Submitted by: Submitted by frustratedlady
Views: 739
Words: 1658
Pages: 7
Category: English Composition
Date Submitted: 03/07/2009 04:23 AM
Apple polishing has a number of synonyms, which include brown-nosing, false flattering, and toadying. In all cases, the idea of apple polishing comes from apples given to teachers at school in order to curry favor with the teacher. It can be a mute appeal in the form of a gift to like and thus grade a student better. Alternately, in speech, especially where you want to argue a point, apple polishing is an appeal to flattery and emotion, and thus considered a logical fallacy. Trying to get a teacher or a boss to like you in order to give you better grades or a promotion is a common practice. While it is fine to like a teacher or boss and tell him or her so, constant flattery meant to gain something from the person is apple polishing. It’s an oft used but disparaged technique for getting what you need but possibly don’t deserve. Children often try apple polishing out at quite a young age. For example: “Mom, you are so beautiful. Can I have a cookie?” Whether or not the child really regards Mom as beautiful, the compliment is meant to gain favor with her so that she will deliver the cookie. Further it connects two unrelated topics: mom’s beauty and desire for cookies. This is a fallacious argument since Mom’s beauty has nothing to do with whether or not she will dole out the cookies. In fact, the mom in this case would do well to wait for a while before giving the cookie to not reinforce apple polishing. As children age, they often become a little more subtle in their apple polishing attempts. Consider the following statement: “Professor, I learned more in your class than any class I’ve ever had before. I’m even thinking of minoring in history now. I just wish my grade reflected what I’ve learned.” Obviously, a professor in need of flattery may be slightly swayed by a student singing his or her praises until it comes to the sticky matter of grades. Suddenly the praise is suspicious and is apple polishing because it comes with a request to change a grade. Another...