The Argumentative Essay

1. ARG TheArgumentative Essay A Breath of Fresh Argument

2. AP Free Response Questions • ANALYTICAL ESSAY • Analyze how an author achieves his purpose in a passage • Periodicals, Hamlet test SA, satire analysis • ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY • Defend, qualify, or refute a claim. • cf. Hamlet essay • SYNTHESIS ESSAY • Take a position on an issue, incorporating material from a set of 5-8 sources • cf. Saint or Ain’t, CARP, graded discussions

3. The Argumentative Essay • Presents an opinion/question and asks you to: • Argue for, (support, defend, etc.) • “YES” • Qualify/Modify • “YES, BUT” • Argue against(deny, refute, etc.) • “NO” • Support with your reading, observation, or experience

4. The Art of Persuasion in Action • Everything we have studied about rhetoric comes into play here. • Rhetorical strategies • Any strategy that can be analyzed in other essays can be employed here • 3 Appeals (Pathos, Logos, Ethos) • Details/facts, examples, analogy, personal experience • Patterns of development can be employed within or among paragraphs to enhance point • Style: diction, tone, syntax

5. The Format for Your Essay • Present a context for your claim. • State your claim. • Support your claim. • Acknowledge/Refute opposition. • Summarize and conclude. • Not a be-all, end-all formula. You may interpolate counterarguments, sequence your support toward a climactic revelation of your position, or something else entirely.

6. As You Plan, Consider… • Implications/Consequences • If this happens, what might follow? • The Big Picture • Who/what else might be affected? • Counter-Arguments • What are the downsides to my proposal? • Grouping/Structure • What ties my points together? • Context!—more on that in a minute

7. Argumentative Contexts • Context: a unified angle or domain of support • Is there a _________ argument to be made about this issue? • You can argue a position from a number of contexts • Your support need not all fall under one context, but frame it in terms of an overarching one

8. e.g. “Cars Should Be Banned.”

9. As You Write… • Consider organizing by context, by chronology, by importance, or by scale (small picturebig picture) • Avoid fallacies, especially generalizations & overstatements • Avoid lazy/meaningless statements • Nature or nurture? “It’s mostly based on what you do as a person.” • You can’t BS your way through this. You must show an ability to think maturely about an issue.

10. Literature, Imagination, Memories, Events The “Theoretical” Prompt • Sometimes the prompt won’t present an “issue,” but a provocative quote. • It’s been said that “good can come from evil.” Write a well-organized essay that affirms, denies, or modifies this statement. Support your position using material from your reading, observation, or experience. • “Reading, observation, experience” LIME!

11. Tips/Reminders • Write in the third-person as much as possible, although first-person is okay for this essay. • Write in the present tense. • Integrate at least 2-3 unique types of evidence; if you use one example from personal experience, try to use another from literature or history. • Avoid fallacies and generalizations! • Be sure to address opposite side.

12. Timing • 40 minutes • Read/think about the prompt (2-3 minutes) • Plan for/organize the essay; generate ideas for evidence (10 minutes) • Write the essay (25 minutes) • Re-read your work, if possible (2-3 minutes)