Argument Development Guide

Type your answers and attach to this sheet (including your outline)

 

1.      Determine your position for this issue and state it in a sentence.  (Example:  I think smoking shouldn’t be illegal but should be limited in public places.”)

 

2.       Take your position statement and re-state it as a claim. (Example:  “Smoking should be banned in public places”)

 

3.      State the major reason to support your claim as a sentence.  (Example:  “The second-hand smoke harms other people’s health.”)

 

4.      Re-state your reason as a because clause. (Ex:  “because second-hand smoke harms other people’s health.”)

 

5.       Write a complete topic sentence that states your claim and reason.  (Example:  “Smoking should be banned in public places because second-hand smoke harms other people’s health.”)

 

6.      List 1-2 other topic sentences to support your claim in the form of because clauses (in addition to the one you wrote for question 4). Example: “because secondhand smoke ruins non-smoker’s enjoyment of activities)

a.     
           

b.       

 

7.       Write 1-3 sentences showing evidence/support for each topic sentence.

 

8.      Write a rough thesis statement for your paper and use this to generate a map or outline for your argument on a separate sheet of paper.

a.      Thesis

b.      Topic Sentence 1

                      i.      Evidence

                      ii.      Evidence

c.       Topic Sentence 2

                     i.      Evidence

                     i.      Evidence

d.     Topic Sentence 3

                     i.      Evidence

                     ii.      Evidence

 

 

 

MAKE A POINT!

Adapted from IRA/NCTE Copyright 2004

 

Before writing a persuasive argument, read this sheet for help.

 

Think of three things you feel very strongly about concerning your topic. These ideas could be about anything related to your life, including your school, home, friends, or neighborhood. Write your ideas in complete sentences.

 

 

Choose one of these ideas—one that you would like to continue writing about and can provide specific details about. List reasons to support your opinion on this subject.

 

 

How can you get your readers’ attention so they are interested in your topic? Write one or two interesting introductory sentences below.

 

 

How can you end your persuasive writing piece? Remember, you want to leave your reader as convinced as possible by your ideas.

 

 

 

Themes to Keep in Mind:

¨      Audience – Whom are you trying to convince?

¨      Organization – Keep your ideas in order (beginning, middle, end)

¨      Big Names – Is there someone you can mention in your essay that your audience can relate to and has heard of?

¨      Purpose – Why are you writing this in the first place? What are you trying to convince the audience of?

¨      Definition – Are there words you need to explain because not everyone might have heard them before?

¨      Examples – What details can you write to make people better understand your point?

 

Three Argumentative Appeals: Reason, Integrity, Emotion

adapted from http://www.idbsu.edu/english/cguilfor/paradigm/argument.htm

 

While there's no infallible formula for winning over every reader in every circumstance, you should learn how and when to use three fundamental argumentative appeals. A person who wants to convince another may appeal to that person's reason, integrity, or emotion.

If we think of these three appeals as independent and of the writer as choosing just one, however, we miss the point. The writer's job is to weave the various appeals into a single convincing argument. As you continue to expand and develop your ideas, look for ways of combining the three appeals to create a sound, balanced argument.

 

Reason

Much of the clear thinking we do in our everyday lives follows logical principles, but in a less formal and systematic way than the thinking of a research scientist. And for most occasions this informal reasoning is adequate. It would be just as much a mistake to expect certain proofs in argument as to expect only probable proofs in mathematics. That's not to say your argument can be illogical, only that you shouldn't confuse formal logic with clear thinking or good sense, the essential qualities your argument should display. Briefly, informal reasoning requires clearly linking your general position with concrete, specific data.

Emotion

Many people believe that emotional appeals by their very nature subvert reason and therefore are better left to TV hucksters and political candidates than to writers who want their ideas taken seriously. Because this common view has some validity, emotional appeals must be used with restraint and discretion, or they may prove counterproductive. Nevertheless, while an argument founded mostly on feelings and emotions may be superficial and biased, an argument that is carefully reasoned and honestly presented probably won't be hurt by a bit of emotion. In fact, it will probably be helped.

One way to build emotional appeal is to illustrate or dramatize an idea. This may involve little more than folding short descriptive and narrative examples into the argument. Are you arguing that your city needs to take stiffer measures against drunk drivers? Why not find a place to include a description of the face of a child who was injured in an accident caused by drinking? Or you might want to tell the story of a driver who caused several accidents because the individual's license was never revoked. Including such narrative and descriptive passages can help readers feel the urgency of your proposition so that it gets beyond the level of abstract intellectual speculation and becomes a matter of immediate human concern.

Careful word choice also influences an argument's emotional appeal. With this in mind, you might review the discussion of The Best Word in Revising Your Writing. The point here is that the overall emotional texture of your argument is the result of many individual choices about which word to use.

§ Should I speak of "drunk" or "intoxicated" drivers?

§ Should I call them a "menace" or a "concern"?

§ Should they be "thrown into jail" or "incarcerated"?

§ Do we need to "teach them a lesson" or "make them aware of the consequences of their actions"?

 

Such choices, even though they must be made one at a time, can't be seen as independent of each other. Their force is cumulative. They communicate how you feel--and by implication think the reader ought to feel--about your subject. If you want the reader to identify with you emotionally, you'll choose words carefully, making sure they're appropriate for you as a writer, for your readers, and for your overall purpose in writing.

 

Integrity

No matter how solid your reasoning, readers may not accept your argument unless they're also convinced that you're a person of wisdom, honesty, and good will. If you misrepresent the evidence, misunderstand the implications of your own value structure, or seek to hurt some individual or group, you can expect to alienate your readers.

The appeal to character is often subtle, affecting readers almost unconsciously, yet often decisively. 

"Ah, I see. This writer pretends to be a friend of Mexican-Americans, but her word choice shows that she understands almost nothing of our culture. And her proposal would undermine our whole way of life. Of course, she'd get to build her apartments, and it's obvious that's all she really cares about."

If you realize that readers are likely to analyze your character and intentions this way, you'll see that the best way to put ethical appeal in your writing is to build a strong, healthy relationship with your readers. Convince them that they can trust you to be fair, honest, well-informed, and well-intentioned. Then, having established that trust, don't betray it.