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Arguing With Evidence

Arguing With Evidence. Learning from the Most Famous Failed Argument in American History. The Most Successful Convincer Ever The Pied Piper of Hamlin. http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOHd-lufJRs. Why was the Piper so successful?. He knew his audience He made a specific, clear claim

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Arguing With Evidence

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  1. Arguing With Evidence Learning from the Most Famous Failed Argument in American History

  2. The Most Successful Convincer EverThe Pied Piper of Hamlin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOHd-lufJRs

  3. Why was the Piper so successful? • He knew his audience • He made a specific, clear claim • He used evidence to support his claim • He stayed on track • He used a combination of appeals • He reinforced his position

  4. Definition of a Piper • a charismatic person who attracts followers • offers strong enticement • a leader

  5. Never Heard of a Piper Before?

  6. Actually, the idea of a Piper as a leader has been around for a long time.

  7. Popular Culture References Example 1: Listen at the 3 minute mark and the 5 minute mark. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHFxncb1gRY Example 2: Listen to the first minute or so. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS-7EPDR-PY

  8. But what does this have to do with writing essays?

  9. When you write, you must still act like a Piper Prepare the Reader Introduce the Claim Provide the Evidence Explain & Connect the Evidence Reinforce the Claim

  10. If you do not act like a Pied Piper when you argue, your reader will not follow you anywhere.

  11. Don’t Believe Me? Listen to this story….

  12. Please Note Although the following story has been told in various formats, the version I am using here is taken, in part, from Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen’s 1993 Bestseller Chicken Soup for the Soul.

  13. The Story Begins in 1957 One Fall day, a young boy, who didn’t have much money, stood outside an NFL stadium gate waiting to meet his hero—Jim Brown. At the time, Jim Brown was the best running back to ever play pro football. The boywas not accustomed to greatness.

  14. Having grown up in the ghetto, the boy never got enough to eat and malnutrition had taken its toll. A disease called rickets forced him to wear steel splints to support his skinny, bowed-out legs. Seeing Brown was the pinnacle of his life. He politely asked him for his autograph.

  15. As Brown signed, the boy explained, "Mr. Brown, I have your picture on my wall, I know you hold all the records. You're my idol."

  16. Brown smiled and began to leave, but the young boy wasn't finished. He proclaimed, "Mr. Brown, one day I'm going to break every recordyou hold.” Jim Brown looked at the young boy and smiled. He knew it was not possible for this young boy who had everything against him to make it.

  17. But Brown was not a mean person and he didn’t want to discourage him, so he asked: "What is your name, son?"

  18. The boy replied: "Orenthal James. My friends call me O.J.“

  19. O.J. Simpson went on to break all but three of the rushing records held by Jim Brown before injuries shortened his football career.

  20. OJ Simpson was Amazing AFL’s 1st overall pick in the 1969 Common Draft 1stprofessional football player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season Only player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a fourteen-game season Holds the record for the single season yards-per-game avg. Elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

  21. After Football, he starred in commercials and print ads

  22. And in Movies

  23. He was a Celebrity and he was loved

  24. They called him the Juice http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W1hnR3kLwo

  25. For years, running through the airport was called “doing the OJ”

  26. And Then, Everything Changed

  27. On June 13, 1994 OJ’s ex-wife, Nicole, and her friend, Ron Goldman, were found bludgeoned to death at her Brentwood condo.

  28. OJ was the prime suspect.

  29. The Evidence • DNA Evidence through hair and blood • Other physical evidence—fibers, gloves, shoeprints, and knife • Eyewitness Accounts • Crime Scene & Type of Murder • History of Domestic Violence • Nicole’s pre-death comments about fearing OJ • Lack of Alibi & Cuts on Finger • OJ’s own bizarre behavior

  30. On June 17th, the day OJ was supposed to turn himself into authorities… He went on a little ride http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxqP1_MFPnc

  31. The Trial of The Century By the time, OJ was tried for murder, the prosecution thought they had an easy case • They had direct physical evidence • They had circumstantial evidence • They had history of violence • They had alleged confessions from OJ

  32. But OJ had the Dream Team

  33. And the Prosecution Made Major Mistakes

  34. Despite the Overwhelming Evidence The Jury found OJ “Not Guilty”

  35. The Verdict & The Reaction http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/oj/view/1_hi.html

  36. Why did this happen?

  37. The prosecution failed to prove their argument.

  38. Five Major Errors They didn’t act like the PIPER • Prepare • Introduce • Provide • Explain • Reinforce

  39. PREPARE

  40. Awareness of Audience The venue was changed to a jury composed of people who were very different from the area where OJ lived.

  41. Most of the Jury Members: • Not college-educated • Came from a lower socio-economic class • Had first-hand experience with racism • Had exposure to injustices committed by authority figures

  42. But the prosecution talked to them as if they were talking to a group of college-educated people who had never been exposed to harsh realities.

  43. The prosecution didn’t alter their language, their vocabulary, or their points of view to match the audience.

  44. PREPARE: They didn’t present their ideas in the venue appropriate to their audience.

  45. And they messed up Introducing, too

  46. Opening Statements From the Prosecution

  47. INTRODUCE

  48. Their Opening Arguments: “Why? Why would he do it? Why would he do it? Not O.J. Simpson. Not the O.J. Simpson we think we know, not the O.J. Simpson we think we've seen over the years. We've seen him play football for USC, we watched him play against UCLA, play in the Rose Bowl, we watched him win the Heisman Trophy. He may be the best running back in the history of the NFL. We watched him leap turnstiles and chairs and run to the airplane in Hertz commercials. . . . We watched him with a 50-inch Afro in Naked Gun 33 1/3. We've seen him time and time again. We came to think that we know him.”

  49. Basically, these comments just reminded the jury about OJ’s greatest moments and his epic heroism!

  50. The Prosecutors should have started by introducing OJ as a jealous ex-husband who couldn’t stand the idea of his ex-wife moving onto a new man.

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