or most creative bloggers will get double credit, so don't be battez! ("Whack" in French)---Sincèrement, Mme. Wheeler
Thursday, February 03, 2005
My Research Aces!
... the library asignment is behind us...WELL...some of us, but hey! Whose counting. Now that you are all research aces according to Linda Goff, who told me that I have a "lively bunch." (?) Okay, Toulmin mode: Tommy died because he ate poisonous mushrooms.
Data? Well, because is your big clue: Evidence or facts or personal experience, whatever you support your claim with. It may not always say outright "because" for instance: After eating poisonous mushrooms, Kenny kicked the bucket. (The because is "implied" but plug it in and it works.) Therefore is your key claim "sign" and again if it isn't there, plug it in: He ate poisonous mushrooms (therefore) Kenny kicked the bucket. Now "since" works for warrants. If you think about it, you usually say "since" in the context of, "since we can agree that poison kills" or "since everyone knows poison is lethal" So--- "since" a sign of an implied agreement between MOST people or what we sometimes call "common sense." (The warrant can even be reduced to "Poison kills" or that symbol on medicine bottles and rat poison) TRY: (Since): everyone knows that failure to bundle up in extreme weather can kill (W)---(Therefore): Kenny died again (Claim) --- when (because): he walked down the block barefoot on December 23rd. BUT: The way we would really say it would be shorter, such as: Kenny died beacuse he was out in the cold barefoot. I thought everyone knew that exposure in icy temperatures can kill you! Kenny makes me think of South Park, do you guys watch that? A lot of people say there is much more goin on than just silliness in that cartoon, like deeper political stuff. Type up a comment about what you think of South Park (The Simpsons, Kind of the Hill, other adult cartoons) and how they challenge the "dumming-down" by the media we see in predictable sit-coms and reality television. Think about the different characters and their voices (sometimes celebrities) and arguments that could be made there. If you can, label your own data, claim and (probably implied) warrant but only AFTER you type a response. (Try rebuttal/"unless" and backing & qualifier if you want to be advanced Toulminators!) I will go first. Kenny is the character I find most provocative in South Park beacause he always dies. Everyone knows you can only die ONCE, so what are Matt and Trey trying to do, point out how nutty we media zombies are for believing that an "actor" really is dying in a show or movie, when we know (s)he is alive, well and starring in another show the next week? It's always so gory when he dies, too, with rats and blood and violence. Somehow seeing this in animation makes fun of the "reality" of simulated death in action films and tv cops shows like CSI. (now I will go back to label with colors) Orange=CLAIM, green=data/evidence, Purple is the WARRANT, pink =Backing (evidence for the Warrant) blue: Rebuttall (unless they are trying to make us think) and most and always, in italics, are the qualifiers. Your thoughts, fellow bloggers? Smiles--Sandra
Data? Well, because is your big clue: Evidence or facts or personal experience, whatever you support your claim with. It may not always say outright "because" for instance: After eating poisonous mushrooms, Kenny kicked the bucket. (The because is "implied" but plug it in and it works.) Therefore is your key claim "sign" and again if it isn't there, plug it in: He ate poisonous mushrooms (therefore) Kenny kicked the bucket. Now "since" works for warrants. If you think about it, you usually say "since" in the context of, "since we can agree that poison kills" or "since everyone knows poison is lethal" So--- "since" a sign of an implied agreement between MOST people or what we sometimes call "common sense." (The warrant can even be reduced to "Poison kills" or that symbol on medicine bottles and rat poison) TRY: (Since): everyone knows that failure to bundle up in extreme weather can kill (W)---(Therefore): Kenny died again (Claim) --- when (because): he walked down the block barefoot on December 23rd. BUT: The way we would really say it would be shorter, such as: Kenny died beacuse he was out in the cold barefoot. I thought everyone knew that exposure in icy temperatures can kill you! Kenny makes me think of South Park, do you guys watch that? A lot of people say there is much more goin on than just silliness in that cartoon, like deeper political stuff. Type up a comment about what you think of South Park (The Simpsons, Kind of the Hill, other adult cartoons) and how they challenge the "dumming-down" by the media we see in predictable sit-coms and reality television. Think about the different characters and their voices (sometimes celebrities) and arguments that could be made there. If you can, label your own data, claim and (probably implied) warrant but only AFTER you type a response. (Try rebuttal/"unless" and backing & qualifier if you want to be advanced Toulminators!) I will go first. Kenny is the character I find most provocative in South Park beacause he always dies. Everyone knows you can only die ONCE, so what are Matt and Trey trying to do, point out how nutty we media zombies are for believing that an "actor" really is dying in a show or movie, when we know (s)he is alive, well and starring in another show the next week? It's always so gory when he dies, too, with rats and blood and violence. Somehow seeing this in animation makes fun of the "reality" of simulated death in action films and tv cops shows like CSI. (now I will go back to label with colors) Orange=CLAIM, green=data/evidence, Purple is the WARRANT, pink =Backing (evidence for the Warrant) blue: Rebuttall (unless they are trying to make us think) and most and always, in italics, are the qualifiers. Your thoughts, fellow bloggers? Smiles--Sandra
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