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The Argumentative Essay - Lecture Handout, Essays (university) of Creative writing

Santiago Canyon CollegeCreative writing

Type of argumentative essay essence, outline and structure

Typology: Essays (university)

2020/2021

Uploaded on 05/04/2021

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N.OPPERMAN THE ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY LECTURE COVID 2020
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THE ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY
An argumentative essay is a piece of writing that takes a stance/ certain
position on an issue.
INTRODUCTION
It is an effective way to start your essay by:
• quoting an innovative idea
• to use ultimate wisdom from a prominent person’s speech or life perspective
• or a quote e.g. in a literature essay.
• Use a proverb or a quote that would SUPPORT your opening statement.
• Think of veterans’ writings, journals or articles e.g. Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi or
even brilliant authors and then link it to the topic.
• THAT MEANS DEAR PROSPECTIVE, BRILLIANT WRITER- YOU MUST BE A READER
OF WHAT OTHER PEOPLE WROTE TO BECOME BRILLIANT IN WRITING.
Types of arguments?
The typical court case slam
In a mythological novel like Percy Jackson, does Zeus have the right evidence to
persecute Percy Jackson and declare a war on the mortal world?
Something for the feminists: Is Annabeth a typical girl? (yah- the stereotyping game,
right?)
All the above are examples of how an argumentative, (no 1 literature essay) could be
structured.
Literature essays e.g.
What did Shakespeare e.g. say about Hamlet- is he a procrastinator or not? /or how
does Claudius regard Hamlet’s appearance of gloom? As a pretence or real
madness?
In a good argumentative essay, a writer attempts to persuade readers to
understand and support their point of view about a topic by stating their
reasoning and providing evidence to back it up. As you could see,
sometimes you get confronted with ridiculous arguments that you need to
reason about.
How To Outline an Argumentative Essay in 4 Steps
Argumentative essays should have a straightforward structure; so, they should
be easy for readers to follow.
The goal of an argumentative essay is to clearly outline a point of view also
called a hypothesis,
There must be clever reasoning, and supportive evidence. A good
argumentative essay should follow the following recommended structure:
1. Introductory paragraph. The first paragraph of your essay should outline
the topic, provide background information necessary to understand your
argument, outline the evidence you will present and states your thesis.
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THE ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY

An argumentative essay is a piece of writing that takes a stance/ certain position on an issue. INTRODUCTION It is an effective way to start your essay by:

  • quoting an innovative idea
  • to use ultimate wisdom from a prominent person’s speech or life perspective
  • or a quote e.g. in a literature essay.
  • Use a proverb or a quote that would SUPPORT your opening statement.
  • Think of veterans’ writings, journals or articles e.g. Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi or even brilliant authors and then link it to the topic.
  • THAT MEANS DEAR PROSPECTIVE, BRILLIANT WRITER- YOU MUST BE A READER OF WHAT OTHER PEOPLE WROTE TO BECOME BRILLIANT IN WRITING. Types of arguments? The typical court case slam In a mythological novel like Percy Jackson, does Zeus have the right evidence to persecute Percy Jackson and declare a war on the mortal world? Something for the feminists: Is Annabeth a typical girl? (yah- the stereotyping game, right?) All the above are examples of how an argumentative, (no 1 literature essay) could be structured. Literature essays e.g. What did Shakespeare e.g. say about Hamlet- is he a procrastinator or not? /or how does Claudius regard Hamlet’s appearance of gloom? As a pretence or real madness? In a good argumentative essay, a writer attempts to persuade readers to understand and support their point of view about a topic by stating their reasoning and providing evidence to back it up. As you could see, sometimes you get confronted with ridiculous arguments that you need to reason about. How To Outline an Argumentative Essay in 4 Steps Argumentative essays should have a straightforward structure; so, they should be easy for readers to follow. The goal of an argumentative essay is to clearly outline a point of view also called a hypothesis, There must be clever reasoning, and supportive evidence. A good argumentative essay should follow the following recommended structure: 1. Introductory paragraph. The first paragraph of your essay should outline the topic, provide background information necessary to understand your argument, outline the evidence you will present and states your thesis.

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  1. The thesis statement. It could be a part of your introduction or standing alone or form a part of your first paragraph. It is a concise, one-sentence summary of your main point/ main argument and claim.
  2. It contains at least one strong verb plus a strong noun. e.g. We are slaves to technology is a euphemism. We are humble zombies to quench the needs of our hand palm slave master.
  3. In a literature essay- please note, the personal pronouns will change to the third pronoun and we will avoid using any first-person pronouns except if they asked for your opinion which you normally provide right at the end in the second last paragraph.
  4. Body paragraphs. A typical argumentative essay comprises of three or more paragraphs that explain the reasons why you support your thesis. Each body paragraph should cover a different idea or piece of evidence and contain a topic sentence (supportive argument) that clearly and concisely explains why the reader should agree with your main position. Body paragraphs are where you back- up your claims with examples , research , statistics , studies , and text citations.  Address opposing points of view and disprove them o r  Explain why you disagree with them.  Present facts and considering a topic from every angle adds credibility and will help you gain a reader’s trust.
  5. Conclusion. One paragraph that restates your thesis and summarizes all the arguments made in your body paragraphs concisely. A good quote that wraps up the main idea right at the end is also a very good ide a.
  6. Rather than introducing new facts or more arguments, a good conclusion will appeal to a reader’s emotions.
  7. In some cases, writers will use a personal anecdote(story/tale) explaining how the topic personally affects them. How to Write a Thesis Statement in 3 Steps Your thesis statement is only one sentence long, but it is the most important part of your argumentative essay. The thesis appears in your introductory paragraph, summarizes what your argumentative essay will be about, and primes the reader for what’s to come. These steps will help you get your point across clearly and concisely:
  8. Turn the topic into a question and answer it. Set up a big question in the title of your essay or within the first few sentences. Then, build up to answering that question in your thesis statement. For example, in your title or introduction, you could pose the question, “What is the best type of sandwich?” And then answer with your thesis statement: “The best type of sandwich is peanut butter and jelly.” This method is effective because intriguing questions draw readers in and encourage them to keep reading to find the answer.
  9. State an argument—and then refute it. Introduce an idea that contrasts with your belief, and immediately explain why you disagree with it. For example: “While some people believe peanut butter and jelly sandwiches

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throughout. This is a subjective essay in which the writer tries to convince the reader to share his or her point of view i.e. although you avoid the overuse of emotive language, it is still based on your personal opinion or the one that you get paid for.(e.g. if you are a lawyer). At all costs, you will defend your argument. Below follows examples of argumentative topics: ● Teenagers are not really rebellious; they are just misunderstood. ● Young people are influenced more by their friends than by their parents. ● The future of South Africa depends on foreign investment. ● Oscar Pistorius killed his girlfriend. Yes/No. ● Sugar tax should be increased to cover the new health plan of the South African Government. Consider the following when drafting an argumentative essay: ● The essay should start with the writer’s view of the topic in an original and striking way. ● The writer should give a range of arguments to support and substantiate his or her view. ● The writer focuses on points for OR against a statement. ● An argumentative essay is subjective and strong opinions are expressed. A variety of rhetorical devices and persuasive techniques should be used. ● The language used should be loaded but should not be rude. ● The conclusion should be a strong, clear and convincing statement of the writer’s opinion.

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THE TABOOS OF ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING

  • You are not allowed to use any contractions in an argumentative, discursive, informative or academic essay. No contractions are allowed in any literature essay. ▪ Do not start a sentence with a conjunction e.g. ‘ And’, ‘Also’, ‘But’, ‘So’, ‘Or’ ‘Even so’. Instead use ‘ In addition’, ‘However’, ‘Hence’, ‘Consequently’, ‘Alternatively’, ‘Nevertheless’. ▪ Do not start a sentence with ‘Then’ or ‘ No w’ unless it is a command. ▪ Don’t use ‘don ‘t’, or any other shortened negative such as ‘isn’t’, ‘hasn’t’, ‘wasn’t’. Use ‘ does not’, ‘is not’. NEVER EVER USE etc. ▪ Do not use ‘!’ or ‘&’ or ‘/’. It is also very unusual to see ‘?’ in a paper. Do not put questions in a paper unless you really know what you are doing. ▪ Do not use e.g. or i.e. or etc. ▪ When referring to the number of countable objects, use words rather than figures when the amount is less than twenty. E.g. Don’t write “ we used 3 methods ” – instead, write “ we used three methods ”. ▪ Do not use ‘ OK ‘. Use ‘ acceptably’, ‘permissible’, ‘satisfactory’ instead. ▪ Do not use ‘ got ‘. Instead use ‘ obtained’. ▪ If you can, try to use the passive voice for some of the time when describing your results. Using ‘we’ in every sentence is a bit boring.

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example, is more formal than the informal verb get. However, both are less formal than the formal verb comprehend. Unfortunately- there is only one winning recipe when it comes to essay writing: PRACTISE MAKES PERFECT. EXAMPLES: WRITE IT. DO IT. ASK YOUR TEACHER TO MARK IT.

  • Can the death penalty be effective? ...
  • Can smoking be prevented by making tobacco illegal? ...
  • Are girls too “mean” in their friendship? ...
  • Is competition really good? ...
  • Is buying a lottery ticket a good idea?
  • Is religion the cause of war?
  • Is fashion really important? STRONGS. REFERENCES: https://www.google.com/search?q=excellent+argumentative+topics&oq=excellent+ar gumentative+topics&aqs=chrome..69i57.6703j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF- 8 https://lastdayessay.com/ https://www.google.com/search?q=phrases+how+technology+controls+our+life&oq= phrases+how+technology+controls+our+life&aqs=chrome..69i57.8287j0j8&sourceid= chrome&ie=UTF- 8 \