What is argument?
If you look up the definition online, you will see that the word has TEN definitions. TEN. That's a lot, even for an English word. In our class, we will be using two:
Argument: a statement, reason or fact for or against a point; AND a process of reasoning; a series of reasons.
The reason for using these two definitions is they are most relevant to composing an academic argument. You will argue FOR or AGAINST something (your CLAIM) and you will offer a process of thinking, and/or a series of reasons as to WHY your claim stands up to scrutiny (searching examination and investigation).
Argument: a statement, reason or fact for or against a point; AND a process of reasoning; a series of reasons.
The reason for using these two definitions is they are most relevant to composing an academic argument. You will argue FOR or AGAINST something (your CLAIM) and you will offer a process of thinking, and/or a series of reasons as to WHY your claim stands up to scrutiny (searching examination and investigation).
Essence of Argument
Criteria for Argumentation
There are two parts to an argument:
1. THE CLAIM. This is where you state your position on the issue/topic in question, and provide RELEVANT, SUFFICIENT and SPECIFIC support. (For more information on relevant and specific support, please see the pages on this site about Argumentative Text) "That sounds like any essay," you say. It does, but argument has one very important factor that not all essays require: 2. REFUTATION OF THE COUNTERCLAIM. This is where you PROVE THE OPPOSING SIDE WRONG. This can be one paragraph or several, depending on the length and complexity of your particular argument. However, if you only talk about your own side, you are persuading, not arguing, and persuasion is a weaker and less academic skill. Also, employing persuasion instead of argument will do your grade no favors. |
Argumentative Structures
Another important factor of writing an argument is DECIDING ON AN ORDER in your text. Of course, you must have the standard introduction, body and conclusion for all essays, but in the argumentative essay, you must decide between:
A. Refute the Counterclaim First, then Present your Support; OR B. Present your Support first, then Refute the Counterclaim. There are advantages to either arrangement. A. Refutation first, then Support If you have a particularly strong refutation, something that you think is dramatic, shocking or shows an appalling weakness of the other side, it might help to get it out of the way, hit your reader with it first, just for the impact. Then, outline the reasons and evidence for your position. This technique was successfully used by Edmund Burke in his 1788 speech to the House of Lords upon conciliation with America, by Frederick Douglass in his 1852 Fourth of July speech to the citizens of Rochester, N.Y., by Eleanor Roosevelt in her 1948 December 9th speech to the United Nations, and by Albert Einstein in his television address on February 12, 1950 about Peace in the Atomic Age. They had very strong objections to the opposing position, and used it to great effect. B. Support First, then Refutation If the more important part of your argument is not how horribly wrong the other side is, but how logical and reasonable and sane your position is, then this is the way to go. Outline the overwhelming evidence of your very strong position, and then choose a weakness of the other side's position to underscore how illogical and unreasonable is the other side. This technique is found in Martin Luther King, Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech, Dwight D. Eisenhower's Farewell Address, and in John F. Kennedy's 1961 address to the United Nations about limiting nuclear testing. |
Be a Great Mind
Making an argument is not about winning. That bears repeating.
Making an argument is not about winning. When you are formulating an argument, your chief goal is to FIND A SOLUTION to the problem/conflict/issue you are making the argument about. You must not cheat with logical fallacies, and your opponent should be an IDEA you find faulty, NOT A PERSON you want to shame for disagreeing with you. That is not the point of ACADEMIC DISCOURSE, and will lead to making the world a worse place, even if it's just your little corner of it. Making things worse is not the point of education. So, avoid the following in your arguments: |