My english teacher is trying to turn me into a socialist, HELP!!!!

[orange]

Originally posted by Vesayen
So your saying that just because something is published it is therefore better then my opinion and more valuable then mine, just because it is published and because "thats the way it is"......dosent answer my question.

You're supposed to find sources that ARE more valuable than yours. Face it, no matter what topic you pick, there is going to be someone out there who has researched it a little better than you...or a primary source in which case the person was there and would certainly have a point of view you can't have. That's the idea. If you argue that conditions for the German Army were horrible during World War I, you better damn well have a few letters from infantrymen to back that up...because you obviously can't speak on it.

[Vesayen]

Except theres a problem: Your comparing facts in your analogy to an opinion.

World War 1 was an event you cannot dispute happened, as such there is a right and a wrong as to different aspects of it.

Im looking for opinions based on a fictional work, so how does their opinion on things which didnt happen get to a status more elevated then mine?

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by Vesayen
Except theres a problem: Your comparing facts in your analogy to an opinion.

World War 1 was an event you cannot dispute happened, as such there is a right and a wrong as to different aspects of it.

Im looking for opinions based on a fictional work, so how does their opinion on things which didnt happen get to a status more elevated then mine?

Aaargh! I go through this with my students all the time. So, once more into the breech:

You're right. Your opinion is just as good as theirs. But you're not -- or should not be -- reading opinions! Good literary criticism does not consist of "opinions": it consists of arguments, supported by both reason and evidence. And it's generally written by people who know more than you do about the subject at hand, who have thought and worked longer and harder on it than you have. That's why it's valuable, and that's why, if you use it to support your own arguments (not opinions), your own arguments become stronger.

The analogy to history, as it happens, is exactly accurate. History, except at the most pedestrian level, is not about showing "what happened." It's about interpreting what happened. Robert Caro interprets the life of Lyndon Johnson; David Fromkin interprets the role of the British in perpetuating instability in the Middle East. They do so after exhaustive research. You can have opinions on these things, but until you can back up your interprtations with the same rigor as they can, your opinion is just so much bollocks by comparison.

[Sava]

Ves, you sound a lot like me (don't worry hehehe). My suspicion is, the more you learn about the sh!t the Republicans do, the more you might find yourself agreeing with us socialists.

[Vesayen]

Originally posted by Sava
Ves, you sound a lot like me (don't worry hehehe). My suspicion is, the more you learn about the sh!t the Republicans do, the more you might find yourself agreeing with us socialists.

I used to think power was the source of all evil, then I thought it was money, but now I am certain BEYOND any doubt it is in fact the Republican party

The republicans are slowly driving me to socialism.

[Sava]

muahha we almost have you!

Anyways, Democrats do suck, but at least there are some lefties in there that are willing to listen. There is some room for internal reform of the D party, while the Republicans is a corporations/religious fanatics only party.

[Vesayen]

Originally posted by Sava
muahha we almost have you!

Anyways, Democrats do suck, but at least there are some lefties in there that are willing to listen. There is some room for internal reform of the D party, while the Republicans is a corporations/religious fanatics only party.

The Democrats also sometimes try to help the working class(though their attempts are usually misguided/failures) but they put in some effort heh!

Plus some of them arent in a drive to transform the world into a smoldering pile of trash for money.

Im sure the children of rich industrialists will be very happy living in sealed bubbles when the enviroment has been destroyed.

[TCO]

Vesayan,

1. Use a college library. You won't find scholarly commentary at a high school or public library. Go to a nearby college library. This is what the assignment is meant to do. Intriduce you to the world of academic commentary.

2. Next time, precheck the literature before picking your theme. Sure your teacher gave you a different order. That doesn't stop you from looking at the literature before selecting your theme.

3. Grow up. Stop whining. Take some initiative. You are practically a man, now. Act like one.

[Solly]

I'd agree in a way. The only reason I use "references" and a "bibliography" (in which incredibly we need to state where the bloody thing was published and what its ISDN code was, or something like that) is because it's a component of the mark you will be awarded.