Chapter 4. Soften Them Up

I thought that this chapter was very interesting. It was a smooth and entertaining introduction into Logos, Ethos, and Pathos. The author made the techniques easy to grasp by showing the audience simple arguments and the techniques employed within those arguments to get his point across. I especially liked the example argument from Calvin and Hobbes. Concession seems like an interesting and fun technique to arguing. It also provided interesting knowing that this is a technique that salespeople use when trying to make others but a product that you do not really need. Concession seems to effectively twist what one person says to win the argument. When Calvin says that he admits his father is right, the father's argument is noted but then carefully turned away from. The idea of concession within an argument almost seems like a logical fallacy. The argument is not clearly won by the information provided but by a sly wist of what is being said.
I thought that the author made his writing very accessible to his readers. I thought that he used short and simple language that easily got his point across. The opening example of him and his son debating over whether or not the son could wear shorts was a smooth introduction into what was going to be discussed in the chapter. Starting the chapter with the simple argument and then continuing to use the same example throughout the text put me at ease and made it seem easier to grasp the ideas he was bringing up. I was interested in what the author had to say about the arguing techniques. I know that I have used the same techniques at some point in my life but I've never been able to identify the strategies I or others were using. I look forward to analyzing an argument and seeing if I could identify any of these strategies. I thought this chapter was useful and thought it provided helpful information for arguing or debating later on in life.