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Should the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn be Taught in American Classes?
Introductory Lecture: Telos
Mr. Dale, AP Language, 01/03/24
Lecture 1: Claims
FACT, VALUE, POLICY
Point 1: Claims and Criteria
Claims are contentious assertions or propositions that are the “head and tail” of a line of reasoning.
- Claims of Fact
- Claims of Value
- Claims of Policy
An effective argument develops a line of reasoning that fulfills the necessary criteria to support
the claim.
Claim of Fact an investigation on whether or not something is true or not true. “Cheerios
are the healthiest breakfast cereal.”
- You need observable and relevant data.
Claim of Value an argument that something is good/bad, right/wrong,
desirable/undesirable, etc. “Cheerios are better than Fruit Loops.”
- Have a shared criteria of judgment. (e.g longevity, taste better, healthy, filling,
etc.)
Example
- Wrong: The British ministry has increased the tax burden on the American
colonies, despite the fact that American colonies are denied representation in
Parliament.
- Right: The British ministry’s governance of American colonies is unjust and
warrants open rebellion against its sovereignty.
Claims of Policy put forth arguments about what should be done.
- A criteria for action is, “does it fit with my values and needs?” Consider the needs
and values of the specific situation.
- Effective policy arguments that are effective create a line of reasoning that makes
the action align with values and sense of need.
Lecture 2: Effective Evidence
General Principal:
,All claims in a line of reasoning should be supported by specific evidence which is explained to
the extent necessary to achieve a persuasive effect.
- Selecting effective evidence in rhetoric is about understanding the rhetorical situation.
Effective evidence in argument should be
1. Relevant: related to the claim explicitly
2. Accurate: properly represented, vetted for bias, and credible in the eyes of your audience.
3. Sufficient: offers enough support to defend the claim.
Presenting First-hand Evidence:
Personal Experience and Anecdotal Evidence
- Uses observations and impressions gained from your life, or from the lives of others
individuals.
Current Events as Evidence
Presenting Second-hand Evidence:
- Historical Information as Evidence: uses evidence from the historical record to support
one's present opinions.
- Expert opinion as Evidence
- Quantitative Evidence is the use of stats, numbers, data, etc. Extremely persuasive in
some scenarios and completely irrelevant in others.
- Appeal to literary sources or traditional wisdom” this could use the interpretation of
poetry, mythology, etc. to support a claim. (e.g. John Winthrop “Modell of Christian
Charity.”
Lecture 3: Composing Argumentative Essays
Point 1: Presenting Claims in Essays
In an essay, your central claim and supporting reasons should be clearly articulated. (“Because of
this[Central claim]..therefore this…”
- Open Thesis Statement: offers a central claim about the issue in contention and introduces
rationales within the body paragraphs.
- Closed Thesis Statement: offers a central claim and all the supporting rationales in one
place.
OTN 1: The Economist’s Claim of Support/Fact
Smartphones are Strongly Addictive
Claim of Fact: The writer wants you to accept this as true.
,Paragraph 1 contextualizes everything.
Paragraph 2 credibility, he’s trying to distance himself from a technophobe.
Paragraph 3 He proves they’re widely used, relevant but does not confirm. Addictive = something
that is habitual but it hurts you. They are habitually used, they're picked up 80 times a day which
is an insane level of engagement. They haven’t shown how harmful it is.
Paragraph 4 talks about the possible harmful effects.
Important claims:
1. They are widely used
2. And they may be harmful.
OTN 4: Terrors Purse Strings
Central Claim: Page 115. You should not buy counterfeit items because they fund bad actors.
Analyze how she uses second and first hand evidence:
- Claim of Policy: Annotated in the Conversations book.
OTN 5: Cell Phone Ban
Context/Assignment
Write an essay that argues your position on the advisability of the 48-hour ban.
Claim of Policy: Is this ban a good idea? Is it something we should do? (policy:action / the grounds
of action are need and value.
- The policy is for a local university welcoming freshman students. It’s an educational
institution that thinks student well being (value) and education is important. A new
freshman student has a need for communities and connections. Safety is included in
their needs too. Does the policy fulfill these needs? Analyze the proposed policy and
evaluate its effectiveness.
Reasons (BAD ARGUMENT)
1. 48 hours is not that bad, you should be semi-okay with not having to be on your phone for
2 days.
2. Using your phone can distract people from building friendships. Whether they are
scrolling through tiktok (a very addictive app) or instagram reels. It can prevent
opportunities for new friends and connections. Also after the 48 hours you can use your
phone to connect with them and talk so you're keeping the connections you make
afterwards making it worth it. It initiates personal engagement.
, 3. Using your phone for something like texting is too convenient. You communicate all the
time on your phone, instead of face to face conversations.
4. Phones increase social isolation in people. I know this because many people my age,
including myself, do it.
5. During the 48 hours you can do things to keep yourself safe, keep out of trouble, stay in
safe places around alot of people or maybe family members. You will always have some
form of communication.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
Introductory Lecture: Huck Finn
Should Huck Finn be taught in American highschools?
Prompt: This prompt is a claim of policy. The criteria for these claims: meeting needs and values.
The highschoolers in American schools.
What kind of needs and values orient this kind of place?
- Educational value. Education is devoted to developing your intellectual power and
moral/ethical orientation (e.g. History and how different societies interacted with each
other, Reading which shows you what human beings are like.) It also develops your
understanding of how the world works.
Schools Should:
1. How the world works/Discover how the world works
2. Morality and Ethics/Orient morally
3. Intellectual Power/Intellectually empowering
Criteria For a Book:
- Books that should be read: Is it challenging you intellectually, is it morally and ethically
developmental, does it help you understand how the world is or has been. Any book that
is taught should be linked to some kind of justification.
Yes, Refute (no), Qualify (good book under these conditions and if they are not met its a bad
book).
CESSAP
Context
This novel was written in 1883, the Reconstruction era, after the civil war. The novel is set in 1840
(before the Civil War). This book is about the reconstruction era set in the antebellum era that is
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