Examples of Each Fallacy

HASTY GENERALIZATION - Joe and his friends never participate in gym class and it because they don't know how to play.
STEREOTYPE - Black people are ghetto.
CAUSE AND EFFECT - I scratched the side of your car, because you went to a horrible driving school.
ONLY CAUSE - If we extended the school year, less teenagers would drop out of school.
FALSE ANALOGY - Like the airplane above them, the track team soared across the horizon.
ATTACKING THE PERSON - Your ideas of imposing new laws into the Constitution is invalid, because you break the laws everyday.
EITHER-OR - Either pray to God everyday or rot in Hell.
NON-SEQUITUR - The gas tank is half full, however the tank is not full so we cannot go to the Party.
CIRCULAR REASONING - Barack Obama should be President, he's African American. We've never had an African American President and he has a good sense of humor.

Correct & Incorrect Syllogisms

Correct:

Birds have wings
Wings enable anybody/anything to fly
Birds can fly.

Chocolate is sweet
Hersheys is chocolate
Hersheys is sweet.

Exercising helps you lose weight
Playing sports is a way of exercising
Playing sports helps you lose weight.

Incorrect:

Jim Carrey is a comedian
Jim Carrey is Canadian
All Canadians are funny.

Barack Obama is a Democrat
Barack Obama is African American
African Americans are Democrats.

New York City is a crowded place
Crowded places have rats
New York City has rats.

Proposal

Ashley,
You are, without a doubt, the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. Everything from your beauty, to your personality amazes me every day. Whenever I see you, my heart smiles. I cherish every last second spent with you and when I am not with you – my body aches for your presence as I think that I’ve wasted time that could’ve been spent with you. As I think of the valuable time spent with you, I have assessed that I need you in my life. Life without you seems impossible and to me it’s not living. I want to spend the rest of my time here with you, making you the happiest woman alive. You have gone through some difficult situations in the past, but I remained by your side reassuring you that everything would be okay. You know that whenever you need someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on, I’ve always been there and I will continue to be. Just as I compliment you, you compliment me with your comforting voice. Your life and my life would simply be incomplete without the support of each other. I am willing to sacrifice my happiness in order to keep that beautiful smile on your face. I would even circle the stars and bring you one back to show you how dedicated my life is to making you the happiest woman on earth. I love you so much and I am asking you to please take this ring and accept my proposal to you. I want to officially make you my wife and continue loving you with every loin in my body. With your approval, I promise to love you through your sicknesses and your health and I will stand by your side even when I don’t necessarily have to or when I don’t need to.

Pride & Prejudice Excerpt Analysis

Ashley Ducrepin
AP English – Mr. George
09.29.09
Analysis of Mr. Collins address

Mr. Collins effectively utilizes his charm to compliment not only who he is speaking to but also who he includes in his address. We’ve established the audience in the first sentence; he is speaking directly to Elizabeth and he captures her attention by showering her with incomparable adjectives (i.e. natural delicacy, wit, and vivacity). With all this, we determine that his objective is to make Elizabeth his wife. His way of accomplishing that goal is to ease his way into Elizabeth’s heart by excessively flattering her just to make it harder for her to say no to him. He praised Elizabeth for her modesty and also tribute portion of his speech to the very honorable Mrs. Jenkins. He said, “Twice has she [Mrs. Jenkins] condescended to give me her opinion” (Austen). He purposely uses the word “condescended” to demonstrate how noble and honorable this woman is that the act of giving Collins advice would be bringing her down to a lower level. In a way, Collins slightly disrespects himself to pay homage to Mrs. Jenkins. Collins uses more than acclamation to prove a point, he also makes use of syntax incorporating many different literary devices.

Collins particularly selects certain words to emphasize his intentions. When trying to win Elizabeth over, he says, “And now nothing remains for me but to assure you in the most animated language of the violence of my affection” (Austen). That sentence almost does not make sense because he uses the word violent to accentuate his affection. However, he used these contradicting words purposely; this literary device is known as an oxymoron. In this case, he is describing his emotions as aggressively passionate. Collins also uses a paradox to prove a point. He makes a bold statement: “it is usual with young ladies to reject the address of the man whom they secretly mean to accept” (Austen). It is a paradox because it can come off as a false statement (as Elizabeth thought) but it is actually true. Women are known to reject any man’s attempts to get close to them but the truth of the matter is they are really interested. Finally in the end, personification is used to show how kind he plans to be when he marries her: “no ungenerous reproach shall ever pass my lips when we are married” (Austen). Collins’ use of rhetoric is effective and I do believe that eventually he will win Elizabeth over and they’ll get married.

Monte Cristo - Dantes=God

Ashley Ducrepin
AP English – Mr. George
09.10.09
Count of Monte Cristo Notes

Dantès playing the role of God throughout the text:

According to most religions, bible verses teach us that God does see when we do right, when we remain pure and follow His ways. Therefore, those who are good people and live by the Lord’s standards shall be rewarded.
“he that cometh to God must believe that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6; King James Version).

In connection to the Count of Monte Cristo, Dantès can be seen as a rewarding God.
Just as the Lord works though other people, Dantès used the disguise known as Sinbad the Sailor to help Monsiuer Morrel. M. Morrel was a good man and Dantès also believed good men should be rewarded. Knowing that Morrel’s in debt, Dantès uses the money he has just discovered to pay off Morrel’s debts. Dantès, still incognito, says to himself “‘Be happy, noble heart. May you [Monsieur Morrel] be blessed for all the good you have done and will do hereafter’” (187).
Because of his wealth, he is able to determine Monsieur Morrel’s happiness. Dantès has the authority to determine whether one deserves to be happy or not, just as the Lord has that power.

The bible also refers to those who choose not to follow the Lord; those who decide to go against the Lord shall be punished. This specific group of people includes those who make bad decisions and perform dreadful actions. Danglars is considered one of those people, and though it should be in god’s hands on how he should be punished, Dantès handles it himself.
He manipulates Danglars stating that “A man of Danglars’ type requires to be overwhelmed, not merely pinpricked” (258). It’s almost as if Dantès designed Danglars himself, since he knows exactly what to say to make him believe in anything. What the Lord (or Dantès) giveth, he shall taketh away. When Monte Cristo talks about how worthless a million dollars is to him, Danglars was overwhelmed and he agreed to give the Count six million dollars. In the meantime, the Count sits back and watches Danglar’s wife spend his money like it’s nothing. In the end, Danglars becomes broke and Dantès gets Luigi to kidnap him. Dantès gets the last laugh.
Danglars is punished.

Great Gatsby

Ashley Ducrepin
Summer English – Mr. George
08.02.09
The Great Gatsby

Happiness? Doesn’t Exist

The world is full of ambitious people who try to find things in life to make and keep them happy. People will risk almost anything to live a happy life. Some people never find a moment of happiness and some are mistaken to believe that they’ve actually found what they’ve been searching for. It may be argued that some people do find happiness, however this is impossible because just as F. Scott Fitzgerald emphasizes in The Great Gatsby, there is no such thing as happiness. He says, “life is essentially a cheat and its conditions are those of defeat and redeeming things are not ‘happiness and pleasure’ but the deeper satisfactions of the struggle.” This quote is supported throughout the text by Fitzgerald’s depictions of many of the characters and the struggles they go through. We see the absence of happiness in three characters: Tom Buchanan, Daisy, and Jay Gatsby.

One of the most common things people do to achieve happiness is get married. The object of a wedding is for two people to live a united and happy life together. However, as Fitzgerald develops this recurring theme expressing that there is no such thing as happiness, it prevents one couple from being content. Daisy and Tom Buchanan are clearly unhappy together but it is also evident that they both love each other. Throughout the text, Tom seems to be frustrated with Daisy. In response to the comment Daisy makes about the books Tom reads, he says, “’ Well, these books are all scientific,’ insisted Tom” and he “glances at her impatiently” (13). Tom has a short temper and he gets easily upset at anything Daisy does. He is mentally and physically abusive towards Daisy. Daisy acknowledges his temperament and blames herself for it: “‘You did it, Tom,’ she said accusingly, ‘I know you didn’t mean to, but you did it. That’s what I get for marrying a brute of a man’” (12). Tom’s solution to the lack of joy in the relationship was to find happiness elsewhere and he did. He began an affair with another married woman named Myrtle. He seemed to treat her much better than his wife, Daisy; he even buys Myrtle a dog. Despite his attempt to pursue a happier lifestyle with someone else, Tom remains “‘a terrible pessimist about things’” (12). Therefore it proves that the gratifying feeling of happiness can never be obtained.

Daisy, on the other hand, was unhappy even before marrying Tom. She was in love with another man named Jay Gatsby but she could not be with him. With her heart broken and vulnerable, she impulsively entered a relationship with Tom Buchanan and eventually married him. As Gatsby explains: “‘she only married you [Tom] because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me. It was a terrible mistake’” (130). Daisy’s objective in marrying Tom was to live a happy life since she could not achieve that with Gatsby. However, Fitzgerald showed, once again, that happiness is not attainable. Tom, in no way, represented a sense of happiness for Daisy at any point. He was simply the deeper satisfaction of Daisy’s struggle. Nevertheless, Daisy was in love with him and it was obvious because of her actions: “‘she used to sit on the sand with his head in her lap … looking at him with unfathomable delight’” (77) and Daisy also admits, “‘I did love him [Tom] once’” (132). As they say, love is blind and love led her to falsely believe that she was happy. So when she crossed paths with Gatsby again, she was able to realize that she was never happy.

We’re introduced to Gatsby by the narrator, Nick. As Nick vividly describes Gatsby’s lifestyle we decipher that Gatsby is a wealthy man: “Gatsby in a white flannel suit, silver shirt, and gold-colored tie, hurried in” (84). His appearance was apparently very important to him and one can only imagine how much an outfit like that would cost. Gatsby not only decked himself in the finest clothing but he also lived in a massive mansion. On his way home one night, the narrator (Nick), believed that his house was on fire because “the whole corner of the peninsula was blazing with light, which fell unreal on the shrubbery and made thin elongating glints upon the roadside wires. Turning a corner, I saw that it was Gatsby’s house lit from tower to cellar” (81). Gatsby’s home was so big that its lights lit up the skies. He lit up his home because Gatsby was a very social person and held many parties at his house. While most people barely knew Gatsby, they still attended the party because Gatsby provoked a sense of curiosity in many people. “In his [Gatsby’s] blue gardens, men and girls came and went like moths” (39). Gatsby was popular among those who knew him and didn’t because even “on week-ends, his Rolls Royce turned into an omnibus bearing parties to and from the city” (39). With a lifestyle so lavish and full of people every weekend, one would thing Gatsby would be the happiest man alive. Yet, Gatsby was not living in bliss. He was not truly happy living his life solely, with nobody to share it with. He explains, “‘I keep it always full of interesting people, night and day. People who do interesting things. Celebrated people’” (90). Inviting copious amounts of people to his home was his attempt to find happiness within his lavish lifestyle. Again, Fitzgerald makes it known that happiness cannot be reached because it is unrealistic. With so many people to share his wealth with, Gatsby fails to find a sense of joy. So he ventured out to find something else to make him happy, and it was his old love, Daisy. It was almost as if he found happiness through Daisy: “He [Gatsby] hadn’t once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes … he stared around at his possessions in a dazed way, as though in her actual and astounding presence none of it was any longer real” (91). Suddenly everything he had was no longer important to him because he was with the woman he always loved but things didn’t go as smooth as planned once again proving that happiness is simply unreal.

Life is unpredictable and we all live our lives attempting to be in control. Most try and find happiness in their lives but we have no control over how rewarding our lives can be. Some experience some of the redeeming things in life and they define that as a moment of much needed happiness. However, these rewards are not a representation of happiness but they represent “the deeper satisfactions of the struggle”. In conclusion, happiness is simply impossible to acquire because once we receive something that we believe makes up happy – it turns out that it is simply meant to be and F. Scott Fitzgerald excelled in making this a true statement throughout the text.

Count of Monte Cristo

Honor is an attribute acquired by one over some period of time. Before obtaining an honorable status, one is highly respected for a particular reason. This respect directed towards them eventually evolves to the title of honor. It is not something simply attainable and it can also be easily eradicated. As long as this person dubbed as honorable can live up to all their expectations, they’ll be respected for as long as they live. In the novel, The Count of Monte Cristo, majority of the characters have some sort of honorable status to their name either by affiliation or simply for who they are. Honor and Respect seems to be a recurring theme in this text and it ultimately dictates the flow of the plot. A few prominent characters are highly respected in the text specifically for their duties and personality. Edmond Dantès is greatly respected and known for being a great sailor. The well-known ship owner, Monsieur Morrel is also a very honorable man known for his hospitality and kindness.

Edmond Dantès is a dashing young man who has everything a man strives to receive. He’s an experienced seaman at such a young age. He is only in his twenties and is already being considered for the role of captain: “‘Why should we not give him the post? I know he is young but he seems to be an able and thoroughly experienced seaman’” (Dumas 14). He is also known for being engaged to a gorgeous woman named Mercédès. She is so attractive that Edmond is commended for being engaged to such a beauty, many felt he was “‘to be envied: she [Mercédès] is a handsome girl’” (17). Besides his elderly father, Mercédès is the sole person in his life that he loves unconditionally. He is well liked and respected by everyone because he is also a good man with respectable values. It is evident throughout the text that people admire him. While on board the famous Pharoan, Edmond shouted orders to the crew aboard and the orders were “executed as promptly as on board a man-of-war” (13). He is obviously influential. Surprisingly, the only thing Edmond lacked was financial support. He is not very wealthy and he works extremely hard to make ends meet for him and his father. With much authority and lack of wealth, Edmond manages to remain humble and kind. Upon returning from his lengthy trip, Edmond sees that his father was living off of sixty francs for a period of three months. His father was forced to live like this because of the debt he owed to Caderousse. Despite Caderousse’s cold and heartless decision to demand money from a poor man, Edmond continues to remain respectful: “‘[I’m] ready to serve you [Caderousse] in any way,’ Dantès answered, but ill concealing his coldness” (21). Edmond, without a doubt, exhibits all the traits of an honorable man and he also acknowledges that there are people just as admirable as him such as Monsieur Morrel.

The well renowned ship, Pharoan, is owned by Monsieur Morrel. As described in the text, this ship is of great significance to these people: “The usual crowd of curious spectators immediately filled the quay of Fort Saint-Jean, for at Marseilles the arrival of a ship is always a great event, especially when that ship … belongs to a shipowner of their own town” (11). The citizens of Marseilles have a great deal of respect for Monsieur Morrel. He works very hard and his diligence pays off because he was known for being a very wealthy man. While many prosperous people are often stereotyped as ‘snobby’, Morrel is one of the few affluent people who remains kind-hearted. It is such an honor to even be in Monsieur Morrel’s presence and people actually cherish that moment. When Edmond chose to visit his father over having dinner with Morrel, many thought he was “‘wrong to refuse to dine with him’” (22). Edmond’s decision to visit his elderly father instead of dining with Morrel was seen as disrespectful but this was not his intention at all. Edmond has expressed: “‘I respect Monsieur Morrel’” (48). As mentioned before, Monsieur Morrel spent most of his whole life swimming in wealth until he ran into some debts. Suddenly without notice, Morrel’s business began to spiral downward and he only received visits from companies demanding money from him. Morrel’s wealth contributed to his role of honor because as the saying goes: Money equals Power and Power equals Respect. However, prosperity was not the sole reason: “Coclès had remained in M. Morrel’s service … it was the same good, patient Coclès” (169). Despite Morrel’s misfortune, one of his workers continued to be of service to him. Morrel’s role of honor is so strong that he is cherished in good times and bad. Apparently, honor is of great importance to many and people go through great lengths to make certain that dishonor is never affiliated with their name.

The role of honor was an important theme throughout the text and it ultimately explained why certain things happened in the novel. In order to preserve their title, desperate measures were taken. For example, the honorable Monsieur Morrel was willing to kill himself in order to remain honorable. He was known as honorable throughout the novel however he felt he had brought shame to his name with all the debts he owed. To eradicate the dishonor that would be affiliated with his name, Monsieur Morrel opted to take his life. However, he was saved. Maximilian, Monsieur Morrel’s son, spoke of the “‘man who saved my father from death, all of us from ruin, and our name from dishonor’” (276). Sinbad the Sailor was the man who eliminated all of Morrel’s debts and it is evident that respect for Morrel never died. The reigning theme of honor also applied to the admired Edmond Dantès. People even went out of their way to show respect for Edmond and his fiance Mercédès: “In order to do honour to the happy couple they had donned their finest clothes” (32). Apparently casual wear would have been a sign of disrespect towards the couple.

Being known as honorable is a wonderful asset. As illustrated in the text, it all began with respect. These characters were respected for the things they do then this admiration evolved to honor because of who they were. Edmond was very successful yet he was poor and he remained very kind. Monsieur Morrel was also a very kind hearted man who was rich. Even when he went broke, he remained kind and people still honored him. Honor was of great significance to many in this text; so much that it dictated much of what happened in the text. Monsieur Morrel was ready to give his life just to keep honor in his family name. That is dedication and anyone who would take drastic measures like such deserve to be respected as much as they are.