Appeal to Ridicule ASHLEY STEPHENS

Appeal to Ridicule is…

A fallacy in which ridicule or mockery is substituted for evidence in an “argument.”

Examples:

“Equal rights for women? Yeah, I’ll support that when they start paying for dinner and taking out the trash! Hah hah! Fetch me another brewski, Mildred.”

The Crucible…

“There might also be a dragon with five legs in my house, but no one has ever seen it.” –John Proctor

Act 3, Page 217 This quote from The Crucible, said by Proctor, is an appeal to ridicule

because John Proctor is mocking Hathorne while he was asking for a poppet (doll). Hathorne comments that there may be a poppet in Proctor’s house that no one had never seen, while Proctor fires back that there may also be a dragon in his house that no one had ever seen. He is mocking Hathorne by clearly making Hathorne appear “ridiculous” in asking his question about the unseen poppets.

Also in The Crucible…

Proctor: “Can you speak on minute without we land in Hell again? I am sick of Hell!...”

Parris: “…What, are we Quakers? We are not Quakers here yet, Mr. Proctor. And you may tell that to your followers!”

Act 1, Page 181 This is an example of Appeal to Ridicule because while Proctor and Parris

are arguing about whether or not Parris should have ownership of a house, Parris says that either they will obey him or the church will burn in Hell. While Proctor wishes Parris would stop bringing up Hell, Parris is ridiculing Quakers because they are “much hated by the Puritans and often spoke their heart during religious meetings.”

Sources

"Copy of Logical Fallacy: Appeal to Ridicule." Prezi.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2015.

"Appeal To Ridicule." Prezi.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2015.