Writing the Argument Analysis
Essay
Suggestions and Examples
Introduction

Introduction: This assignment asks you to analyze
an argument. The introduction should at least
make it clear just what the argument was about
(the subject or topic of the argument). A good
introduction will “situate” the topic/ subject. This
means giving the reader something that makes
the broader importance of the topic/ subject
understandable or even meaningful. The
introduction should then transition into a clear
mention of the argument being analyzed, and even
some insight into the argument’s purpose. The
introduction should end with a thesis claim.
A Good Example Introduction
McDonald’s McSucks

Because of college expenses, most students tend to hold
on to their money as much as they can, which explains why
they’re attracted to the cheapest things around them
including clothes, utensils, and mainly food, no matter how
unhealthy it is. Unfortunately, more than 34% of all college
students in the United States struggle with being overweight.
But how do we get college students to care a little less about
money and a little more about their health? A hand full of
Wayne State students put together a PowerPoint
presentation showing that McDonald’s plays a huge role in
harming all of their customers’ bodies; from little children to
college students and adults. In the “McDonald’s McSucks”
presentation, the Wayne State students used accurate
statistics, powerful imagery, and a legitimate experiment to
show college students that eating in McDonald’s is one of the
worst things anyone can ever do to their body.

Another Example Introduction

According to senatedems.com, in late October,
Michigan Senator Tupac Hunter introduced a bill, in
Lansing, that would call for the installation of an
additional license plate on the front of Michigan cars.
In the same article, it was stated that Hunter’s
reasoning for endorsing this bill is essentially that it
could assist traffic enforcement with easier
identification of vehicles. Senator Hunter’s proposal
for these license plates, however, has raised a number
of questions in the minds of the public. In covering
these concerns, the members of the "Front Bumper
License Plates” group used their influential visuals,
personal testimonies, and reasoning to convince their
audience that front license plates are not a practical
concept.
The Thesis Statement
O Thesis Claim Format: In (Name or
description of argument), the group used
(short description of the most prominent
elements of argument utilized) to (purpose
of argument) (description of audience).
O You can play with the order of these different
parts of the thesis statement
Some Effective Thesis
Statements
O In “The Death Penalty” PowerPoint, the
group used factual data, logical reasoning,
and a strong visual to persuade the
audience that the death penalty is not only
wrong, but it is a failing system as well.
O In its “raise the minimum wage”
presentation, the group uses personal
testimonies and statistics relevant to college
students to convince its audience to support
a raise in the minimum wage.
 You
should have a body paragraph near
the very beginning (most likely after
introductory paragraph) of your essay,
discussing the “Rhetorical Situation”.
 What
characteristics of the audience to
whom the argument presented seem
important?
 What impact does the setting—where
and to whom the argument is being
presented—seem to have on the text/
argument?
 What social or cultural factors related to
the era in which the text was produced
does the text reflect?

It’s never a bad time to present an argument for a very
dangerous situation that could potentially mean life or death
for someone. It is also not a bad time to present something
like this to a group of college kids. Not only that, but it is
almost the end of the fall 2013 semester at Wayne State with
thanksgiving and Christmas is coming up, not to mention
finals. With everything going on now, college kids might feel
the need to “let loose” to relieve themselves of everything
they have been so focused on at school. The act of trying to
persuade classmates to not drink and drive, and presenting
the consequences arising from it presented at a good time
given the circumstances of things going on around Wayne
State.

This presentation will hopefully get more students engaged in the
city and its issues. While “Belle Isle State takeover” argument is
just one of the many arguments that discuss ways to improve the
city of Detroit. In order to capture the attention of the audience a
PowerPoint presentation was a good genre because it allowed for
a short but informative argument on an issue so important. Like
many of the other arguments, there is information to show why
there is need for improvement in Detroit. Unlike some of the other
arguments though, visuals are used as the main source to make
these points stronger. Instead of using other genres such written
discussions or a three-minute video the PowerPoint tried to
engage students while using mostly visuals instead of the usual
written words. With the Wayne State Campus in the heart of the
Detroit area the argument is important in getting the students to
realize what is going on around their college campus.
Make a claim that a specific element of
argument is present
 Describe the part of the presentation that
you are calling the specific element
 Explain how this part of the presentation
is supposed to work on the audience
 Close with a claim on how this part of the
argument relates back to the argument’s
purpose

Body Paragraphs on the Elements

The personal story told at the end of the argument
about how one of the author’s family member was in
a drunk driving situation, and now the person’s life is
pretty much messed up because of it, showed the
audience that the speakers could actually relate to
this topic. They have a connection to this situation,
and it is possible that it can become an unwanted
connection for the people listening as well. Getting
behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated not only
affects the people involved if there is a crash, but also
the people that you surround yourself with and care
about you. Putting this at the end of the argument
seemed to be a good idea, by leaving the audience to
think that it could happen to anybody, whether
directly or indirectly affected, if they don’t make
smart choices.
Good Paragraph on Ethos

Lastly, Ivana appealed to the audience’s sense of
reason and logic by sharing with them statistics, from
DoSomething.org, about what homosexuals have to
go through, along with hate crime laws, and more.
Ivana shared with them anti-hate crime laws that
excluded homosexuals. This appealed to ones logic
because we all know, whether someone is gay or
straight, they are still human and should be protected
under law. She also shared with them the youth
homelessness rate and the outstanding relation to
homeless youth and homosexuality. Using facts and
stats actually make the whole argument more
credible because an argument based solely off
emotion is a very unstable one to say the least, and it
gives the audience more reason on why they should
not only change their opinion, but take legal action on
this issue.
Good Paragraph on Logos

The presentation utilized pathos by adding pictures
that appealed to the audience emotionally. For
example, adding a nauseating picture that was taken
during the process of making McDonald’s’ chicken
McNuggets, while discussing how unsanitary
McDonald’s food is, definitely persuades the audience
that McDonald’s can never be good for them. As well
as putting a cartoon picture of Ronald McDonald
shoving a burger down a little child’s through while
discussing how unhealthy their Happy Meals are for
children to eat every time they want to play in
McDonald’s play place. These two examples help the
audience realize how serious grabbing a snack from
McDonald’s really is by making them feel scared,
tricked, and betrayed because they’re not getting real
meat.
Good Paragraph on Pathos

First, the VGAA author uses the comparisons of
Picasso, Monet, and Michelangelo to give reference of
what the critics consider is traditional art and
attempts to appeal to the logic of art lovers, by
appealing to the sense of what they think is beautiful.
On the same account, the side by side photographic
comparison of Journey, Skyrim, and Final Fantasy
attempts to appeal to those who play video games.
The VGAA author used slides comparing the art of
Picasso to Journey, Monet to Skyrim, and
Michelangelo to Final Fantasy, side by side to
compare the art of each on the PowerPoint slides to
show that video game art wasn't different to that of
the greatest artists. This move played on the logic
that if one is considered art, then why not the other.
Good Paragraph on Visual Rhetoric
THE CRITIQUE
PARAGRAPH
Similar to the “counter-argument” paragraph you might be
familiar with, a paragraph critiquing the argument on one
area or another can only help the analytical quality of your
essay. This paragraph is usually placed just before the
conclusion.
CRITIQUE PARAGRAPH
GUIDELINES
Make a claim that critiques part of the argument or finds
flaws with the argument
What part of the argument falls short of expectations/
meeting purpose
Describe the part of the argument
Explain how it is flawed/ worthy of criticism
What could have been done differently?
GOOD CRITIQUE
PARAGRAPH
While the “Belle Isle takeover” argument was efficient and
had some strong points there was room for more
information. In order to make the argument stronger the
authors could have had more information on the park itself. A
slide with this information could have helped the audience
feel more connected with the park thus evoking a stronger
response.
ANOTHER GOOD
CRITIQUE PARAGRAPH
The group could have reached out to the audience members by
speaking about things they’ve had in common, for example getting
rejected from a job because of the wrong appearance. The group could
have also organized their speech and slides in a better manner. The
group could have added testimonies from others that aren’t in the
group. Testimonies from employee’s of major retail, fast food
companies, and convenience stores would have been very powerful.
This would have been a very good appeal to ethos, as it adds another
layer of emotion from others not just the group. They also could have
created a skit to go along with their argument to further enhance their
goals of challenging employers judgment of appearance. When
presenting, the group could have put more of an effort to try to pour out
more emotion rather than sound like they’re robotic. The amount of
negative impact this left on the audience was huge. It shows the
audience that the group doesn’t really care about the argument at hand.
It makes the audience feel disinterested, and bored. Without a proper
amount of emotion, the audience take the argument as a joke.





In an Analysis essay, there are some topics to guide your
farewell.
Re-stating the thesis is always a safe bet, but it doesn’t
have to be the first sentence of your introduction.
Some more dynamic conclusion “moves” in an analysis
essay include: comparing the argument to other similar
arguments (whether in similar or different genres)
re-visiting why the argument might have worked for that
specific audience or might not have for another audience;
reminding the reader why the topic is important, and thus
what the argument does for the topic.

Texting and driving is becoming one of the fastest
ways to die while on the road. Our argument, that
texting and driving kills, was presented in a detailed
manner using pathos, logos and ethos throughout the
presentation. We also talked about the importance of
awareness and prevention. If more and more people
realize the harm that texting and driving is creating,
they would be more likely to quit the action and save
lives. More awareness could reduce or prevent texting
while driving and hopefully more and more teens and
young adults might quit texting and driving while
spreading the word about its dangers, and the reward
of staying safe on the road.
I.
II.
III.
Introduction with a thesis
Rhetorical Situation Paragraph
Body paragraphs on ethos, pathos, logos, visual rhetoric,
or any other element of argument prevalent in the
presentation.
a)
b)
c)
IV.
V.
The elements you have paragraphs on should be related to the
ones you establish in the thesis
You can have multiple (2-3) paragraphs on the same element
You should analyze a minimum of 2 elements
A Critique Paragraph
Conclusion