The Counter Claim

The Counter Claim: The counter claim is the acknowledgment of another side of the argument, which every well done argument must address. To acknowledge another side of an argument allows you to further your own point-of-view by refuting (proving wrong) the counter claim with your own, rephrased argument. Let's look at "Slip or Trip?" again:

• There are those who will say that not letting go of a glass is not evidence enough to doubt Queenie's claim that Arthur fell to his death; after all, he was intoxicated. It could be that he was simply too drunk to react to falling in the expected manner of a sober person and somehow, in his fall, held onto the glass. While it is true that gross motor reflexes are slower when an individual is drunk, self-preservation is a deeply instinctive behavior that would not be guaranteed to be over-ridden by intoxication. Simply put, Arthur was not rendered unconscious by his drinking, which instance would be the only one in which reactive behaviors would absolutely not occur. Therefore, Arthur may have been slow to react, but, slow or not, he still would have automatically used his hands to thwart his fall, which would cause him to let go of the glass. The evidence shows, unquestioningly, that the glass in Arthur's hand has been staged, which staging shows Queenie is lying about certain aspects of Arthur's death.

• Light Blue = counter claim
• Purple = refute
• Red = commentary

NOTE: When you write your refute, keep in mind that you are rephrasing the entirety of your argument. In the example I give you, only one aspect of the argument is rephrased because I only gave you one body paragraph as an example. 

Homework for 3/14/2016

Hello! Monday is going to be a combination of Book Read Monday and a discussion of the evidence/warrants/conclusion worksheet for "The Lunchroom Murder." We will also be looking at the warrants you developed for your Hamlet essay evidence containing body paragraphs. Make sure your paragraphs contain all the required elements. In other words, refer to the evidence containing body paragraphs post to make sure you have all that you need.

DO NOT COME TO CLASS UNPREPARED! You will lose preparation points that cannot be made-up. So, bring to class the following:

• The worksheet
• PRINTED copies of your paragraphs, with each paragraph on a separate piece of full paper (keep the other copies of the body paragraphs as we will be making comparisons) 

Homework for 3/10/16 and Information on EVIDENCE CONTAINING Body Paragraphs

Hello! Here is some further explanation of a EVIDENCE CONTAINING body paragraph (there are body paragraphs that are explanatory, which do not contain evidence). Your homework assignment is located at the end of the post.

Since the evidence based body paragraphs are where the meat of the argument is contained, it must include several elements:

• A Sub-claim (or reasons): The sub-claim relates to your claim statement (main claim) and clues me, the reader, into what I am about to read in the paragraph. The sub-claim is located within the first few sentences of the paragraph.
• Here is an example:
• MAIN CLAIM (which would be located in the intro paragraph): Brownies are the best dessert for aiding student learning.
• SUB-CLAIM (which would be located in the introductory paragraph): Human beings are built physiologically to need the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is related to "feeling good" and, interestingly enough, learning. Brownies, by the very nature of one of its main ingredients, chocolate, aids in the release of the neurotransmitter that helps us all learn.
• The blue is the transition leading up to the sub-claim, and the green is the actual sub-claim.
• Notice how my sub-claim references the main claim by mentioning "brownies" and "learning." The sub-claim of every body paragraph MUST, in someway, relate to and reference the main claim that you presented in the introductory paragraph.

Here is another example of a sub-claim along with its claim statement: I am going to reference, "Slip or Trip?". Let's work under the assumption that Queenie and Arthur are not getting along and have not been for a very long time, which discontentment threatens Queenie's financial and social status due to the inevitable divorce.

• Here is the claim statement with transition (from the introductory paragraph, if such existed): 
• Human beings are hard-wired to protect themselves against threats that portend, whether perceived or actualized, hardship or loss of a cherished lifestyle. Self-preservation is an instinct of survival. Accordingly, when someone is backed into a corner and thus must fight to get out, they will do almost anything to justify their actions and behaviors when defending what is self-determined as "rightfully mine."
• Now, here is the sub-claim that will begin the first body paragraph: 
• People are, in many ways, the same when it comes to reacting to certain circumstances. Threaten a person's way of life, their life security blanket, and you will notice that they will react with interestingly negative behaviors, such as lying. Let's begin with examining the first part of Queenie's story concerning Arthur's supposedly "accidental" death...

Again, notice in the above example how the sub-claim references the main claim statement (both in green) by discussing the idea of something threatening lifestyle security. The main claim and sub-claim are relevant to each other.

Next, after the sub-claim has been presented, comes the following elements:

• Evidence: You MUST back up everything you have to say with evidence from the text. Evidence includes direct quotes and indirect quotes, or paraphrasing. Evidence is vital to validating your argument.
• Commentary: Commentary is your analysis--YOUR voice explaining YOUR thoughts and line of reasoning (after all, this is an argumentative essay).  Commentary is needed to explain quotes (why you are pointing something out from the text), and to bring the reader along with your thinking. Your argument is only as good as your ability to explain it and validate it with evidence.  
• MAKE SURE YOU STICK WITH YOUR TOPIC.  Do not go off on a tangent.  Focus on your sub-claim and you will find your commentary will say what it needs to say.
• Warrants: You must explain why your evidence is relevant--why you are telling me, the reader, about it. Warrants are the unspoken laws or general rules that make up the human condition--the logic behind why we do what we do, or how we think.
• Transitions: 1) from one thought to another WITHIN the paragraphs, and 2) AT THE END of the paragraph for moving into the next body paragraph, whether it be evidence containing or explanatory.

Here is the rest of the evidence containing paragraph example: to help explain, I am going to give you a piece of evidence (that supports my claim that people react with "interestingly negative behaviors" when their lifestyle is threatened), with transitions, commentary, and a warrant:

• Blue = transitions, Gold = evidence, Red = commentary, Grey = warrant
• ...When Queenie's friends first come onto the scene, Arthur is peacefully lying face up at the bottom of the stairs, as if asleep; however, he is quite dead. Queenie, when she answers the door, exclaims that Arthur slipped and fell down the stairs while going to refresh his drink and that she is at a loss as to what to do. The fall, as it turns out, seemingly killed him instantly. What is interesting to note is that Arthur is still, even in death, elegantly holding his drinking glass, which fact is quite odd and unexpected. The logical expectation would be that the glass would have be found broken or shattered at the bottom of the stairs, not still held in his hand. Arthur, like any other individual, would have instinctively and reflexively let go of or thrown any object that was not of great importance in order to thwart falling down stairs by grabbing a hold of something such as the banister, or by sticking out his hands as an attempt to break his fall. The fact that Arthur is still holding the glass in death does not make sense and points to a set-up and a lying wife. Clearly, Queenie feels she has much to lose if lying is what she resorts to in a time of supposed crisis. There are other indicators that not all is right in the with Queenie's story--that lying is her modus operandi.
• Notice how I incorporated the warrant as a natural part of my writing and that the warrant is derived from an aspect of how ALL humans would react when falling down the stairs.

HOMEWORK, due on Thursday, March 10th, is to:

1. Bring your revised and final intro paragraph 
2. Bring your first two evidence containing body paragraphs

Make sure the all the paragraphs are typed and each are printed on separate pieces of paper.

The Introductory Paragraph

The introductory paragraph can be tricky to write. Why? Because you really have to correctly introduce the tone and informational content so the reader will understand what you are writing about, why you are writing about it, and, finally, why (in an indirect way) the reader should care about what you are presenting. That's a lot of pressure!

What adds to the difficulty of writing a great intro paragraph is the claim statement--the backbone or the why of your paper. Without a good claim statement (which is also the main claim) to direct and to uphold the paper, your paper will appear to be nothing more than an attempt to connect seemingly unrelated ideas together. The main claim is a major part of the glue that holds your paper together, as the spine is a major part of the glue that holds the body together.

Accordingly, the introductory paragraph has three components:

1. The hook, or attention grabber. The quote, story, question, etc. that draws the reader into your topic.
2. The transition. The bridge that ties together the hook and the claim statement. In other words, the transition explains HOW the hook is related to the claim statement.
3. The claim statement--your position/argument. The claim statement tells the reader what the paper is going to be about, and why the paper is being written. In other words, the claim statement puts forth your argument which is why you are writing the essay. 

Getting the introductory paragraph right requires diligence, effort, and time. And, of course, solid knowledge about the topic you are presenting. I promise you that if you put in the work, your introductory paragraph will present the information you want to get across to the reader. To help you, I have an example of an introductory paragraph that is dealing with gun control and teachers (last year's current event topic)--click HERE to download it.

Questions? Email me. 

Essay Prompts for Hamlet

Using Shakespeare’s play Hamlet and the supplemental articles you received on revenge and emotional intelligence as your basis, chose ONE of the following prompts to answer:

• How does the plotting and execution of revenge change the very fabric of who one is as an individual?
• How do humans cope with conflicting elements within their personalities and intellect?

Last Reading Assignment for Hamlet!

You made it through Hamlet! Well, almost. Here is your last reading assignment, due Thursday, February 10th:

• Read the rest of Act V

We will be peer-reviewing ALL the Cornell Notes on Thursday--be prepared!!

Reading for Thursday, Feb. 4th and Monday, Feb. 8th

Almost there!

• By Thursday, Feb. 4th, you need to read Act IV, scenes i - iv. 
• By Monday, Feb. 8th, you need to read Act IV, scenes, v - vii through Act V, scene i

Again, as a reminder: remember that as far as Cornell notes go, the ONLY notes you are required to take are those that relate to the three essential questions (you wrote the essential questions down in your composition notebook the first day we took class notes). In other words, you are writing down quotes and any other information (situations, circumstances, decisions and actions of the characters, etc.) that helps you answer the essential questions.

Reading for Tuesday, February (!!!!...February...already) 2nd

Aaaaaand, the reading continues...

• By Tuesday, February 2nd, you need to have read Act III, scene ii, line 297 to the end of Act III, scene iv. 

Remember that as far as Cornell notes go, the ONLY notes you are required to take are those that relate to the three essential questions (you wrote the essential questions down in your composition notebook the first day we took class notes). In other words, you are writing down quotes and any other information (situations, circumstances, decisions and actions of the characters, etc.) that helps you answer the essential questions.

You can do this! Less than one week of reading after Feb. 5th!

Reading for Wednesday the 27th and Friday the 29th.

Alrighty, kiddos. Here we go on the reading. Recall the class discussion today in which I explained that we HAVE to take the speed of reading Hamlet up several notches. You are going to have to read every night in order to keep up with the schedule. However, it is only two weeks and you can do anything for two weeks. So, here is the reading schedule for the rest of the week.

• Cornell Notes: the ONLY notes you are required to take are those that relate to the three essential questions (you wrote the essential questions down in your composition notebook the first day we took class notes). In other words, you are writing down quotes and any other information (situations, circumstances, decisions and actions of the characters, etc.) that helps you answer the essential questions. 

• You need to know the answers as those questions will inform your writing for the essay.
• By Friday, read Act I, scene v through Act III, scene ii, lines 1-295. By Wednesday, you should have read up to Act II, scene ii. You will have a written response/quiz on Wednesday.

• Remember, Hamlet's words have been his weapons, so far. As you are searching for answers to the essential questions, look for not only the literal meanings of Hamlets descriptive words and phrases, but also the connotative meanings.

• SKIP Act II, scene i. In this scene we learn more of Polonius's character, who he is as a person. He tells Reynaldo to spy on his son, Laertes, to find out if he is behaving himself in France. To accomplish this task, Polonius instructs Reynaldo to indirectly (spreading rumors and then asking a person if he/she has seen Laertes engage in any of the "rumored" offenses) accuse Laertes of various indiscretions. Through this scene, we learn that Polonius has a devious and untrusting mind (recall his conversation with Ophelia), he likes spying, and he clearly does not trust his son. 
• Next, Ophelia comes bursting into his bedchamber to recount an experience she has just had with Hamlet (he came to her bedraggled and unclean, does not speak, and, through his actions, gives the impression of deep sorrow and depression). In this part of the scene, we begin to see Hamlet, via Ophelia's recounted interaction with Hamlet, act out his pretended madness (recall he vows to appear mad in the garden/ghost scene in order to learn more about the murder situation). Not only do we see Hamlet's developing the impression of his madness, we are also seeing Hamlet test Ophelia--he is wondering if he can trust her with the truth.  
• In the end, Polonius and Ophelia determine was her (forced) rejection of Hamlet that has driven him mad, and Polonius feels guilty about misreading the situation as he felt Hamlet only meant to take advantage of Ophelia. He further worries that Ophelia will take it especially hard, which she probably will as she is a kind, loving, and loyal soul.

• SKIP Act II scene ii, ONLY lines 440-557. In this part of the scene, we are introduced to the "players" (actors) that have come at Hamlet's request to put on a play--"The Murder of Gonzago". The players re-enact a portion of a different tragic play (at Hamlet's request--he is weighing their ability) as he and Polonius watch. Hamlet connects to this part of the play as it describes a grieving son wreaking revenge on his father's killer (Polonius does not get Hamlet's subtle hint of what he is doing--revenging his father's death). After Polonius leaves, Hamlet explains to the "First Player" that he needs him to do the play (Murder of Gonzago) because he has an ability Hamlet does not--realistically summon true emotion over a fictional character. Hamlet lets the players know he will meet with them the following day (the day of the play) to go over the changes he has made to the script. At the end of this scene is one of Hamlet's soliloquies that we will study more in-depth. However, pay close attention to it now. 

Class work for 1/19/16:

It was brought to my attention today that I has skipped scene iii on the blog, which indeed I did. For homework, I had you read scene iv. Sigh. So, in class today, you were required to read Act I, scene iii along with marking and annotating the text. There are a few points I want you to notice:

• Polonius lectures Laertes before he sets off to college in Paris. During his lecture, he gives him some sound advice. List the different kinds of advice he gives him (i.e. "Neither a borrower nor a lender be... line 75).
• Polonius's reasoning as to why Ophelia cannot see Hamlet (look for the hidden agenda's in the relationships so far established, or, for that matter, dismissed) -- Polonius and Claudius, Hamlet and Claudius. 
• Why does Polonius care if Ophelia does or does not see Hamlet?
• Why does Ophelia decide to obey her father? (Keep in mind the major essential question--there is a conflict between personality and intellect.) Ask TWO level 2  or three questions.

Ask TWO level 2 or 3 questions.

Homework for Tuesday, January 19th

Hello! Your task is to read Act I, scene iv for class on Tuesday, the 19th. At this point, I want to see how you are doing in understanding the text without my questions to guide you. Thus, you are to mark and annotate as required, but without the normal questions I give you. To clarify:

• Read Act I, scene iv
• Mark and annotate as required--keep the essential questions by you for reference
• Ask three level 2 or 3 questions

Email me with any questions!

Act I, Scene ii

King Claudius' Speech Homework

Hello! Here is the homework for Act I, scene ii, lines 1-38. It is due on Tuesday, January 12th.