Red Herring Matt Zuccari Ashley Steenbergen

The man tries to divert the conversation to something that is completely irrelevant but more supportive of his views. The fallacy does not work because it is a mere distraction that in no way negates or affirms what has been said. It rouses a new subject that is not important to the discussion.

What is Red Herring? “Something intended to divert attention from the real problem or matter at hand; a misleading clue” Red herring is something that is intended to distract people from the real issue or argument.

Pop Culture Example In one episode of the popular series known for its satire, South Park, a court case ensues with the famous lawyer Johnnie Cochran being satirized. In the episode, Cochran makes use of a “Chewbacca Defense” that is a blatant example of red herring in the fact that it is only used to distract the jury from the main subject at hand. (Cochran arguably used a similar strategy when defending O.J. Simpson by rousing the touchy subject of Simpson’s race.) de=true&persist_sa de=true&persist_sa

Red Herring In The Crucible… Proctor (furious)-“There might also be a dragon with five legs in my house, but no one has ever seen it.” In act three of The Crucible, John Proctor is trying to prove the irrelevance of there being a poppet in his house that he does not know about. Proctor is showing how absurd the accusations being brought on him are by saying if there were poppets no one knew about, there might as well be a dragon no one knew about. Pg. 217

Red Herring In The Crucible Mercy Lewis- “It’s on the beam! Behind the rafter!” Danforth- “Where!” Abigail- “Why?...Why do you come, yellow bird?” Proctor- “Where’s a bird? I see no bird!” In act three of The Crucible, John just admitted to committing lechery with Abigail. Reverend Hale said that he believes John Proctor. To divert attention from those accusations, Abigail imagines an invisible yellow bird that supposedly has been sent by Mary Warren’s spirit to attack her. Pg

Sources Definition  "red herring." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 10 Feb Dictionary.com. Excerpts from The Crucible  Miller, Arthur. "The Crucible, Act 3." The Language of Literature. American Literature. By Arthur N. Applebee. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell, Print. Video  Parker, Trey, and Matt Stone. "Chef Aid." South Park. Comedy Central. 7 Oct Television. Example Photo  Red Herring. Digital image. Rafe Sagarin Web. 16 Feb