How To Take A Position Essay - 632 Words

¶ … superheroes in comic books and movies. The writer apparently is fixated on Marvel Comics' Wolverine character because he blasts all other comic books and raves about Marvel and the Wolverine character plus another Marvel feature, X-Men. His conclusion is that spending money on any action movie -- or "summer blockbuster" -- other than the Wolverine or X-Men is wasteful. His basic theme throughout his presentation is that all action figures in comics and in movies pale in comparison to his favorite, Marvel (the Wolverine and X-Men). What are the reasons?

The reasons that this writer raves about the Wolverine and other Marvel characters is that if his cousin Vinnie says the Marvel Comics characters are by far the best, it must be true. Of course his justification for taking the positions he takes is loaded with hyperbole but his reasons are clearly to make it known his favorite action comic and character.

Which words or phrases are ambiguous?

"Greatest superhero of all time" is ambiguous and vague. It's an opinion, not a verifiable fact. Moreover, when he says the Wolverine was "ranked by a magazine as #1" in 2008 (of over 200 superheroes), and doesn't say what magazine, that is ambiguous. Any magazine could say that without proof or

And calling the publishers of a "magazine" -- without naming the magazine -- "geniuses" along with calling DC Comics "losers" is a patented untruth, an exaggeration and a falsehood.
Are there any fallacies in the reasoning?

There are many fallacies in the reasoning. Calling anyone who disagrees with the writer "an idiot" is an outrageously fallacy. The writer insists that Wolverine is a character that "will never be topped"? That is a huge stretch, and moreover, saying that Batman and the Watchman have "complex, depressing plots that make you have to pay attention to figure out what's happening" is absurd and a fallacy. Batman has an enormous following and has raked in millions upon millions of dollars. Is the writer saying that with the Wolverine moviegoers don't have to pay attention to figure out what's happening? That's a huge fallacy in reasoning. And Superman has been a monster superhero going back many years in comics and movies. Calling Superman a "kryptonite-impaired has-been" is like calling the Statue of Liberty an ugly old rusted relic of a woman in New York harbor.

Identify a value assumption and explain why it is a value assumption.

The assumption the writer makes throughout the piece is that nothing compares to the Wolverine. The writer gives value to something he appreciates and assumes that nothing can compare to it -- a value assumption. An example is the writer's assumption that spending "hard-earned cash" on any action movie or blockbuster movie that he doesn't like is a waste of money. Also, assuming that only Wolverine movies have "state of the art special effects" is…

How To Take A Position On A Favorite Action Character Using No Logic

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