Intro. To Argumentative Essays

What is argument?

• ALL WRITING IS ARGUMENT!• The presentation and defense or support

of a specific thesis, assertion or claim. • To convince the reader to accept the

position, the writer provides support using objective facts or logical evidence and sometimes even emotional appeals.

What is the difference between Argument and Persuasion?

• All persuasion is a type of argument• The goal of an argument is to have you accept

the writer’s thesis.• With persuasion, after you’ve accepted the

position of the writer, the goal is to have you moving and do something

• EXAMPLE:• Argument-- Walking is necessary for good health.• Persuasion– I want you to walk everyday for good health.

What does the Argumentative Essay require of me?

•Understand the nature of the position taken in the prompt.• Take a specific stand-argue, qualify, or

disagree- with the assertion in the prompt.•Clearly and logically support your

claim.

What does it mean to agree, disagree, or qualify?

• An argumentative essay on the AP exam will present you with an excerpt or a statement. Once you understand what the passage is saying, you have to ask yourself:• Do I think about this subject in the same way the

writer/speaker? (Agree)• Do I think the writer/speaker is totally wrong?

(Disagree)• Do I think some of what is said is correct and

incorrect? (Qualify)

Once I’ve chosen my position on the given issue, How do I go about supporting it?

•Here is a brief overview of the kinds of support/evidence you could include to bolster your argument:

Examples to help support

• Facts/ statistics• Details• Quotations• Dialog• Needed

definitions• Recognition of the

opposition

• Examples• Anecdotes• Contrast and

comparison• Cause and effect• Appeal to

authority

How do I argue a point or position?• Present the issue/situation or problem• State your (writer’s) assertion/claim/thesis• Support your claim• Acknowledge and respond to real or possible opposing

views• Make your final comment or summary of the evidence

The order of presentation can be varied, and any of the rhetorical strategies can be employed. You must make certain that your support or evidence is appropriate and effective.

Your argument can be…• Ethical—an appeal to the reader’s good sense, goodwill and desire to

“do the right thing”• Emotional—An appeal to the reader’s fear, patriotism and so forth• Logical—An appeal to inductive and deductive reasoning• Induction: forming a generalization from a set of specific examples• Example: Margo has 17 stuffed teddy bears, 3 stuffed cows, 11

monkeys, 4 camels and 6 stuffed elephants. Margo loves to collect stuffed animals.

• Deduction: Reaching a probable conclusion based on given premises. A premise is a proposition that is proven or taken for granted. • Example: All high school seniors at this high school must write

a research paper. Sean is a senior at this high school. Therefore, Sean must write the paper.

BE AWARE:• Conclusions can be drawn from implicit premises. These can

include:• Universal truths• Possibilities that the reader will readily accept• Familiar sayings• Facts that everyone, including the reader, knows

• Deduction uses the syllogism. A syllogism is the format of a formal argument that consists of a • Major premise: All A are C “All lions are cats.”• Minor premise: B is A “Leonard is a lion.”• Conclusion: Therefore, B is C “Leonard is a cat.”

Fallacies

•What are they?• Logical fallacies are mistakes in reasoning

and fall into several categories.

Types of Logical Fallacies

• -Begging the Question• -Appeal to Authority• -Ad Hominem • -Red Herring• -Non sequitur argument• -Circular reasoning• -Hasty Generalization• -Overgeneralization• -Post Hoc argument• -Straw Man• -Either/Or argument

Begging the Question

• When the reason and the conclusion are the same; a circular argument.

• Ex: “Everyone thinks Joe is cool because he is so awesome.”

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAVp6gnIgHY

Straw Man

• Creating an opponent that does not exist; accusing your opponent of something which is not true.

• ex: “If you don’t wear your colors on Friday then you have no school spirit.”

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT_VhDrn8NY

Appeal to Authority

• Basing an argument on the idea that a person, book, or other source is considered an authority.

• Ex: “My bio teacher said a tomato is a vegetable, so it is.”

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R228MSqhm8

Either/Or a.k.a. False Choice• Presenting someone with two choices as if

they were the only ones available.

• ex: “If you don’t like Harry Potter then you’re weird.”

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-23kmhc3P8U

Ad Hominem

• Attacking an opponent by mentioning negative aspects of their character which are unrelated to the argument

• Ex: “Joe once failed Algebra, so we can’t trust his judgment about what phone to buy.”

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJ0AebfcQd4

Generalization/Oversimplification• Reducing an argument to its simplest

parts and dismissing it.

• Ex: “She liked my picture on Instagram, she totally wants me.”

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMfo0FfJEUk

Red Herring

• Using an unrelated topic to distract from the argument

• Ex: “I know I didn’t turn in my assignment, but my parents will be upset if my grade is bad.”

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6VmYOFGpbM

Non Sequitur argument

• Latin phrase meaning: “does not follow”• This is an argument in which the

conclusion does not follow the premise

• Example: Diane graduated from Vassar. She will make a great lawyer.

Circular reasoning• This mistake in logic restates the premise rather than giving a

reason for holding that premise.

• Example: I like to eat out because I enjoy different foods and restaurants.

Overgeneralization• In most cases this is what we call stereotyping. • The writer/speaker draws a conclusion about a large number

of people, idea, things, etc. based on very limited evidence.

• Example: All members of group A are not to be trusted.

• Words such as all, never, always and every are usually indicative of overgeneralization.

• It’s best to use and look for qualifiers—some, seem, often, perhaps, frequently—that indicate that the writer has an awareness of the complexities of the topic or group under discussion.

Post Hoc Argument• This fallacy cites an unrelated event that occurred earlier as

the cause of a current situation.

• Example: I saw a black cat run across the street in front of my car five minutes before I was hit by a foul ball at the ball park. Therefore, the black cat is the cause of my bruised arm.

Does it matter what tone I take in my argumentative essay?

•You can choose to be informal and personal, formal, and objective, or even humorous.• Just be certain that your choice is appropriate for your purpose.

How should I plan to spend my time writing the argumentative essay?

• 1-3 minutes reading and working the prompt• 3 minutes deciding on a position• 10-12 minutes planning the support of

your position• 20 minutes writing the essay• 3 minutes proofreading*This is just a suggestion, not a requirement

of how you make use of your time*

Things I would like you to work on.• Thesis statement• Closing paragraphs• Stronger claims with support• Explain your examples• Tying everything back to the prompt and

what they are asking you to write about.• Answering the prompt completely.