14.2 Argumentative

Argumentive (or persuasive) essays are not the loud, assertive, unwavering statement of your opinion in the hopes of conquering the opposition. In the context of writing essays, an argument is the combination of a point you are trying to make and the support you offer to make that point. This can be called academic argumentation, especially when the argument is supported by rational explanations, reliable evidence, and similar rhetorical strategies. Argumentative

When you are tasked with crafting an argumentative essay, you are likely to do so based on several sources–all of which should support your topic in some way. Whether or not you are asked to do additional research, an argumentative essay should be comprised of these basic components.

Claim: What do you want the reader to believe?

The thesis in an argument paper is often called a claim.  This claim is a statement in which you take a stand on a debatable issue. A strong, debatable claim has at least one valid counterargument–an opposite or alternative point of view that is as sensible as the position that you take in your claim. In your thesis statement, you should clearly and specifically state the position you will convince your audience to adopt.

A closed thesis statement includes sub-claims or reasons why you choose to support your claim, think of a roadmap for your readers.  An open thesis statement does not include sub-claims and might be more appropriate when your argument is less easy to prove with two or three easily-defined sub-claims.

When in doubt about how to structure your thesis statement, you should seek the advice of your instructor.

Context: What background information about the topic does your audience need?

Before you get into defending your claim, you will need to place your topic (and argument) into context by including relevant background material. Remember, your audience is relying on you for vital information, such as definitions, historical placement, and controversial positions. This background material might appear in either your introductory paragraph/s or your body paragraphs. How and where to incorporate background material depends a lot upon your topic, assignment, evidence, and audience.

Counterargument/ Rebuttal: How do you address other perspectives?

The whole point of the counterargument is to further strengthen your argument, not to contradict it. Addressing opposition and counterarguments is a way for you to test out the validity and resilience of your ideas, and to show your readers that you have thought through the issue thoroughly rather than having taken a narrow-minded shortcut. Remember not to assume that your interpretation of the evidence is the only valid possibility. Instead, state an opposing interpretation.

Next, the rebuttal is your explanation to defend your ideas against the acknowledged opposition. Don’t forget this rebuttal. A common error is to end on just the acknowledgment, which only creates contradiction and confusion. Another common error is to get aggressive or bombastic, but this only weakens your argument. Instead, remain focused, reasonable, and professional.

Evidence or Grounds: What makes your reasoning valid? 

To validate the thinking that you put forward in your claim and sub-claims, you need to demonstrate that your reasoning is not only based on your personal opinion. Evidence, sometimes referred to as grounds, can take the form of research studies or scholarship, expert opinions, personal examples, observations made by yourself or others, or specific instances that make your reasoning seem sound and believable. Evidence only “works” if it directly supports your reasoning — and sometimes you must explain how the evidence supports your reasoning (do not assume that a reader can see the connection between evidence and reason that you see).

Rhetorical Appeals: How do you use Logos, Ethos, and Pathos in your reasoning?

Logos

The use of logic, data/evidence, and sufficient support to establish the practicality and rationality of your ideas. To have a logically sound argument, you should include logical reasoning to support your claim, have sound evidence and examples to justify the reasoning, and avoid logical fallacies.

Ethos

The ethical and well-balanced use of all of the strategies above will help you to present yourself as trustworthy and intelligent in your consideration of the topic and the development of your argument. Another aspect of your credibility as a writer of argument, particularly in the college setting, is your attention to the needs of the audience about presentation and style.

Pathos

The use of examples and language that evoke an appropriate emotional response in your readers—that gets them to care about your topic—can be helpful in the argument. For academic essays, pathos may be useful in introductory sections, concluding sections, or as ways to link various parts of the paper together. Still, college writing often puts more emphasis on logos and ethos.

Structure: How organized is your claim?

A well-structured argument is carefully and optimally planned. It is organized so that the argument has a fluid building of ideas, one onto the other, to produce the most persuasive impact or effect on the reader. You should avoid repeating ideas, reasons, or evidence. You must consider how each idea in your argument connects to the others.  Should some ideas come before others? Should you present the counterargument before your reasons?

Style/ Eloquence: How effectively are you stating your claim?

When we discuss style in academic writing, we generally mean the use of formal language appropriate for the academic audience and occasion that avoids idioms and cliché or dull or simple word choices. However, some writing assignments allow you to choose your audience, and in that case, the style in which you write may not be formal. For some writing assignments, you may even be asked to use, where appropriate, poetic or figurative language or language that evokes the senses.

It is important to understand what kind of style of writing your audience expects, as delivering your argument in that style could make it more persuasive.

Warrants: Why should a reader accept your claim?

A warrant is a rationale the writer provides to show that the evidence properly supports the claim, with each element working towards a similar goal.  Think of warrants as the glue that holds an argument together and ensures all pieces work together coherently.

An important way to ensure you are properly supplying warrants within your argument is to use “linking sentences” or a “link” that connects the particular claim directly back to the thesis.  Remember, the thesis statement is the driving force of organization in your essay, so each paragraph needs to have a specific purpose in proving or explaining your thesis; linking sentences completes this task.