Test Of Evidence example essay topic

The speech I chose was about sex and violence in the entertainment world by Robert Dole. I believe Mr. Dole gave a very good speech. The speech was well prepared and organized; it flowed well with appropriate transitions, and was clear and easy to understand. Most importantly he had sufficient amounts of evidence to back up his arguments There are a number of different specific tests for evidence.

They include the test of recency, the test of source ability, the test of source identification, the test of source willingness, the test of context, and the test of statistical evidence. I will apply some of these tests of evidence to Mr. Dole's speech to prove that his arguments and evidence were well founded and added credibility to his speech. The first test of evidence I will discuss is the test of recency. This test asks the question, "Is the statement of the evidence based on recent observations of the real situation" (Ziegelmueller and Kay 88).

Evidence must be recent to appropriately support the argument. You must be sure that evidence is recent enough that important facts prudent to your argument have not changed or become outdated. In his speech Dole uses examples that are quite recent. When discussing violence in the music industry he mentions musicians Ice-T, 2 Live Crew, and the Geto Boys. When discussing movies he makes references to "The Lion King", "Forrest Gump", "True Lies", and "Natural Born Killers". All of these music groups and movies were released or popular in recent history.

He makes comparisons using theses movies as examples and using statistics as it relates to these movies. By using these recent movies for his examples he is presenting a more credible argument. The next test of evidence is the test of source identification. This test asks the question, "Is the source of the evidence identifiable" (Ziegelmueller and Kay, 88). For eac piece of evidence you present the evidence should be traceable to a source.

If a piece of evidence is not traceable you lose valuable credibility. It is in this test of evidence that Dole lacks in a bit. In his speech Dole makes references to a number of different people and statistics. Dole quotes Mark Canton in his speech.

He then says what Canton's title is so you can identify him and his relevance to the situation. This is very good in supporting his argument and establishing credibility. There is some evidence though that Mr. Dole states, but doesn't clearly explain where he got the evidence or who the people are. In his speech he mentions what one person, Michael Medved, said to support his argument but doesn't explain who he is. He also says, "it has been reported that "The Lion King" made six times as much money as "Natural Born Killers", (Dole, 247) but doesn't state where he got this statistic at.

To establish credibility with the audience you must establish that the evidence you present is correct and can be affirmed. By identifying the source of the evidence you establish credibility. If you just state facts and don't identify them properly your argument weakens. The next test of evidence I am going to discuss is the test of context.

This test asks the question, "Is the evidence used in a manner consistent with the meaning and intent of the source" (Ziegelmueller and Kay, 91). You must be sure that the evidence is consistent with the source. In his speech Dole cites movies and music for their references of violence or nonviolence. The results he concludes from watching or listening to these sources is an accurate depiction of their contents.

He uses "Natural Born Killers", a movie about two serial killers, as an example of violence in the entertainment world. The context of the movie, source, illustrates his point that violence is prominent in this movie. The last test of evidence I am going to discuss is the test of source ability. This test asks the question, "Is the source of the evidence able to report or interpret the situation accurately" (Ziegelmueller and Kay, 89). There are a number of different aspects involved in this test of evidence including: the experience, specific training, and position of the source. Dole presents a great example of this in his speech with the quote he takes from Mark Canton.

Canton is the president of Universal Pictures. With this title he shows that he has experience, training and the position needed to qualify as an expert source of evidence who can accurately report findings. Canton is quoted as saying, "Any smart business person can see what we must do-make more 'PG'-rated films. Together... we can make the needed changes", (Dole, 247). With this quote Dole is backing up his argument with a very credible and knowledgeable piece of evidence. As I stated earlier there are a number of different tests of evidence one can use to test the accuracy and credibility of an argument.

For the most part Robert Dole presents evidence that is relevant, verifiable, and accurate to support his argument about violence in the entertainment world. He backs up his argument with appropriate evidence and presents it in a clear format.

Bibliography

The speech I chose was about sex and violence in the entertainment world by Robert Dole. For each piece of evidence you present the evidence should be traceable to a source.