E N G L I S H 1 3 0 2 E S S A Y 2 : T H E A R G U M E N T A T I V E E S S A Y PURPOSE An argumentative essay is the writer’s attempt to convince readers to accept an alternate way of viewing or thinking about a topic or issue. The essay consists of a thesis (the main claim of the argument), various support strategies and appeals, and opposing viewpoints that the writer refutes and overcomes. “Defining Formal Argument,” Lesson 3, covers these aspects in depth. Essay 2 is designed to familiarize you with the basic form and structure of formal arguments. The most effective topics for your first formal argument will be focused, relevant, and meaningful. For this reason, you are encouraged to explore issues of a more immediate nature. Select a topic about which you have some familiarity and ensure that the topic is sufficiently narrow and focused. For Essay 2, you will construct an argument that defines a particular concept with the ultimate goal of revealing a new or unconventional way of viewing or thinking about your subject. In preparation, review “Introduction to PreWriting (Invention),”(https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/673/01/) and “Developing a Definition” (http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/composition/definition.htm) to see how to go about crafting an argument around a definition. Remember: “The goal is to draw clear boundaries—to argue for what a thing is and is not. As you consider possible topics, dig into common situations. Any situation, an everyday occurrence or a special event, can help us to rethink the very essence of things” (Inventing Arguments, 151). Consider the sample student essays assigned for this lesson: “The Fashion Punk Paradox” (https://www.homeworkmarket.com/sites/default/files/qx/15/11/04/11/the_fashion_punk_paradox .pdf) and “Justice” (http://eng101fall09.wikispaces.com/file/view/Definition%20- %20Student%20Sample%203.pdf). In “The Fashion Punk Paradox,” Hyde addressed unsettling definitions of the word punk. In “Justice” an anonymous student discusses problems with the contemporary definition of justice. The students’ approaches to argument differ, but they both grapple and take issue with definitions. Use one of the following starting points from Inventing Arguments (151-152) for your argument about a definition: • Focus on a specific situation or thing—and ask whether it falls within or outside of particular definition. o For example, consider your school and work spheres. Are you a college student in a traditional sense? At work, are you part of a team, or is it a team only in name? • Focus on a term—and argue for a specific definition. o For example, what is the most important debate currently waged in your community? o What definition is at the root of the debate? (Even though people might not label the debate as one about definitions, what word are they disagreeing about?) • Focus on an unstated definitional argument that lurks in a common practice. o For example, what common academic practices make subtle definitional arguments? o How does the standard or online classroom arrangement define education? How does a syllabus define education? • Focus on the visual. o For example, consider your school and work spheres. How does the appearance and design of a course textbook define college? Look for visual arguments about definitions where you work. Even landscaping or the interior of a building could be arguing a definition. ENGL1302 Essay 2 Instructions 2 Regardless of which starting point you use, you are essentially approaching a definition with a “magnifying glass,” revealing your subject’s deeper layers, meanings, and implications. LENGTH The final draft of this essay should be 750–1000 words, or 3–4 double-spaced pages (plus a Works Cited Page). ACADEMIC AUDIENCE Direct this essay to a diverse audience of classmates. Assume various ethnicities, ages, and backgrounds, and assume your readers are both curious and reasonably educated. SAMPLE STRUCTURE You should be able to follow your preliminary outline (Journal Writing 4) to create your overall structure for this essay. Here is one way to organize an argumentative essay: Introduction: In the initial draft, include your topic, your claim (or viewpoint) that you plan to defend, and a brief summary of your plan of presenting the evidence. Return to this introduction when you begin your revisions and rework it in terms of voice and interest. Body: Aim for 3-5 supporting points, and devote a separate body paragraph to each point. State each point as a way of creating a topic sentence for an evidence paragraph. Each evidence paragraph should have specific support by way of facts, statistics, examples, or other details. Because the topic is likely more immediate to you, you may use personal examples, but the bulk of your argument should rely on more objective support. Counterargument: After you present your defense, include a counterargument paragraph. Begin this paragraph with a clear transition that indicates an opposing viewpoint. For example, you could begin, “Critics disagree with the definition of _______ and feel that _______ is a more appropriate definition of the term.” The counterargument paragraph should clearly state the most reasonable counter position, but it may reference more than one opposing viewpoint. Explain the most compelling counterargument(s); then refute the opposition. Be fair and respectful to your audience, keeping in mind that you are trying to win over readers who don’t agree with you. Offending, insulting, or demeaning skeptical readers will not convince them to accept (or even consider) your viewpoint. Remember: “Be confident but not overbearing…readers nearly always tune out a harsh or insensitive voice, and they are less likely to be convinced by a wishy-washy one” (Inventing Arguments, 164). Use strong, reasonable details to overcome opposing viewpoints. Conclusion: The conclusion is an important summing up and review of your evidence and defense. Give your audience a satisfying sense of closure, and leave them with a solid sense of your integrity and your reasonable voice. ENGL1302 Essay 2 Instructions 3 ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS Your first formal argument requires limited research. You must use three reliable and authoritative sources, only one of which may be a dedicated website (you may use Web-based electronic journals and databases). These sources cannot include Wikipedia, as this interesting web encyclopedia does not control authorship and is therefore not recognized as a viable academic source. You may cite one of the assigned essays (“The Fashion Punk Paradox” or “Justice”) as one of your sources. Perhaps you would like to expand or take issue with one of the definitions provided in these essays. As always, regardless of what types of sources you select, you will need to evaluate your sources very carefully to ensure their relevance, reliability, and authenticity. When incorporating information from sources into your essay, use Modern Language Association (MLA) Documentation Style. This requires that a source be cited parenthetically within the essay at the point of use, unless it is already identified within the context of the sentence, and then listed as a source on a Works Cited page following the essay. Format both the working and final copies of your essay according to MLA Paper Format. Specific details about this format are included in Lessons 2 and 5 and also in the MLA Format folder under “Lessons – Assignments” from our eCampus course menu. When saving your essay file, be sure to save it as .doc or .docx. This step will allow the file to be opened by your instructor. Working Drafts of Essay 2 must be uploaded to the Instructor Review link in eCampus by the due date specified in the Class Outline in order to receive comments and feedback from your instructor. Revising an argumentative essay is especially challenging because you must carefully weigh your organization and content for accuracy and effectiveness, and you must consider your writing voice and how you come across in the working draft. This kind of revision requires sensitivity to the emotional quality of your language. You will need to tone down or eliminate emotionally charged words, phrases, or statements. Strive to achieve a reasonable, concerned, and fair-minded voice. This strategy will help you gain your academic audience’s confidence and credibility and trust in you as a writer. Grammatical inaccuracies and careless errors of spelling also undermine a reader’s trust, so your final draft of Essay 2, like any final copy of a multi-draft essay, must be scrupulously proofread.
