Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Take that Maxim! A Duel of words.

Maxims are wise sayings that can add power to one's argument. Write conflicting arguments (about 5 sentences each) addressing a situation of your choosing, concluding your speech with the appropriate maxim. You will argue for the first maxim and then argue against it with the second maxim. NO REPEATS! So once one of classmates chooses their set of maxims and posts their blog, you may not reuse it. Be sure not to repeat!
Here is an example. Should your Dad order his favorite meal at the restaurant, or try something new? Try to convince him one way or the other and end your argument with the following maxims
"It's better to be safe than sorry"
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained".


Birds of a feather flock together
Opposites Attract


What's good for the goose is good for the gander
One man's meat is another man's poison.


The bigger, the better.
Good things come in small packages.


You're never too old to learn
You can't teach an old dog new tricks.


Wisdom is found in a multitude of counselors.
Too many cooks spoil the broth.


Haste makes waste
Strike while the iron is hot.


Actions speak louder than words
The pen is mightier than the sword.


The more the merrier.
Two's company; three's a crowd.


Don't sweat the small stuff.
The devil is in the details.

A penny saved is a penny earned.
Penny wise, pound foolish.

Rome wasn't build in a day.
Strike while the iron is hot.

If you can't beat em, join em.
If you lie down with dogs, you'll wake up with fleas.

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
Don't beat a dead horse

Knowledge is power.
Ignorance is bliss.


First come, first served.
The last shall be first.


The early bird gets the worm.
The second mouse gets the cheese.




20 comments:

  1. “You are never to old to learn”, is a maxim stating that it’s never too late to grab an opportunity to learn something new. For example, if you are fifty years old and have always wanted to learn piano and never did, then you should. Well that has a little bit of controversy within it because once you are older it is much harder to learn new things. The brain has neurons that help you learn, but if they are not used then they die. As you get older you use less neurons so they begin to die off. So it is much harder to learn something new as you begin to get older. “ You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”

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    1. It is kind of interesting that you didn't separate the argument and the counter argument. Instead you made it one continuous thought.

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    2. I like the first idea you had about taking an opportunity to learn new things, good point.

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  2. “Knowledge is power,” a saying all of us have come to know. As humans, we have a drive to know as much as possible. We always want to know what’s going on in someone else’s life. On the other hand, sometimes we also learn things we don’t want to know. In this case we want to give back the information we learned about something or someone. In cases like this “ignorance is bliss.”

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    1. I think your first argument was very convincing. Humans definitely strive for knowledge.

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    2. Both of the two can be very powerful or blissful, it all just depends on the circumstances.

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    3. I really agree with you that people like to know what’s going on with other people, it happens all the time

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  3. "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again". If someone is struggling to learn how to play tennis, they should keep trying until they get it. If you give up you might never learn that your actually really good at tennis. If everyone gave up when things got hard then no one would ever do anything great. However, if you are spending ALL of your time trying to learn tennis, it's kinda pointless. If you are bad at tennis, you can try and get better, but you should just give up after a while. Therefore, " don't beat a dead horse".

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    1. Your fourth sentence touched on a really great point. I like how it ties into your perceived central theme of hardwork as drive.

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    2. Good idea about not wasting time, that's something people can learn.

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    3. I like how you stated that if people gave up on everything no one would be great, I agree completely.

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    1. I definitely think your grandpa can learn, especially with this argument!

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  5. In planning for the future, it is often best to consult others. Your parents, guidance counselors, and other respectable figures all have some input on the formation of your future. Letting the influence of those who are invested in your future in is the best way to determine what you will become and the person you will be. Wisdom is found in a multitude of counselors.

    Focusing on what others want from you is overrated. Decide for yourself what you want to become. Nobody knows what you are capable of quite like yourself. Don’t let others determine your future. After all, too many cooks spoil the broth.

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    1. I agreee with you when you said that others shouldn’t influence what you want to be.

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  6. “First come, first served,” which is a maxim that means only the first people to arrive or ask for something will receive it. In the instance that the first ten people in line for a product get the product, and the hundreds of people behind them get nothing exemplifies this. If the last ten people in line got the product, that would be the case where “the last shall be first.”

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    1. I like how you used common occurrences to explain your maxim. It helps people understand more when they can relate.

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    2. I agree with you but I also think that by those who wait will receive refers to patience.

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  7. When you’re an athlete sometimes you walk into the field or court and see huge people on the other team. You are tiny and you automatically get very intimidated because you think “The bigger the better” but that’s not always true sometimes the smallest athletes are the ones who surprise you the most and end up being the best on the team. After all “Good things come in small packages”

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    1. I like how you made the two instances seem equal, small athletes can be just as good or better than an athlete who is huge.

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