Tamara,
I've sent you a copy privately, but I'd like to clarify that the play was about a Rational speaker (a speaker with the truth) and a Rhetorical speaker (a speaker with all the bells and whistles). It was a requirement that the audience reacted to the speakers positively or negatively. So while the argument itself may not be that convincing one of the speakers certainly is.
Thanks very much. Like your teacher, I too, enjoyed reading it tremendously, and chuckled through most of it, even though I'm not familiar with the characters (when I was a teenager, *some* of the Disney's Mickey Mouse stuff was shown on our TV once a week but, in general, American cartoons were considered "bourgeois" and, as such, not suitable for viewing. *Especially not* for viewing by unformed -- and possibly easy to corrupt -- young minds <g>).
The "funny" thing is... Even though you've stacked -- very skillfully -- the odds *against* the "speaker with the truth" (Porky), after the first couple of interchanges between the two, I'd have "rooted" for Porky, even if he'd been all wrong, or I was unable to follow his argument :) In part, of course, because I'm contrary by nature... But also because from the earliest I can remember, I was taught to *distrust* the "surface" and, *especially*, to distrust self-aggrandizing; anyone who "put down" an opponent and self-elevated, offering a *specious* argument (rather than a reasoned one) was, *automatically*, suspect. We saw too much of that, on a daily basis, to take self-promotion seriously. That is, for example, why I view *all* politicians with a jaded eye, even as I do my duty and go to the voting booth.
There's also (equally deeply rooted) "instinct" to "root" for the underdog (that one is more wide spread than the post-communist disenchantment, BTW; it may have "there, but for the grace of God..." element in it). "Showing up" and "cutting down to size" the guy who seems to have everything going for him, is a lot of fun too... :)
And, back to personal, "gut" response, untainted by social/political factors... I can't *stand* the "charmers" -- you can't trust them, because they change horses in mid-course, and you never know "where you're at" with them. And, the louder they are, the more I dislike them (yes, I'm *very much aware* <g>)
All in all, "swimming upstream" seems to be an inherited gene in me... :)
I *highly* recommend reading the playlet (more a skit, really; even in HTML, and even with the teacher's comments, it was less than 20KB). For those on chat -- request it from Heather. For those not on chat -- I'm keeping the copy, and I don't think Heather would object to my forwarding it.
----- Tamara P Duvall Lexington, Virginia, USA Formerly of Warsaw, Poland http://lorien.emufarm.org/~tpd/
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