Veejooal Arguments

Visual arguments are by far the greatest influencing form of argument in existence. Nothing gets across a message like a good, impactful picture of whatever you happen to be talking about that. I remember going through drivers ed back in the day, and the class was extremely boring. I would sleep through all the teacher's lectures. I would skim the text to see if there was anything interesting, which there never was. However, one day I came to class and a video was shown of a man my teacher called "Mr Applesauce Face." If you haven't guessed. Mr Applesauce Face was a man who was not as careful as he should have been when he was driving, and as a result was found barely alive in his wreckage with a head that looked like, well, applesauce. This alone has made me a safer driver as well as totally convincing me of the power of Visual arguments.

Toulim

The statement on page 88 stating “real-world arguments seldom prove anything” is referring to how the basis of argument is not truly rooted in the real world. This is because, as Aristotle said, there is no real truth in our world. We have to create our own truth. Therefore, when trying to find the truth, it will not be discovered in our real world. Real world arguments are only able to find patterns and semi-truths about our world, which will never be the actual truth.
This having been said, that does not mean that real world arguments are totally useless. Strong factual reason is a very important part of how we argue, and this comes from our ability to use this factual reason in real world arguments. However, this still does not "prove" anything, rather it strengthens our ability to reason.

Soodow Arguments

A pseudo-argument actually isn't very much of an argument at all. It usually is between two parties that are either unable or unwilling to express their side of the "argument" in terms that can actually relate to anything. The parties would rather defend their arguments with quips such as "because I said so." This reminds me of my puny little second grade arguments with my friends, which would always involve one person saying one of the following: "I know you are but what am I?", "I am rubber. You are glue. Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you!", and my personal favorite, "Oh yeah? Well.... Your Mom!!!" Obviously none of these got anybody anywhere, and as with pseudo-arguments, neither a consensus nor a resolution would ever come about, rendering the whole concept of pseudo arguments absolutely useless.

Blog Due Today

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Biotech Foood

As a rabid consumer of lots and lots of food, I tend to ignore the ingredients on the package and head straight for the goodness on the inside. Because of this, I would definitely not feel comfortable with genetically modified food to only mention its genetic modification in small type near the nutrition facts and all that other crap. I need a big, fat, easy to read sticker on the front that says THIS HAS BEEN GENETICALLY MODIFIED. I don't care if this has the potential affect the sales. I just want to know whether or not someone's been screwing around with my food or not. However, I do see the point of view of the companies producing the food. If I had food that I genetically modified, I wouldn't neccesarily feel the need to boldly broadcast that kind of information. But being the consumer with the voracious appetite that I am, I would much rather have the food company take a hit in their pocketbook than have me take a hit in my genetically modified stomach.

Using Picture Stuff

An Explicit argument, unlike an implicit argument, is a direct confrontation against another argument or point of view. The person stating their view is "rearing to fight", or ready to go make their point of view known. An implicit argument is a much more understated way of proving a point. This is what is demonstrated in the picture of veterans. There is no direct confrontation attempted by the taking of this picture, however, there is a point to be made by the way this picture was taken that emphasizes the great cost of fighting war. I personally prefer to use implicit arguments, but that is just because I don't have the type of personality that typically wants to start any conflicts.

My AP English Experience

AP English has been without a doubt an incredibly unique class so far this year. My favorite aspect of the way the class works is the great amount of discussion we are able to have about the readings and writings we have worked on, with my favorite moment being our discussion of the characters of The Great Gatsby. I will not lie and say it was my favorite book of all time, and in some places the book left me scratching my head. However, after our in-class discussion of all the characters and all of their terrible dirty lives, the book became much clearer to me and it gave me much more of an appreciation for the brilliant work that Fitzgerald did on the book. It was also lighthearted and easy to understand, and I even got condemned to hell! I hope the good times keep on rolling in AP English!!!

The Evolution of Language

There is no doubt in my mind that any and ever language evolves over time. First off, obviously, is the fact that the world around us is constantly evolving, so the language has to evolve with it in order to keep up. In the time period when English was first coming into its modern form, I can say with certainty that the speakers of the time didn't go home to houses with aluminum siding filled with televisions, refrigerators, microwaves, garbage disposals, etc. Also, with every language comes the slang of that language, which is always evolving. From ain't and y'all to pwn and google, slang of the English language is constantly in use and will continue to become more mainstream. Language has always changed, is currently changing, and will always change around us.