The Argumentative Essay

1. The Argumentative Essay

2. The Argument’s Best Friends Ethos, Logos, and Pathos

3. Ethos (Ethical) This appeal involves convincing your audience that you are intelligent and can be trusted. Writers cannot simply say to their audience "I can be trusted because I'm smart and a good person." This appeal is perhaps the most difficult to establish; you have to prove yourself by demonstrating that you understand what you are arguing -

4. Ethical because You are providing • personal experience or • know someone else who has personal experience, You are using expert support • through extensive research, • through up-to-date research • through recognized authorities in the field (this will also help to prevent your appeal from seeming too personal), You are using appropriate writing style • by means of professional and strong words that carry appropriate connotations be sure that you don't sound emotional. • By using third person. (only use first person when providing a specific personal experience (uncommon)) You are treating your audience with respect by • establishing some common ground in a refutation section. • Find some mutual ground for both sides of the argument by acknowledging that your opinion and the opinion of the opposite side agree on at least one aspect. This is essential in establishing your ethos (or credibility) and your ability to treat the topic fairly.

5. Logos (Logical) You appeal to logic when you rely on your audience’s intelligence and when you offer credible evidence to support your argument. That evidence includes: • FACTS- These are valuable because they are not debatable; they represent the truth • EXAMPLES- These include events or circumstances that your audience can relate to their life • PRECEDENTS- These are specific examples (historical and personal) from the past • AUTHORITY- The authority must be timely (not outdated), and it must be qualified to judge the topic • DEDUCTIVE/INDUCTIVE- Deductive reasoning is when you pick apart evidence to reach conclusions, and inductive reasoning is when you add logical pieces to the evidence to reach conclusions.

6. Because: You are using appropriate writing style • by means of professional and strong words that carry appropriate connotations be sure that you don't sound overly emotional. • By using third person. You are treating your audience with respect by • establishing some common ground in a refutation section. • Find some mutual ground for both sides of the argument by acknowledging that your opinion and the opinion of the opposite side agree on at least one aspect. This is essential in establishing your ethos (or credibility) and your ability to treat the topic fairly. You are using appropriate writing style • by means of professional and strong words that carry appropriate connotations be sure that you don't sound emotional. • By using third person. (only use first person when providing a specific personal experience (uncommon)) You are treating your audience with respect by • establishing some common ground in a refutation section. • Find some mutual ground for both sides of the argument by acknowledging that your opinion and the opinion of the opposite side agree on at least one aspect. This is essential in establishing your ethos (or credibility) and your ability to treat the topic fairly.

7. Pathos ( Passionate) • This kind of appeal can be very effective if it’s not over-done, especially if your topic is an emotional one. Because your audience has emotions as well as intellect, your argument must seek to engage the audience emotionally. However, using emotional appeal alone is not as effective as when it is used in conjunction with logical and/or ethical appeals. • Often, Pathos is only a piece of the argument. It is incorporated into an argument based on Ethos or Logos. • The BEST way to incorporate pathos (or emotional) appeals is by using words that carry appropriate connotations.

8. Denotative vs. Connotative Words Denotation refers to the dictionary definition of a word. Connotation on the other hand refers to words that carry secondary meanings, undertones, and implications. For example, if you were to ask a person how they'd like to be described from the following list of words, what do you think their answer would be? Slender................................Thin................................Scrawny The answer is most likely the word slender. While the words carry the same denotation, they all mean lean, and not fat. Slendercarries positiveundertones. A slender woman is graceful, elegant, and even sexy. Thin, on the other hand, is a neutral word. Finally, the word,scrawny,connotates anunhealthy, overly thin, or bony person.A scrawny man would be weak and lacking muscle. Generally, most people do not want to be described in this manner. Overtime, words’ connotative meanings shift, and writers must stay up-to-date on the current connotations of a word.

9. What is an Argumentative Essay? • The purpose of an argumentative essay is to persuade the reader to accept—or seriously consider--your opinion on a controversial issue • An argumentative essay still is in the five paragraph format. • It has five parts: Thesis (Claim), Reasons, Evidence, Counterclaim, Rebuttal

10. 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?

11. What your Essay looks like: Paragraph 1. Introduction w/Thesis Paragraph 2. Reason 1 w/Evidence Paragraph 3. Reason 2 w/Evidence Paragraph 4. Counter Claim/Rebuttal Paragraph 5. Conclusion w/Restated Thesis

12. Thesis = Claim • Your opinion or position on an issue • Must be supported with reasons and • evidence • Evidence can include quotes, facts, and data • Evidence MUST be explained

13. Reasons • Your reasons support the thesis and form argument with your evidence. • Typical supporting paragraph structure goes like this: topic sentence (A reason why your thesis is correct), then evidence/support of that reason. Finally, include an explanation of the evidence. • Be sure to repeat a similar structure with every body paragraph

14. Know the Opposing Side Ask these questions: 1. Who might disagree with my position? Why? 2. What reasons do people have for disagreeing with me? 3. What evidence would support an opposing argument?

15. Counter Claim • Consider the opposite side • Argues against your claim • Turn against your argument to challenge it • Then turn back to reaffirm your position

16. Counter Claims Key phrases to use: • One might object that... • It might seem that... • It's true that... • Admittedly... • Of course...

17. Rebuttal Turn back to your original position Responds to and refutes* issues presented by the counterclaim Refute-prove (a statement or theory) to be wrong or false; disprove.

18. Example CLAIM: “More Americans are choosing low-carb diets because the media promotes low-carb diets as the new way to a skinnier body.” COUNTER CLAIM: “Some Americans don't watch television commercials because they own a DVR or Tivo, but most Americans are exposed to other forms of advertisement in magazines, newspapers, and highway billboards.

19. Color Coded Paragraphs • Red = Thesis statements or Topic sentences • Green = Assertions or claims • Blue = Evidence/Quotes – should be cited • Yellow = Explanation of the quote or evidence • Orange = Transitions

20. How to quote your evidence Useful phrases to introduce quotations According to X,… To quote from X, ‘…’ X tells/shows us that… Referring to …, X argues that As X stated/wrote/argued/discussed/expressed the concern, …