The Roots of Debate - Tannen

In the selection “The Roots of Debate in Education and the Hope of Dialogue” by Deborah Tannen, the author invites the reader to examine the assumed necessity of debate in our lives.  She makes persuasive arguments about how the effect of negative debate and criticism can lead a researcher, student, and/or a critic to all find frustration in the end.  Her research suggests that even in grammar school we learn to have a “tendency to value formal, objective knowledge over relational, intuitive knowledge” which trains the child to “talk in a focused, explicit way,” or in other words, the beginning of our debate yearning minds.

Tannen suggests that we most move beyond this argument culture by not looking at all issues as polar opposites.  One example Tannen points out where Mary Catherine Bateson, a teacher at George Mason University, has her class compare three cultures instead of two.  She suggests that by only using two cultures the students are “inclined to polarize them” however if they use three cultures “they are more likely to think about each on its own terms.”  Not everything has to be an argument.  There usually isn’t just two sides to an issue, and we should consider “all sides.”   Broadening our scope on ideas will lead to more knowledge gained.

Tannen has a strong grasp on her rhetoric.  As a superior writer, Tannen uses ethos appeal throughout the selection, as the reader may find themselves looking up every other word in a dictionary in order to fully appreciate the wording she uses.   Further, her descriptions of how a graduate student felt after being told her research methods were that of detritus (organic waste), sure can make one feel the pathos.  The author sums it up with point that we should use “our imaginations and ingenuity to find different ways to seek truth and gain knowledge. The overall message was delivered with consistency and logos.  The intended audience in this piece is that of students, researchers, and critics.