Debate and Argumentative Writing

Argumentative Paragraphs
Year 9 Debating Alice Cooper Argue the Point
In the following paragraph, the author addresses whether or not Alice Cooper is a serious musician. Alice Cooper is a serious musician who has chosen to play the villain of the rock music industry. The decision was made in the early 1970s, when real life was far more innocent than it is today, and the Beatles were the heroes of rocknroll. Alice Cooper is a shock rock musician who reacted against the peace and love music of the 1970s. He believes that rocknroll music should be theatrical and he offers a brand new version of the burlesque. Alice Cooper became the Captain Hook character of the rock industry or the Joker, not Batman. His image is glamorous, but sick. It is based on the Bette Davis character from the horror movie What Happened to Baby Jane? However, in the 1990s context, his villain fantasy is not as shocking as it was in the 1970s because the real suffering in the world is more shocking. Regardless of how people perceive him, it is clear that any artist who maintains his image through the decades takes his career seriously.

Activity 1. Can you find the following parts of a paragraph? a) Strong topic sentence b) Concluding sentence which reinforces the thesis c) Focus/Topic of the contention mentioned early in the paragraph d) Simple sentences used for clear writing e) Complex sentences used for sophistication f) Key words being repeated in the paragraph 2. Complete the following sentence by choosing one of the endings. The main purpose of this paragraph is to: a) Discuss the issue of whether or not Alice Cooper is a serious musician. b) Organize the writers argument in a clear and well structured way. c) Explain why Alice Cooper is a serious musician. 3. Use the annotated paragraph on Alice Cooper and then practice writing a well structured and well expressed discussion paragraph on one of the following topics: a. b. c. d. The rock group ____________ (insert your choice) deserve to be successful. Mozart is marvelous. Classical music is better than pop music. The pop rock music culture corrupts todays youth.