Antigone Background INFO

1. Antigone Background INFO • 1) Methods of Persuasion • 2) Fallacies (failings) in these methods • *The characters in Antigone use different ways to persuade each other, and they often contain fallacies (meaning there are errors/failings when you look at their pleas closely).

2. THE SITUATION • It was necessary for the characters in Antigone to persuade each other, because here is the situation they are dealing with: • -Antigone’s brothers have killed each other in fighting over who will be the King of Thebes. • -Creon, her uncle, becomes King of Thebes since both brothers are dead, and decides that one brother is at fault and refuses to give him an honorable burial. • -Antigone decides to steal her brother’s dead body and give him the honorable burial she believes he deserves. • -Creon decides to put Antigone to death for her crime. • -Creon’s son, Haimon, is engaged to Antigone, and doesn’t want her to die. • -Thus, Antigone justifies her deed to Creon. She also tries to justify to her sister why she did what she did. Creon is also called upon to explain his decision, as many believe he is being too harsh.

3. Modes of Persuasion • Logos (logic)- appeals based on reasoning supported with facts, statistics, and other concrete evidence • (ex: You should save money now so you can buy something later). • Pathos (emotion) (path=feeling)- appeals based on feelings such as sympathy, anger, pity, fear • (ex: You should go to the movie you want to see so you’ll enjoy yourself). • Ethos (ethics)- appeals based on ethics, morality, values, character, justice • (ex: You shouldn’t steal candy from a baby because it’s wrong to take from helpless individuals).

4. Fallacies • Definition of a fallacy: • 1. a deceptive, misleading, or false notion, belief, etc. • (The world being flat was at one time a popular fallacy). • 2. a misleading or unsound argument. • *For every type of appeal, there are logical and illogical means used to persuade.

5. Logos Fallacies • Hasty Generalization • Generalization made without sufficient evidence • My brother is a lazy teenage boy. Therefore, all teenage boys are lazy. • My grandfather was an alcoholic Irishman: all Irishmen are drunks. (ethnic stereotype) • Faulty Causation • “This happened because of this.” Assumes cause without considering other reasonable possibilities. • Rain dance caused rain. • A black cat crossed my path, so I broke my leg. • Eating jellybeans before a test helped me do well.

6. More Logos Fallacies • Non Sequitur • No logical connection between two parts of an argument. • If you loved me you’d give me money. • Red Herring • Presents an irrelevant topic to divert attention away from the original issue • “Do I look fat in this dress?”  • “Gosh, the Lakers are doing awesome this season!”

7. LAST logos • Weak analogy • Comparing two situations, people, objects, etc. that aren’t quite alike • If surgeons have X-rays to guide them during an operation, students should be allowed to consult textbooks during a test. • Ex: A is like B. • B has property P. • Therefore, A has property P. • (Analogy between A and B is weak)

8. Pathos Fallacies • Scare Tactics • Exaggerated threats. • Don’t cross your eyes or they’ll get stuck that way. • You let one Jew own a business and they’ll own all the businesses. (ethnic stereotypes are often based on nonsensical scare tactics) • Either-or-Thinking (also known as False Dilemma/False Dichotomy) • Polarized thoughts that don’t allow for any alternatives or possibilities. • Either you’re with me, or against me. • You love me, or you hate me. • If you don’t believe in prayer in schools, you’re an atheist.

9. More Pathos Fallacies • Slippery Slope • One small event has tremendously exaggerated consequences. • Take one sip of alcohol in high school, and you’ll be an alcoholic by age 30. • Kiss a boy and you’ll be pregnant and on welfare in two years. • Hopping on the Band Wagon • “Everyone else is doing it so it must be OK.” • #1 Selling product in America • 50,000 Elvis fans can’t be wrong!

10. LAST PATHOS • Ad populum(appeal to popularity) • Comparable to sheep. Takes advantage of a desire most people have to be liked and to fit in with others. • But officer, I don’t deserve a ticket; everyone goes this speed. If I went any slower, I wouldn’t’ be going with the stream of traffic. • Appeal to pity • Gets you to accept something by making you feel sorry for someone. • I should receive an A in this class. After all, if I don’t get an A I won’t be able to play baseball.

11. Ethos Fallacies • False Authority • Claim is seen as true because person is an authority (they may not be an authority; sometimes celebrities are seen as authorities). • I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV, so buy this medicine… • Dogmatism • Holding something as true without factual foundation, proof, or consideration for alternative views. Intolerant religious stances are often dogmatic. • When a child asks why, the parent says “because I said so!” • It’s true because it’s true (rather than I have faith that it’s true because I believe …)

12. More EthosFallacies • Moral Equivalence • Puts major and minor errors into one category. • Stealing a paper clip is equal to carjacking. • Ad Hominem • Character attack. A person makes one mistake, and they are a bad person in every other area of their life. This attack the person instead of the issue. • You got a ticket for speeding; therefore you are a bad person who should never be allowed to drive, ride a bike, marry, or run for mayor. • I won’t believe you because you’re ugly. • *Is an issue in terms of politicians who have affairs – should they step down from office?

13. LAST ethos • Appeal to authority • Name-dropping to impress readers/viewers. • Mom, you should let me read this book even though it is inappropriate because Ms. Bond said it’s ok. • Formula: Person A says that Person B is an authority on subject S. • Person B makes claim C about subject S. • Therefore, C is true.

14. fallacies practice • Directions: For each example, identify the type of fallacy. • "My roommate said her philosophy class was hard, and the one I'm in is hard, too. All philosophy classes must be hard!" • 2. "President Jones raised taxes, and then the rate of violent crime went up. Jones is responsible for the rise in crime." • 3. "Animal experimentation reduces our respect for life. If we don't respect life, we are likely to be more and more tolerant of violent acts like war and murder. Soon our society will become a battlefield in which everyone constantly fears for their lives. It will be the end of civilization. To prevent this terrible consequence, we should make animal experimentation illegal right now."

15. Fallacies practice • 4. "If I fail English 101, I won't be able to graduate. If I don't graduate, I probably won't be able to get a good job, and I may very well end up doing temp work or flipping burgers for the next year." • 5. "Guns are like hammers—they're both tools with metal parts that could be used to kill someone. And yet it would be ridiculous to restrict the purchase of hammers—so restrictions on purchasing guns are equally ridiculous." • 6. "We should abolish the death penalty. Many respected people, such as actor Guy Handsome, have publicly stated their opposition to it."

16. Fallacies practice • 7. "Since 88% of people polled believe in UFOs, they must exist.” • 8. "Andrea Dworkin has written several books arguing that pornography harms women. But Dworkin is an ugly, bitter person, so you shouldn't listen to her." • 9. "I know the exam is graded based on performance, but you should give me an A. My cat has been sick, my car broke down, and I've had a cold, so it was really hard for me to study!"

17. Fallacies practice • 10. "Grading this exam on a curve would be the most fair thing to do. After all, classes go more smoothly when the students and the professor are getting along well." • 11. "Caldwell Hall is in bad shape. Either we tear it down and put up a new building, or we continue to risk students' safety. Obviously we shouldn't risk anyone's safety, so we must tear the building down."

18. Apply to print ads • In the following slides, we will apply what we know about persuasion methods and fallacies to analyze print advertisements.

19. Who is the intended audience of the ad? • What fallacy is used to persuade this audience to purchase a product or think in a certain way? • Is the ad reflective of a stereotype?

20. Who is the intended audience of the ad? • What fallacy is used to persuade this audience to purchase a product or think in a certain way? • Is the ad reflective of a stereotype?

21. Who is the intended audience of the ad? • What fallacy is used to persuade this audience to purchase a product or think in a certain way? • Is the ad reflective of a stereotype?

22. Who is the intended audience of the ad? • What fallacy is used to persuade this audience to purchase a product or think in a certain way? • Is the ad reflective of a stereotype?

23. Who is the intended audience of the ad? • What fallacy is used to persuade this audience to purchase a product or think in a certain way? • Is the ad reflective of a stereotype?

24. Who is the intended audience of the ad? • What fallacy is used to persuade this audience to purchase a product or think in a certain way? • Is the ad reflective of a stereotype?

25. Who is the intended audience of the ad? • What fallacy is used to persuade this audience to purchase a product or think in a certain way? • Is the ad reflective of a stereotype?

26. How to find fallacies in your writing • Pretend you disagree with the conclusion you're defending. What parts of the argument would now seem fishy to you? What parts would seem easiest to attack? Give special attention to strengthening those parts. • List your main points; under each one, list the evidence you have for it. Seeing your claims and evidence laid out this way may make you realize that you have no good evidence for a particular claim, or it may help you look more critically at the evidence you're using. • Learn which types of fallacies you're especially prone to, and be careful to check for them in your work. Some writers make lots of appeals to authority; others are more likely to rely on weak analogies. Read over some of your old papers to see if there's a particular kind of fallacy you need to watch out for.

27. How to find fallacies • Be aware that broad claims need more proof than narrow ones. Claims that use sweeping words like "all," "no," "none," "every," "always," "never," "no one," and "everyone" are sometimes appropriate—but they require a lot more proof than less-sweeping claims that use words like "some," "many," "few," "sometimes," "usually," and so forth. • Double check your characterizations of others, especially your opponents, to be sure they are accurate and fair.

28. Antigone/PERSUASION Discussion • Looking back at your Persuasion Analysis Sheet for Antigone, which character do you think is the most persuasive and why, and which character do you think is the least persuasive and why? • Ideas to consider as you make your determination: • -Does this person use logos, pathos, and/or ethos? Which one do they use the most? • -Have you noticed them use any fallacies within their use of a particular persuasive method? • -Were they effective? Did they convince anyone of anything?