Fallacies could be either informal or formal. It is an erroneous argument in rhetoric and logic, therefore, resulting in its lack of validity. In a more generalized perspective, it lacks soundness. Formal fallacy can be described as an error embedded logical expression. In the play, Monty Python and the Holy Grail the peasant insistently provoke an argument from Arthur. In this paper, I will analyze the arguments in the play.
At the onset of the play, the peasant Dennis insistently provoked an argument from Arthur by annoying him. He blames Arthur for not knowing his name since he did not ask, “Well, you didn’t bother to find out, did you?” Arthur forced to accept the mistake through the use the use of slippery slope fallacy CITATION Gil14 l 1033 (Gilliam & Jones, 2014).
He had to admit to the mistakes of calling him old and woman even though he did not do it out of ignorance. It also has the involvement of complex question fallacy that ensures he commits to it. Though the argument is valid based on the premises, it is invalid since the conclusive factors are false.
Dennis accuses Arthur of automatically treating him as an inferior and the king responds that he is king. On saying king, Dennis jumps in “An’ how’d you get that, eh? By exploitin’ the workers — by ‘angin’ on to outdated imperialist dogma, which perpetuates the economic an’ social differences in our society! ….If there’s ever going to be any progress—” CITATION Gil14 l 1033 (Gilliam & Jones, 2014).
The Essay on Analyzing Arthur Miller’s Play “The Crucible”
In Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, John and Elizabeth Proctor are introduced as a young, married couple whose relationship had a tense undercurrent. Their actions and reactions towards one another prove that they are at odds with each other. John and Elizabeth seem to be trying to smooth out the bumps in their relationship, but for the most part they only succeed in driving themselves further ...
At this point; Dennis presents a limited number of alternatives even though there are others worth considering, False dilemma.
Another false dilemma is the statement “You’re fooling yourself. We’re living in a dictatorship. ….. A self-perpetuating autocracy in which the working classes—” CITATION Gil14 l 1033 (Gilliam & Jones, 2014).
Dennis had no idea of existence of a king, but he insinuates that they live in a dictatorship. Both of these instances are unsound based on the premise. Since a king exists how does it influence the existence of a dictatorship? How the presence of a king implies that workers are exploited, I think not. Though these arguments could be valid, they are not necessarily true.
At the terminal end of the scene, Arthurs could no longer take the annoyance of Dennis. He orders him to be quite and he goes straight to him to make him quite. Dennis yells, “ HELP! HELP! I’m being repressed!” he creates Arthur as a violent man CITATION Gil14 l 1033 (Gilliam & Jones, 2014).
The argument at this point represents a red herring form of fallacy. He raises irrelevant issues to provoke Arthur and finally accuses him of being violent.
Conclusion
From the play, Dennis remains the aggressor by insistently provoking Arthur until he gets annoyed. The scene filled with argumentative fallacy intended to convince the audience of the wrong intention of the opponent. The natives of that land have no knowledge of the existence of a king. Therefore, Dennis had no basis for accusing the king of being violent, taking advantage of others and insinuating that they are living in a dictatorship. From all indications, they do not live in a dictatorship since they have a vote, and they govern themselves on a weekly basis.
References
1033 Gilliam, T., & Jones, T. (Directors).
(2014).
Monty Python and the Holy Grail: Peasant Scene [Motion Picture].