Have you ever had to
PLEA your case to
mom & dad before?
• What makes for a SUCCESSFUL argument?
• What makes for an UNsuccessful argument?
Everything is an
Argument.
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Understand successful ways to argue a point
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Identify the characteristics of an argument essay
◦ Establish your own ETHOS as a credible authority
◦ Evaluate all sides of an issue before determining one’s own
position on that issue.
◦ Consider the impact of audience.
◦ Utilize effectively the appeal(s) for a given audience.
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Examine sample excerpts and a student model for writing
Formulate a central claim.
Utilize concessions and rebuttals.
Select and use relevant examples from history, contemporary life,
and one’s own life to support one’s claims.
Prepare an organized response supporting one’s own
claims
◦ Practice brainstorming and breaking down a prompt.
◦ Participate in class notes and discussions.
◦ Prepare your brainstorming packet.
Read the sample prompt on the handout.
Highlight the assertion with which you will
need to either agree or disagree.
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A claim is a statement of a position.
A claim is an arguable statement, not a
statement of verifiable fact. Someone could
disagree with another’s claims.
Task: Highlight the claim in the sample
paragraphs.
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Limit your position (the claim) to specific contexts or
situations only
Protect the credibility of the writer (ETHOS)
 AVOID ABSOLUTES: Words such as everyone, all, never and always are
to be avoided because the audience can typically find exceptions
Qualifiers are usually adverbs that modify the verb in the
claim or adjectives that modify a key noun; some common
ones are typically, usually, for the most part, some,
several, few, and sometimes.
 EXAMPLE: Many soft drinks, even diet ones, contain poor nutritional
ingredients.
 EXAMPLE: Organized athletics in school are sometimes biased against
females, not offering a variety options to young girls as boys.
 EXAMPLE: For the most part, teenagers rely heavy on texting.
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Task: Circle the qualifiers in the sample paragraphs.
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The examples, facts, and data that aid in proving
the claim's validity
Depending on the audience, this evidence could
also include emotional appeals (PATHOS),
quotations from famous people or recognized
experts (LOGOS), or statements based on the
writer’s personal credibility (ETHOS).
Task: Put [brackets] around specific examples
found in the sample paragraphs.
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You must explain WHY your examples help
you prove your claim.
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Do not expect your reader to read your mind
or assume the answer is obvious.
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The same way that you analyze examples in
analysis essays applies to examples in
argument essays.
Connect your evidence to your claim/thesis.
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Bring differing opinions together by
acknowledging a part of the opposing argument
that cannot be refuted
Conceding that an opposing point is valid and
then building upon it to further one's own claim
allows a writer to make the audience feel
appreciated without giving up her or his own
position.
Use the following TEMPLATES to help identify or
write a concession statement….
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Although I grant that ______________, I still maintain
that ___________________.
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Proponents of X are right to argue that ____________.
But they exaggerate when they claim that __________.
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While it is true that ___________________, it does not
necessarily follow that ______________.
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On the one hand, I agree with X that ___________. But
on the other hand, I still insist that ______________.
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Task: Underline any concessions you see in the
sample paragraphs.
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If the writer can discredit the opposition’s claims
by showing that the opposition’s logic is faulty or
its support is weak, he or she has created a
rebuttal that supports his or her own original
position and furthers his or her claim.
Rebuttal statements can and often do coincide
with concessions.
Task: *Star* any rebuttal statements in the
sample paragraphs.
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Identify the issue first, then define it in your terms.
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Identify both sides and reasons.
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Establish your position on the issue FIRST. Then, read
any relevant passages or material given.
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Thesis statement should be a claim you make in regard
to the issue (not the article/text/quote…)
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Support the idea/issue (again, not the quote/text).
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Bring in your own information to support your thesis.
In Chapter 12 of The Giver, the Giver tells Jonas that
the people in the community decided it was worth
giving up positive things such as color, music, and
even love in order to gain a society free from pain or
conflict. Jonas replies that this decision was the
wrong one. In a well-organized essay, discuss
whether you believe it would be worth giving up such
positives in order to avoid pain and suffering. Use
evidence from your reading and experiences to justify
your claims.
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What is the ISSUE?
Is Jonas correct in saying that the community’s
decision was the wrong one?
What are the two sides of the ISSUE? Reasoning?
(pros and cons of such a decision?)
Think beyond the immediate individual – think
nationally and globally whenever possible.
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Formulate your position or claim in reaction
to the ISSUE
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Word the thesis so that your position is
understood without parroting the prompt
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Do not use first person “I think…”. Use 3rd
person. Ex. “Most people would do anything
to avoid pain.”
Highlight the CLAIM in the student model.
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Continue to read the student model.
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Consider: What makes this model an effective
argument?
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Color mark / label the following components of
the student’s argument:
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Claim - highlight
Qualifier - (circle)
Evidence / Support – [bracket]
Analysis of Evidence
Concession - underline
Rebuttal - *star*
Reminders for an effective essay
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Broad, general statement on
the issue.
Catchy “hook” to grab interest
in the topic.
Student Sample:
◦ How many people have found
themselves wishing that life could
be just a little bit less painful?
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The occasion which is prompting you
to write
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Mention the author / quotation / idea
you are reacting to
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Student sample:
◦ When one is sick or suffering from a recent
break up, it makes sense to wish for a
world without pain and suffering. However,
in The Giver where such a world
exists, readers can see that a life without
pain is also a life without pleasure.
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Thesis statement/Claim –
What you will prove
Student Sample
◦ While people do not want to be
hurt or to suffer through conflict,
some pain is necessary for
humans to survive and thrive.
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Remember support or refute the idea only (not
the person, not the text).
You do not need to make references to the text
or passage (The Giver) in your body paragraphs
◦ (but it is okay to do so)
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All support or examples that you bring forward
to prove your position should come from your
knowledge, not from the passage or the text.
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Three body paragraphs = three examples
(minimum)
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References to contemporary events or history give
your essay a more worldly, scholarly feel.
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Choose details that have a more broad, universal
appeal to a diverse audience
STUDENT SAMPLE:
◦ As the old song goes, “All you need is love.”
◦ A study done in a foreign orphanage…
◦ Many people devote their lives to creating beautiful music or other art for
people to appreciate.
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Personal examples are totally acceptable
◦ You may use 1st person for these examples only.
◦ Return to third person for all other examples.
STUDENT SAMPLE
◦ On a more personal level, I appreciate my position on the
cheerleading squad much more because I did not make it in
seventh grade. ….If there had been no suffering, I do not think my
pleasure would be as great. In this case, maybe the conflict of not
making the squad has made the joy in being on the squad more
real.
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If you discuss an historical event, get the facts correct
Names always help (better than using “a person” or
“someone”)
Avoid stretching an example to fit or making up a
personal experience
Carefully use fictional characters/fictional text to prove
your point.
Brainstorm to find the BEST examples on the given topic
Use your “file cabinet” of knowledge
DO NOT MAKE UP “STUFF.”
Remember credibility is essential in a good argument.
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Remember to answer your opposition
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Student sample:
◦ Some may say that beauty in art or music or even
finding beauty in other people is not essential to
life. That argument is true.
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Come back with a response that strengthens
your logic and position
Student sample:
◦ However, if giving up the arts, music, and love is
needed to gain this life without pain, the answer is
not that simple. No one wants to suffer or to see
others suffer, but to live without those things that
make life worthwhile is not a good alternative
either.
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Restate your position on the topic
Leave the reader with a satisfying statement of
closure
◦ TIP: connect to the human condition
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Student Sample:
◦ Accepting pain and suffering as necessary evils of
humanity alongside the positive human traits of love and
compassion for others is a price most people are willing
to pay.
Apply what you have learned…
Your IN CLASS Essay will take place on Friday, January 24th