Yesterday I read 26 student drafts (because I really really really didn't want to take them home with me on such a beautiful weekend!) and while many of them were quite good, I was especially impressed by one student's ability to take obviousness to new heights. I received no more than the usual number of papers proudly asserting that "poetry means different things to different people" or "throughout time, authors have used many different ideas and techniques," but this time I received a statement that moves to a whole new level of achievement: "These works would appeal to the kinds of readers who find these kinds of works appealing."
There's just no arguing with that logic. I could screech "tautology!" until I'm red in the face, but the word would not be meaningful to the sort of student who does not know the meaning of the word.
1 comment:
Circular reasoning comes, well, full circle.
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