Be verwy quwiet...we're hunting elephants

Maybe not a rubbish van, but this van is now rubbish.

If you weren't in class today, finish reading Shooting an Elephant on page 979 of TLC. Tonight, blog your answers to the questions on page 985.

This elephant wishes Olivia a happy birthday. He's sorry Mr. Giddings gave you all homework on her birthday.

Mr. Giddings reminded the elephant that it's someone's birthday every day, but we don't have homework every day.

The elephant just shook his head.

Assertion Journal: Carlyle on Work

For those of you not in class on Friday, I'm sorry but here's your homework. Don't let it get bigger than 300-400 words and post it on your blog.

Provide a clear explanation of the assertion that follows. Then defend, challenge, or qualify the assertion noting the complexity of the issue and acknowledging any possible objections to your point of view:

“[T]here is a perennial nobleness, and even sacredness, in Work.” –Thomas Carlyle

Use any combination of first-hand, second-hand, or quantitative evidence you may have stored up in your grey matter (as we said before, everything you’ve ever read, seen, or experienced) to make your case. Make sure you follow the organization pattern laid out in the instructions.

Since we're doing Super Bowl commercials on Monday and a timed write Tuesday, I'm changing the due date from Monday by class to Wednesday by class. Spread the word.

Fallacious D

Hasty conclusion like toy balloon: easy blow up, easy pop.

–Charlie Chan at the Race Track 

In order to augment the reading from our packet, research the following fallacies here* and then create for your blog three short scenarios: two of which are examples that you make up using any two of the fallacies below and one that is meant to be logically consistent. In class, we’ll examine these paragraphs and see if the class can guess which is which. Make sure that it’s not obvious that you’re using a fallacy. Make us work; make us better.

• Begging the Question
• Slippery Slope
• False Dilemma
• Post Hoc
• Biased Sample
• Gambler’s Fallacy
• Hasty Generalization
• Ad Hominem
• Straw Man
• Tu Quoque
• Red Herring

* Use this site and this Nizkor Project site to help with this task.

I know some of these were mentioned in your reading as well, but it doesn't hurt to get some more information about them.