Argument Essay

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Argument Essay

• The Art of Persuasion

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What is an Argumentative Essay?

• The purpose of an argumentative essay is to
  persuade the reader to acceptor seriously
  consider--your opinion on a controversial issue
• Has three parts Claim, Counter Claim, Rebuttal
  
• (plus Introduction and Conclusion)

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Consider your Audience

• Whom are you trying to reach?
• What do they already know about your topic?
• What is your relationship with your audience and
  how does it impact your word choice and tone?

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CLAIM

• Your opinion or position on an issue
• Must be supported with evidence
• (quotes, facts, data)
• Evidence must be explained
• RACE paragraph Claim

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Types of Claims

• Cause and effecta person, thing, or event caused
  something else to happen
• Example Rikki Tikki Tavis victory over the
  snakes was the result of his natural abilities as
  a mongoose, rather than his desire to protect the
  people in the cottage.

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Types of Claims

• Claims of definition or factargue what a
  definition is or if something is really a fact
• Example In the story, Gift of the Magi, by O.
  Henry, the two characters provide an outstanding
  illustration what what foolish is.

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Types of Claims

• Claims about valuesargue the worth of something
  and if it is valued.
• While Perraults Cinderella is an interesting
  story, it is a second-rate story when compared to
  Grimms Cinderella version.

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Types of Claims

• Claims about solutions or policiesargue for or
  against certain approaches to problems.
• Example The Capulets have their daughters
  well-being in mind when they follow tradition and
  make arrangements for her to marry Paris.

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COUNTER CLAIM

• Consider the opposite side
• Argues against your claim
• Turn against your argument to challenge it
• Then turn back to reaffirm your position

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REBUTTAL

• Turn back to your original position
• Responds to and refutes issues presented by the
  counterclaim

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The Opposing Side

• Ask these questions
• 1. Who might disagree with my position? Why?
• 2. What reasons do people have for disagreeing
  with me?
• 3. What evidence would support an opposing
  argument?

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Counter Claim

• Key phrases to use
• One might object that...
• It might seem that...
• It's true that...
• Admittedly...
• Of course...

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REBUTTAL

• Return to your original argument based upon
  careful reasoning
• -Show why counter argument is mistaken
• -Acknowledge it, but show why it is less important

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REBUTTAL

• Key Phrases to use
• but
• yet
• however
• nonetheless
• still

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EXAMPLE

• CLAIM More Americans are choosing low-carb
  diets because the media promotes low-carb diets
  as the new way to a skinnier body.
• COUNTER CLAIM Some Americans don't watch
  television commercials because they own a DVR or
  Tivo, but most Americans are exposed to other
  forms of advertisement in magazines, newspapers,
  and highway billboards.

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Where to put it?

• Introduction
• Claim 1
• Claim 2
• Counter Claim and Rebuttal
• Conclusion
• Each of these will be one paragraph!

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Be Cautious!

• It is true that counter arguments enrich
  argumentative writing
• However adding a weak counterargument or
  overdoing it cause worse results

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Practice

• Provide a Claim and Counter Argument for the
  following topics
• 1. To Die or Suffer The Necessity of
  Physician-assisted Suicide
• 2. Are Herbal medicines beneficial to our
  health?

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Arguable or Not Arguable?

• Marijuana should be legalized.
• Arguable
• Smoking is harmful to peoples health.
• Not Arguable
• UMHS is the best school in the district.
• Arguable
• Emissions hurt the ozone.
• Not arguable

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Gather Data to Support Your Claim

• Complete research as necessary
• Use appropriate web sites
• Make sure your experts are valid
• Prepare your Works Cited page and your
  parenthetical citations (Source Notes) in advance

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Complete Pre-writing

• Chart
• Topic Should marijuana be legalized?

Pro Con

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Logos, Pathos, and Ethos

• Logos-logical appeal
• Evidence and the reasoning based on that evidence
• Ethos-ethical appeal
• According to Aristotle--the credibility or
  trustworthiness that the author establishes in
  his writing
• Pathos-Emotional appeal
• Persuades the audience by using emotions

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Title (1) introduces the topic of discussion to
the audience and (2) generates reader interest in
the argument. Tip Use active verbs in
titles For example Clean Campus ? Cleaning up
Campus With Recycling Bins or Reducing Rubbish
Recycling on Campus
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• Imagine you just wrote a paper offering solutions
  to the problem of road rage.
• Which do you consider to be the best title?
• Road Rage
• Cant Drive 55
• Road Rage Curing Our Highway Epidemic

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Introduction

• Get the attention of the audience
• Attention Getter or Hook
• Provide background information to orient the
  reader to the issue
• What does the reader need to know about this
  issue?
• Define terms
• Create a thesis statement or assertion to guide
  the reader

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• Introduction acquaints the reader with the topic
  and purpose of the paper.
• An introduction offers a plan for the ensuing
  argument
• Introduction Tell them what youre going to tell
  them.
• Body Tell them.
• Conclusion Tell them what you told them

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• Personal anecdote
• Examplereal or hypothetical
• Question
• Quotation
• Shocking statistics
• Striking image

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• It is the most important sentence in your paper.
• It lets the reader know the main idea of the
  paper.
• It answers the question What am I trying to
  prove?
• It is not a factual statement, but a claim that
  has to be proven throughout the paper

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1. The thesis statement should guide your reader
   through your argument.
2. It is generally located in the introduction of
   the paper.
3. A thesis statement may also be located within the
   body of the paper or in the conclusion, depending
   upon the purpose or argument of the paper.

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• Choose a thesis for an argument about the need
  for V-chips in television sets?
• Parents, often too busy to watch television shows
  with their families, can monitor their childrens
  viewing habits with the aid of the V-chip.
• To help parents monitor their childrens viewing
  habits, the V-chip should be a required feature
  for television sets sold in the U.S.
• This paper will describe a V-chip and examine the
  uses of the V-chip in American-made television
  sets.

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The Antithesis

• Address the case of the opposition
• Several paragraphs at the beginning or weaved
  throughout the paper (argument-concession)
• Concede points which can not be refuted
• Use signal words and phrases such as Admittedly,
  While it is true that etc.
• Offer refutation for claims which can be
  countered
• Use signal words and phrases such as It has been
  argued, However etc.

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Body Paragraphs

• Provide a clear topic sentence for each paragraph
• Use Topic Sentence, Concrete Detail, Commentary
  (TS, CD, COMM) or Statement, Evidence,
  Explanation (S-E-E) or, Claim, Data, Warrant
  (CDW)
• Build to the strongest argument
• Use a variety of appeals
• Demonstrate logic and reasoning
• Address the opposition

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Conclusion

• Restate your main premise
• Provide a brief summary of your argument
• Show how a group will benefit from following your
  assertion
• Explain what might happen if your idea is not
  accepted
• End with a rhetorical question
• Ask for a call to action