Saturday, October 04, 2008

Toulmin: Tool or Tool?

Friends and fellow debaters, we have now met and quickly become confused by our friend Toulmin and the primary and secondary triads. The real question here is: Is this a helpful tool, or was this guy just a "tool?" Flawed reasoning often reveals itself when a debater can identify the warrant in an argument which states ONLY grounds and claims (the warrant is underlying logic that allows the leap from the grounds to the claim).

For this blog
1. Carefully read chapter 5, which will help you get an A on Monday's exam too!

2. Then, after an uplifting minute or two of fond reflection back on your teacher's earth-shattering Toulmin lecture last Wednesday, Choose a song or verse of your choice and tell us what it is so we know what you're talking about.

3. Next, quote a few lines of lyrics from the song or rhyme you chose (even a kids selection or Halmark card will do).

4. Identify the grounds and the claim.

5. Reveal what the warrant probably is (usually warrants are not stated explicitly).

All valid claims rely on warrants and are backed by evidence, so no saying "my example doesn't have one!" Remember: Of the primary triad, the warrant is both most elusive and most important for a debater to be able recognize. It should be more abstract sounding than the specific nature of grounds and claim...it should sound almost too obvious to say aloud.

HINT: For warrants, think of the moral of a story, cliche sayings and things your grandparents might say to you, ie: Money doesn't grow on trees, Time heals a broken heart, money is the root of evil, cheaters never prosper...get the idea?

I'll go first: Selection: Theme Song from Barney cartoon on PBS

Grounds: I love you, you love me
Claim: We're a happy family.
Warrant: Feelings connect people.

Ok--Your turn! Smiles--S PS: TOULMIN FOR PRESIDENT!!!!!!!!

17 comments:

MuniMayhem said...

Selection: Foundations by Kate Nash

Grounds: I eat so many lemons
Claim: I am so bitter
Warrant: Lemons are bitter

teenizzle said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sandra said...

We belong together is the claim, there is no evidense and the warrant is: Fate unites people despite circustances...I think--Teenizzle--have another go! Wink--S

teenizzle said...

oh poopers. i'll try again..later.

i dislike Toulmin already D:

teenizzle said...

okay, how about this..

The Way I Am by Ingrid Michaelson

Claim:
I'd buy you Rogaine
When you start losing all your hair.

Grounds:
Cause I love the way you call me baby
and you take me the way I am.

Warrant:
You would do anything for someone you love.

is that it? o.o

Anonymous said...

I love Rock N Roll
by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts


Claim:
I love Rock N Roll

Ground:
So put another dime in the jukebox baby

Warrant:
The jukebox plays Rock N Roll

~Carolyn Michaelis

Anonymous said...

Selection: The engine hasn't been tuned up in a while.

Claim: The engine is running poorly.

Grounds: The engine hasn't been running poorly.

Warrant: Because the engine hasn't been tuned up in a while, the cause of that is that is has been running poorly.

Hannah Hidden

Anonymous said...

Underground artist Ju$ J said:

Grounds: We been together for a minute and i figured it out/ we gotta whole lot of things in common.
Claim: Little bit of drama/ not enough to leave you alone, but sure enough to cause unnecessary problems.
Warrant: Women. Can't live it em'. Can't live without em'.

Jeremiah C. :)

Sandra said...

Thien--Yes, you got it now--

Carolyn, the warrant is actually: If you care for someone you'll keep them happy, see? Great claim, great song--great retro rocker --S

Sandra said...

Hi Hannah--Yours is fun too-but it doesn;t have any evidence to ground the claim, so you need a gorunds line from the song (is there a line that has the word "because"? sometimes that;s a grounds hint! I think the warrant is: Neglect causes failure--Wanna try another one? S

Sandra said...

Jeremiah--Luv the tune--but too wordy for a single argument, bonus: You have a rebuttal in there WOW!!!

Claim: (You have a ) Little bit of drama/
Rebuttal: not enough to leave you alone, but

QUALIFIER: sure enough to cause unnecessary problems.

Grounds: Is there an example of the "drama" ?

Warrant: Complications spice up relationships

Now you try the other claim:
We been together for a minute and i figured it out/ we gotta whole lot of things in common.

Anonymous said...

Selection: 2gether - the hardest part of breaking up

Claim: the hardest part of breaking up is getting back your stuff

Grounds: You got my sweaters, my hat...I can't find my cat/ You took my car now I gotta take the bus./ I'd call you up girl, but you took my phone./ you walked out my life with my CD collection.

Warrant: when you break up with someone they'll keep your stuff.

-Jennifer Dich

PkC said...

i dont have one yet..but just gotta say i loved 2ge+her! nice jennifer...

Anonymous said...

Claim: "What goes up, must come down."

Grounds: Like the verse says, everything that goes upwards eventually has to fall.

Warrant: Everything that is in its high place has to come to or been to the bottom. For example, planes and birds go up, but eventually they land. Also, there are good times (high times), and bad times (down times). That's just they way the world is.

-Annissa Russell

Anonymous said...

Susan Lam


Grounds: I just lost my husband
Claim:I got a brand new attitude
Warrant: I'm better than ever, i come out better.

Anonymous said...

Grounds:The ants go marching one by one

Claim:And they all go marching down around the town

Warrant:getting somewhere in your life

Jenny Balding

Anonymous said...

"ya mama's so fat.. how fat is she? ya mama is so big and fat that
she can get busy
with 22 burritos when times are rough
I seen her in the back of taco bell with handcuffs." Ya Mamma' - The Pharcyde

The claim is pretty simple and is stated simply as "ya mamma' is fat"

The grounds would be that "ya mamma" will eat 22 burritos when she has no money and that she has been arrested in the back of a taco bell before.

The warrant is that given that she ate 22 burritos when she has little funds and this may have led to her arrest, it is probably safe to say that "ya mamma is so fat." - Spencer Hobbs

ps I hope I didn't offend anyone's mamma's.