Argumentative Essay
English 11B
Hoffman
Winter 2008
Outline DUE: Checked/Stamped/Recorded on Wednesday, January 30th
Final Draft DUE: Monday, February 4th at the beginning of class!
Length:
• 2 to 3 pages in length
• Word processed
• 12 point font
• Double spaced
• Essay “title” centered at top of first page
• Name & Hour in top right corner of first page
• Works cited page (MLA style) attached after essay’s final page
Process:
1. Choose an appropriate topic
• http://www.isd196.k12.mn.us/schools/rhs/library/
o Opposing Viewpoints
o Issues and Controversies
2. Anticipate opposing views
3. Know and remember your audience
4. Decide which points of argument to include
5. Explore the possibilities … and your opinions
6. Organize your essay clearly: (page 277 Steps to Writing Well)
• Pattern A
• Pattern B
• Pattern C
7. Argue your ideas logically
8. Offer evidence that effectively supports your claim
9. Find the appropriate claim
10. Avoid the common logical fallacies
• *Hasty generalization: The writer bases the argument on insufficient evidence or
unrepresentative evidence.
• *Non sequitur (“it doesn’t follow”): The writer’s conclusion is not necessarily a logical result of
the facts.
• Begging the question: The writer presents as truth what is not yet proven by the argument.
• Red herring: The writer introduces an irrelevant point to divert the reader’s attention from the
main issue.
• *Argument “ad hominen”: The writer attacks the opponent’s character rather than the opponent’s
argument.
• *Faulty use of authority: The writer relies on “authorities” who are not convincing sources.
• Argument “ad populum”: The writer evades the issues by appealing to readers’ emotional
reactions to certain subjects.
• *Either/or: The writer tries to convince the readers to believe that there are only two sides to an
issue – one right, one wrong.
• Hypostatization: The writer uses an abstract concept as if it were a concrete reality.
• *Bandwagon appeal: The writer attempts to validate a point by intimating that “everyone else
believes in this.”
• Straw man: The writer selects the opposition’s weakest or most insignificant point to argue
against, to divert the readers’ attention from the real issues.
• Faulty Analogy: The writer uses an extended comparison as proof of a point.
• Quick fix: The writer leans too heavily on catchy phrases or empty slogans.