Argumentative Essay The Art of Persuasion
The Argumentative Essay
Argumentation: a practice or process in situations in which we want to convince or persuade someone of something. To persuade: to convince the audience that an idea or opinion is valid.
In written form: the writer’s ideas have to be supported in order to be effective.
What is an Argumentative Essay? ď Ź
The purpose of an argumentative essay is to persuade the reader to accept—or seriously consider--your opinion on a controversial issue
Arguable or Not Arguable?
Marijuana should be legalized. Debatable Smoking is harmful to people’s health. Non- debatable
My school is the best school in the district.
Debatable
Emissions hurt the ozone.
Non- debatable
Planning Choose
a debatable topic (2 sides) Make a chart of pro and con ideas Make 3 or 4 strong arguments for the pro side. Use an although-because sentence, with the major arguments of both sides of the issue, to make your thesis statement stronger: Use the pro-con chart to state your topic. It will incorporate the major arguments on both sides of the argument. It will demonstrate that the controversy exists. It will provide the best plan of the essay.
Complete Pre-writing ď °
Chart Topic: Should marijuana be legalized?
Pro
Con
Gather Data to Support Your Claim Complete research as necessary Use appropriate web sites / sources Make sure your experts are valid Prepare your Works Cited page and your parenthetical citations (Source Notes) in advance
Written Arguments *topic must be controversial (debatable) *2 sides (pros and cons) *Con-side: counter-arguments *Writers must expect some readers might hold an opposing view. *Writers must summarize the opposing view and refute it (i.e. weaken, discredit or destroy it).
How to Support Ideas personal
experience
facts examples: proofs
survey
results interviews with authorities results of experimental research material from books, journals, dictionaries, etc.(quotations/paraphrasing)
Audience
Authors of argumentative essays must take into account:
Attitude towards the topic
Possible attitude towards the writer Possible objections to the writer’s opinion Reaction to the intended purpose of the arguing paper.
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?
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
What to avoid:
Thesis: Leaving the university and starting to work is good for the adolescent because … Feelings, emotional arguments (… it makes one feel much better.) Irrelevant examples (wandering off the topic) (… he would then be able to take his girlfriend to expensive restaurants.) Oversimplification (… only then would he understand what it means to be an adult.) Hasty generalizations (... it is a widely known fact that all adolescents look forward to earning money.) Unreliable, even false outside sources (… according to www.doubtme.com, 80% of working men wish they quit school when they were at university and started working at an earlier age.)
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
The Antithesis
Address the case of the opposition
Concede points which can not be refuted
Several paragraphs at the beginning or weaved throughout the paper (argument-concession) 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.
Although
the powerful American Medical Association has so far refused to recognize the usefulness of alternative medical techniques as acupuncture, it should become an accepted part of the mainstream medical profession because thousands of years of practice by highly trained personnel have demonstrated its success in healing some medical problems. Shortened thesis statement of opinion and intent:
Acupuncture should be an accepted part of the mainstream medical profession because it has proven its effectiveness over hundreds of years.
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
Patterns of Organization
Pattern 1: Thesis statement PRO idea 1 ----->Refutation PRO idea 2 ----->Refutation PRO idea 3 ----->Refutation Conclusion Pattern 3: Thesis statement CON idea 1 ----->Refutation CON idea2----->Refutation CON idea 3 ----->Refutation Conclusion
Pattern 2: Thesis statement CON(s) + Refutation(s) PRO idea 1 PRO idea 2 Conclusion
Organizing the essay
Create a clear title: incorporate the SHOULD in the title or use a question.
Should the use of drugs be legalized for medical reasons? Women in the army: a good decision?
Problematizing opposing arguments
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In order to signal this you need to use special phrases to problematize the opposing statements. (To problematize something means to make it seem like a problem, to make it seem untrue). We can problematize arguments by making them appear to be debatable opinions and not facts. A common way to do this is to explicitly mark the statement as an argument.
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By including the phrase "It has been argued that" the writer is problematizing the statement.
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When there is no problematizing phrase, the statement appears non-debatable. The writer is presenting it as a fact.
When you can think of the opposing opinion but you have not seen it written anywhere: It may be argued (asserted could be contended maintained might be claimed said) that… However,…
aware of opposing arguments When
you have seen the opposing opinion written in another text:
It is …has been argued (asserted contended maintained claimed said) that… However,…
Signposts
When pointing out opposing arguments (CONs): Opponents of this idea claim / maintain that … Those who disagree / are against these ideas may say / assert that … Some people may disagree with this idea. When stating specifically why they think like that: They put forward this idea because … They claim that … since …
Signposts Reaching the turning point: However, but On the other hand,
Signposts When
refuting the opposing idea, we may use the following strategies: compromise but prove that their argument is not powerful enough: They have a point in thinking like that. To a certain extent they are right. completely
disagree: After seeing this evidence, there is no way we can agree with what they say. say
that their argument is irrelevant to the topic: What we are discussing here is not what they are trying to prove. Their argument is irrelevant.
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
Sample Argument Essay
Read the annotated essay on the next slide and review the following:
attention getter organization antithesis—con how author refutes the con connective words—transitions development of arguments slippery slope metaphor conclusion
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?
Resources
Peer Edit--Persuasive Essay
Download a copy and use it as you outline your essay
Directions and/or notes from teacher Rubric
Find out how the assignment will be assessed Revise and edit to make sure you have met all the requirements to the level of competence or above
Web Links
http://www.buowl.boun.edu.tr/students/types%20of%20essays/ARGUMENTATIVE%20ESSAY.htm http://www.eslplanet.com/teachertools/argueweb/frntpage.htm http://almaz.com/nobel/peace/MLK-jail.html Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail http://www.gpc.edu/~jbusbee/Grisham.htm John Grisham, Unnatural Killers