mmecassidy.weebly.commmecassidy.weebly.com/.../the_literary_argument.docx · web viewthe last...

From a very young age, children learn to argue. From small schoolyard arguments (ex: it was my turn to throw the ball) to trying to find the best reasons your parents should buy you the newest video game, we have grown up trying to perfect the art of argumentation.

An argument is much less than most people imagine. It is usually not

An absolute truth.A revelation or brand new insight.

The last word.Bad-tempered complaining.An exercise in pure logic.

A chance to prove that you’re smarter than everyone else.

The goal of "argument" is to win acceptance of your ideas when others, for whatever reason, don't agree with you. Like it or not, some arguments will never have a clear cut winner and loser. Imagine if everyone agreed in politics on every issue. It is debate and arguments that make our society evolve and advance. The argument itself makes us take a closer look at our own and others' ideas more carefully. Developing arguments helps us to look at evidence, state ideas more clearly, to consider the claims of the opposition fairly, and to justify our own position.

The goal of a good argument is to convince those who do not have the same opinion as you do that your opinion is the right opinion. You have to convince the opposition (which is not always an easy thing to do!).

In order to write an effective argument, you must anticipate and overcome objections that the opposition might raise.

In thinking about your opposition, ask yourself questions like the following:

What will they say against my idea? How can I defend my idea against their arguments? Are there any of my points that they can easily attack? Can I see any weak links in the opposition's thinking?

EAE 4U 1 The Argument

THE LITERARY

The argument includes several elements: A claim (in an essay, this is your thesis statement) Based on evidence of some sort A warrant that explains how the evidence supports the claim Backing supporting the warrants Qualifications and rebuttals or counter arguments that refute

competing claims.

1. Good arguments begin with looking at the data that is likely to become the evidence in an argument and which gives rise to a thesis statement or major claim. That is, the thesis statement arises from a question, which in turn rises from the examination of information, or data of some sort.

a. Once we have examined data to produce a question and have re-examined the data to try to produce an answer to the question, we may have a claim or thesis worthy of arguing. If the data support our answer to the question, it becomes evidence in support of the claim we make. Laid out step by step, it looks like this:

i. Examine the data ii. Ask questions based on data

iii. Re-examine dataiv. Try to answer the questionsv. Data that supports you answer = Evidence

2. Warrants may be simply common sense rules that people accept as generally true, laws, scientific principles or studies, and thoughtfully argued definitions. In contemporary crime scene investigation programs on TV, considerable time is devoted to establishing warrants. Most viewers of such programs are likely to be fully aware, for example, that fingerprints at a crime scene may lead to an arrest of the person to who those prints belong because of any given person’s prints are unique, and therefore indicate the presence of that person at the scene.

3. Anyone familiar with the criminal investigation programs on TV will know that warrants may be challenged. In other words, the backing is the support for the warrants. In the case of fingerprints and ballistics, there have been many studies that can be cited in the support of the warrants as to the uniqueness of fingerprints and bullet markings, etc… (This is your proof) When serious arguments of


An argument is about making a case in support of a claimin everyday affairs – in science, in policy making, in courtrooms, and so forth.

How to develop an argument

judgment are challenged, the warrants will likely need to be backed by extended definitions of the abstract qualities involved.

4. Because arguments deal with probabilities, they must be qualified. Medical, agricultural, educational, and social science research use statistical procedures to determine the probabilities of a certain claims, being true in fairly precise terms. When statistical procedures are not appropriate or possible, the qualifications take the form of statements such as probably, in all likelihood, as a rule, beyond reasonable doubt, and so forth.

So...1. Look at available data in order to develop a claim.

2.Make at least a reasonable claim, if not an insightful.

3. Supply rules (warrants) tying the evidence to the claim, thus demonstrating that the evidence is relevant.

4. Qualify the claim and warrant as necessary.

5. Provide backing for warrants when necessary.


ACTIVITY 1Slip or trip?

At five-feet-six and a hundred and ten pounds, Queenie Volupides was a sight to behold and to clasp. When she tore out of the house after a tiff with her husband, Arthur, she went to thecountry club where there was a party going on.

She left the club shortly before one in the morning and invited a few friends to follow her home and have one more drink. They got to the Volupides house about ten minutes after Queenie, who met them at the door and said, “Something terrible happened. Arthur slipped and fell on the stairs. He was coming down for another drink—he still had the glass in his hand—and I think he’s dead. Oh, my God—what shall I do?

The autopsy conducted later concluded that Arthur had died from a wound on the head and confirmed that he’d been drunk.


We need to determine what happened. Our first question should be “Can we believe what Queenie says?”

Group work Assignment on Evidence and Rules

Your group is an investigative team that must determine what may have happened. You can either agree or disagree with Queenie’s version.

1.Do you think Queenie is telling the truth?

2. Find all the evidence you can that indicates whether or not Queenie is telling the truth. Make a list of all the evidence. Evidence includes concrete, observable information; personaltestimony; written documents; and material objects and their condition or appearance.

3. Next explain how each piece of evidence supports your claim that Queenie is or is not telling the truth. Each explanation will be a generally accepted rule, which may begin with a phrase such as, “As a rule. . . .” If other members of your team disagree with you, find evidence that will convince them.

4. Be prepared to explain why your evidence supports your case. Eventually you will write a report to convince the others in the class that your analysis makes the most sense.

Remember to make your general rules statements in the third person.

Your work should look something like this:

Evidence Rule

Conclusion:

IT IS TIME TO WRITE YOUR REPORT. WHEN WRITING YOUR REPORT:

i. What you found when you arrived on sceneii. What Queenie said

iii. What the autopsy foundiv. Whether the evidence supports what Queenie saidv. Your conclusion and \ or recommendation

vi. Explanation of evidence supporting our conclusion and recommendation above


Remember to write your report in an objective third person voice.


ACTIVITY 2The Lunchroom Murder

On an otherwise uneventful Thursday afternoon police heard a shot inside Ernie’s Lunchroom, rushed in, and found the scene shown in the figure below.

They identified the body as that of a prominent racketeer named Fannin. Ernie, who is both the owner and only employee, had only one fact to tell: the murderer had leaned against the wallwhile firing at point-blank range. The imprint of his hand is in clear view. The cash register has just been rung up at $8.75.

This is a difficult case. Your investigative team must attempt to determine which of the people in the lunchroom killed Fannin. You will have to observe the details carefully. There is enough evidence to help you explain most of what happened. In working out the solution, consider the following questions.


Let these questions guide you to your rules and warrants.

1. With what hand did the shooter fire the gun? What is the evidence? What is the warrant?

2. Did customers B, C, and D know each other? What are the evidence and warrants?

3. How do the three customers differ in their habits or ways of doing things? What is the evidence and what is the warrant?

4. Which set of footprints are Ernie’s? What is the evidence? What is the warrant?

5. To whom do the set of footprints marked X belong? How do you know?

6. Who killed Fannin? How do you know? Outline all the evidence and all of the warrants necessary to support this claim.

Remember your rules and warrants……

Rules Warrants

Conclusion:

IT IS TIME TO WRITE YOUR REPORT. WHEN WRITING YOUR REPORT:

i. What you found when you arrived on sceneii. Present your evidence and warrants.

iii. Your conclusion and \ or recommendationiv. Explanation of evidence supporting our conclusion and

recommendation abovevii. Remember to write your report in an objective third person voice.


ACTIVITY 3The Case of the Dead Musician

Anton Karazai had amassed a great fortune in his seventy years as a world-famous pianist, performing for presidents and parliaments, kings and queens, in all the greatest cities’ concert halls and children’s hospitals. Anyone who watched Mr. Karazai perform understood immediately that he loved his music above and beyond anything else. Music—playing the piano—was his life.

Yesterday evening, May 16, 2006, however, Mr. Karazai’s only son and sole heir phoned the police and reported that his father had hanged himself from the chandelier in the piano room at his estate. When the police arrived, they took several pictures of the scene. One of those pictures appears in Figure 1.5. The police noted that Karazai had been hanged by a cord taken from the set of drapes in the corner window of the room and that his feet hung about two feet above the stool beneath him. They also noted thatseveral pieces of steel wire had been ripped from the piano.

The coroner’s report confirmed that Mr. Karazai died from asphyxiation. Inspection of his neck revealed a single, thin, skinbreaking line with a small amount of blood across the Adam’s apple. Since it is too small to read in the picture, here is Mr. Karazai’s last journal entry in its entirety:

May 16, 2006. Have been sad for weeks now. My strength diminishes every day. It is even difficult for me to play the piano. Sometimes, even piano fails to cheer me. Sometimes my failing ability makes me angry. Yesterday I actually kicked my piano! But my ninety-year-old legs could hardly hurt a little bird. Only my son remains, my only son and the sole heir to all that I have earned and collected over this incredible butlonely life. I wonder if he knows what he will be getting when I die. Perhaps. But perhaps not. I will try to play something simple to cheer me before I retire for the evening—perhaps something form Debussy’s “Children’s Corner,” a wonderful collection of happy, beautiful melodies.

The AssignmentYou are the investigator reading the reports above and inspecting the picture of the scene. Mr. Karazai’s son claims that his father hanged himself. What do you think is the truth? From the evidence available, make a case for what you think really happened. If you believe that other evidence is necessary, make a recommendation about what other evidence might need to be collected. Before you begin to write your report, list the evidence and warrants you will use in making your case.

REMEMBER TO:Look at the data (facts in the image) – using an evidence and warrants chart based on your evidence, make a reasonable claim - your conclusion about what happened.

INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING IN YOUR REPORT:

- description of the scene upon arrival - resenting the evidence and warrants (at least 3 pieces of evidence)


- make your claim – your conclusion


The Case of the Dead

F

*Please note that the dead musician’s hands are not tied up.


The Art of ArgumentationTHE ARGUMENT

Support Your Claims with Specific Evidence

An argument is worthless without solid evidence to support your claims. The evidence you provide is the backbone of your argument. Without it, the argument can be easily dismissed. It is the evidence that proves what you have to say has merit and is proven. There are many types of evidence available to use depending on the type of argumentative text you are writing. The type you use will depend on the appropriateness to the context. Here are the principal types of evidence available to you when constructing an argument.

1. Facts and Statistics: A fact is something that has been proven with certainty and that cannot be argued. Most arguments are built (to some extent) around a fact. Statistics are a little trickier. They can be used in selective ways in order to prove a view point. Politicians often use statistics to justify decisions and actions they have opposed or implemented. Statistics can be skewed and used unfairly. Always use statistics from reputable sources (ex: Statistics Canada). These statistics become easily verifiable.

2. Examples, illustrations, and charts: Examples and illustrations on their own rarely prove anything but when used in conjunction with verifiable fact and evidence, it can be an effective argumentative tool. Charts help to visualize statistics that are sometimes difficult to understand and visualize. The chart gives the audience a concrete visual representation of statistics and often has more of an impact than a mere statistic. Seeing is believing!

3. Citing expert opinion: Nothing improves and solidifies an argument better than having an opinion of an expert, in whatever field you are writing about, support your opinion. You don’t want to use a random person as an “expert opinion”; you must verify the credentials of your “expert “. When using expert opinion, you can either paraphrase the expert’s opinion or you can quote the expert’s own words.


Aristotle [384 b.c. to 322 b.c] Greek philosopher Student of Plato and the teacher of Alexander the Great Wrote about subjects including poetry, government, ethics,

biology, physics and more Aristotle identified three techniques one could use when

trying to persuade someone: Ethos Logos Pathos

ETHOSEthos is the Greek word for “character.” In order to convince people to agree with you, you need to establish that you are worth listening to. If your audience thinks you are rustworthy, knowledgeable, likeable, and respectable, they will tend to believe what you are saying. The impression you make on the reader is just as important as the information you present.

Example:

“Let tyrants fear. I have always so behaved myself that, under God, I have placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good-will of my subjects. And therefore I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time, not for my recreation or disport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live and die amongst you all.”

- Queen Elizabeth I (1588) from a speech meant to encourage her troops to fight against an invasion by the Spanish Armada.


PATHOSPathos means appealing to the audience’s emotions. If you can inspirean emotional connection with your audience, get them to feel what you feel, such as anger or pity, or get them to feel sympathetic to your cause, they are more likely to agree with your position.

Example:“Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace-- but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

- Patrick Henry (1775) from speech delivered to Second Virginia Convention

LOGOSLogos means to persuade an audience by logic. This is where you present facts, evidence and reason to convince your audience. Citing authorities and showing that your argument is well-researched can lend your argument credibility.

Example:

“Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy – the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific…Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves.”

- Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1941) from “Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation”


mmecassidy.weebly.commmecassidy.weebly.com/.../the_literary_argument.docx · web viewthe last...

Documents