Introduction
What is an argumentative essay? Bechtel & Luckhardt (1994) defines an argumentative essay as an essay that contains logical arguments, and the goal of which, is to convince or influence the readers to believe in a certain view (p. 61). The guiding frame is that composers of this essay write to argue in a fantastically logical manner. You do not merely make use of evidences in arguing your point. Rather, you employ logic hand in hand with evidences in arguing your point.
Just how exactly am I going to write my argumentative essay? You must be asking yourself this very question by now. Argumentative essays are indeed done with painstaking effort. This paper is going to offer you some helpful pointers that would alleviate your suffering in writing argumentative essays.
Tip # 1: Know your topic.
Make sure you know fully well what is your topic, and what are you going to argue about your topic. Likewise, you have to investigate on the various angles of the subject at hand. In doing so, you are able to scan and distinguish the strong and/or weak arguments. These are all essential in the brainstorming process.
Tip # 2: Recognize your audience.
Apart from knowing your topic, it is of equal worth for you to know your audience as well. Why so? According to Bechtel & Luckhardt (1994), although you have produced valid arguments and eventually valid conclusion, you are still restricted by the fact that you “can only show people that a conclusion is true if they already accept the truth of the premises with which you start”. The result of which is that “you can only convince someone through logic to accept a conclusion not already accepted if that person already agrees with you on some premises” (p. 62). This only goes to show that your written piece’s truth or validity rests not only on its logical structure, but also on its audience’s beliefs and values. By recognizing the nature of your audience, you will be able to grasp an idea of how to deploy your arguments in such a way that they will agree with you while you maintain the logical nature of your essay at the same time.
Tip # 3: Organize your thoughts.
You do not need to be a philosopher in order to think logically. You simply just have to organize your thoughts. That’s it. Write down your thesis statements, or your main points in your argumentative essay. The next activity is for you sincerely organize it. How? According to De La Paz (2001), you can logically structure your essay by equating it to a map. In a map, one location leads you to another (p. 234). Therefore, it is important that you end your paragraphs with yielding transitional statements. You have to establish connection between your paragraphs.
Tip # 4: Decide on your argumentative essay’s style.
Gillet (2006) prescribes two ways by which you can present your arguments in an argumentative essay. The first option is to present them in a balanced view wherein, you open your readers to both views on the subject at hand that are at odds against each other. The following serves as an illustration of this option:
What function does Moralism and Structuralism serve? According to Wilson (1961), Moralism has the aim of maintaining the instituted order of society (p.82). On the other hand, Structuralism, according to Levi-Strauss (1969) specifically seeks to “prove that there is a kind of logic in tangible qualities, and to demonstrate the operation of that logic and reveal its laws” (cited in Lett 1987, p. 101). Moralism is directed toward an orderly society by the preservation of its institutions. Structuralism wants to discover the logical order of structures in the society that is embedded in the human psyche. Thus, the principles behind Moralism and Structuralism do not share the same end-goals.
In the above paragraph, it argues that Moralism and Structuralism do not stand in the same ground. In doing so, the writer has discussed the end-goals of the two philosophical thoughts, and eventually concludes that they are philosophically different from each other.
The second option is to present them in accordance with your own view or stand (Gillet 2006). You persuade your audience to take a similar stand with you. The succeeding paragraph is an illustration:
John Stuart Mill said, “The creed which accepts as the foundation of morals, Utility, or the Greatest Happiness Principle, holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness” (qtd in Crisp 95). Individuals are rational enough to realize whether an event will be favorable or unfavorable to their positions. The pleasure or the pain behind abortion justifies its act. Consider the case being the parents are in a state in which having a baby puts them in a disadvantage position in the course of time. Thus, there is no greatest good if they will not abort the baby. In the end, the event will just bring them pain, and not pleasure. I therefore conclude that abortion, being a vehicle to attain the desired pleasure or obstruct pain, is considered a moral act.
The writer in the above paragraph is arguing her/his stand that abortion is a moral deed.
Tip # 5: Determine the “assumed premises” behind your topic.
What would make your arguments effective enough is when you are able to determine the “assumed premises” behind your topic, which is a necessary task for you to accomplish. Assumed premises serve as the “stopping points“ that writers should transcend, because these are reflections of our audience’s guiding principles (Bechtel & Luckhardt 1994, p. 63). This is quite related with the second tip – know your audience. You have to think of the common sense notions or commonly held societal mental frames so that your arguments will appeal to your readers. According to Braden (n.d.), you can use a premise although it is not a universal one, so long as it is extensively possesses by your audience. This does not mean however that you are going to include these assumed premises in your arguments. You just need to be aware of them because they are functional in the deployment of your arguments.
Tip # 6: Formulate your conclusion.
After a series of brainstorming process, finally you are about to write your argumentative essay. Whether you like or dislike Philosophy, you have to understand that you have to utilize one of its features in composing an argumentative essay, i.e. Logic. The first step is for you to formulate your conclusion. Conclusion here implies the general thesis statement, or the thesis statement that states the central idea of your essay at large, and not the conclusion part of the essay. Strictly speaking, you need to identify your conclusion, as it is the heart of your argumentative essay.
According to Bechtel & Luckhardt (1994) you have to ensure that everything you state is sufficient to and always point or lead to your conclusion, and for this reason, your most important undertaking is the foundation of your conclusion (p. 61 – 62). In other words, these authors are saying that argumentative essay writers compose by way of deductive reasoning. From a general statement (conclusion), writers boil it down to specific ones (inferences or premises). On the other hand, Kies (2006) suggests that you can also do so by means of inductive reasoning. You explicate first your premises and inferences. Then in the end, you arrive at your conclusion.
There is no hard and fast rule in using these two in argumentative essays. Either way, both are accepted. The prerogative is all yours in deciding which type of reasoning to use. What is important is that your conclusion is clear enough in this essay. These are the common conclusion indicator words: thus, therefore, so, for this reason, so we see that, implies that, hence, as a result, consequently, etc. (Bechtel & Luckhardt 1994, p. 15). The subsequent tips to follow are about to discuss the formulation of your premises or inferences, which consist the body of your argumentative essay.
Tip # 7: Produce good arguments.
Just how exactly will one be able to produce good arguments in her/his argumentative essay? Because the purpose of this informative essay is to alleviate your suffering in writing argumentative essays, it is not going to dwell strictly within the realm of Logic in Philosophy. In coming up with a good argument, you should ask yourself this question: “how well the reasons (or premises) actually support the truth of their conclusions?” (Bechtel & Luckhardt 1994, p. 17). This is the key question that you should constantly ask in laying down your arguments.
Take a peek at these succeeding lines to illustrate this tip. The conclusion goes:
“Australian feminists have succeeded in their struggle for gender equality.”
Specific reasons (or supporting arguments) for this conclusion are the following:
1) There is an increasing participation of women in policy-making in the Australian Parliament.
2) Gender Equity Policy is being implemented in Australian schools in which, it legitimizes the equal treatment of boys and girls as they progress in school.
3) The National Health Women Policy is a policy that takes heed of the needs and demands of women in the delivery of health care and services.
4) The Affirmative Action Act is a policy that provides equal opportunities for women not only in the work place, but also in every organization.
5) The policy entitled Early Childhood Education and Care enables women to devote more of their time in public domain, like the males, as it hands childcare in the hands of public and private institutions.
Can we consider the above reasons or supporting thesis statements as valid arguments, thereby making the conclusion valid? Let’s go back to the question that will test whether the argument produced is a good one. Bechtel & Luckhardt (1994) asks, “how well the reasons actually support the truth of their conclusions?” The very first argument state that more and more women are positioned in the policy-making body of Australian government. Arguments 2 to 5 are about policies, which are being implemented in Australian society, and eventually engender equality or equity between males and females. These arguments support very well the conclusion, thereby making it a valid one.
Tip # 8: Consider the appeals of your premises.
Before starting the discussion on premises, be mindful of the following premise indicator words: because (of), granted that, assuming that, supposing that, as is shown by, inasmuch as, is clear from, follows from, as we know from, etc. (Bechtel & Luckhardt 1994, p. 15). Using these words is functional for the readers. They are directed to the flow of your discussion in your essay. The succeeding paragraph is now about to continue the discussion of this tip.
Braden (n.d.) asserts that a good argumentative paper is one that makes use of appeals to emotion, audience and reason, but places a premium on appeal to reason. She suggests that appeal to emotion should serve as only a teaser to the readers, which are placed in the introduction and/or conclusion sections of the essay. Furthermore, according to Guilford (2006), emotional appeals should be constrained in its use because they are in reality “counterproductive”. With regard to appeal to audience, this has been elaborated mostly in the second tip, and partly in the fifth tip.
According to Guilford (2006), with regard to appeal to reason, “informal reasoning requires clearly linking your general claims with concrete, specific data”. You might be wondering why “informal” and not “formal” has been used. This is because the latter is believed to be employed at most in scientific endeavors – experiments or investigations. In this case, writing, informal reasoning is believed to be more appropriate, especially if the topic is not about scientific projects. In essence, the author is saying that reason is based on empirically grounded findings. Consider the example in the eighth tip. It has made use of accounts – policies that are realized in that society, which demonstrated the truth of the formulated conclusion.
Tip # 9: Choose your sources.
In compliance with the aforementioned appeal to reason, you should therefore choose your sources. Pick out ones that will indeed reveal truth behind your arguments and/or conclusion(s). Opt for materials that are scholarly produced. Scholarly produced materials are usually derived from empirical events, which have been eventually theorized on by thinkers. Logic is exact as science is. Thus, your reference materials should have undergone systematic or scientific methods to make your essay credible enough.
Tip # 10: Make the best of your conclusion.
According to De La Paz (2001), “Good endings provide resolution to the essay by restating the premise or summing up the writer's beliefs” (p. 234). This section of your essay is significant because it serves as the synopsis of everything that you have argued in it. Likewise, it serves as your final appeal to your audience in making your arguments and conclusion to be true and/or valid. Braden (n.d.) suggests that you can make use of emotional appeal. This can be a good course of action after making your audience endure your argumentative essay’s body, while at the same time highlighting your main points. You have to leave a striking remark among your audience.
Persuasive or Argumentative Essays
After providing tips in making your argumentative essays a piece of cake for you, there has been perhaps one significant question that ran through your mind. Is an argumentative essay different from a persuasive essay? There seems to be a subtle difference between the two. While both actually aim to convince the essay’s target audience to believe a certain position, the difference rests in the argumentative essay being strictly bound by logical and/or valid arguments as well as conclusion in persuading the readers. Although composers of persuasive essays may make use of this, they are not really restricted by this because their very goal is to persuade the audience.
Conclusion
There are 10 tips in writing an argumentative essay. 1) Know your topic. 2) Recognize your audience. 3) Organize your thoughts. 4) Decide on your argumentative essay’s style. 5) Determine the “assumed premises” behind your topic. 6) Formulate your conclusion. 7) Produce good arguments. 8) Consider the appeals of your premises. 9) Choose your sources. 10) Make the best of your conclusion. Argumentative essays place a premium on validating its conclusion, through good arguments.
References:
Books:
Bechtel, W & Luckhardt, CG 1994, How to Do Things with Logic. Lawrence
Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale, NJ.
Internet:
Organizing the Answer: Andy Gillet; 2006; Using English for Academic Purposes:
A Guide for Students in Higher Education; viewed July 18, 2006;
Qualities of a Good Argumentative Essay: Nina Lee Braden; 2006; Handouts and
Study Aids for the English Students of Nina Lee Braden; viewed July 18,
2006,
Three Argumentative Appeals: Reason, Ethics, Emotion: Chuck Guilford;
Paradigm Online Writing Assistant; viewed July 18, 2006,
Using Logic in Composition: Daniel Kies; 2006; The Hypertext Books; viewed
July 18, 2006;
Journal:
De La Paz, S 2001, ‘STOP and DARE: A Persuasive Writing Strategy’,
Intervention in School & Clinic, vol. 36, no. 4, p.234.
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