Argu56 [Shining Sep 作文组] 8.30

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TOPIC: ARGUMENT56 - Collectors prize the ancient life-size clay statues of human figures made on Kali Island but have long wondered how the Kalinese artists were able to depict bodies with such realistic precision. Since archeologists have recently discovered molds of human heads and hands on Kali, we can now conclude that the ancient Kalinese artists used molds of actual bodies, not sculpting tools and techniques, to create these statues. This discovery explains why Kalinese miniature statues were abstract and entirely different in style: molds could only be used for life-size sculptures. It also explains why few ancient Kalinese sculpting tools have been found. In light of this development, collectors should expect the life-size sculptures to decrease in value and the miniatures to increase in value.
WORDS: 438          TIME: 0:40:00          DATE: 2006-8-30

In this argument, the arguer asserts that collectors should expect the life-size sculptures to decrease in value and the miniatures to increase in value. The arguer use a discovery of some molds of human heads and hands on Kali to support his point. However, the suggestion suffers from a series of poor assumption and deduction as well as false analogy which render it wholly unpersuasive as it stands.

First of all, there is no inherent consequence between life-size sculptures' value decreasing and discovering some molds. A sculpture's value is decided by its value of art , history and rarity. The arguer cites that the ancient Kalinese artists used molds of actual bodies, not sculpting tools and techniques, to create life-size statues. This proof can not support the arguer's point strongly, because whether a statue is made by molds can not be the precondition of a statue with a high value. If the life-size statues are significant, the discovery of these molds can not influence the value of these statues. Moreover , amount and integrality of the statues are other two important standards to measure the value of statues, but the arguer does not mention in the argument. Maybe the life-size statues are very rare, and the integral life-size statues nearly do not exist, so the value of the life-size sculptures would not decrease.

Second, the conclusion that the ancient Kalinese artists used molds to create statues is hasty. Archeologists just discovered molds of human heads and hands on Kali, but not the mold of a whole human. It is impossible for artists to use a mold of a part of human to create a life-size statue. The credibility of this conclusion is doubtable. There is no evidence to prove that a mold completely matches a life-size statue.

Finally, whether the value of miniatures would increase is not sure. The arguer just indicates that molds can not be used to create miniatures. This fact can not demonstrate that the value of miniatures would increase. The whole argument is about the molds and the life-size statues. There is no information in the argument, which can be related with the miniatures' value. The arguer does not mention the amount, the art value, the history and the significance of miniatures. Hence, it is unreasonable to assert this view.

To sum up, the argument lacks of credibility because the analysis does not lend strong support to what the arguer maintains. To strengthen the argument, the arguer would have to investigate the real function of these molds. To enhance the effect of the argument, we would need some detail information about the life-size statues.