Transcript Title

Organizing Your Argument
What is an Argument?
• An argument involves the process of
establishing a claim and then proving it
with the use of logical reasoning,
examples, and research.
Why is Organization Important
in Argument?
• Guides an audience through your
reasoning process
• Offers a clear explanation of each argued
point
• Demonstrates the credibility of the writer
Organizing Your Argument
• Title
• Introduction
– Thesis statement
• Body Paragraphs
– Constructing Topic Sentences
– Building Main Points
– Countering the Opposition
• Conclusion
Title: Why You Need One
• Introduces the topic of discussion to the
audience
• Generates reader interest in the
argument
Creating a Title
• Try to grab attention by
– offering a provocative image
– picking up on words or examples offered in
the body or conclusion of the paper
– asking a question
• Avoid titles that are too general or lack
character
Considering Titles
Imagine you just wrote a paper offering
solutions to the problem of road rage.
Which do you consider to be the best
title?
Road Rage
Can’t Drive 55
Road Rage: Curing Our Highway Epidemic
Introduction – The first date
What is an Introduction?
• Acquaints the reader with the topic and
purpose of the paper
• Generates the audience’s interest in the
topic
• Offers a plan for the ensuing argument
– Introduction: Tell them what you’re going to tell them
– Body: Tell them
– Conclusion: Tell them what you told them
Methods for Constructing an
Introduction
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personal anecdote
example-real or hypothetical
question
quotation
shocking statistics
striking image
What is a Thesis Statement?
• The MOST IMPORTANT SENTENCE in
your paper
• Lets the reader know the main idea of the
paper
• Answers the question: “What am I trying
to prove?”
• Not a factual statement, but a claim that
has to be proven throughout the paper
Role of the Thesis Statement
• The thesis statement should guide your
reader through your argument.
• The thesis statement is generally located
in the introduction of the paper.
• A thesis statement may also be located
within the body of the paper or in the
conclusion, depending upon the purpose
or argument of the paper.
Thesis Practice
Which thesis statement is the most effective for an
argument about the need for V-chips in television sets?
• Parents, often too busy to watch television shows with
their families, can monitor their children’s viewing habits
with the aid of the V-chip.
• To help parents monitor their children’s viewing habits,
the V-chip should be a required feature for television
sets sold in the U.S.
• This paper will describe a V-chip and examine the uses
of the V-chip in American-made television sets.
A Sample Introduction
• Sergeant York, co-written by immortal John Huston and directed by
Howard Hawks, was filmed and produced in 1941, in the context of
America’s entry into World War II. Even though the film’s subject is
WWI, it must be viewed as a cautionary tale rather than a
celebratory saga of wartime valor. Although the film celebrates the
real-life figure of Alvin York whose wartime bravery is the stuff of
legend, the narrative actually spends little time in the war setting.
Set largely against the east Tennessee hills, the film unfolds the
moral awakening of York, the various moral tests of York, both at
home and at war; therefore, the theme of the film is to create an
analogy between York’s struggles and the moral tests that America
faced in going to war again. Thus, the goal of the film is to
demonstrate, on one hand, the values we would be going to war
for and, on the other, the paradoxical nature of our American
values that would allow an individual to question the value of war
itself.
Body Paragraphs and Topic
Sentences
• Body paragraphs build upon the claims made in
the introductory paragraph(s)
• Organize with the use of topic. Sentences that
illustrate the main idea of each paragraph.
• Offering a brief explanation of the history or
recent developments of topic within the early
body paragraphs can help the audience to
become familiarized with your topic and the
complexity of the issue.
Structure of the Body
Paragraph
In other words
• Topic Sentence ties to the thesis and may
offer transition from the previous idea
• Supporting propositions tie to the topic
sentence
– Several supporting propositions
– Each, in turn, supported by EXPLANATION
AND EXAMPLE
• Final sentence sums up, ties together or
provides a pivot point for next idea
A Sample Body Paragraph
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The most obvious and dominant grammatical construction to investigate in
the lyrics of Into the Woods occurs first in the title -- that is, the prepositional
phrase. Of course, most fairy tales begin with a string of prepositional phrases as
does this one with the narrator’s opening lines: “Once upon a time in a far-off
kingdom.” Thus, by employing this technique, Sondheim underscores the
connection to the literary genre that was the inspiration for this musical. Ancient
narratives such as the Bible or Homer’s Odyssey also employ prepositional
phrases. The Genesis narrative begins: “In the beginning, God created the
heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form and void; and darkness
was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the waters.”
(Genesis 1:1-2, KJV). The narrator of The Odyssey sets the scene thus: Tell me,
Muse, of that man, so ready at need, who wandered far and wide, after he had
sacked the sacred citadel of Troy, and many were the men whose towns he saw
and whose mind he learnt, yea, and many of the woes he suffered in his heart on
the deep, striving to win his own life and the return of his company. (Odyssey,
Book I) Therefore, by beginning Into the Woods in this fashion, in addition to
connecting to the children’s realm of the fairy tale, Sondheim also evokes the
collective imagination of epic narratives of our past.
Body Paragraphs
• Paragraphs may be ordered in several
ways, depending upon the topic and
purpose of your argument:
– General to specific information
– Most important point to least important point
– Weakest claim to strongest claim
Offering a Counterargument
• Addressing the claims of the opposition is
an important component in building a
convincing argument.
• It demonstrates your credibility as a
writer--you have researched multiple
sides of the argument and have come to
an informed decision.
• It shows you have considered other
points of view - that other points of view
are valid and reasonable.
Offering a Counterargument
• Counterarguments may be located at
various locations within your body
paragraphs.
• You may choose to
– build each of your main points as a contrast
to oppositional claims.
– offer a counterargument after you have
articulated your main claims.
Effective Counterarguments
• Consider your audience when you offer
your counterargument.
• Conceding to some of your opposition’s
concerns can demonstrate respect for
their opinions.
• Remain tactful yet firm.
– Using rude or deprecating language can
cause your audience to reject your position
without carefully considering your claims.
Sample Counterargument
• Yet, as interesting and enlightening as analysis of the complex
psychological problems facing Hamlet may be, especially in light of
modern strides in the field of psychology, removing the character
from his context actually limits our ability to understand and
appreciate the complexity of this character and even the
importance of the play. Rather than the tragedy of a character,
Hamlet may be viewed as either – depending on one’s perspective
– a sad lament or a cynical diatribe on the filthy nature of politics
and power.
•
The first problem involved in putting Hamlet back into his
social context -- and claiming that the context is the tragedy -- is
whether the character fits a traditional, generic definition of the
tragic hero. Although the play concludes with a stage littered with
bodies, including that of Hamlet, many of the Aristotelian
benchmarks are lacking. Unlike Romeo’s rashness, MacBeth’s
ambition, Othello’s jealousy, or Lear’s blind pride, Hamlet lacks a
marked flaw that, in combination with circumstance…
Research in Body Paragraphs
• Researched material can aid you in
proving the claims of your argument and
disproving oppositional claims.
• Be sure to use your research to support
the claims made in your topic sentences-make your research work to prove your
argument.
Using In Text Citations
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In his language, Polonius’ exercise of “periphrasis and verbosity” (Taylor 275) hides
his real intentions. Even his seeming fatherly advice to his son hides a hypocrisy
that seems pragmatic but is actually insidious. For example, keeping your thoughts
to yourself and not acting on your first impulse may seem wise, but they are also
the way a spy gathers information, listening and watching. Wearing nice clothes can
create a positive impression, but Polonius’ belief that “the apparel proclaims the
man” (I, iii, 72) speak of inauthenticity, especially in contrast to Hamlet who “has
that within [him] which passes show” (I, ii, 85). Polonius claims to the Queen that he
uses no “art” at all, but artifice is who he is. L. Champion concurs with Taylor that
Polonius – and by extension Claudius’ – hypocrisy makes him villainous. Polonius’
use of proverbial wisdom (as well as Claudius’ and Ophelia’s) “reflects an
intellectual shallowness”; Claudius’ proverbs “suggest something sinister and
Machiavellian” about his character (Champion 28). Shakespeare’s application of
proverbs also ‘forces the spectators’ attention to political issues that underlie the
major action’ (32), such as the struggle for power and concern for legitimacy. Given
the political climate of the Elizabethan period, Shakespeare’s audience was
interested in these political matters. The playwright uses proverbs ‘to generate a
high degree of interest in oppositional politics by depicting diverse ideologies that
compete on stage in recreated Denmark and in the minds of the English spectators
(34).
Conclusion
• Your conclusion should reemphasize the
main points made in your paper.
• You may choose to reiterate a call to
action or speculate on the future of your
topic, when appropriate.
• Avoid raising new claims in your
conclusion.
– Introduction: Tell them what you’re going to tell them
– Body: Tell them
– Conclusion: Tell them what you told them
Sample Conclusion
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Lacking the vehicle to cope with the enormity of this menace, the
people of Salem turned to behaviors as old as humanity –
externalizing the threat to a manageable form, driving the threat
from the community, and revitalizing the community in the wake of
the sacrifice. As a modern audience of this event, we may feel
smugly superior to Salem of 1692. After all, we no longer believe in
witches, and the theocratic strictures of Puritan Massachusetts
have yielded to a democratic America. We should be cautious
about this condescension, however, as Arthur Miller demonstrated
in his reenactment of this piece of our history. Our modern witch
hunt of the Red Scare with the House Committee for Un-American
Activities not to mention our current host of jailed alleged enemy
combatants at Guantanamo Bay, the profiling of Muslims and
Middle Eastern natives on airlines’ Watch List, and the launching of
a war on a nation that had nothing to do with the 9/11 attack might
give us pause.
Recap: Organizing Your
Argument
• Title
• Introduction
• Body Paragraphs
– Constructing Topic Sentences
– Building Main Points
– Countering the Opposition
• Conclusion
Where to Go for More Help
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Purdue University Writing Lab
Heavilon 226
Grammar Hotline: (765) 494-3723
Check our web site:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu
• Email brief questions:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/writinglab/topic/owlmail/
The End