Deeper Reading: Counterargument – “On the Other Hand: The Role of Antithetical Writing in First Year Composition Courses”

“On the Other Hand: The Role of Antithetical Writing in First Year Composition Courses” by Stephen D. Krause can be found here.

In this essay, Krause is inviting writers to engage in a somewhat unconventional planning exercise : to explore the antithesis in their writing projects. Krause explains how doing so tests out the strength of an argument and creates an opportunity to generate content for the essay. An antithesis is a counter-perspective, a counter argument. When we draft arguments, we sometimes get so caught up in checking off all of the boxes of what we need  –  a claim at the end of the intro paragraph, reasons, a counterargument, etc – that we do not pay enough attention to what persuasion actually means, and how persuasion is audience-centered. Read this essay to find strategies for developing counterargument and response.