Transcript The Argumentative Essay

AP Style
Academic
paper = analyze
facts or ideas to: make sense
of them, tell me their
meanings, their significance.
 Articulate
relationships
 Create rational contexts
 Argue particular relationships
Questions
should be:
Significant
Objective
Analytical
 Why
has Europe moved closer to unification
since World War Two?
 How do Western assumptions about the
relationship between body and mind
influence the practice of medicine?
 Why can so many post-colonial nations be
considered “failed states” many decades
after independence?
 What was the relationship between theology
and social context in the early Methodist
movement?
 Topic:
 Modern
Technology
 Education
 Create
your own
academic
question
Does
modern
technology
make life more
convenient, or
was life better
when
technology was
simpler?
Is
education is
the single
most
important
factor in the
development
of a country?
 The


Thesis
Describes the relationship
Major terms
 Example



Structures:
Because A is of B nature, then C.
If A causes B, then B is of C nature.
B does not cause C, but A influences both B and
C, etc.
A) Increased ethnic tensions
PLUS
B) Lack of local infrastructure
DESPITE C) Influx of foreign aid
CAUSES D) The instability of the postcolonial nation-state
A) Bohrs’ approach to
physics
DIFFERED
B) From that of
Einstein; This
difference is not
only
REFLECTED
C) In the language
each uses; it is
CONSTRUCTED D) By that language.
A
logical argument exists whenever
two elements are present:
 Claim/Assertion
 EXAMPLE: Most Americans need to
exercise more.
 Support/Evidence
 EXAMPLE: According to the latest
government figures, most
Americans are overweight.
 Examples:
The Constitution
restricts our right
to bear arms.
 Immigrants are
taking away jobs
from Americans
who need work.

Claims
FACT
of
 Examples:
Claims
of
DEFINITION
 Alcoholism
is a
disease, not a
vice.
 The death
penalty
constitutes "cruel
and unusual
punishment."
 Examples:
Claims
of
CAUSE
 The
popularity of
the Internet has
led to a rise in
plagiarism
amongst students.
 Tougher gun laws
would decrease
the number of
homicides.
 Examples:
Claims
of
VALUE
 Doctor-assisted
suicide is
immoral.
 Violent computer
games are
detrimental to
children’s social
development.
 Examples:
Welfare programs
should not be
dismantled.
 The state ought to
issue vouchers for
parents to use to
fund their
children’s
education.

Claims
of
POLICY
hard
EVIDENCE; or
expert OPINION.
the
logical relationship
between claim and support
the assumption
 CLAIM:
Most Americans need to
exercise more.
 SUPPORT According to the latest
government figures, most Americans
are overweight.
 WARRANT: Exercise can enable weight
loss.
Warrant
Claim
Support
Warrant = bridge between claim and support
 Connecting
abstract and general
(deductive reasoning= general to
specific)
 the warrant = the major premise of
the syllogism (a categorical rule)
 the support = the minor premise (a
specific instance or case)
 the claim = the logical conclusion
derived from these two premises
 QUALIFICATIONS
that acknowledge the limits
of your argument.
 CLAIM: Most Americans need to exercise
more.
 SUPPORT According to the latest
government figures, most Americans are
overweight.
 WARRANT: Exercise can enable weight loss.
 Further Qualification: However, strenuous
exercise is not appropriate for those with
certain health conditions.
Why
would you
want to qualify
your argument?
Concession
Rebuttal

Introduction



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
Background


Good reasons (Supports/Warrants)
Alternative Arguments



Necessary information
Lines of argument


Hook
Establishes qualifications
Establishes common ground
Fair tone
States claim
Advantages and disadvantages of views (Qualifications)
Explains why your view is better
Conclusion





Summarizes
Elaborates the implications of your claim
Reinforces credibility
Emotional appeal
Clear message
 The
German poet Goethe once wrote, “Treat
people as if they were what they ought to be and
you help them to become what they are capable of
being.”
 Goethe’s statement might be implied to schools,
government, social services, business, even to
families— any place, really, where people interact
with each other. Is Goethe just expressing an
unattainable principle of human behavior, or does
his ideal have real-life applicability? In a wellorganized essay, comment on the validity of
Goethe’s statement as a realistic guide to personal
relationships. To support your point of view, you
may draw evidence from your reading, studies,
observation, and personal experiences.