- Fallacies
- Anecdotal fallacy
- The primary focus of the article is on anecdotal evidence. Sensationalist journalism from the 19th century is rather flimsy at best.
- Texas Sharpshooter
- Because of the varying reports and stories, the Spring Heeled Jack incidents create a relatively unclear image. He either attacks women or slaps men, but it's definitely the same guy probably.
- Perelman's Rhetoric
- Facts/truths
- The anecdotes are both supposed and observed; observed because they are, well, observations, but supposed due to the unreliability of eyewitness encounters (from the 1800s on top of that).
- Presumptions
- Continuing with the anecdotes, they are the normal, based on a reference group/experience.
- Loci
- Several unique stories with similar aspects give quantity and quality.
- Inclusion
- The seemingly unrelated attacks on women and slapping of guards at Aldershot Barracks are included together because of their similar aggressors.
- Comparison
- These attacks lend themselves to comparison via probability.
I feel like, with this topic, you could try and explain how the author tried to convince people, rather than pointing out all the flaws in their arguments. While that is good, it's also important to understand how they tried to shed light on the subject, how the author thinks things should have went, and why he could possibly be right. You don't have to agree or disagree with what he's saying, but its better to acknowledge how he tried to get people to agree.
ReplyDeleteYou have done a great job explaining the arguments, and I think that you could also argue the premise modifier repetition in reference to all the stories that the author lists one after another, constantly reiterating the fact that there were all of these sightings.
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