Consider a recent argument you have experienced. Recall the language. Do you agree with Heinrich’s description of tenses (Heinrichs 30)? What were the results of the argument? Do you think the result was related to the tense?
When I saw a bag of chips out on the table, I at them. These chips happened to belong to my unforgiving little brother. "Wady, Did you eat my chips?" "Yes, I did." "But you know not to touch my stuff!!" (Forensic) "YOU left them out open and on the table! Did you expect me to just look at them?" (Forensic) "It doesn't matter! They were MINE! You ate my food!" "Well I guess now we won't leave any food out on the table if you don't want it eaten than? Right?" (Deliberative) "Ugh whatever!" (Walks away)
I accept Heinrich's tenses! They allowed me to turn the blame on him, which only made him angrier, then I told him the moral of the story and he -in a way- accepted his loss and now knows not to leave any food out. The result WAS a result of the tense I used.
My brother read his class officer speech to me. It was solid, but could be improved. I decided to be harsh on him so he would work hard to make it airtight. Criticize me later. "So, what did you think?" "Not your best, Joe." "What!? C'mon, Will, I worked hard!' "Maybe if you focused more on what you could do if elected instead of making trite jokes you will win" (Deliberative) "you always say my work is worse than it is! my jokes were good!" (forensic) "Well what do you think would be the most appealing balance of promises and jokes for your classmates" (deliberative) "what I have currently! You just don't like the stuff I do to be mean" (demonstrative) "I don't know if your classmates will either" (deliberative) "Whatever. I'll say I can dances back." "Good luck buddy" I made a point of having my argument in the deliberative entirely while he flip-flopped in the past and the present. This enabled me to kairos that moment up and I won my argument, painstaking as it was.
When I saw a bag of chips out on the table, I at them. These chips happened to belong to my unforgiving little brother.
ReplyDelete"Wady, Did you eat my chips?"
"Yes, I did."
"But you know not to touch my stuff!!" (Forensic)
"YOU left them out open and on the table! Did you expect me to just look at them?" (Forensic)
"It doesn't matter! They were MINE! You ate my food!"
"Well I guess now we won't leave any food out on the table if you don't want it eaten than? Right?" (Deliberative)
"Ugh whatever!" (Walks away)
I accept Heinrich's tenses! They allowed me to turn the blame on him, which only made him angrier, then I told him the moral of the story and he -in a way- accepted his loss and now knows not to leave any food out. The result WAS a result of the tense I used.
My brother read his class officer speech to me. It was solid, but could be improved. I decided to be harsh on him so he would work hard to make it airtight. Criticize me later.
ReplyDelete"So, what did you think?"
"Not your best, Joe."
"What!? C'mon, Will, I worked hard!'
"Maybe if you focused more on what you could do if elected instead of making trite jokes you will win" (Deliberative)
"you always say my work is worse than it is! my jokes were good!" (forensic)
"Well what do you think would be the most appealing balance of promises and jokes for your classmates" (deliberative)
"what I have currently! You just don't like the stuff I do to be mean" (demonstrative)
"I don't know if your classmates will either" (deliberative)
"Whatever. I'll say I can dances back."
"Good luck buddy"
I made a point of having my argument in the deliberative entirely while he flip-flopped in the past and the present. This enabled me to kairos that moment up and I won my argument, painstaking as it was.