Writing the Argumentative Essay

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Writing the Argumentative Essay
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CHOOSING A TOPIC
To begin an argumentative/persuasive essay, you
must first have an opinion you want others to
share.
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Topic Examples
Should legal immigration be stopped? Should
dying people be kept on life support? Should
tobacco products be banned? Should the Internet
be censored? Should school prayer be
allowed? Should music lyrics be
censored? Should parents of teen vandals be held
responsible for their child's damage? Should
research on cloning be discontinued? Should a
rookie salary cap be enforced in pro sports?
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RESEARCH
To be valid, an opinion or point of view must be
supported by facts and information.
Once you know what you will write about, you will
need to do research on the topic.
You can research by interviewing people, or by
reading newspapers, books, journals, or internet
articles.
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THESIS STATEMENT
The thesis statement

• states your position on the topic

• sets up the structure for the paper.

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SUPPORT THE THESIS
Support your thesis with three reasons.

• Write down each of the three main reasons
  that support your belief on a separate piece of
  paper.

• These are your arguments.

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COUNTER-ARGUMENTS

• Every controversial issue has two sides.

• Once you can support your position with
  research, you need to explore what others
  think.

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PREPARING YOUR ARGUMENTS

• Look at the three main reasons for your
  opinion.

• What objections would others have to each
  of your reasons?

• Write these down under each of your
  reasons. Now you have three arguments and
  three counter-arguments.

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ANSWERING COUNTER-ARGUMENTS

• Write your answers down under the
  counter-arguments.

• Now you have the raw material for each paragraph
  of the argumentative essay.

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THE AUDIENCE
When introducing the topic, think about the
audience first.

• How much does the audience know about the
  topic?

• Is the audience likely to be friendly or
  hostile to your position?

• How can you hook the audiences
  attention?

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INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH

• The first sentence is a general statement,
  designed to attract the readers attention.

• Second and perhaps third sentences narrow
  the idea down to your specific idea.

• The last sentence in the introduction
  must be your thesis.

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INTRODUCTION
Think of the introduction as having a funnel
shape
  General statement (hook) Specific
information Thesis              
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Example of Intro Paragraph

• More people die driving on Greek roads in a
  single year than all the U.S. soldiers killed in
  Iraq since the fighting began. The road
  conditions and the mentality that leads to this
  unnecessary and avoidable loss of life should be
  changed.

Fact to support position and a good hook.
The authors position or Thesis Statement.
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BUILDING BODY PARAGRAPHS
The first topic sentence of the first paragraph
will be the first reason that supports your
position.
You may even wish to begin the sentence with the
word first to focus the readers attention on its
importance.
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FIRST BODY PARAGRAPH
Write a topic sentence and three details that
support the reason you believe what you believe.
Repeat the process until you have three
paragraphs with three different reasons and
three details to support each reason.
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Counter Arguments Rebuttals
Research what people opposed to your point of
view believe. Write down three counter-arguments
to your position.
Now, address those arguments in a paragraph
explaining why your position is a better one.
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BUILDING PARAGRAPHS
The final sentence in each paragraph should sum
up and make a transition to the main idea of the
next paragraph.  
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Concluding Paragraph

• Indicate in the conclusion that you have shown
  the thesis statement to be true.
• Do not include any new information in a
  conclusion. If you have not mentioned something
  yet in the paper, it is now too late.
• If you cant imagine dropping the mic after your
  final sentence, your conclusion needs to be
  stronger!

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What is not effective

• Saying the opposing viewpoint is stupid. Good
  essays are clear, calm and factual. Prove it
  instead.
• Saying negative things about groups or
  individuals that have different view points. This
  does not support your position. Instead, it makes
  your own argument seem shaky.

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How many is that?

• Intro Paragraph
• Body Paragraph 1
• Body Paragraph 2
• Body Paragraph 3
• Rebuttal Paragraph
• Conclusion Paragraph

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Reflecting on Your Paper

• Are you happy with what youve written?

• Have you made a convincing case for your
  position?

• Is it clear that research supports your
  position?

• Have you shown that you understand the
  objections to your position?
• Is it clear that your position still
  outweighs the possible objections?