I wonder if we could be all wax poetic and explore the possible philosophical meaning and reasoning behind our lack of homework...
Might it possibly be that because we have not experienced Mr. Lazarow telling us that we have no homework tonight, it may not be true. That Eric walked away from the situation understanding that we had no homework and has drawn for us a map of a night free of homework, but we do not have all of the proper knowledge to fill the borders with land because the news of Mr. Lazarow saying we don't have homework is not in our extensional knowledge, therefore not necessarily to be trusted. Then to explore the word homework. Broken down, work to be done at home, correct? But does everyone do their homework at home? Maybe we do it in study hall, during another class, in the car, at lunch, anywhere but our own homes. Then is it possible that he does have an assignment but he did not expect us to actually do at school? Could we possibly walk into class tomorrow and be expected to hand an assignment in even though Eric so kindly notified us that he was informed we had no homework tonight?
Just a quick note: The author of the first comment has my adoration. I can see the connections made between the simple statement, "No homework tonight" and the things we have been learning in class. They're quite interesting...nice job!
But to answer your question, I think that we can trust that Eric has drawn the correct map for us. In other words, we have no assignment tonight! And if we do, I will surely be angry with myself tomorrow!
This is purely an authority/ethos-based argument, and therefore we must consider the following:
"Does the person 'X' constitute as an authoritative source on the issue in question?"
"Is this the sort of issue in which you have support of a significant number of authorities?"
Now, is Eric an authority on the issue at hand? I highly doubt it - Mr. Lazarow is the only one who knows the details of the assignment as he is the one controlling the schedule and such. Eric is, however, the only person (To our knowledge) who experienced the no-homework revelation first-hand. As they say, "in the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king".
Though, I must admit that I find it curious that Eric's most recent post contained the observation that "[p]eople hallucinating are probably not aware of their condition and may believe their visions to be real." Perhaps Eric's desire for an AP English homework-free night altered his perception of the actual event that occurred in the extensional world?
Or, on an even more absurd note, maybe Eric didn't post this at all. Just because his name happens to be attached to the bottom of this post does not necessarily mean the comments posted are his thoughts. A name, after all, is not the person.
Just some nonsensical application of what we've learned thus far in class. Clearly I need to find a new hobby.
Because Mr. Lazarow told him what to say, Eric in this case is correct in his post since Mr. Lazarow is an authority figure and is generally right. If we do not consider Mr. Lazarow's authority to be valid, then the school administration will discipline us, unless he happens to abuse his authority (which of course would never happen).
Wow, I actually like writing Toulmin sentences. I need to find a new hobby as well...
Because Mr. Lazarow said we cannot post in another person's name, a student wouldn't post such an entry for fear of getting punished. No one likes being punished because it is generally unpleasant,unless a greater burden would arise if they did not post the entry.
That is my version of the Toulmin Sentence.
Since I'm fairly certain no one wants to feel the wrath of the Laz, no one would post in Eric's name, making the absurd note a near impossibility.
Now that I think about it... that should have been in the sentence. DRATS!
Because blogging cannot be traced without using IP address loggers, we do not know if "Eric"'s post is valid since any person with access to any of Mr. Lazarow's blogs could have posted under a pseudonym. If there is homework, then Mr. Lazarow would not be happy that no one did their homework, unless it was optional homework, which would have been stated during class.
Because all of my classmates are so creative when it comes to composing Toulmin Sentences, a most bountiful year is promised to us all since we are seeking entertainment in the most static of prewriting agendas. If we doubt a productive year filled with learning, then we will be unable to extract the essence of the course, unless we consult outside, all-knowing sources (which is unlikely, due to the honesty preserved in society these days).
I would never doubt Eric Wei (at least not outside of the arena of argumentation) and am positive that his word is trustworthy :). Thanks for the clarification!
Grace, I'm totally missing the transition between "Eric"'s post and homework. Are they part of the same argument? Am I totally confused? Might you possibly explain?
I originally had a far more content in my Toulmin sentence, but I tried to edit it down. (see my most recent post for a wonderful display of my incoherence)
Thus, I was operating under the assumption that the reader would derive (new stuff is bolded and lacking considerably in the "style" department but its manageable) Because blogging cannot be traced without using IP address loggers, we do not know if "Eric"'s post on this blog about Mr. Lazarow telling him there was no AP English III homework due on September 17, 2008 ACE is valid since any person with access to any of Mr. Lazarow's blogs supposedly operated by only his English students on their respective blogscould have posted under a pseudonym. If there is homework, then Mr. Lazarow would not be happy that no one did their homework, unless it was optional homework, which would have been stated during class.
Sum currens ex corny "Cogito Ergo Sum endings", Grace Yuan
Can I remind everyone that the Toulmin Sentence is not the be-all and end-all of arguments? I'm sure that everyone here is quite fond of the materials we've learned in class (I'd like to point out that everyone is posting on a blog at 10 pm) but merely posting a prewriting organization tool isn't going to cut it.
As Mr. Lazarow pointed out - the Toulmin sentence isn't a sentence in your essay/argument, nor is it your thesis sentence. It is a means to achieve a structured essay by giving you a framework upon which you can build.
Therefore, no one has actually proven whether or not Eric was the author of the original post.
Doesn't everything need to be built from the foundation up? (assuming that laws of gravity apply)
While I agree that we are not proving anything by presenting our Toulmin Sentences, we are definitely posing questions. Isn't finding questions just as important/intertwined with proving answers?
17 comments:
I wonder if we could be all wax poetic and explore the possible philosophical meaning and reasoning behind our lack of homework...
Might it possibly be that because we have not experienced Mr. Lazarow telling us that we have no homework tonight, it may not be true. That Eric walked away from the situation understanding that we had no homework and has drawn for us a map of a night free of homework, but we do not have all of the proper knowledge to fill the borders with land because the news of Mr. Lazarow saying we don't have homework is not in our extensional knowledge, therefore not necessarily to be trusted.
Then to explore the word homework. Broken down, work to be done at home, correct? But does everyone do their homework at home? Maybe we do it in study hall, during another class, in the car, at lunch, anywhere but our own homes. Then is it possible that he does have an assignment but he did not expect us to actually do at school? Could we possibly walk into class tomorrow and be expected to hand an assignment in even though Eric so kindly notified us that he was informed we had no homework tonight?
Please don't hurt me. =)
Just a quick note:
The author of the first comment has my adoration. I can see the connections made between the simple statement, "No homework tonight" and the things we have been learning in class. They're quite interesting...nice job!
But to answer your question, I think that we can trust that Eric has drawn the correct map for us. In other words, we have no assignment tonight! And if we do, I will surely be angry with myself tomorrow!
(Janet Lee)
GAH! I forgot to do the (Megan West) thing.
This is purely an authority/ethos-based argument, and therefore we must consider the following:
"Does the person 'X' constitute as an authoritative source on the issue in question?"
"Is this the sort of issue in which you have support of a significant number of authorities?"
Now, is Eric an authority on the issue at hand? I highly doubt it - Mr. Lazarow is the only one who knows the details of the assignment as he is the one controlling the schedule and such. Eric is, however, the only person (To our knowledge) who experienced the no-homework revelation first-hand. As they say, "in the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king".
Though, I must admit that I find it curious that Eric's most recent post contained the observation that "[p]eople hallucinating are probably not aware of their condition and may believe their visions to be real." Perhaps Eric's desire for an AP English homework-free night altered his perception of the actual event that occurred in the extensional world?
Or, on an even more absurd note, maybe Eric didn't post this at all. Just because his name happens to be attached to the bottom of this post does not necessarily mean the comments posted are his thoughts. A name, after all, is not the person.
Just some nonsensical application of what we've learned thus far in class. Clearly I need to find a new hobby.
Toulmin Sentence:
Because Mr. Lazarow told him what to say, Eric in this case is correct in his post since Mr. Lazarow is an authority figure and is generally right. If we do not consider Mr. Lazarow's authority to be valid, then the school administration will discipline us, unless he happens to abuse his authority (which of course would never happen).
Wow, I actually like writing Toulmin sentences. I need to find a new hobby as well...
(Eric Wei) (really)
Because Mr. Lazarow said we cannot post in another person's name, a student wouldn't post such an entry for fear of getting punished. No one likes being punished because it is generally unpleasant,unless a greater burden would arise if they did not post the entry.
That is my version of the Toulmin Sentence.
Since I'm fairly certain no one wants to feel the wrath of the Laz, no one would post in Eric's name, making the absurd note a near impossibility.
Now that I think about it... that should have been in the sentence. DRATS!
^(Megan West)^
I fail.
=(
Because blogging cannot be traced without using IP address loggers, we do not know if "Eric"'s post is valid since any person with access to any of Mr. Lazarow's blogs could have posted under a pseudonym. If there is homework, then Mr. Lazarow would not be happy that no one did their homework, unless it was optional homework, which would have been stated during class.
Who knows if I am actually,
Grace Yuan
Sorry about the double post again. I didn't know Megan had already posted a similar Toulmin spinoff.
I think therefore I am, but who else knows if I am actually,
Grace Yuan
Because all of my classmates are so creative when it comes to composing Toulmin Sentences, a most bountiful year is promised to us all since we are seeking entertainment in the most static of prewriting agendas. If we doubt a productive year filled with learning, then we will be unable to extract the essence of the course, unless we consult outside, all-knowing sources (which is unlikely, due to the honesty preserved in society these days).
I would never doubt Eric Wei (at least not outside of the arena of argumentation) and am positive that his word is trustworthy :). Thanks for the clarification!
(Sam Maliha)
At the risk of sounding less intelligent than all of you, I think this whole discussion proves that we all are obsessed with AP English.
-Paige Walker-
Grace,
I'm totally missing the transition between "Eric"'s post and homework.
Are they part of the same argument?
Am I totally confused?
Might you possibly explain?
(Megan West)
I originally had a far more content in my Toulmin sentence, but I tried to edit it down. (see my most recent post for a wonderful display of my incoherence)
Thus, I was operating under the assumption that the reader would derive (new stuff is bolded and lacking considerably in the "style" department but its manageable)
Because blogging cannot be traced without using IP address loggers, we do not know if "Eric"'s post on this blog about Mr. Lazarow telling him there was no AP English III homework due on September 17, 2008 ACE is valid since any person with access to any of Mr. Lazarow's blogs supposedly operated by only his English students on their respective blogscould have posted under a pseudonym. If there is homework, then Mr. Lazarow would not be happy that no one did their homework, unless it was optional homework, which would have been stated during class.
Sum currens ex corny "Cogito Ergo Sum endings",
Grace Yuan
Can I remind everyone that the Toulmin Sentence is not the be-all and end-all of arguments? I'm sure that everyone here is quite fond of the materials we've learned in class (I'd like to point out that everyone is posting on a blog at 10 pm) but merely posting a prewriting organization tool isn't going to cut it.
As Mr. Lazarow pointed out - the Toulmin sentence isn't a sentence in your essay/argument, nor is it your thesis sentence. It is a means to achieve a structured essay by giving you a framework upon which you can build.
Therefore, no one has actually proven whether or not Eric was the author of the original post.
Currens ex facetiis,
Tiffany
Doesn't everything need to be built from the foundation up? (assuming that laws of gravity apply)
While I agree that we are not proving anything by presenting our Toulmin Sentences, we are definitely posing questions. Isn't finding questions just as important/intertwined with proving answers?
Grace Yuan
Reading all of these makes me question my sanity
(Steve)
I must agree with Paige and Steve--We are all obssessed with AP English, and reading all of these posts makes me question my sanity, as well.
(Emily Thompson)
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