Transcript Document
Nonfiction and Argumentation
Are these objective or subjective?
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The average test score was 56/70.
The scores were good.
The overall average score is higher than on the previous test.
Number 24 was the question missed more than any other
question.
“Everyone failed the test!”
“The test sucked!”
The test covered the information in a fair and balanced way.
The test was too hard.
1.Childlike, Youthful, Childish, Young
2.Disabled, Crippled, Handicapped, Retarded
3.Relaxed, Laid-back, Lackadaisical, Easy-going
4.Slim, Skinny, Slender, Thin
5.Cheap, Frugal, Miserly, Economical
6.Young, Immature, Juvenile, Youthful
7.Inquisitive, Interested, Curious, Convivial
8.Confident, Secure, Proud, Egotistical
9.Lovely, Knockout, Beautiful, Stunning
10.Talkative, Conversational, Chatty, Nosy
Parallelism - an arrangement of the parts of a composition so that elements of
equal importance are balanced in similar constructions. This arrangement may
be applied to words, phrases, clauses, sentences, paragraphs, or complete
units of compositions. Parallelism is a rhetorical device.
• We are going to fight! We are going to win! We are going to celebrate!
• Jack hopes to visit his parents and see his old friends when he goes home.
• She advised me to find some new friends and forget about the event.
• This wealthy car collector owns three pastel Cadillacs, two gold Rolls Royces,
• and ten assorted Mercedes.
• Peter felt that he had made an excellent deal and that he had bought a
masterpiece.
• He enjoys playing tennis and working out.
Propaganda: Information, esp. of a biased or misleading nature, used
to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view. Can be for good
or bad.
Gun Control Propaganda
Health Care Propaganda
RHETORIC
Rhetoric is the art used to deliver the content; the art can be used to help
define of amplify the content or it may be used to distract from the truth. The
word rhetoric can have a negative connotation.
For Good: From “I have a Dream” by MLK: “…With this faith, we will be able
to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will
be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful
symphony of brotherhood.”
For Bad: From Senator Joe McCarthy's “Enemies From Within”: “Today we
can almost physically hear the mutterings and rumblings of an invigorated god
of war. You can see it, feel it, and hear it all the way from the Indochina hills,
from the shores of Formosa, right over into the very heart of Europe itself.”
Rhetoric
Bias:
These three headlines are all about the same topic.
Bias can occur by design—
some news sources live for it
(it’s called propaganda); other
sources may lean slightly one
way or another, and much bias
is unintentional and often
unavoidable.
A rhetorical question is a figure of speech in the form of a question that is
asked in order to make a point. The question is used as a rhetorical device,
posed for the sake of encouraging its listener to consider a message or
viewpoint.
• "If your friend jumped off the bridge would you do it too?"
• "You don't think I'm that stupid, do you?"
• "Are you kids still awake?"
• "What business is it of yours?"
• "Aren't you ashamed of yourself?”
• "You're not really going to wear that, are you?"
• "Are you stupid?"
• "Can you do anything right?"
Notice that
most
rhetorical
questions are
loaded.
Loaded Words/Loaded Language (and more about connotation)
“Obamacare” instead of “Affordable Health Care Act”
“Socialized Medicine” instead of “Universal Health Care”
“Gun Control” instead of “Gun Safety”
“Pro Life” (infers the other side if pro death) rather than “Anti-Abortion”
“Defense of Marriage Act” (implies marriage is under attack)
“The Patriot Act” (Implies anyone against it is not a patriot)
“Family Values”
“Suicide Bomber” vs. “Homicide Bomber”
“Moral Majority” vs. “Religious Right”
“Liberal” vs. “Progressive”
“Runaway Slave” vs. “Freedom Seeker”
“Foreign Language” vs. “World Language”
Conjecture / Opinion / Argument
Can you name each?
All professional athletes all make a bunch of money.
Skittles are my favorite candy.
Most people cheat on homework.
I saw on the news where a man stole a car What a loser.
Cloudy days are awesome.
Homework has no value.
Society would, be better serves of we improved school rather
than built prisons.
The speed limit on the highway should be 75 m.p.h..
If the speed limit were 75, I bet more accidents would happen.
If the speed limit were raised to 75, highway congestion
would be alleviated and gas would be saved.
And, don’t forget that the use of rhetoric
can include all those literary techniques:
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imagery, simile, metaphor, etc.—and idiom
That is so cool. He is so hot.
Sick
In deep trouble / in hot water
Beating around the bush
Driving me up the wall
Playing with fire
Asking for trouble
A sunny personality
Head around an idea
On the fence
Don’t B. S. me.