Agenda
BW: Vocabulary Practice
 Types of argument & rhetorical triangle notes
 Read, Annotate, & Analyze “Ultimate Craigslist
Missed Connection”
Homework: Read Didion’s “Why I Write” and “Ethical and Philosophical

Considerations” (2 very different arguments). Then in your Weebly blog
complete the following for both texts: 1) translate into Toulmin Thesis, 2)
draw Rhetorical Triangles, 3) designate Argument Types, and 4) write a
SPEC paragraph explaining which essay was a more convincing argument.
* Highlight 2-3 of your vocab words
Affirmation –
positive assertion; confirmation
Ms. Geiss’ AP English III Class
Affable –
Easily approachable; warmly friendly
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Alleviate –
Relieve
Ms. Geiss’ AP English III Class
Aesthetic –
artistic; dealing with or capable of
appreciation of the beautiful
Ms. Geiss’ AP English III Class
Altruistic –
unselfishly generous; concerned for
others
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Analogous –
comparable
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Ambivalence –
the state of having contradictory or
conflicting emotional attitudes
Ms. Geiss’ AP English III Class
Ambiguous –
unclear or doubtful in meaning
Ms. Geiss’ AP English III Class
Advocate –
urge; plead for
Ms. Geiss’ AP English III Class
Aloof –
apart; reserved
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Allegory –
A work that functions on a symbolic
level.
Ms. Geiss’ AP English III Class
Alliteration –
Beginning consecutive words with like
sounds.
Ms. Geiss’ AP English III Class
Allusion –
Reference to a famous person, place, or
thing.
Ms. Geiss’ AP English III Class
Ambiguity –
Uncertain or inexactness of language or
meaning
Ms. Geiss’ AP English III Class
Anaphora –
Type of repetition; same expression (word or
words) is repeated at the beginning of two or
more lines, clauses or sentences.
Ms. Geiss’ AP English III Class
The goal of
your paper
The writing style
of your paper
The readers
of your paper
RHETORICAL TRIANGLE
How does this affect how you write?
“Not all girls are that weird. And you
hear girls also talking about why boys
are so mean. No gender is weirder
because everyone is so different. Girls
aren’t weird they’re just complicated to
guys. Just study them in a library.”
“Scientists are searching for the mechanisms
that would make men’s and women’s brains
function differently. It has been suggested that
testosterone, which runs high in men and tends
to spike in time of challenge, propels a quick
aggressive response. In women, on the other
hand, Oxytocin provides for lactation and it has
been associated with bonding and nurturing
behavior.”
“The question expresses a commonly held (by women)
negative stereotypes about guys of the male gender,
which is that they cannot find things around the house,
especially things in the kitchen. Many women believe that
if you want to hide something from a man, all you have to
do is put it in plain sight in the refrigerator, and he will
never, ever find it, as evidenced by the fact that a man can
open a refrigerator containing 463 pounds of assorted
meats, poultry, cold cuts, condiments, vegetables, frozen
dinners, snack foods, desserts, etc., and ask, with no irony
whatsoever, ‘Do we have anything to eat?’”
How does the Rhetorical Triangle relate to the Toulmin Model?
How will the two organizational strategies interact?
ARGUMENT TYPES
ROGERIAN
TOULMIN
CLASSICAL
How does this affect how you write?
Rogerian
Purpose:
Theoretical/ Philosophical
Argument
Style:
• Negotiating Strategy
• Emphatic Position: Respect
the audience (Listen to the
position, understand the
reasoning, acknowledge
validity).
• Avoid attacking
language
• Mutual understanding &
respect
Toulmin
Classical
Purpose:
Practical Argument
Purpose:
Classic Argument
Style:
• Real people arguing
• Satisfying truths
• Discovering new ideas
Style:
•Oldest organization of
argument
• mixed audience (hostile or
favorable)
Tools:
Logos
• Claim, data, Warrant
• Qualifier, Backing, Rebuttal
Tools:
5 parts of discourse
• Intro: providing background
• Conformation: stating their
claims and evidence clearly
and emphatically
• Concession: taking account of
opposing viewpoints and
Tools:
HTTP://HOME.COMCAST.NET/~LUKEYTHETRUCK/DJOLE/SCHOOLPAGE/SPSCC/ENGLISH%20102/3ARGUMENTTYPES.HTM
anticipating objections
Pathos
• Conclusion: concluding in a
Ethos (Common Ground)
How does this affect how yousatisfying
write? and effective way.
TYPES OF ARGUMENT
Rogerian Argument
Introduction: Introduce your topic as a problem that has multiple possible solutions. Tip: Think about a
way to frame the issue so that people with multiple points of view will keep reading. It might be useful
to assume your reader disagrees with your position.
Summary of Opposing Views: As accurately and neutrally as possible, state the views of the people
with whom you disagree. Tip: Pay attention to tone and word choice. Remain as neutral as possible, and
use source material that accurately reflects this perspective.
Statement of Understand-ing: Show that you understand that there are situations in which this opposing
view is valid. Under which conditions might you share these views? Tip: This is a place to demonstrate
empathy; show your reader that you can put yourself in their position.
Statement of Your Position: Now that readers have seen that you’ve given full consideration to views
other than your own, they should be prepared to listen fairly to your views. State your position. Tip: It’s
still important to use value neutral language in this section. Don’t simply refute the points from the last 2
paragraphs; instead, present the strongest arguments in favor of your position.
Statement of Contexts: Describe situations in which you hope your views will be honored. Now, you
have a chance to ask your reader to empathize with you as you did with them in the “Statement of
Understanding.”
Statement of Benefits: Appeal to the self-interest of your opponents by showing how they would benefit
from accepting your position; this concludes your essay on a hopeful, positive note.
Intro
1) attract the interest of a specific audience and focus it on the subject of the argument.
2) provide enough background information to make sure that the audience is aware of both the general problem as well as the
specific issue or issues the writer is addressing
3) It must clearly signal the writer’s specific position on the issue and/or the direction of her/his argument. Usually a classical
argument has a written thesis statement early in the paper—usually in the first paragraph or two.
4) It must establish the writer’s role or any special relationship the writer may have to the subject or the audience (i.e. why do
you care?) It should also establish the image of the writer (the ethos) that he/she wants to project in the argument: caring,
aggressive, passionate, etc.
Confirmation
What are the arguments that support my thesis that my audience is most likely to respond to?
What arguments that support my thesis is my audience least likely to respond to?
How can I demonstrate that these are valid arguments?
What kind of inartistic proofs does my audience respect and respond well to?
Where can I find the facts and testimony that will support my arguments?
What kinds of artistic proofs will help reinforce my position?
Concession
You want to concede any points that you would agree on or that will make your audience more willing to listen to you (as long as they
don’t fatally weaken your own side).
Here is a place to use both pathos and ethos: by conceding those matters of feeling and values that you can agree on, while stressing
the character issues, you can create the opportunity for listening and understanding.
Refutation
1) Show by the use of facts, reasons, and testimony that the opposing point is totally wrong. You must show that the opposing argument
is based on incorrect evidence, questionable assumptions, bad reasoning, prejudice, superstition, or ill will.
2) Show that the opposition has some merit but is flawed in some way. For instance, the opposing viewpoint may be true only in some
circumstances or within a limited sphere of application, or it may only apply to certain people, groups, or conditions. When you point
out the exceptions to the opposition rule, you show that its position is not as valid as its proponents claim it is.
3) Show that the opposition has merits but is outweighed by other considerations. You are claiming, in essence, that truth is relative:
when a difficult choice has to be made, we must put first things first. For instance, you may say that it’s undesirable for young girls to
have abortions, but when girls as young as ten become pregnant, they’re too young to take on the burdens of motherhood and must
not be forced to carry the pregnancy to term. Or you may say that yes, it’s true that my proposal to halt global warming, but consider
the costs if we do not undertake it, or how much the price will go up if we wait to undertake it.
4) Show that the reasoning used by the opposition is flawed: in other words, that it contains logical fallacies.
Conclusion
Too many times classical arguments don’t close—they just stop, as if the last page is missing. And this sense of incompleteness leaves
readers dissatisfied and sometimes less likely to accept your argument. So spending a little extra time to round the conclusion out is
almost always worthwhile in making the argument more successful. How can I best leave a strong impression of the rightness and
importance of my view?
How can I best summarize or exemplify the most important elements of my argument?
What is the larger significance of the argument? What long-range implications will have the most resonance with my readers?
How can I bring the argument “full circle” and leave my readers satisfied with the ending of my argument?
What essay form do you believe best
suits your Grapes of Wrath Essay?