Concession Followed by Refutation
Writers arguing for a position often concede the value of a likely criticism and then attempt to
refute that criticism immediately. Alternatively, rather than conceding a criticism, writers may
simply acknowledge an opposing argument by restating it accurately.
1. Read the following passage from a critique of bilingual education by a writer who grew
up in a Spanish-speaking home:
Bilingual educators say today that children lose a degree of “individuality” by becoming
assimilated into public society. But the bilingualists oversimplify when they scorn the value
and necessity of assimilation. They do not seem to realize that a person is individualized in
two ways. So they do not realize that, while one suffers a diminished sense of private
individuality by being assimilated into public society, such assimilation makes possible the
achievement of public individuality.
— Richard Rodriguez, “Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood”
Note how Rodriguez acknowledges the position of proponents of bilingual education (the
italicized sentence), then immediately refutes that position in the three following sentences (in
boldface), signaling the refutation with the word but. His counterargument addresses the
opposing position directly by referring to assimilation and individuality, key concepts in the
opposing argument.
Concession Followed by Refutation
Writers arguing for a position often concede the value of a likely criticism and then
attempt to refute that criticism immediately. Alternatively, rather than conceding a
criticism, writers may simply acknowledge an opposing argument by restating it
accurately.
2. Read the following passage from an argument about date rape, and notice
where the writer concedes opposing arguments and where she refutes them:
It is true, of course, that some women (especially the young) initially resist sex not out
of real conviction but as part of the elaborate persuasion and seduction rituals
accompanying what was once called courtship. And it is true that many men (again,
especially the young) take pride in the ability to coax a woman a step further than she
intended to go. But these mating rituals do not justify or even explain date rape. Even
the most callow youth is capable of understanding the difference between resistance and
genuine fear; between a halfhearted “no, we shouldn’t” and tears or screams; between a
woman who is physically free to leave a room and one who is being physically
restrained.
— Susan Jacoby, “Common Decency”