Dean r berry persuasive argument torture is just a means of fighting terrorism

Torture is Just a Means of Fighting Terrorism:
An Analysis of Persuasive Text

•Free PowerPoint Version at
•Slideshare.com
•Type PPT title or dean r berry

Torture is Just a Means
of Fighting Terrorism
A Common Core Lesson
By
Dean Berry, Ed. D.
Gregg Berry, B. A.

Skip the Skill Reading Review
If you have already practiced the special reading
skills taught in this series of lessons, you can skip
ahead to slide 29 and start the reading selection.

Reading with Your Eyes and Your Brain
Skillful readers learn how to read persuasive or
opinionated text with a very critical eye. They
realize that the author’s purpose is to convince the
reader to believe what the author is saying and to
consider the arguments given as valid even if they
violate logical reasoning and lack supporting
evidence. The author’s motive may be to get the
reader to buy something, vote a certain way,
change an attitude, or behave differently.

• In order to avoid manipulation by the author, good
readers learn how to detect poor reasoning and faulty
arguments. They are able to identify the various
logical fallacies or smoke screens that attempt to
cover up the lack of strong supporting evidence for
each claim. During this lesson, we will examine an
article and separate the fluff from the substance and
determine whether or not we believe the author
makes a strong or weak argument.

What does a good reader look for?
As you read the following article, attempt to separate the
unimportant language and innuendo from the heart of the
matter. Look for the primary message that contains the claim or
claims that the author is making. As a reader, your job is to look
for arguments that support the author’s claim and include
reasonable examples and factual statements. However,
recognizing the claim and supporting evidence takes practice.

Take a Few Notes
Complete the chart below using the
information provided in the following
frame.
• Author’s Claim:
• Evidence:
• Reasoning:

Author’s Claim: May be an answer to the question
posed, a proposed solution to the problem, or the thesis
of the persuasive text.
Evidence: Could include appropriate analogies,
clearly presented facts, statistical data, quotations or
testimonials, or anecdotal examples.
Reasoning: Should explain how the evidence
supports the claim and needs to avoid using logical
fallacies.
Three Essential Requirements
for a Persuasive Argument

Recognizing the thesis sentence
and author’s claim
The thesis sentence or claim is typically the ONE
sentence in the text that asserts, controls, and
structures the entire argument. Without a strong
persuasive, thoughtful thesis or claim, an article might
seem unfocused, weak, and not worth the reader's time.
• A good thesis sentence will make a claim.
• A good thesis sentences will control the entire
• argument
• A good thesis will provide a structure for the author’s
argument.

Let’s Practice Writing Some Claims
• Select two of the topics below and write a statement for each that
makes a claim about how to solve a problem.
• Global Warming
• Traffic in Big Cities
• High Gas Prices
• Low Wages
• Bullying on Social Networks
• Driving Under the Influence

How much evidence is provided by the author?
When you read the article, examine the author’s
claim and determine if the supporting evidence is
adequate to substantiate the claim. After reading
the selection, you will be asked to develop an
outline showing the claim and supporting
arguments with examples and factual statements.

What does evidence look like?
When we read a persuasive text, we must read very closely to ensure that the
arguments that are presented include very specific, credible evidence. For example,
we should look for statistical data such as numbers and scores, analogies that
compare similar claims and solutions, quotations or testimonials supporting the
claims, or anecdotal examples that substantiate the claim.

What does the research say?
1.Statistical Evidence
• Statistical evidence is the kind of data people tend
to look for first when trying to prove a point. That’s
not surprising when you consider how prevalent it
is in today’s society. Remember those McDonald’s
signs that said “Over 1 billion served”? How about
those Trident chewing gum commercials that say
“4 out of 5 dentists recommend chewing sugarless
gum”? Every time you use numbers to support a
main point, you’re relying on statistical evidence to
carry your argument.

What do you think?
Use your imagination
What are some possible types
of statistical evidence?
For toothpaste?
For texting and driving?
For falling asleep in class?

What do the experts say?
2. Testimonial Evidence
• Testimonial evidence is another type of evidence
that is commonly turned to by people trying to
prove a point. Commercials that use
spokespersons to testify about the quality of a
company’s product, lawyers who rely on eye-
witness accounts to win a case, and students who
quote an authority in their essays are all using
testimonial evidence.

Stand and Deliver
Who can give us a testimonial about one of these?
Jennifer Aniston and Revlon Hairspray
Apple Smart Phone
Cheddar Jalapeno Cheetos
A Famous Brand of Tennis Shoes

Do personal observations
support the claim?
3. Anecdotal Evidence
• Often dismissed as untrustworthy and meaningless,
anecdotal evidence is one of the more underutilized
types of evidence. Anecdotal evidence is evidence
that is based on a person’s observations of the
world. It can actually be very useful for disproving
generalizations because all you need is one example
that contradicts a claim.

•Be careful when using this type of
evidence to try and support your
claims. One example of a non-native
English speaker who has perfect grammar
does NOT prove that ALL non-native English
speakers have perfect grammar. All the
anecdote can do is disprove the claim that
all immigrants who are non-native English
speakers have terrible grammar.

You CAN use this type of evidence to support
claims, though, if you use it in conjunction
with other types of evidence. Personal
observations can serve as wonderful
examples to introduce a topic and build it up –
just make sure you include statistical
evidence so the reader of your paper doesn’t
question whether your examples are just
isolated incidents.

Use Your Imagination
• Create an anecdote or personal observation about
a situation and solution that seems to work very
well. Use one of the following topics:
• Water Conservation
• Gas is Too Expensive
• Getting Tired and Bored Doing Homework After
Dinner
• Cell Phone Users Getting Sore Necks

Do similar situations provide evidence?
4. Analogical Evidence
• The last type of evidence is called analogical
evidence. It is also underutilized, but this time for a
reason. Analogies are mainly useful when dealing with
a topic that is under-researched. If you are on the
cutting edge of an issue, you’re the person breaking
new ground. When you don’t have statistics to refer to
or other authorities on the matter to quote, you have to
get your evidence from somewhere. Analogical
evidence steps in to save the day.

• Take the following example: You work
for a company that is considering
turning some land into a theme park. On
that land there happens to be a river
that your bosses think would make a
great white-water rafting ride. They’ve
called on you to assess whether or not
that ride would be a good idea.

• Since the land in question is as yet undeveloped,
you have no casualty reports or statistics to refer
to. In this case, you can look to other rivers with
the same general shape to them, altitude,
etc. and see if any white-water rafting casualties
have occurred on those rivers. Although the rivers
are different, the similarities between them should
be strong enough to give credibility to your
research. Realtors use the same type of
analogical evidence when determining the value
of a home.
• When you use analogies to support your claims,
always remember their power.

How do you evaluate the author’s claim?

Let’s Review These Ideas
Discuss and Take Some Notes
• What are some types of evidence that we might look for?
• What kind of emotional appeals might the author use?
How should the reader deal with these?
• Why should we expect the author to recognize or refute
opposing claims?
Also, take notes on the following page so you can
use these prompts when you read the article.

When we read the article, use these
phrases to record your notes showing
the evidence used in the text.
•According to the text…
•The author stated…
•For instance…
•For example…
•Because…

You May Skip this Review
If you are clear on how to spot the false
dichotomy fallacy, you can skip ahead to slide
44 and continue reading.

Will this article use a logical fallacy
to persuade us of an argument?
Let’s take a close look at how an author might fool
us into thinking there is only to two acceptable
solutions to a question or problem.

Logical Fallacies
The False Dichotomy
•Definition: In false dichotomy, the arguer
sets up the situation so it looks like there are only
two choices. The arguer then eliminates one of
the choices as very unworkable, so it seems that
we are left with only one option: the one the
arguer wanted us to pick in the first place. But
often there are really many different options, not
just two—and if we thought about them all, we
might not be so quick to pick the one the arguer
recommends.

False dichotomy is a forced choice fallacy.
It must be all one way or all the other way.
No other solutions are considered. The choices
offered do not include any grey areas in between
the two choices offered.

The Take It or Leave It Argument

The False Dichotomy
When someone asks you an either/or question—also
called a dichotomy—it's natural to choose an
answer without considering whether the question
itself makes sense. The way a question is asked
can be designed to trap the audience into selecting
the lesser of two poor solutions rather than
choosing another idea that wasn’t even offered by
the person asking the question. The False
Dichotomy takes advantage of this tendency; it's a
clever trap that is often used by politicians, news
editorials, and people arguing controversial issues.

Let's practice identifying
False Dichotomies
. Read the following two examples and
determine whether they're False Dichotomies.
• Tip: As you read, consider whether the
dichotomy presented in each example is
complete or incomplete. If there are other
options available besides the two that the
dichotomy is presenting, it's probably a false
dichotomy.

Is this a false dichotomy?
Explain Why or Why Not.
•If you want better public schools, you
have to raise taxes. If you don't want to
raise taxes, you can't have better
schools.“
Go to Next Frame

Pair Share
Turn to your neighbor and discuss
your answer to this question.
If you want better public schools,
you have to raise taxes. If you
don't want to raise taxes, you
can't have better schools."

We are going to have a huge number of wild fires
this summer unless we do something major. We
need to cut back the dry brush, invest in more
trucks and airplanes for the fire department, use
fire retardant in dangerous areas, or keep people
out of forest areas during the fire season.

Pair Share
We are going to have a huge number of wild
fires this summer unless we do something
major. We need to cut back the dry brush,
invest in more trucks and airplanes for the fire
department, use fire retardant in dangerous
areas, or keep people out of forest areas during
the fire season.

"Look, you are going to have to make up
your mind. Either you decide that you can
afford this stereo, or you decide you are
going to do without music for a while.“

Pair Share
"Look, you are going to have to make up
your mind. Either you decide that you can
afford this stereo, or you decide you are
going to do without music for a while."

We either have to send a large military force
to Syria with thousands of boots on the
ground, greatly increase drone strikes in
Syria, ask our military partners to send
troops along with ours, or get completely
out of the Middle East conflict.

Pair Share
We either have to send a large military force
to Syria with thousands of boots on the
ground, greatly increase drone strikes in
Syria, ask our military partners to send troops
along with ours, or get completely out of the
Middle East conflict.

Apply Your Skill
Now that you understand how the false
dichotomy fallacy works, examine the
following article and determine if it employs
the false dichotomy. If so, identify the two
forced choices. What specific problem is the
author proposing to solve? Other than the
two choices given, are there any other ways
to solve the problem? Does the author
ignore the other possibilities?

Annotating the text as you perform
close reading is a great way to
ensure effective critical reading.

As you take margin notes and mark up
the text, identify assumptions, opinions,
faulty arguments, weak or strong
evidence, and key words or phrases.

Examine the claim for the amount of
supporting evidence that directly relates to
the claim. After reading the selection, you will
be asked to develop an outline showing the
claim and supporting arguments with
examples and factual statements.

TORTURE IS JUST A MEANS
OF PREVENTING TERRORISM
The Geneva Conventions only apply to prisoners of
war. They do not apply to spies or terrorists. The
Convention Against Torture only applies on a
country's own soil, which is why torture of prisoners
in Guantanamo Bay is legally acceptable.

In a 'ticking time-bomb scenario' there is a bomb
that will detonate in a public area somewhere very
soon. The person who planted the bomb is the only
one who knows its whereabouts. That person is
being held by the police/intelligence services. The
interrogators have overwhelming evidence to
believe that they have the right man. They can
check anything he says to see if he is lying,
because of the other intelligence they have
gathered. However, he is refusing to disclose the
location of the bomb under interrogation.

The three reasons torture is justified in
this scenario are that, firstly there is a
specific time pressure and the
knowledge that there is no other
possible to way to retrieve the
information. Secondly, on a utilitarian
calculus, the benefits to many outweigh
the cost to one man. Thirdly, because
the man is strongly assumed to be guilty,
he deserves punishment anyway for his
actions

Even under normal circumstances, rather than an
immediate TTB scenario, the risks of a single terrorist
putting the lives of far more people in danger with a long
term plot is too great to be ignored. Interrogating one man
can help reveal even more information to prevent other
possible plots. The utilitarian principle still applies in a
hypothetical situation. In fact, it is even more justified
because the torturer puts one person in pain. Not only do
you save more lives, but torturing someone causes them
temporary physical pain. Killing thousands is permanent
damage. The benefits vastly outweigh the cost of torture if
a person is put in temporary pain and this prevents the
deaths of many more.

Let’s annotate part of the text. Read the following
two pages again and copy the sections that
include the claim and supporting arguments.
• Circle the Claim
•Underline the supporting arguments
•Box in each type of evidence

Share Your Annotations
• Read the claim you identified to the
class
• Read one of the supporting arguments
• Explain of type of evidence, if any, that
the author used

Regardless of whether one person is
innocent and does not deserve to be
punished, if you consider the possibility of
so many people dying and the risk that the
situation is real and not hypothetical, an
interrogator can be justifiably excused for
torturing an innocent on a utilitarian basis.

With the use of modern technologies by intelligence
services and the co-operation and exchanges of
information between different intelligence agencies
around the world, the likelihood of catching the
wrong person has slimmed significantly. If you consider
the history of intelligence gathering and the various
techniques, you see that it was a lengthy and painstaking
operation. This proves a great level of caution in
gathering information and suggests that modern
intelligence agencies do not take the risk of accidently
accusing an innocent10.

•Regardless of whether the terrorist is right or not, it
is still the duty of a democratic State to protect its
citizens. This is because of the 'social contract.' Citizens
support the State because collectively there are certain
social goals that can only be achieved through an
organized body. In this instance, individual citizens are
unable to protect themselves, so the State steps in. If the
purpose of the State is to achieve these goals, it is
irrelevant whether that terrorist is right or not. When that
terrorist has stepped outside the 'social contract' by
damaging the State, the terrorist is no longer protected
by the State and is not owed any civil rights that go with
it.

When someone uses the word “if” too often
during a persuasive argument, what do you think?
•Does the word “if” indicate certainty or
uncertainty?
•What is an assumption?
•Can you use the word assume in a sentence?

Terrorists or spies view their morality as above the law. So,
they have no incentive to co-operate under normal
circumstances. However, the victim is psychologically broken
down, because extreme physical suffering makes the victim
think of nothing but the pain and the prospect of pain.
Everything the victim thinks of is shaped by the experiences of
interrogation. The terrorist is made to feel powerless and
dependent, because somebody else is controlling what they
feel and think. When a torturer has this much power over
someone the victim's only aim is to please their torturer,
because they seem to be so powerful and important. The
suspect is then made to hand over the needed information.
Even if they give misleading information, an agency can check
and, if the information was false, they can continue to torture,
until honest information is given. If people do say anything
under torture it is likely that some of it will be true.

Terrorism has become a much greater security threat
than before. It is the in the nature of terrorism to be
fast, high impact and difficult to detect. International
tensions caused by Western involvement in the Middle
East and other causes are likely to rise. It is reasonable
to assume that terrorist activity will continue or
increase as well. Add to this that weapons are easier to
purchase, to make for yourself and more lethal than
ever before and these extra measures seem justified to
protect ourselves.

Torture acts as a deterrent to others. Physical
and painful consequences of one's actions are a
greater deterrent than imprisonment, because
of the relative safety one can have in prison
compared to the pain felt in torture. Fear is
often used successfully as a motivator: for
example, children were forced to become
soldiers for rebel armies in Sierra Leone. If fear
is so effective, it can equally be used as a
deterrent

If torture is accepted then it can be controlled.
Rules and definitions can be set, to prevent
unnecessary and overtly inhumane techniques from
occurring.
"If torture is going to be administered as a last
resort [...] to save enormous numbers of lives, it
ought to be done openly, with accountability, with
approval by the president of the United States or by
a Supreme Court justice." – Alan Dershowitz17

Is the author making a
“pretty iffy” argument?
• Let’s read a couple pages of the article
again. Identify and write down three of the
sentences that use “if” in the sentence.
• Do these sentences raise any questions
about the credibility of the author’s claim?
Why?

Torture acts as a deterrent to others. Physical
and painful consequences of one's actions are a
greater deterrent than imprisonment, because
of the relative safety one can have in prison
compared to the pain felt in torture. Fear is
often used successfully as a motivator: for
example, children were forced to become
soldiers for rebel armies in Sierra Leone. If fear
is so effective, it can equally be used as a
deterrent.

Write down these four questions and go
to the next frame to find the answers.
•Are any assumptions made?
•Are both sides of the issue
considered?
•Is overgeneralizing used
inappropriately?
•Are opinions directly supported with
relevant and credible evidence?

Examine this page and answer your four questions.
The three reasons torture is justified in this
scenario are that, firstly there is a specific
time pressure and the knowledge that there
is no other possible to way to retrieve the
information. Secondly, on a utilitarian
calculus, the benefits to many outweigh the
cost to one man. Thirdly, because the man is
strongly assumed to be guilty, he deserves
punishment anyway for his actions.

Review your answers to these questions.
Did the author present logical and credible
arguments and evidence? Why or why not?
Discuss
•Are any assumptions made?
•Are both sides of the issue
considered?
•Is overgeneralizing used
inappropriately?
•Are opinions directly supported with
relevant and credible evidence?

Let’s Talk
•How might you summarize the
article you just read?
•What was the author’s main point
in writing the article?

Verbalize Your Summary
Using several sentences, turn
to another student and tell
them the main point of the
article.

Quick Write
How might you summarize the
article you just read? Use a
couple of sentences to write a
summary of the article. Go to
the next slide.

Examine the claims for the amount of supporting
evidence that directly relates to each claim. Now that
you have read the article several times, complete an
outline showing the claim and supporting arguments
with examples and factual statements. Prepare a blank
outline that can be used as we read the article again. Fill
in the outline using your own paper.

Did the author use a logical fallacy?
What are the choices offered by the author
to solve the problem? Does this constitute a
false dichotomy? If so, identify the two
forced choices. What specific problem is the
author proposing to solve? Other than the
two choices given, are there any other ways
to solve the problem? Why do you think the
author ignores the other possibilities?
Read the article again.
Record responses on your own paper.

Torture is Just a Means of Fighting
Terrorism

Decision Time: Is this article an
example of a false dichotomy fallacy?
What specific problem did the author propose to solve?
What choices did the author offer to solve the problem?
Does this constitute a false dichotomy?
Other than the two choices given, are there any other ways
to solve the problem?
Why do you think the author ignores the other possibilities?
Record responses on your own paper.

Dean r berry persuasive argument torture is just a means of fighting terrorism

Recommandé

Recommandé

Contenu connexe

Tendances

Tendances (17)

Similaire à Dean r berry persuasive argument torture is just a means of fighting terrorism

Similaire à Dean r berry persuasive argument torture is just a means of fighting terrorism (20)

Plus de Riverside County Office of Education

Plus de Riverside County Office of Education (20)

Dernier

Dernier (20)

Dean r berry persuasive argument torture is just a means of fighting terrorism