高级英语课件 Love is a Fallacy

1、Love Is a FallacyMax ShulmanUnit4Teaching PlanTeaching Objectives1.To have a basic knowledge of the terms in logic2.To understand what love is in an affluent society3.To appreciate the humorous and satirical writing style4.To appreciate the languageTeaching FocusnThe rules of logic: to understand al

2、l the eight fallacies referred in the text.nThe particular writing style of the author. The light, humorous, yet impressing way of depicting things. Subjective, personal, sensible.Teaching FocusnThe self-boasting tone of “I”. Different adjectives applied to describe “ I” and my “rival” Petey Burch.

3、nThe positive, neutral and negative senses of the similar adjectives.Teaching Methods1.Teacher-oriented teaching method2.Student-oriented teaching method3.The elicited methodTeaching Procedure. Introductory Remarks. Background Information. Learning Focus. Key words and Expressions. Explanation of th

4、e Text. Division of the Text. The Writing Style. The Personality of Dobie. ExercisesIntroductory Remarks. Introductory RemarksnAbout the titlen“There is deceptive or delusive quality about love”. n“Love can not be deduced from a set of given premises”.nAbout the authornMax Schulmannan Americans best

5、-known humoristsna productive writer of many talentsnHis worksn Barefoot boy with CheeknThe Feather merchantnRally Round the Flag, BoysnThe Many Loves of Dobie GillisnAbout the textnThe text is excerpted from The Many loves of Dobbie Gillis by Max Shulman. It is a piece of narrative writing. nThe na

6、rrator of the story, Dobie Gillis, a self-conceited freshman in a school struggles against Petey Burch, his stupid roommate whose girl friend he plans to steal and Polly Espy, the beautiful dumb girl he intends to marry after suitable reeducation.Detailed Study of the Text. Background InformationnEx

7、planation of thelogical FallaciesnA logical argument gives evidence to support some conclusion.ntwo necessary parts: na conclusion the thesis argues forncertain premises or facts on which to base the conclusionnThe conclusion is to be inferred from the premises.n An argument is deductively valid whe

8、n its premises provide conclusive evidence for the conclusion. An argument that fails to be conclusively deduced is invalid and fallacious.nAn argument may be fallacious in three ways:nfallacious in its material content because of the use of a misstatement of the facts; nfallacious in its wording be

9、cause of an incorrect use of term; nfallacious in its form because of the use of an improper process of inference.nFallacies are divided into three groups:na) material-fallacies of presumptionnb) verbal-fallacies of ambiguity nc) formal-a structural pattern of generically incorrect reasoningnThe fal

10、lacies mentioned in the text are material fallacies:1. Dicto Simpliciter 绝对判断 （Fallacy of Accident ） An argument based on an unqualified generalization. The argument applies a general rule to a particular case in which some special circumstances makes the rule inapplicable.2. Hasty Generalization （仓

11、促推断） The converse fallacy of accident arises when a special case is improperly applied as a general rule. For instance, a certain food is delicious to some people, but the fact does not imply that it is delicious to all people.3. The Fallacy of Irrelevant Conclusion It occurs when the conclusion cha

12、nges the point that is under consideration in the premises. Special cases of irrelevant conclusion are produced by the so-called fallacies of irrelevance, which include: 1) Post Hoc ergo propter hoc 牵强附会/假性因果 The fallacy of False Cause The fallacy mislocates the cause of one phenomenon in another th

13、at is only seemingly related. 2) Contradictory Premises循环论证 Begging the Question It comes into being when the premises openly or covertly presume the very conclusion to be demonstrated.3）Ad Misericordiam文不对题文不对题（appeal to pity) In a law court, a trial lawyer doesnt argue for his clients innocence, b

14、ut he tries to move the jury to sympathy for him, just as applicant for a job doesnt answer the question raised by the boss. Instead he tries to appeal to the boss sympathy by saying something about the poor situation of his family.4) False Analogy “It doe not follow” arises when there is not even a

15、 deceptively plausible appearance of valid reasoning, because the given premises have virtually nothing to do with the conclusion drawn from them.5） Hypothesis Contrary to Fact The fallacy of many questions consists in asking for or giving a single answer to a question when this answer could either

16、be separate or refused completely.6) Poisoning the Well （井中投毒） Speaking “against the man” rather than to issue, or the fallacy of Poisoning the Well in the text where the premises may only make a personal attack on a person holding some thesis rather than offer grounds showing why what he says is fa

17、lse. . Learning FocusnStructure of the Narrationn1. The protagonist:nDobie Gillis- a self conceited freshmann2. The antagonist: nPetey Burch- his stupid roommatenPolly Espy- the beautiful dumb girl n3. The time: during the period of being studentsn4. The place: on the campus of the university of Min

18、nesotan5. The main theme: love is a Fallacyn6. The plot: Focus on a Raccoon Coat . Key words and Expressions1. unfetter: to free from fetters; to free from restraint of any kind; liberate -free and unfettered trade 2. mumble: to speak or say indistinctly and in a low voice, mutter -I wish you wouldn

19、t mumble. -I cant hear you clearly.3. shed: cast off or lose hair -All the leaves have shed.4. covet: want ardently; long for with envy -Its a sin to covet.5. veer: change direction; shift; turn or swing around -The wind veered round to the west.6. swivel: turn on -He swiveled the camera on the trip

20、od to follow the riders.7. wax: to grow gradually larger; increase in strength, intensity, volume -The moon waxes.8. wince: to shrink or draw back slightly, usually with a grimace, as in pain, embarrassment, etc. -He winced at the insult.9. chirp: speak in lively way 10. blubber: weep loudly, like a

21、 child11. fashion: shape; mold -He fashioned the clay into a jar.12. croak: to speak in a low, rough voice as if you have a sore throat -The crow croaked disaster.13. reel: to give way or fall back; sway, waver or stagger as from being struck -He reeled from the sharp blow.14. bellow: cry out loudly

22、, as in anger or pain15. enterprising: full of energy and initiative; willing to undertake new projects16. flaccid: hanging in loose folds or wrinkles; soft and limp17. pedantic: of or like a pedant18. calculating: shrewd or cunning, esp. in a selfish way 19. astute: having or showing a clever or sh

23、rewd mind; cunning; crafty20. unsightly: not slightly, not pleasant to look at; ugly21. cerebral: appealing to the intellect rather than the emotions, intellectual22. pin-up: designating a girl whose sexual attractiveness makes her a subject for the kind of pictures often pinned up on walls 23. grea

24、sy: smeared with or containing grease24. canny: careful and shrewd in ones action and dealing; clever and cautious25. glum: feeling or looking gloomy26. fraught: filled, charged or loaded27. yummy: very tasty; delicious28. grueling: extremely tiring; exhausting29. well-heeled: rich, prosperous -a we

25、ll-heeled dandy. Explanation of the Text1. Charles Lamb Charles Lamb, an English essayist and poet, was born in London in 1775 and died in 1834. His writing was full of gentle humor. His dramatic essay “Specimens of English Dramatic Poets” established his reputation as a critic.2. Thomas Carlylena B

26、ritish historian and essayistnThe Revolution ,Chartism:characterized by his trenchant social and political criticism and his complex literary stylenCarlyese: a compound of biblical, colloquialisms, and his own coinages, arranged in unexpected sequences.3. Ruskin -an English writer, art critic and so

27、cial theorist -a great painting to be one that conveys great ideas to the viewer -the virtual dictator of artistic opinion in England during the mid-19th centuryHis works include: -Modern Painters (1843-1860), -The seven Lamps of architecture (1849) -Sesame and Lilies (1856) -The Crown of Wild Olive

28、 (1866), -Time and Tide (1867).4. nothing upstairs: (AmE. slang) empty-headed, a nitwit (BrE. slang) unfurnished in the upper storey5. surrender oneself to sth.: to stop trying to prevent yourself from having a feeling, habit, etc. -She surrendered herself to sleep. -He finally surrendered himself t

29、o his craving for drug. 6. in the swim (of things): (informal) involved in things that are happening in society or in a particular situation7. tear: make sb. feel very unhappy or worried -His distress tore me apart.8. have at ones figure tips: to be completely familiar with9. bat ones eyes / eyelash

30、es: open and close ones eyes quickly, in a way that is supposed to be attractive not bat an eyelid: (BE) / not bat an eye (AE):10. knock sb. out: to surprise and impress sb. very much -The movie just knocked me out.11. exasperate: to annoy or irritate sb. very much -Her moods exasperated him. Exaspe

31、ration: n. He shook his head in exasperation. 12. knit ones brow(s): to move / draw ones eyebrows together, to show that you are thinking hard, feeling angry13. hammer away (at): keep emphasizing or talking about14. patronize: -Some television programs tend to patronize children.15. have by the thro

32、at: attack by seizing and squeezing ones throat16. rat: mouse, rat poison (informal) an unpleasant person, esp. one who is not loyal or trick sb. . Division of the TextPart I Paras 1-3 It serves as a brief introduction to, and a comment, on the story.Part II Paras 4-59 It humorously depicts how the

33、promise of exchanging a girlfriend for a raccoon coat is made and fulfilled.Part III Paras 60-125 It vividly describes the incredibly tough project of making dumb Polly smart, and the seeming success.Part IV Paras 126-154 It ironically represents the seemingly Pygmalion effect, which turns out to be

34、 a Frankenstein tragedy and forms the climax of the story.Summary. The Writing Stylena piece of narration of light, humorous satirenIts theme: n“Love is a Fallacy”n“love” is an errorna deception and emotion that does not follow the principles of logicsummarynThe purpose of the story nto demonstrate

35、that logic is a living, breathing things, full of beauty, passion and trauma, far from being a dry, pedantic subject.nThe logical link of passage ideas n “logic-a living thing” n“exchange of a raccoon coat for a pretty but foolish girl” n“teaching her to be logical and clever” n“a Pygmalion becomes

36、a Frankenstein”nAffluence has replaced love, thus there is no question of taking brilliance, talent, or education into consideration when choosing a boyfriend and a husband. It has reduced the search to a matter of seeking wealth and keeping up with the Joneses. Indeed , this kind of love is a falla

37、cy.nThe climax: paras. 147-150nPolly refuses to go steady with Dobie because she already promised to go steady with Petey Burch.nThe end: nin a very ironic notenDobie ignores the fact that love is the sincere attachment which arises naturally from both hearts, and he fails to win Polly because he ha

38、s been too clever for his good.nThe Features of Writing StylenAmerican colloquialism and slangna large lexical spectrumnthe ultra learned terms nthe infra clipped vulgar formsnfigurative languageninversion for special emphasisnmany figures of speech nsimile nmetaphornhyperbolenmetonymynantithesisnsh

39、ort sentencenelliptical sentences ndashes ntopic-centered paragraph. The Personality of Dobiena smug, self-conceited freshman, smugly boasting and singing praises of himself, heaping on himself all the beautiful words of praise: ncool, logical , keen, calculating, perspicacious, acute, astute, power

40、ful, precise and penetrating.ntaking every opportunity to downgrade Petey Burch & Polly Espy:nPetey: dumb, nothing upstairs, unable, impressionable and faddistnPolly: she is “a beautiful dumb girl”, who would smarten up under his guidancengiving Polly a course in logic nDobie has got what he des

41、ervednHe has been too clever for his own good, so he ends up in lying on the bed that he makes himself.Exercises. ExercisesnOral PresentationnMake a five-minute presentation in class based on your research.nSuggested Topics:n 1. Max Shulmann 2. Charles LambnDiscriminate between these synonyms.n 1. k

42、een, calculating, perspicacious, acute, astuten 2. intelligent, bright, brilliant, clever, smartn1. keen, calculating, perspicacious, acute, astutenThese words refer to unusual mental agility or perceptiveness. nKeen suggests both these attributes, adding to them a vigorous and forceful ability to g

43、rapple with complex or obscure problems.na keen mind for fine distinctionsnSometimes by analogy with good vision, the word may suggest an ability to observe details and see them as part of a larger pattern.na keen understanding of the problems facing the conservation movementnAcute suggests a finely

44、 honed sensitivity or receptivity to nuances that might escape others; it might also imply a high-keyed state of nervous attention that is not sustainable for long.nan acute awareness of the slightest ambiguity in each statement made by his opponentnan acute alertness, heightened by the strange silence in the enemy trenchesnAstute suggests a thorough and profound understanding, stemming from a scholarly or experience