Everything’s an Argument

It’s time to argue for what you believe in. It’s time to make your voice heard.

Presentation Overview: ESSAYS1. Purpose: Claim/Thesis2. Development: FUNCTION of

Paragraphs3. Arrangement: SEQUENCING and

PLACEMENT of Paragraphs4. Style: Choices5. Will your voice truly be heard?

Purpose: Claim/Thesis

What’s the point?

All writing makes an ARGUMENT by way of its CLAIM

Examples Oreo cookies are better than hot chips. Beyonce’s voice is better than J Lo’s. No one should ever be seen wearing Crocs

shoes. High stakes testing is the death of learning. Technology makes people stupid.

Development: FUNCTION of paragraphs

Each paragraph of an essay has a FUNCTION.

In order to figure out the FUNCTION of a paragraph, ask yourself,

-What is the purpose of this paragraph?

-What is the author doing in this paragraph?

Development: FUNCTION of paragraphsWays Paragraphs Can FUNCTIONGrab reader’s attentionState claimAddress opposition/refute oppositionConcessionEstablish ethosAppeals to Pathos State Reasons or Examples (logos)

Writers state REASONS to support their claims. Writers give EXAMPLES to support their reasons.

Writer presents REASONS and EXAMPLES through PATTERNS OF DEVELOPMENT

PATTERNS of DEVELOPMENT

Development: FUNCTION of paragraphsWriters use PATTERNS of DEVELOPMENT to approach essay topics. They may

use just one, but typically, they rely on a mix of the patterns to establish their claim:

Narrative: tells a story or recounts a series of events. Compare/contrast: juxtaposes two things to highlight their similarities and

differences. Description: emphasizes the senses by describing how something looks,

sounds, smells, tastes, or feels. Definition: defining a term Division and classification:

Division: breaking of a larger whole into smaller parts Classification: categorization of objects into a larger whole

Process: involves giving directions or telling the reader how to do something.

Cause and Effect: analyzing the causes that lead to a certain effect or, conversely, the effects that result from a cause.

Arrangment: SEQUENCING/PLACEMENT of paragraphs When reading and writing arguments, it’s also

important to pay attention to HOW a writer develops his/her argument through sequencing.

When analyzing sequencing and the placement of paragraphs, ask yourself,

-How does the previous paragraph relate to the current paragraph?

-How does the following paragraph relate to the current paragraph?

-WHY does the author put this paragraph here?

Arrangement: SEQUENCING/PLACEMENT of paragraphsPlacement/Organization Strategies

Establish credibility early on Address opposition in the

beginning/middle/end State claim at the beginning/middle/end Start with the strongest reason or example Save the strongest example/reason for last Provide examples to support argument in the

body of the essay The most logical sequence of examples

STYLE: Choices

The choices writers make are RHETORICAL CHOICES Just as writers choose to include an

emotional or logical appeal, they choose how to present information and how to develop that information.

Everything in writing is a CHOICE: Words, syntax, even punctuation!

Activities

Small group discussions Large group discussions Journaling One analysis exam Two essays (writer’s choice) Vocabulary Quizzes (continued)

So what?

In the following weeks, we will be reading several small texts (essays, articles, etc.) Based on today’s presentation, what should you be thinking about as you read, question, prepare, and discuss the texts for class?

On a separate sheet of paper, answer the following:

Journal Entry #1: What are topics, issues, or ideas that you think are worth exploring in our class? What topics do YOU feel strongly about?

Argument Essay Revision Day Two In reading all of your essays, the

Language and Composition teachers came across a few repeated issues.

Today we will 1) address those issues 2) look at a few rubric points and make

sure you have the tools to incorporate them into your essay.

Your essays were full of good ideas, but they either sounded like a rant or they sounded like unfinished research papers. Let’s fix this. Let’s give your essays some structure.

Purpose: Define it. What is the purpose of your essay? What do

you want your readers to think/feel/do as a result of reading your words?

Think about our model essays: (The writer wants his readers to…)

1-understand that having a nemesis and archenemy are the key to a successful life.

2-understand that the author has the ability to alter public space based on the color of his skin.

3-consider public shame as an alternative penalty for a non-violent crime.

On the back of your rough draft, complete this statement: “I want my readers to…”

Speaking of readers…

Who is your audience? Think about “A Case for Torture.” It

was obvious Michael Levin was speaking to those people who thought torture should never be an acceptable act. How might you describe your intended audience?

Write you answer to this question on the back of your rough draft.

Attitude/Tone

Anyway, some of your essays are fine, but there is no “kick” to them. There is no feeling. They read like they are part of a textbook. Blah.

How do you feel about the subject you are writing about?

Answer this question on the back of your rough draft.

Tone/Attitude

Now, how will your DICTION support this tone/attitude?

Consider the examples below: “I constantly scan the sports section…”/”If you

were to perish, your archenemy would dance..”

“I ask you to face the question with an open mind.”

“I believe this attitude is unwise.” “Nighttime pedestrians/Night walker/late

night constitutionals” “My first victim was a woman…”

Let’s look at your diction…

Look back at your rough draft for 5 minutes. Think about your diction. Have the words you’ve chosen convey the right attitude? Should they be harsher? Should they be more blunt? Should they be softer or more politically correct (to appear more fair-minded?)

Tone/Attitude Another way to convey tone is through your

syntax. Consider the examples below: “Every woman also ahs a former friend (usually

someone from high school with large breasts) whom she has loathed for years (and whom she will continues to loath with the intensity of a thousand suns, even if she sees her only once every ten years). This is her archenemy.”

“If we allow due process—wait for his lawyer, arraign him—millions of people will die.”

“No one seems to stop and think that—no matter what environments they come from—most kids don’t put school first…”

Let’s look at your syntax….

Look back at your rough draft for 5 minutes. Think about your syntactic choices. Are all of your sentences simple? Complex? Can you find a good combination of the two? Or if you want to use all short sentences, then do they give you the effect you want?

Think about different punctuation choices you can make (hyphens, parentheses, semi-colons, colons….)

From the rubric:

Details are precise and used to deepen the writer’s argument and enhance the writer’s claim.

From “The Importance of Being Hated”: “I was sitting in the passenger seat of my menesis’s Buick Skylark when he punched me in 1992; I jacked his jaw at a keg part in ’94. These days I mostly read his blog, although we did have a pressure-packed lunch at the Fargo Olive Garden over Christmas.”

From the rubric:

Details are precise and used to deepen the writer’s argument and enhance the writer’s claim.

From “A Case for Torture”: “How can we tell 300, or 100, or 10 people who never asked to be put in danger, “I’m sorry, you’ll have to die in agony, we just couldn’t bring ourselves to...” (302).

From the rubric:

Details are precise and used to deepen the writer’s argument and enhance the writer’s claim.

From “Just Walk on By”: “To her, the youngish black man—a broad six feet two inches with a beard and billowing hair, both hands shoved into the pockets of a bulky military jacket—seemed menacingly close.”

From the rubric:

Paragraph arrangement is skillful with each paragraph connecting effortlessly to what becomes before and after it. Use of transitions and logical presentation of ideas enhances the impact of the writing.

From “The Importance of Being Hated”: “But greatness cannot be achieved in a vacuum, and great people know that.”

From the rubric: Paragraph arrangement is skillful with

each paragraph connecting effortlessly to what becomes before and after it. Use of transitions and logical presentation of ideas enhances the impact of the writing.

From “Shame is worth a Try”: “Who’s right?” “Nevertheless, courts and legislators have resisted alternative sanctions...” “At the same time, shame clearly doesn’t hurt as...” “Consider the case of a Florida mother...”

From the rubric:

Paragraph arrangement is skillful with each paragraph connecting effortlessly to what becomes before and after it. Use of transitions and logical presentation of ideas enhances the impact of the writing.

From “Just Walk on By”: “That was more than a decade ago....” “In that first year...” “As a boy...” Another time...” “Over the years...”

Other tips: Think about the effects of using first,

second, third persons. (I, you, he, she, it, we, they)

Think about the effect of conversational language. “Now, I know that you’re probably asking yourself, How do I know the difference between my nemesis and archenemy?”

Think about coming around full circle. “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” / “Granted, “they” usually don’t know what they’re talking about, but sometimes “they” get lucky, you know?