English 120 – Rosichan
“Ways In” for Finding Common Ground Essay
HOW CAN I ANALYZE EACH ARGUMENT ESSAY?
1. Start by reading each essay, and write down where you find the following basic features of the
argument:
A. Issue: Where the writer introduces the issue.
Essay 1:
Essay 2:
Essay 3:
B. Position: Where the writer’s position or opinion on the issue is stated (thesis statement)
Essay 1:
Essay 2:
Essay 3:
C. Support: Where the writer offers supporting reasons and evidence for the position
Essay 1:
Essay 2:
Essay 3:
D. Concession/Refutation: Where, if anywhere, the writer concedes (accepts) or refutes (argues
against) other points of view on the issue
Essay 1:
Essay 2:
Essay 3;
2. Write down where you detect any of these underlying motivating factors:
A. Values — moral, ethical, or religious principles (for example, fairness, justice, equality, “do
unto others”)
Essay 1:
Essay 2:
Essay 3:
B. Ideas and ideals (for example, ideas about democracy, such as every adult has the right to vote
and to freedom of speech)
Essay 1:
Essay 2:
Essay 3:
C. Needs and interests (for example, food, shelter, work, respect, privacy, choice)
Essay 1:
Essay 2:
Essay 3:
D. Fears and concerns (for example, regarding safety, abuse of power, consequences of actions
taken or not taken)
Essay 1:
Essay 2:
Essay 3:
E. Goals and priorities about what is most important or urgent (for example, whether obedience
to authority is more important than independent thinking, whether global warming ought to be a
concern)
Essay 1:
Essay 2:
Essay 3:
3. Test Your Choice
After analyzing the argument essays, ask yourself the following questions:
A. Do I understand the opposing positions and their supporting arguments?
B. Have I been able to find a potential basis for agreement in motivating factors such as basic
values or ideals, shared interests or concerns, or common goals that drive the arguments?
If you cannot answer yes to both of these questions, you may want to consider choosing a
different set of essays to write about, or discuss them with your instructor.
THINK ABOUT YOUR READERS
Now that you have analyzed the opposing argument essays, take a few minutes to think about
your readers. The following questions will help you identify them and develop a better
understanding of whether the topic will interest them (or how difficult it will be for you to
interest them):
A. Who are my readers?
Answer:
B. What are they likely to know about the issue and the arguments surrounding it?
Answer:
C. What do they need to know about the history or context of the issue?
Answer:
D. How can I interest them in the issue — for example, by connecting it to their experience or
concerns, or by citing statistics or relating vivid anecdotes?
Answer:
PRESENT THE ISSUE TO YOUR READERS
Having thought about your readers and possibly having done some background research, write a
sentence or two introducing the issue. For example, you could begin by giving the historical
context of the issue, using a sentence strategy like this:
Prior to [date], [topic] was considered , but after [date or event], it became highly controversial.
Jeremy Bernard uses this strategy when he presents quotations describing baseball as “a game of
innocence” and then writes:
The age of innocence in baseball seems to have ended in the 1990s when “the Steroid Era” began
and players from Mark McGwire to Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and Alex Rodriguez were
identified as using performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). (par. 1)
Another possible strategy is to pose rhetorical questions, like those Betsy Samson uses to present
the issue of helicopter parenting:
How much influence should parents have in their children’s decision making as kids get older?
When does parental influence cross the line and, however well-intentioned, become detrimental?
These are questions that parents and children wrestle with constantly. (par. 3)
DEVELOP YOUR ANALYSIS
The following Ways In activity will help you develop your analysis of the points of agreement
and disagreement. You may use the sentence strategies as a jumping-off point—you can always
revise them later—or you can use language of your own from the start. Try to fit the sentences to
your prospective essay.
HOW CAN I PRESENT MY ANALYSIS OF THE OPPOSING ARGUMENTS?
Write a paragraph from the sentence stems presenting each important point of disagreement or
agreement:
1. Summarize or paraphrase the disagreement or potential agreement.
[Author X] takes the position that __________ because __________ . [In contrast/Similarly],
[author Y] thinks __________ because ___________.
2. Choose quotations from each writer to analyze and compare their perspectives.
[Author X] claims: ____________[quotation]. X’s use of __________ [quoted word or phrase]
shows that __________ [name motivating factor] is central to [her/his] way of thinking about the
issue.
[Author Y’s] argument that [quotation], [however/also], shows that [she/he] values __________
more highly than __________.
3. Explain what you think are the different or similar motivating factors influencing the writers’
perspectives, and why you think so.
Whereas [author X’s] argument is based on __________ [name motivating factor], [author Y’s]
is primarily concerned with __________ [name motivating factor].
Like [author X], [author Y] is primarily concerned about __________ [motivating factor].
TEST YOUR ANALYSIS: Peer Review
Present to two other students the areas of agreement you have come up with:
Presenters: Briefly summarize the opposing views on the issue, and then explain the motivating
factor (such as a shared value or common concern) that you think could be the basis for
agreement. (You may use the sentence strategies you devised in the preceding Ways In activity
to help you articulate your views, or you can use language of your own.)
Listeners: Tell the presenter whether the motivating factor seems to be a likely basis for
agreement. If you have any questions, comments, or insights, share your thoughts with the
presenter.