Argumentative Writing Assignment Text

Jonathan Friesen - Writing Coach

topic identifying a controversial issue an appropriate topic for the argumentative essay should be one that

    interests you is neither too broad nor too narrow, is open to controversy, and is not already overly argued by other people.
make sure your topic interests you. whatever topic you choose, it should be something that interests you, something that you feel strongly about, something that's dear to your heart. If it's an argument that affects you and that you have personal experience about, it will be easier for you to build your ethos with personal experience. make sure your topic is neither too broad nor too narrow. a topic like presidential campaigns might be too big for you to handle in a few pages. In contrast, the use of scare tactics in presidential campaign ads might be easier to handle. In a similar way, advertising sounds vague and broad while truth in advertising is more focused.

On the other hand, too narrow topics are those that deal with trivial topics that your readers are not likely to be interested in. make sure your topic is controversial. a controversial topic is one that people have different opinions about. For example, the illegitimacy of thefts is not a controversial topic while the appropriate punishment for first time theft offendes is a more controversial one.

Good Topics for College Papers

Similarly, the harmful effects of smoking is not really a topic of controversy, but heavy taxation on cigarettes might be. make sure your topic is not already overly argued by other people. topics such as abortion or the death penalty might yield easy arguments, but they have been argued so much that it's very hard to come up with anything new to say about them. Unless you have something really unique and original to contribute to such topics, i'd strongly recommend that you avoid such topics. Choosing a good topic is not easy, and it's critical for a good argumentative essay. The samples in our textbook provide good examples of appropriate and interesting topics: the plus side of video games, the in validity of sat as a predicator of success, and truth in advertising. constructing your argument/writing the essay this essay should be quite different from your previous essay in several ways.

An argument essentially contains a central claim your thesis backed up by several supporting claims, which are further supported by concrete evidence examples, other people's opinions, etc. This argumentative essay not only will involve sound, logical reasoning but may also include some of the other techniques you've learned and used in the previous essays: narration, description, and analysis. One thing to keep in mind is that since you're making an argument on a controversial issue, there's always the other side. It's vitally important that you address the other side if you want to present a fair and convincing argument. While there're always multiple ways to organize any kind of essay, the one that's described in our textbook pp. 100 103 provides an easy option: introduction, claim, evidence, support, and conclusion.

A good argumentative essay requires a somewhat balanced use of ethos, pathos, and logos. Without ethos, your essay will not carry credibility without pathos, it won't have effective emotional affect and without logos, don't expect that your audience will buy into your argument. Using other people's arguments, especially those from reputable sources, to support your own argument is often an effective and necessary means of argumentation. A n argumentative essay has a two fold objective: to explore the topic rigorously for both the writer and readers and to persuade readers. This two fold aim is achieved in part by the dialectic nature of argumentation where the writer thoroughly presents both sides of the topic while clearly favoring his/her position on the issue.

Also imagine that you are writing to birkerts whom you have read before and negroponte whom you will read below. R ead the future of books by nicholas negroponte and reread birkerts if you wish. T he success of any argument depends on the quality of the support behind it gathering support on both sides of a topic is crucial.

You will need to bring in at least two sources, which can be personal testimony from an interview or material drawn from the w, books, magazines, and newspapers. When you use any material from outside sources, use proper documentation of sources and works cited format. It is also appropriate to use the aristotelian appeals in constructing your argument. C luster your ideas about your topic into clearly defined parts arguments, objections, and rebuttals. There are a variety of organizational methods through which you can present your argumentative essay. However, all argumentative papers must include

    a position statement, background information, two arguments in favor of your position , two objection and rebuttal pairs, describing an objection to your position that you anticipate from the other side and presenting your rebuttal to that objection remember a rebuttal must immediately follow the objection it addresses , and a firm conclusion.
o f course, you may include additional arguments or objection rebuttal pairs.

A n eforum conference is available to help us share ideas and answer questions about our essays and related work: the network is the urban site before us, an invitation to design and construct the city of bits capital of the twenty first century , just as, so long ago, a narrow peninsula beside the maeander became the place for miletos. But this new settlement will turn classical categories inside out and will reconstruct the discourse in which architects have engaged from classical times until now. This will be a city unrooted to any definite spot on the surface of the earth, shaped by connectivity and bandwidth constraints rather than by accessibility and land values, largely asynchronous in its operation, and inhabited by disembodied and fragmented subjects who exist as collections of aliases and agents. Its places will be constructed virtually by software instead of physically from stones and timbers, and they will be connected by logical linkages rather than by doors, passageways, and streets. How shall we shape it? who shall be our hippodamos? the purpose of an argumentative essay is to illustrate that your statement theory, opinion, and hypothesis about few phenomena or phenomenon is right or more honest than others. Most of the people may think that when one simply has a view, one can argue it effectively, and these persons are always astonished whenever others do not agree with them since their logic seems so right. Argumentative writing is the act of building reasons, creating inductions, drawing conclusions, and exerting them to the situation in discussion the operation of inferring propositions, not known or disclosed as true, from facts or principles known, admitted, or established to be true.

It clearly elucidates the procedure of your reasoning from the known or supposed to the unknown. Without doing this you does not have an argument, you have only a statement, an essay which is just your unconfirmed opinion. What is an argumentative essay the argumentative essay is a kind of writing which needs the student to examine a topic, generate, collect, and compute evidence, and establish a location on the topic in a concise way. note: some of the confusion might take place among the argumentative essay and expository essay.

Creative Essay Titles About Life

Such two genres are alike, though the argumentative essay varies from the expository essay in the quantity of pre writing and research included. The argumentative essay is generally assigned as a capstone or ultimate project in first year writing or higher composition courses and includes lengthy, complete research. The expository essays are frequently used for in class writing exercises or tests, like the gre or ged. argumentative essay assignments usually call for widespread research of literature or formerly published material. The argumentative assignments might also need empirical research where the student gathers data via surveys, interviews, observations, and experiments. The detailed research permits the student to learn about the subject and to understand various points of view concerning the topic therefore she/he might prefer a position and sustain it with the evidence composed during research. Despite of the quantity or kind of research included, argumentative essays should establish a apparent thesis and obey sound reasoning. The organization of the argumentative essay is held altogether by the following: a the clear, short, and defined notion statement which takes place in the first paragraph of the essay: in the primary paragraph of an argument essay, students must set the context by evaluating the topic in a common manner.

Next the author must elucidate why the topic is significant or why readers must care about the issue. It is necessary that this thesis statement be suitably narrowed to obey the guidelines set onward in the assignment. When the student does not master this section of the essay, it will be quite hard to create an efficient or influential essay.

b clear and logical conversions among the introduction, body, and conclusion: transitions are the mortar which holds the base of the essay altogether. Without logical sequence of thought, the reader is not capable to obey the essay rsquo s argument, and the structure will crumple. Transitions must wrap up the thought from the preceding section and introduce the idea which is to obey in the next part. c body paragraphs which involve evidential support: each paragraph must be limited to the conversation of one common idea. Additionally, this conciseness generates an easiness of readability for one rsquo s listeners.