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Now that you have read Chapter 1 and possibly understood the reasons why argumentation
is an important element in academics, it is time for you to learn to compose your own
arguments.
First of all, skim through the first chapter "Composing and Revising" (page
2-48) in A Writer's Handbook to get a quick overview of the
writing process, something you have already learned in English 101. Pay special
attention to Section C5 (page 37-48) which covers "Arguments" in a
nutshell. This section will help you ease into the second chapter of Elements
(from now on, we will be using this abbreviation) "Responding to Argument" (page
25). You read in the previous chapter the reasons why we need to learn argumentation:
it is because argumentative discourse is closest to logic, and our ability to follow an
argument and write an argumentative essay well stand as evidence of our literacy,
knowledge, and sharp critical thinking skills. Also, in the process of writing
argumentative essays, you will learn to analyze the issue at hand; make your own claim
authoritative and permanent; defend your claim; and become better thinkers.
Lecture
"Responding to Argument"
Chapter 2 (25)
Elements of Argument
Responding as a Critical Reader (page 25):
As the authors point out "a full understanding of an argument means more than
understanding the message. It also means evaluating, deciding whether the
message is successful and then determining how it succeeds and fails in persuading
us" (emphasis mine) (25). That means you need to
- develop a critical eye and try to understand the complexity of an argument and delve
into the different layers of the argument
- learn how experts write their arguments so you can emulate their style
- be an "active" reader rather than a "passive"
reader, by carrying on a silent dialogue with the author; approving something that the
author points out, especially if the idea or opinion meets your value system; or raising
objections when needed
The authors offer a few tips to being and active reader/recipient for
better comprehension (page 26-27):
- Highlighting, sparingly, the main points in your book; asking
questions about an author's opinion/ideas (remember you have the right to
criticize and question any opinion); sharing you own opinion of
what you read with your fellow classmates or others is always revealing of what people
think and why; annotating your thoughts in the margin of your text
is beneficial because your ideas while reading an essay will normally be spontaneous and
will help later.
- "Pay attention to the title--and the subtitle" because it
reveals either the direction the topic will take or it may reflect the author's attitude
on the subject.
- "Look for the main idea [thesis] and the structure of the . . . essay"
and create a mental outline of the main points of the essay for an overall understanding.
Mind you, the ideas could be complex in the way they are presented, so reading any
essay at least twice helps. Look for the thesis in the introduction or close to the
beginning of the essay. On the other hand, a thesis may be implicit rather than
explicit; therefore, a quick overview of the whole essay will be helpful before you begin
to probe more deeply.
- Besides these critical elements, there are other things you need to pay attention to
- the Topic sentences of each Body Paragraph--the statement that signifies the sub-point
being discussed in the paragraph
- the transitional words and phrases
Once you have mastered the art of active reading, you are now ready to respond to an
argument. Read the two sample essays, (a) "The Pursuit of Whining:
Affirmative Action circa 1776" (28) and "No-Win Situation" (32) to see how
the two essays have been analyzed, annotated, and summarized, the same things you need to
do every time you are asked to critically respond to another writer's work.
Organization, Support, and Style (page36):
Your organization of an argumentative essay will be very similar to the essays
you wrote in English 101.
(For a more detailed discussion on Organization, Support, and Style, please read
pages 343-349 in your text book.)
- An effective Introduction with (a) some background
information or hook or attention-grabber (b) your claim as the thesis statement
- Three or four Body Paragraphs where you will provide reasons
for the claim you are making with adequate supporting details/evidences. Each body
paragraph will begin with a topic sentence (with smooth transition from the previous
paragraph), supporting details which should be developed with specific examples,
illustrations, quotations and expert opinions from research, and a clear concluding
statement
- A Conclusion that will end the essay, repeating
and reinforcing some of the main points you made in your essay, only with different
wording, restating your thesis in a different way, and leaving the readers
with some additional thought on the issue. A conclusion brings a closure to your
thought process
- Your supporting details should be based on specific
information, not generalized ideas or thoughts. Specific details are taken from
- Your own life experiences or knowledge of the topic at hand: Let us say
that you are writing an essay on smoking, and you claim is that smoking is definitely
hazardous to health. You can use the evidences from your own life: your father may
have smoked and later in his life he developed a smoke-related illness, or if something
similar happened to your friends. All these examples would help in showing the
dangers related to smoking. The examples will also act as specific
details--real-life examples from your own experience/knowledge. In such situations,
using the first-person point of view I is
perfectly acceptable in a seminar paper. After all, you are expressing what
you know and your personal attitude towards the issue/topic at hand.
- Supporting details could also be drawn from expert opinion based on research,
so quoting--of course sparingly--from the works of authors in the text or from research on
your own--is one of the best ways to develop your argument.
- Other ways you can use supporting details is to use information from your personal
observation--TV programs, statistical information, movies, other courses you have
taken or are taking now, and specifically conversations with your class mates or friends
etc.
- To do a good job in using information from other sources, you need to master the MLA
(Modern Language Association) style of documentation. You should review (a) the Punctuation
chapter (pages 267-273) to learn about how to quote and (b) the MLA
Documentation chapter (pages 324-360) to learn about how to incorporate in-text
citations and works-cited formats in A Writer's Handbook.
- The Style of your writing is very personal. Do not try
to impress your readers by using a very sophisticated language or using too much
researched information. Be yourself and use a language you would normally use when
conversing with people you know. Of course slang, profanity, and colloquial
languages are avoided in writing unless they are used in a special sense.
Responding as a Critical Listener (page 37):
People say that we cannot be good writers of arguments until and unless we
develop critical listening skills. Critical listening skills require that you concentrate
and concentrate on the right issues, not on sensational and dramatic
information. You need to follow the logic behind an argument--why
is the speaker saying something. Try to weigh the pros and cons of what the speaker
is saying. Also, when listening to an argument, keep an open mind,
and not be prejudiced or biased. These methods are applicable to your listening
skills not only when you are watching a talk show or other programs on TV and radio, but
also when you are having a candid and open discussion with your class mates on a seminar
topic.
Oral arguments on TV programs like Crossfire, Firing Line, The McLaughline
Group, or Oprah Winfrey Show are good examples of oral arguments. You
can develop your listening skills by watching some of these shows and critically
evaluating the process of argumentation. Most of these programs deal with public
issues and concerns that most of us are either interested in or aware of. You may
also gather a great deal of information for your essays by listening to these arguments.
Read the text, pages 37-40, to learn how to develop your listening skills.
This is basically what you need to know in this chapter; however, please go
through the rest of the chapter to see what the chapter has to teach you in terms of
Responding to a Visual Argument, Responding to Advertisements, and Responding Online
(especially effective for this class)
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