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Chapter 2

Chapter 2 . Writing Literary Arguments. Literary Arguments . In a literary argument, you take a position on a debatable topic and attempt to change the readers’ minds about it.

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Chapter 2

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  1. Chapter 2 Writing Literary Arguments

  2. Literary Arguments • In a literary argument, you take a position on a debatable topic and attempt to change the readers’ minds about it. • The more persuasive your argumentative essay the more likely readers will be to concede your points and grant your conclusion. • When you write a literary argument, you follow the same process you do when you write any essay about a literary topic. However, because the purpose of an argumentative is to convince the readers, you need to use additional strategies to present your ideas.

  3. Planning a literary argument: • Chose a debatable topic • Develop an argumentative thesis (check to see if you can produce an antithesis) • Define your terms • Consider your audience • Refute opposing arguments

  4. Note about your thesis: • Your thesis is an assertion that your entire essay supports. • Keep in mind that you can never prove your thesis conclusively—if you could, there would be no argument. The best you can do is provide enough evidence to establish a high probability that your thesis is reasonable.

  5. Using Evidence Effectively • Support your literary argument • Establish credibility • Demonstrate your knowledge • Maintain a reasonable tone • Present yourself as someone worth listening to • Be fair

  6. Supporting your literary arguments: • Many literary arguments are based on assertions—statements made about a debatable topic—backed by evidence. • This evidence includes supporting examples in the forms of references to the text, quotations, and the opinions of literary critics.

  7. Maintaining a reasonable tone: • Your tone—your attitude toward your readers or subject—is almost as important as the information you convey. • Talk to your readers not at them. • If you lecture your readers or talk down to them, you will alienate them. • As you write your essay, use moderate language, and qualify your statements so that they seem reasonable.

  8. To Make sure that the support for your argument is not misleading, Follow these Guidelines: • Avoid distorting evidence. • Avoid quoting out of context. • Avoid slanting. • Avoid using unfair appeals. 1. Logical appeals: appeal to the reader’s sense of reason. 2. Emotional appeals: Play on a reader’s emotions. 3. Ethical Appeals: Emphasize the credibility of the writer. 4. Logical fallacies: Flawed arguments to fool readers into thinking a conclusion is logical when it is not.

  9. Elements of literary arguments: • Introduction • Thesis statement • Background • Arguments in support of your thesis • Refutation of opposing arguments • conclusion

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