The Argumentative Essay
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
♥Writers will improve writing skills through the practice of writing an argument essay.
♥Writers will establish a thesis, thoroughly and purposefully develop a logical argument supported by evidence, treat counter arguments, and provide a strong conclusion.
♥Writers will include rational, ethical, and emotional appeals in their argument.
♥Writers will demonstrate their understanding of prior essay styles by incorporating three of the following rhetorical strategies in the essay: creative, definition, example, process, and descriptive.
♥Writers will include a minimum of three citations from subject matter experts or scholarly sources in the body of the essay.
TOPIC: All topics must be approved. Banned subjects are abortion, drug legalization, gun control, death penalty, and personal-relationship issues. Choose a current issue. Then, form and write an argument with solid reasons that are well supported using at least three sources.
Note: Sources MUST be in depth and credible from Panola Library databases (not simply newspaper articles and/or google search websites).
TIPS: Use this model for your own essay: Attention getting opening, an introductory paragraph with a clear thesis statement, a paragraph of rebuttal, a clear progression of reasons with solid support, and a strong conclusion. Follow the guidelines/template given in this assignment.
Organize, make all reasoning logical and clear, support it with evidence, use specific, concrete words, provide examples, use definitions, and be fair to the opposing point of view. Prove the thesis!
ESSAY REQUIREMENTS:
MLA format
Third person point of view.
Minimum of three major arguments (issues, reasons, causes) must be incorporated.
The word count for this essay is a minimum 1200.
Minimum three sources: do not use the following: wikipedia, basic dictionary, encyclopedia, blogs unless from verifiable source
The final draft must be submitted into Canvas.
ELEMENTS OF ARGUMENT
When writing or analyzing arguments, we begin by examining how the argument appeals to the reader. There are three types of appeals utilized in arguments: logos or logical, pathos or emotional, and ethos or ethical appeals.
Logos or the logical appeal relies upon well-developed, well-organized and well-reasoned arguments supported by evidence from reliable, authoritative sources. When writing argumentative essays and papers, we rely heavily upon the logical appeal to make our case.
The evidence utilized in the logical appeal is usually research-based evidence: statistics, clinical studies, any empirical evidence collected carefully and methodically.
This is also why we write in third person. We let the evidence drive our arguments so readers do not think our work is based upon our biased viewpoint.
Pathos or emotional appeal recognizes that humans are emotional beings. The key to using the emotional appeal successfully in papers is to provide an opportunity for an emotional response and not to try and orchestrate an emotional response. Do not try to manipulate your audience. Also, do not try to use emotionally charged language. Stay in third person and avoid sounding biased, accusatory or self-righteous. As a writer, the people you are trying to persuade are the people who either disagree with you or are not sure. By sounding accusatory or self-righteous, you will put the opposition on the defensive, and you have already lost your argument. The proper use of emotions is through narrative case studies. Case studies provide the opportunity to appeal to readers’ emotions. The key is not to tell the readers what to feel or to try and manipulate the readers to feel a specific emotion. Instead, writers tell the story and allow the readers to decide how they want to respond. We have a name and face to go with those numbers making the argument very human.
Ethos or the ethical appeal relates to the writer’s persona being projected through the work. By using an unbiased tone and unbiased language, we project an image of trustworthiness and credibility. That is also why we use credible sources. We, as writers of college papers, do not have any credibility yet with our audience. By using authoritative, reliable sources, we borrow their credibility to help persuade readers to adopt our point of view. We are effectively saying, it is not just me that thinks this way. Here is a testimonial from Dr. So and So and his research that supports it. The research, surveys or clinical studies provides the evidence that supports the argument.
Purpose/Thesis: Why are you writing it? What are you trying to prove? The purpose is the thesis statement. As a writer, you need to know why you are writing the paper. It cannot be just to fulfill a requirement. It is imperative that your position is clear. What exactly are you arguing? It should be very apparent which side you are on and why. Provide the reasoning behind your position.
Remember, do not state it overtly like this: The purpose of this essay is to prove that potential dog owners must research breeds in order to choose dogs that best suit their lifestyles and opt to spay or neuter them if the overcrowded dog population is ever going to be solved. This is considered weak.
That said, I do have a good thesis statement if I drop the initial part: Potential dog owners must research breeds in order to choose dogs that best suit their lifestyles and then spay or neuter them if the overcrowded dog population is ever going to be solved.
A Well-Defined issue: What exactly is being argued in the paper? What is included or not included? As a writer, it is your job to set parameters around your argument. Be sure to clearly explain the main argument of the paper.
Compelling evidence: What kinds of evidence are utilized in the paper? Is the evidence sound? Does it come from authoritative sources?
Be sure to use reliable sources. Do not just Google the topic and grab the random information that may pop up. Google Advanced and Google Scholar help you filter some of the information, but be sure to evaluate the sources you choose. Use journal articles when possible because they are usually written by authorities in a specific field. They will provide multiple sources for their information because they must cite their sources.
Remember to include a variety of evidence, including facts, data, examples and subject matter expert opinion. When using Internet sources, pay attention to the URL. What is the domain name? Is it a .edu, .net, .com, .org, .gov, .mil? How does this influence the information being provided? Who is the author? What is the author’s background? A part of what makes your argument compelling is the variety of sources that you use and the credibility of those sources. You cannot win an argument with random information.
Do not rely heavily upon a single source to carry your paper. A variety of sources shows that you have done your diligence as a writer and increases your credibility.
Refutation: Does the author anticipate the opposition’s main arguments? Is the author prepared with counter-arguments and compelling evidence that can persuade the opposition to adopt a different view?
Refutation or rebuttal is incredibly important to your argument. You cannot write a one-sided argument. You must first briefly identify an opposition’s point. Then immediately address it with counter-arguments and compelling evidence. As stated earlier, it is the opposition that you are trying to convince. How well you handle this section of your paper will determine its effectiveness as an argument.
STEPS TO WRITING THE ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY
STEP ONE:
Choose a topic that you can argue either a position or a solution. For example, to argue a position would be to argue for or against something. To argue a solution is to argue how to solve something, like how to solve the air pollution problem in Phoenix.
STEP TWO:
On a blank sheet of paper, write your topic down and at least FIVE reasons in support of and FIVE reasons against your topic.
STEP THREE:
See how the pros and cons relate. Decide of which you want to write. Do you want to focus on the pros or the cons. Pick the one you feel offers the most possibilities for exploration. Or, choose the solution that seems the most logical, the most doable.
STEP FOUR:
Free write. Brainstorm. Map. List.
STEP FIVE:
Transform your chosen topic into a “Guiding Question” that you believe you will be able to answer with your essay and write it down. What is the main question that your essay will answer? This answer will be the basis of your thesis statement.
STEP SIX:
Find the sources to help you answer your guiding question. You must use these sources in your work either in a quote, paraphrase and/or summary.
Save your sources and citation information for your sources
Use a minimum of THREE sources.
Use database sources.
Create a Works Cited page from your sources.
STEP SEVEN:
Now that you have gathered your information and collected new information, use the outline template to construct a rough draft.
STEP EIGHT:
Revise the rough draft and turn in final copy
