Write an essay that argues your position on an issue related to childhood or adolescence. Establish a clear and appropriate focus for the scope of your issue in relation to the length requirements of the essay. For example, the role of technology in the classroom is vastly different in kindergarten than it is in high school, so it is unlikely you could effectively explore all ages in a short essay. Focus on one issue and look for ways to narrow your focus like age, gender, race, geography, or some other criteria relevant to your topic. To develop a position, you will need to select writing modes that will be effective and appropriate for developing your position about the issue: summary, description, textual analysis, comparison, process analysis, definition, causal analysis. Effective argument also requires an understanding of audience and a selection of rhetorical strategies (ethos, pathos, logos, kairos, etc.) that will suit that audience; this will be reviewed in the modules for this essay.
A key component of an argument essay is establishing an arguable position. Unlike an informative essay where the goal is to provide the reader with accurate, well-rounded, and unbiased information to do with as they choose, the argument essay’s goal is to convince the reader of the validity of your position. First you need a position with which someone can and would potentially argue. One way to clarify the debate is to bring in opposing perspectives. These may be directly referred to in the introduction as well as taken head-on as part of a main point. The best way to make the presence of other perspectives clear and distinguish your own from them is to include them in the essay.
Argument and persuasion are terms that are often used interchangeably even though they are not necessarily the same. Persuasion is a type of argument writing, one that is especially potent and with more intense goals. The goal of persuasive writing is is typically to change the minds of the readers or even move them to take action. Argument does not have to be that extreme; argument writing can seek to get the reader to see the validity of your position or recognize the possibility of legitimate alternatives. The degree of intensity your argument takes is often determined by the subject matter: it is not essential that all readers share the exact same philosophy about parenting strategies, but it may be absolutely necessary that readers are aware of the public health threats created by choosing to not vaccinate your children. Whether you consider your essay “persuasive” or more generally “argument” is up to your position on the topic.
