Understanding Violent The Breakup Of Yugoslavia Politics Essay

Understanding Violent The Breakup Of Yugoslavia Politics Essay The numerous ethnic groups that comprised Yugoslavia held historical animosities towards each other stretching back in some cases hundreds of years. Yet these animosities were put aside after World War Two and under Titos grip the nation achieved internal peace. They were not however forgotten and when nationalist politicians needed to create a power base, they merely had to promote nationalist symbols and myths, and encourage the discussion and exaggeration of past atrocities. This created a deadly snowball affect that proved unstoppable. Yugoslavia has long been an ethnic melting point where great civilizations and religions have met. The Paris Peace Conference at the end of World War One created the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes out of territory from the Austrian and Turkish empires. The allies hoped the Kingdoms people would forge a new common identity based on their shared status as Southern Slavs. They were however divided in various other ways. Croats and Slovenes were Roman Catholic, used the Latin alphabet and orientated towards western and central Europe. In contrast Serbs, Macedonians and Montenegrins were under the repressive autocratic control of the Ottoman Turks, Eastern Orthodox in religion, used the Cyrillic alphabet and were less economically developed. Bosnians, though much like the Serbs had practiced Bogomilism and converted to Islam only in exchange for autonomy and protection by the Turks. The Serbs regularly rose against the Turks and were subsequently heavily repressed, thus considered the Bosnian Muslims Slavs that had sold out. During World War Two these antagonisms flared into outright slaughter as the Nazi controlled ethnically Croat Ustashe puppet regime murdered innocent Serbs, Jews and others. The regime never had majority Croatian support but this was irrelevant to Serbs in the conflicts of the 1990s even though they themselves did not have clean hands. Josip Tito and his communists suppressed discussion on the wartime genocide and earlier nationalist outrages in the process creating a powerful reservoir of suppressed memories and hatred. Tito re-established Yugoslavia through the skilful use of fear and the credibility of communist ideology. Yugoslavs feared many things including a return to the carnage of wartime massacres, the power of the Soviet Union and some a great Serbian restoration. The League of Communists of Yugoslavia (LCY) as the only substantial pan-Yugoslavian institution was thus the only force capable of allaying these fears. Fear and force did in time give way to compromise that was eventually enshrined in the 1974 Yugoslav constitution. This constitution established a collective presidency, rotating chair and dissolved a great deal of power to the republics thus weakening federal institutions. Tito himself often kept this system going by ordering republics to follow federal laws. Titos death in 1980 combined with the end of Cold War rivalry and the decline of communist ideology in the rest of Europe in the 1980s lead to the severe weakening of Yugoslavias crucial unifying factors. In addition, Yugoslavia in the 1980s increasingly suffered from an unprecedented economic crisis. This crisis was triggered by the oil shocks of the 1970s, the global recession of the 1980s and a $US20 billion foreign debt. This caused Slovenia and other relatively economically prosperous regions to push for economic and political change. Slovenia had significant economic weight as while it comprised only eight percent of the nations population it produced 20 percent of the national GNP. Without a powerful central figure, differences between reformers and conservatives produced a deadlock at the centre during the early and mid 1980s. The economy thus continued its decline allowing conservative groups time to mobilize support. Long significant to the Serb nation, Kosovo became the catalyst for the revival of Serbian nationalism. After a 1981 demonstration in favor of Kosovo gaining republic status the death toll of Albanian youths killed by Serb police varied widely from nine anywhere up to 1000. The Serbs balked at this demand believing they were the oppressed side in this situation. Thirty thousand Serbs and Montenegrins did flee Kosovo in the 1980s though many for economic reasons. The higher Albanian birth rate also contributed to the decline in the relative number of Serbs in Kosovo from 23 percent of the population in 1971 to 10 percent in 1989. Led by the Serbian Academy for Sciences and Arts from 1986 prominent Serbs claimed they had been the victim of consistent discrimination in Yugoslavia. Kosovo was thus raised to the position of most important problem in Serbia and frustration in the League of Communists of Serbia over the issue reached unprecedented levels. Slobodan Milosevic promise of quick and decisive action against Albanian separatists in Kosovo won him widespread support in Serbia. Milosevic moved quickly to promote Serbs to important economic and political roles in Kosovo and by 1989-1990 Serbian control over Kosovo was complete. In his first six months of power, he also purged Serbia of rivals and moderates. Journalists, writers and editors were fired and Milosevic supporters soon controlled almost all public life in Serbia. In order to bully and overthrow the Kosovo and Vojvodina political leaderships Milosevic whipped up pro-Serb demonstrations in the previously autonomous regions. The Montenegrin leadership was also overthrown with all three being replaced by Milosevic loyalists. This gave the Serb nationalists control of four of the eight votes in the Yugoslavian federation. Serbian hardliners used the cloak of nationalism to revoke the autonomy of Kosovo and Vojvodina thus altering the Serbian constitution and the delicate balance of power in Yugoslavia. Slovenia and Croatia reacted angrily to this series of events. Public disagreement was not permitted between communist party members therefore it was intellectuals and the media that articulated this anger. Slovenian intellectuals protested publicly at the treatment given to the Kosovo Albanians. They did so because they feared the consequences of the Serb action had upset Slovenias political and economic role in Yugoslavia, and would prevent movement towards its goals of democratising Yugoslavia and integrating it economically with the west. The last LCY congress in January 1990 confirmed that neither democratic nor hard-line reform could occur at the national level. The Croatian and Slovenian communist parties quickly responded by giving up their power and holding multi-party elections. The multi-party political system that resulted from the 1990 elections was seriously flawed. Political parties of which there were a large number lacked time and resources to develop a wide range of policies. Voters were thus denied the information they needed to make informed decisions. Additionally there was no chance to vote to maintain Yugoslavia even though 62 percent of Yugoslavs claimed Yugoslavian affiliation was very, or quite, important to them in a 1990 survey of 4,232 people. Nationalists claims that other groups would block vote successfully turned it into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Every town experienced the founding of political parties and the divisive nationalist discourse that went with them. Peer pressure to support ones ethnic group in these towns was intense. The nationalist parties did not win majorities in these elections. Because the way the elections were designed they received majorities in their republics. Franjo Tudjmans Croatian Democratic Union and Milo sevics Socialist Party of Serbia won only 41.5% and 47% of the votes respectively but gained 56% and 78% of the seats. These parties purged, often violently, their political opponents from power and made it dangerous to be seen as or in the company of known moderates. The politicians elected in 1990 were far more nationalist than their citizens. Understanding Violent The Breakup Of Yugoslavia The continuing stalemate and increasing tension over Yugoslavias economic and political direction convinced Slovenia and Croatia their futures lay elsewhere, and both declared independence in June 1991. The victory by Slovenian in the resulting war against the Yugoslav Peoples Army (JPA) forced the Serbs to give up their hopes for a centralized Yugoslav state under Serb control. Serb nationalists instead set themselves the goal of creating a greater Serbian state. The result was war in Croatia. The other significant result of the Slovenian and Croatian declarations of independence was that they forced the Bosnian Muslims to do likewise. Bosnian President Alija Izetberovic and many of his people realized all too clearly they would have little protection in a rump Yugoslavia dominated by Milosevic and Serb nationalists. Leaders on all sides constantly exploited the fear of becoming vulnerable to other ethnic groups through inaction during the break up of Yugoslavia. Both Tudjman and Milosevic consciously revived nationalist ideologies tainted by the Second World War. Once a leader of a republic broke the pattern of compromise and instead choose to increase interregional tensions the writing, Yugoslavia was on the wall. The slanting of news coverage by Milosevic appointees forced media in other republics to follow suit least their ethnic group become disadvantaged. Exaggeration became common as Serb and Croat intellectuals successfully transferred their nationalist ideologies to the common people. The Ustasu concentration camp at Jasenovac where 60,000 to 80,000 inmates were slaughtered, not all of them Serbs was inflated into the murder of 700,000 Serbs alone by Serb nationalists and Serbian media. The numbers game was however played by all sides. Repetition is considered the single most important e lement in the changing of opinions. Tudjman and Croat nationalistsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ excessive use of Second World War symbols especially the Ustasu flag frightened many Serbs into believing history would repeat itself. Collectively this created a security dilemma where no side could trust the other. Like their Croat neighbors the Bosnian leaders were also guilty of not paying enough attention to the complexity and fears of Serbian societies within their boundaries. By failing to recognize the difference between passive and adaptable urban Serbs and more extremist rural Serbs Tudjman missed an opportunity to build a multi-ethnic coalition. The behavior of political elites was a major source of ethnic hatred in Yugoslavia. Additional causes contributed to the sheer scale of the violence that followed the collapse of Yugoslavia. The JPA took a political role as its officers believed only a federal and socialist Yugoslavia could support their existing corporate and individual privileges. Up to 70 percent of the officer core were Serbian and Montenegrin and it was also a bedrock of Marxism-Leninism. The credibility of the army came from the days of communist resistance in the Second World War and as the communist party fell from favor so to0 did the army. With this loss of credibility, the JPA became in effect the army of the Serbian state. This is important because the scale of violence and acts of destruction such as the shelling of Sarajevo would have been impossible without a powerful military force. The inheritance by Serb forces of the majority of Yugoslavias weapons and especially its heavy weapons gave the Serbs the military power required to carry out their plans. Backed by the JPA Serbian civilian, militias were able to terrorize minorities in Serb controlled areas. The militias were organized from soccer clubs notably the infamous Arkan Tigers, prisons and from volunteers. Merged with the peer pressure, lack of accountability and promised economic gain these militia committed acts of ethnic violence out of all proportion to what could have been deemed acceptable under normal conditions. Croats and to a lesser extent Muslims also formed militias and violently attacked ethnic opponents. These were never on the same scale nor had the same level of organization as the Serbian militias and were largely formed as response to the formation of the Serbian militias. The west intervened in the break up of Yugoslavia relatively early and regularly but never with enough collective will or military force to prevent large-scale warfare. The period of the early Yugoslav wars was a dramatic time internationally with the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union and the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait distracting Western powers. A global recession further reduced the wests desire to intervene in a country some saw as a quagmire without strategic significance whilst others considered the area vital due to Yugoslavias geopolitical significance. By January 1992 fifteen ceasefires had been arranged and broken by all sides. Numerous internationally brokered peace plans followed. Serbian and Croatian leaders who consistently acted in ways to that continued the violence certainly did not help western efforts. However, the more pressing problem was Americas and Europes weak and timid initial responses which did nothing to persuade Milosevic and Tudj man to suspend their use of violence. Whether an overwhelming display of western resolve through the commitment of significant combat troops would have altered the course of events is unknown. It is however hard to see how such a display of force could have made things worse. The political will to impose a solution on Yugoslavia was simply not present at the time. Yugoslavia was a nation with suppressed and potentially explosive historical memories. By the 1980s the majority of Yugoslavs lived in peace often side by side with other ethnic groups. It took a culmination of economic decline, a changing international system and most importantly leaders willing and able to exploit these memories and their resulting fears to rip Yugoslavia apart. Political elites insistence on nationalist ideologies, Serbian military superiority and a lack of Western will ensured this break up was both brutal and extremely violent

Maya Angelou

‘Still I Rise' by Maya Angelou: the poem You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I'll rise. Does my sassiness upset you? Why are you beset with gloom? ‘Cause I walk like I've got oil wells Pumping in my living room. Just like moons and like suns, With the certainty of tides, Just like hopes springing high, Still I'll rise. Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes? Shoulders falling down like teardrops, Weakened by my soulful cries. Does my haughtiness offend you? Don't you take it awful hard ‘Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines Diggin' in my own back yard. You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I'll rise. Does my sexiness upset you? Does it come as a surprise That I dance like I've got diamonds At the meeting of my thighs? Out of the huts of history's shame I rise Up from a past that's rooted in pain I rise I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide, Welling and swelling I bear in the tide. Leaving behind nights of terror and fear I rise Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear I rise Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise I rise I rise. GCSE English Blended Poetry  © Maya Angelou in whose name Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. has granted permission.  © The Sheffield College, 2006 Exploring the Poem We are now going to explore ‘Still I Rise' using the five aspects of poetry we looked at earlier. Situation Viewpoint Ideas or themes Language and style Mood or atmosphere After reading ‘Still I Rise' a couple of times, use the following questions to help explore your ideas about the poem. Situation What do you think Angelou might mean in the opening lines when she says that history tells lies about her? GCSE English Blended Poetry  © The Sheffield College, 2006 In the closing lines, who is Maya Angelou referring to as her ‘ancestors' and why is this important? Angelou repeats the words ‘I rise' throughout the poem. What does she mean by this? GCSE English Blended Poetry The Sheffield College, 2006 Identity is an important idea in the poem. What impression do you get of Maya Angelou in the second, third, fifth and seventh verses? What impression of herself does Maya Angelou definitely not want to convey in the fourth verse? What impression does Maya Angelou leave us with at the end of the poem? GCSE English Blended Poetry  © The Sheffield College, 2006 Viewp oint Who is ‘I' in this poem? Who is ‘you' in this poem? Ideas and Themes What themes do you see in the poem? GCSE English Blended Poetry  © The Sheffield College, 2006 Language and Style As you work through this section, you might want to refer to the Glossary, to read about some of the techniques discussed. Angelou uses a lot of natural imagery in the poem. List all the similes and metaphors which relate to nature that you can find in the poem. Imagery What points do you think Angelou is making in using this natural imagery? Comment on at least three images in detail. GCSE English Blended Poetry  © The Sheffield College, 2006 Alliteration and Assonance Find as many examples of alliteration and assonance in the poem as you can. What effects do you think Angelou is hoping to achieve by her use of these techniques? Rhythm and Rhyme Re-read the poem aloud or at least read it to yourself imagining how it would sound if you were reading it aloud. How do you think the rhythm and the rhyming of the poem affects your understanding of what Angelou is saying? Repetition What do you think Angelou is trying to achieve with the repetition in the poem? GCSE English Blended Poetry  © The Sheffield College, 2006 Mood and Atmosphere How would you describe the mood or atmosphere of the poem? Does the mood change throughout the poem? GCSE English Blended Poetry  © The Sheffield College, 2006 Maya Angelou ‘Still I Rise' by Maya Angelou: the poem You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I'll rise. Does my sassiness upset you? Why are you beset with gloom? ‘Cause I walk like I've got oil wells Pumping in my living room. Just like moons and like suns, With the certainty of tides, Just like hopes springing high, Still I'll rise. Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes? Shoulders falling down like teardrops, Weakened by my soulful cries. Does my haughtiness offend you? Don't you take it awful hard ‘Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines Diggin' in my own back yard. You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I'll rise. Does my sexiness upset you? Does it come as a surprise That I dance like I've got diamonds At the meeting of my thighs? Out of the huts of history's shame I rise Up from a past that's rooted in pain I rise I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide, Welling and swelling I bear in the tide. Leaving behind nights of terror and fear I rise Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear I rise Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise I rise I rise. GCSE English Blended Poetry  © Maya Angelou in whose name Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. has granted permission.  © The Sheffield College, 2006 Exploring the Poem We are now going to explore ‘Still I Rise' using the five aspects of poetry we looked at earlier. Situation Viewpoint Ideas or themes Language and style Mood or atmosphere After reading ‘Still I Rise' a couple of times, use the following questions to help explore your ideas about the poem. Situation What do you think Angelou might mean in the opening lines when she says that history tells lies about her? GCSE English Blended Poetry  © The Sheffield College, 2006 In the closing lines, who is Maya Angelou referring to as her ‘ancestors' and why is this important? Angelou repeats the words ‘I rise' throughout the poem. What does she mean by this? GCSE English Blended Poetry The Sheffield College, 2006 Identity is an important idea in the poem. What impression do you get of Maya Angelou in the second, third, fifth and seventh verses? What impression of herself does Maya Angelou definitely not want to convey in the fourth verse? What impression does Maya Angelou leave us with at the end of the poem? GCSE English Blended Poetry  © The Sheffield College, 2006 Viewp oint Who is ‘I' in this poem? Who is ‘you' in this poem? Ideas and Themes What themes do you see in the poem? GCSE English Blended Poetry  © The Sheffield College, 2006 Language and Style As you work through this section, you might want to refer to the Glossary, to read about some of the techniques discussed. Angelou uses a lot of natural imagery in the poem. List all the similes and metaphors which relate to nature that you can find in the poem. Imagery What points do you think Angelou is making in using this natural imagery? Comment on at least three images in detail. GCSE English Blended Poetry  © The Sheffield College, 2006 Alliteration and Assonance Find as many examples of alliteration and assonance in the poem as you can. What effects do you think Angelou is hoping to achieve by her use of these techniques? Rhythm and Rhyme Re-read the poem aloud or at least read it to yourself imagining how it would sound if you were reading it aloud. How do you think the rhythm and the rhyming of the poem affects your understanding of what Angelou is saying? Repetition What do you think Angelou is trying to achieve with the repetition in the poem? GCSE English Blended Poetry  © The Sheffield College, 2006 Mood and Atmosphere How would you describe the mood or atmosphere of the poem? Does the mood change throughout the poem? GCSE English Blended Poetry  © The Sheffield College, 2006

Bridging the Gap

Bridging the Gap January 28, 2014 Poetry of the 17th century is unique because it is of a metaphysical nature and it is deeper in meaning that the courtly love poetry before its time. It focuses on love, death, and loss other than death such as innocence and material possessions. The seemingly imposable things such as the afterlife and Heaven are said to be metaphysical in nature and both subjects are present in the three selected poems for this paper. Ben Jonson exhibits grief upon the loss of his first daughter and his first son in the poems â€Å"On My First Son† and â€Å"On My First Daughter†, but his grief is displayed in different tones.Anne Bradstreet exhibits grief over the loss of her home and all of her material possessions in â€Å"Here Follows Some Verses Upon the Burning of Our House July 10th, 1666†, but her grief turns into a comforting tone as she realizes her true possessions are in Heaven, not on Earth. â€Å"Thou hast a house on high erect, f ramed by that mighty Architect, with glory richly furnished† (Ferguson, Salter, & Stallworthy, 2005, p. 467). The three chosen poems deal with loss and grief.The poet of each poem expresses religious beliefs in Heaven and the afterlife and a comforting tone is exhibited for the reader to find comfort in the possibility that a better life exists beyond life on Earth. Ben Jonson was a poet born in 1572 and died in 1637. His work is often considered classical dramatics. His poem â€Å"On My First Son† expresses sorrow for the death of his first son. The poem is an elegy which means the poem is a serious reflection and a mournful poem about the dead. This is a twelve line poem with six pairs of rhyming couplets. Line five is the most emotional line. â€Å"O could I lose all father now! † (Ferguson et al. p. 323). Jonson tries to see death as an escape from the world. There is a calmer tone later in the poem as the poet is speaking in a more positive mood, seeing his son as his finest creation. The poem is written from the 17th century England and childhood illnesses were often fatal. Hospitals, vaccinations against diseases, antibiotics and treatments were unknown during that time. Many children did not live very long. When they died, parents reacted to their death in a different manner than people in current society react to the death of a child. The poem is delivered in rhyming lines called couplets and it is addressed to the dead son.Metaphor is present when Jonson refers to his son as being lent to him. For seven years. â€Å"Seven years thou wert lent to me, and I thee pay exacted by thy fate, on the just day† (Ferguson et al. , p. 323). Jonson believes that all life is a gift from God, and now God is taking back his child at a young and tender age of seven. As Jonson grieves over his son, he also shows the reader how death is something to be envied. Perhaps death is something to look forward to. This feeling is explained in lines s even and eight when Jonson states â€Å"To have so soon scoped world’s and flesh’s rage, and, if no other miser, yet age† (Ferguson et al. p. 323). An escape from the turmoil that one encounters throughout life is escaped by death. Jonson also vows to not become too attached or to love someone too much in the future so he will not feel so much pain again. Jonson also wrote â€Å"On My First Daughter† which is an elegy about his first daughter who died at the age of six months old. In this poem, Jonson believes nothing lasts forever and death is inevitable. Written in the 17th century, childhood death was not uncommon. Jonson delivers sadness as well as a feeling of comfort and belief that the poet’s baby girl is in Heaven.A hidden message in this poem is that death is not the final destination. The religious thoughts throughout the poem offer peace and comfort about death and the afterlife. â€Å"Yet all Heaven’s gifts being Heaven’s due† (Ferguson et al. , p. 323) insinuates that nothing lasts forever and death is inevitable. Jonson sees his daughter’s death as if she belongs to God and now God has taken her back. This twelve line poem contains six pairs of rhyming couplets. Lines three and four demonstrate a rationalization of the death as well as the ability for Jonson to overcome his emotions more than a woman could. Yet all heaven’s gifts being Heaven’s due, it makes the father less to rue† (Ferguson et al. , p. 323). He also finds comfort in knowing he lost his daughter to death with her innocence intact. Because she died with her innocence, there is a special honor of believing she in honored in Heaven and Jonson finds comfort in the sad event of his daughter’s death. Jonson uses rationalism in his poems as he reasons with the death of his children. â€Å"On My First Daughter† has a different attitude and delivery from the attitude and delivery regarding his son’s death in â€Å"On My First Son†.He appears to accept his daughter’s death with less grief than his acceptance of his son’s death. The length of time he had with his daughter and his son could also determine the tone he took in each poem. He could have bonded with his 7-year-old son as where he did not bond with the 6-month-old daughter. He does however find comfort in believing both children are in Heaven and free from pain. He believes Heaven is a better place than living on Earth. Anne Bradstreet, born in 1612 and died in 1672, is the 17th century Puritan author of â€Å"Here Follows Some Verses Upon the Burning of Our House July 10th, 1616†.Her subjects within her poems were home, life, relationships, living, sorrow, and grief. Her faith and values are apparent throughout the poem. The rhyming of every two lines allows the reader to process the words before going to the next two lines. The nine six-line stanzas are written in plain style. The Puritan in Bradstreet preferred a plain style of writing that rarely included figurative language. She stressed simplicity, clarity of expression, the use of everyday words, and the implied metaphor even though most of her images and words are literal throughout her poem.The context of Bradstreet’s poem is the 17th century Puritan colonies in North America. The theme of the poem is that materials possessions are worthless and the only thing that is worthy is going to Heaven in the afterlife. The reader takes a journey through the descriptions of Bradstreet’s possessions before her true feelings are revealed regarding loss, material possessions, and a person’s salvation in Heaven. There are obvious sentence inversions to accommodate the demands of rhyme. This is present in the first line of the poem â€Å"In silent night when rest I took for sorrow near I did not look† (Ferguson et al. p. 466). The speaker becomes aware of her house burning down and s he informs her readers about the material objects in a material world. Pain and loss are explored while memories and fantasies about her home are revealed. â€Å"No pleasant tale shall e’er be told, nor things recounted done of old† (Ferguson et al. , p. 467). The statement reveals a woman mourning the material loss while also mourning the lost years of an imagined future in her house. The turning point in the poem occurs when the speaker is finished grieving over the ruins of her home.She begins to realize that she should focus on her home in Heaven and the beautiful afterlife she will have rather than her home on Earth. The last two lines of the poem express to the reader how the speaker truly feels. â€Å"My world no longer let me love, my hope and treasure lies above† (Ferguson et al. , p. 467). Bradstreet, like Jonson, finds comfort in believing in the afterlife and having faith that Heaven is where good and Holy people will spend eternity. Heaven, in both author’s beliefs, is a better place than living on Earth.The gift of Heaven through good works was a common belief during the 17th century. Jonson and Bradstreet both suffered a great loss. Jonson lost two children to death while Bradstreet lost her home and all of her possessions to a fire. They both grieved over their loss but in a different way. The end of each poem confirms the author’s religious beliefs that Heaven and the afterlife are better than life here on Earth. References Ferguson, M. , Salter, M. J. , & Stallworthy, J. (Eds. ). (2005). The Norton anthology of poetry (5th ed. ). New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.

Definition and Examples of Evidence in Argument

In argument, evidence refers to facts, documentation or testimony  used to strengthen a claim, support an argument or reach a conclusion. The evidence isnt the same as proof. Whereas evidence allows for professional judgment, the proof is absolute and incontestable,  said Denis Hayes in Learning and Teaching in Primary Schools.   Observations About Evidence Without evidence to support them, any statements you make in your writing have little or no value; theyre simply opinions, and 10 people may have 10 different opinions, none of which is more valid than the others unless there is clear and potent evidence to support it. Neil Murray, Writing Essays in English Language and Linguistics,  2012When conducting empirical research, the researchers primary responsibility is to provide evidence to support his or her claim about the relationship between the variables described in the research hypothesis. T]he researcher must collect data that will convince us of the accuracy of his or her predictions. Bart L. Weathington et al., Research Methods for the Behavioral and Social Sciences,  2010 Making Connections David Rosenwasser and Jill Stephen comment on making connections that leave out the steps that lead to them in 2009s Writing Analytically.  Ã‚   A common assumption about evidence is that is is the stuff that proves Im right. Although this way of thinking about evidence is not wrong, it is much too limited. Corroboration (proving the validity of a claim) is one of the functions of evidence, but not the only one. Writing well means sharing your thought process with your readers, telling them why you believe the evidence means what you say it does. Writers who think that evidence speaks for itself often do very little with their evidence except put it next to their claims: The party was terrible: There was no alcohol -- or, alternatively, The party was great: There was no alcohol. Just juxtaposing the evidence with the claim leaves out the thinking that connects them, thereby implying that the logic of the connection is obvious. But even for readers prone to agreeing with a given claim, simply pointing to the evidence is not enough.   Qualitative and Quantitative Evidence Julie M. Farrar defines two kinds of evidence in Evidence:  Encyclopedia of Rhetoric and Composition,  from 2006. The mere presence of information does not constitute evidence; the informative statements must be accepted as evidence by an audience and believed by it to be relevant to the claim at issue. Evidence can be generally classified as qualitative and quantitative. The former emphasizes explanation and description, appearing continuous rather than discrete, while the latter offers measurement and prediction. Both kinds of information require interpretation, for at no time do the facts speak for themselves. Opening the Door In Evidence: Practice Under the Rules from  1999, Christopher B. Mueller and Laird C. Kirkpatrick discuss evidence as it relates to trial law. The more far-reaching effect of introducing evidence [in a trial] is to pave the way for other parties to introduce evidence, question witnesses and offer argument on the subject in attempts to rebut or confine the initial evidence. In the customary phrase, the party who offers evidence on a point is said to have opened the door, meaning that the other side may now make countermoves to answer or rebut the initial evidence, fighting fire with fire. Dubious Evidence In  Not on the Doctor’s Checklist, but Touch Matters from 2010 in The New York Times, Danielle Ofri discusses findings called evidence that isnt actually valid. [I]s there any research to show that a physical exam -- in a healthy person -- is of any benefit? Despite a long and storied tradition, a physical exam is more a habit than a clinically proven method of picking up the disease in asymptomatic people. There is scant evidence to suggest that routinely listening to every healthy person’s lungs or pressing on every normal person’s liver will find a disease that wasn’t suggested by the patient’s history. For a healthy person, an abnormal finding on a physical exam is more likely to be a false positive than a real sign of illness. Other Examples of Dubious Evidence America must not ignore the threat gathering against us. Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof, the smoking gun that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud. President George W. Bush, in justifying the invasion of Iraq in 2003  We have it. The smoking gun. The evidence. The potential weapon of mass destruction we have been looking for as our pretext of invading Iraq. Theres just one problem: its in North Korea. Jon Stewart, The Daily Show, 2005