Achala Argument PPT

Chapter 16
Argument: Convincing Others

What is Argument?
 Argument is a process during which you explore an issue

fully, considering different perspectives, assumptions,
reasons, and evidence to reach your own informed position
 When you argue, your try to convince your audience to
accept your claims regarding an issue using evidence and
relying on warrants
 An argument paper, grounded on structured, logical
evidence, attempts to convince the reader to accept an
opinion, take some action, or do both
Example: Condom availability in high schools
Purpose of Argument
 To support a previously established

decision or course of action.
Example: Ban on Campus Smoking
 To persuade the audience to see your
point of view or take action.
Example: Global Warming
 To establish some common ground.
Example: Pros and cons of two
movies and choosing one
Class Discussion
 List two debatable current issues

 Why are they so contentious?
Topics that are not arguable
 Personal preference or
taste
Example: Oranges
are better than apples.
 Simple facts
Example: Are whales
mammals? Was Barack
Obama elected
president of the United
States in 2009?
Presenting an argument
 Argument represents an opportunity to think things
through, to gradually come to some conclusions, and,
then, in stages, begin to draft your position with the
support you have discovered
 Successful arguments rest on a solid foundation of rational
solid, logical support
 Many arguments include emotion because it can play an
important part in swaying reader opinion
 Writers often make ethical appeals by projecting favorable
images of themselves
Presenting an argument
Arguments can be presented using

three ways:
 The Emotional Appeal
 The Ethical Appeal
 The Rational Appeal
a) The Emotional Appeal
 Appeal to the heart/emotions of the audience.
For Example: Homeless people should be sheltered and attended with
health programs. Many homeless people are on the streets because
of mental illness or other health conditions that prevent them from
joining the work force. Our government should fund programs
that provide these people with a decent home environment and
medical treatment. Without these programs, we are going to see
homeless people daily lingering on street corners, with hungry
faces and shabby clothing, shivering in cold rain or dehydrated by
the burning sun.
Class Discussion: What statements in the paragraph

appeal to the emotions of the reader?
b) The Ethical Appeal
 Ethics refers to the value systems
in a society.
 Involves being fair and offering
no personal attacks.
 Involves appealing to morality of
the reader/audience. In other
words stating what is morally
wrong and what is morally right
allowing the audience to see the
morally right thing to do to
correct the issue that the writer is
talking about.
 The writer must come across as
pleasant, fair-minded and decent,
in order to gain reader support.
Example of Ethical Appeal
For Example: Martin Luther King addressing his opponents in his “Letter from Birmingham
Jail”:
If I have said anything in this letter that overstate the truth and indicates
an unreasonable impatience, I beg you to forgive me. If I have said anything
that understates the truth and indicates my having a patience that allows me
to settle for anything less than brotherhood, I beg God to forgive me.
I hope this letter finds you strong in faith. I also hope that circumstances
will soon make it possible for me to meet each of you, not as an integrationist
or a civil-rights leader, but as fellow clergyman and Christian brother. Let us
all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the
deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities,
and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood
will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.
Class Discussion: What ethical arguments does Martin Luther present in the extract of his
speech given above?
c) The Rational Appeal
 Used in academic writing.
 Uses logic and reasoning to convince the reader to see your
point of view as valid or plausible.
Example: Evolution vs Creation
 Uses established truths or facts or EVIDENCE to support the
argument thesis.
Example: Dinosaur bones found in Egypt in the year
2001 show that dinosaurs existed in Africa.
Class Discussion: The Rational Appeal
We should not legalize drugs because drugs are

dangerous to our health. If we legalize drugs, the easy access
would encourage more people to take drugs, and as a result, we
would have more people with health problems. As it stands
now, an estimated 30 million Americans have used cocaine,
and some 5 million use it regularly. Because of the increase in
cocaine abuse, greater numbers of emergency-room visits,
cocaine-related heart problems, and sudden deaths have been
reported. If we make drugs legal, we won’t be surprised to hear
that more strokes, heart attacks, and sudden cardiac deaths
occur in the near future.
What kind of evidence is presented in the argument provided?

What is the Argument Essay?
 An argument essay presents the writer’s position
on a certain issue, usually a controversial one.
The purpose of the argument essay is to convince
the reader that the writer’s opinion on the issue is
valid whereas the opponent’s opinion is not.
Parts of the Argument Essay
 The Issue
 The Claim
 The Evidence
 The Warrant
a) The Issue
 This is the main issue

or topic of concern
For Example:
Drunk Driving,
Abortion, Morality,
Marijuana Use
b) The Claim
 This is the essay thesis http://righttruth.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451c49a69e20105369

cf0ce970c-320wi
 It is whereby the writer stakes a position in the topic

to develop an argument – for or against
For example:
ISSUE/TOPIC: The Texas State Lottery
OPINION: should be abolished
MAIN POINTS: because it is unfair to the poor
and gives minimal odds of winning.
c) Evidence
 Established truths/facts
 Opinions of authorities
- a recognized expert in some field
- indicate the expert’s credentials to your reader
 Primary source information
 Statistical findings
- should be reliable source
 Personal experience
For Example: child abuse
Evaluation of Evidence
 How credible are the sources?

 How much confirming evidence is there?
 How much contradictory evidence is there?
 How well does my evidence support my
claim?
 What does the evidence actually allow me to
conclude?
d) The Warrant
 The Warrant - is the logical connection between a claim

and a supporting fact. The writer needs to explain how and
why a particular piece of evidence is good support for a
specific claim.
For Example: If argument paper states that evolution is a
hoax then evidence should support the writer’s point of
view.
Supporting Fact
Claim /Evidence
Drafting an Argument
 Choose a topic/issue – Definition topic issue
 Brainstorm and narrow down the topic for the
essay
 Draft a claim
 Determine purpose and audience
 Research the topic
 Start collecting evidence
 Note the details to cite your sources
Drafting the Argument
Select an issue.
Example:
Topic: Abortion
Narrowed down topic: Partial-Birth Abortion
Introduction
 Use an attention getting hook

 Provide a thesis statement that names the
issue and indicates which position the writer
will take.
 Provide a creative title.
Example: Licence to Kill
Introduction
 State thesis/claim.
Example: Partial birth abortion should be
made illegal because of the inhumane
treatment of the unborn infants.
- if your issue involves unfamiliar terms,
define the terms.
Ex. Partial birth abortion
Introduction
 Silence equals death.
 WORLDWIDE
 Number of abortions per year:
Approximately 42 Million
Number of abortions per day:
Approximately 115,000
Body of the Essay
 Establish some common ground

– start out by recognizing the
values of the reader.
We are in the 21st century. Everyone is busy with gaining education,

pursuing a career, and being successful. We have planned our futures, set
our goals, and we are ready to reach for the stars. Our days are scheduled
and we need to make an appointment to go out and have fun with friends.
The world seems to spin faster, there isn’t enough hours in a day.
Body of the essay
 Reasons and evidence
(can be large number
of paragraphs)
1. We have no right to take a life.
 UNITED STATES
 Number of abortions per year: 1.37 Million (1996)
Number of abortions per day: Approximately 3,700
- a person who kills 5 people will be in death row. How
come people who kill 1.37 million babies a year roam free
in society?
Body of the Essay
2. Every child deserves a

chance to live.
 At week five, your baby is 1/17 of an inch long — about the size of the
tip of a pen.
 This week, your baby's heart and circulatory system are taking shape.
Your baby's blood vessels will complete a circuit, and his or her heart
will begin to beat. Although you won't be able to hear it yet, the motion
of your baby's beating heart may be detected with an ultrasound exam.
Body of the Essay
3. Adults should be ready to
claim responsibility for their actions.
Awareness about the risk of having unsafe intimacy and
consequences to their choice of lifestyle.
4. Give up the child for adoption -Childless couples
can adopt babies and give them a good home.
They are willing to wait 2 years and spend a lot of money – the baby
can have a better life . Financial burdens should not be a reason for
abortion
Body of the Essay
 Objections or questions
and answers to both
1. What if the woman was raped?
Why women have abortions
1% of all abortions occur because of rape or incest; 6% of abortions
occur because of potential health problems regarding either the mother
or child, and 93% of all abortions occur for social reasons (i.e. the child
is unwanted or inconvenient).
Conclusion
 Restate your position
 Summarize your main points

Every child has a right to live. Every woman had the right to choose what
she wants to do with her life and with her pregnancy. But does she realize
that the decision she makes means life or death for her own baby?
 Predict the consequences if your position does or does not prevail

Where will the world be if we start killing everyone who is in our way in
life?
 Make an emotional appeal for support or action
 Conclude in a manner that will sway the reader to your side.
Where would you be if your parents choose to abort?

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Chapter 16

Argument: Convincing Others

 Argument is a process during which you explore an issue

 To support a previously established

 List two debatable current issues

Arguments can be presented using

Class Discussion: What statements in the paragraph

We should not legalize drugs because drugs are

What kind of evidence is presented in the argument provided?

 This is the main issue

 This is the essay thesis http://righttruth.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451c49a69e20105369

 It is whereby the writer stakes a position in the topic

 How credible are the sources?

 The Warrant - is the logical connection between a claim

 Use an attention getting hook

 Silence equals death.

 Establish some common ground

We are in the 21st century. Everyone is busy with gaining education,

1. We have no right to take a life.

2. Every child deserves a

 Restate your position

 Summarize your main points

 Predict the consequences if your position does or does not prevail

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