The Argumentative

Essay
An Introduction to
Argumentation
What is Argumentation?
It is a reasoned, logical way of
asserting the soundness of a
position, belief, or conclusion.
It takes a standsupported by
evidenceand urges people to
share the writers perspective
and insights.
 The Purposes of
Argumentation
1. To convince other people to accept
or at least accept the validity of
your position
2. To defend your position, even if
others cannot be convinced to agree
3. To question or refute a position you
believe to be misguided, untrue, or
dangerous without necessarily
offering an alternative
 Elements of the
Argumentative Essay
has a PURPOSE
has a STRONG CLAIM
has a SENSE OF AUDIENCE
APPEALS to the audience
ACKNOWLEDGES and REFUTES
the OPPOSITION
provides STRONG EVIDENCE
 Sense of Purpose
What do you want to accomplish
in your essay?
Do you want to prove or disprove
a particular point of view?
What do you want readers to do
when theyve finished reading
your piece?
 Strong Claim

Argumentative writing takes a

stand.
It requires that the writer
make a claim.
This claim comes in the essay
as a strong thesis
Clear Sense of Audience
In argumentative writing, it is
best to assume that you are
writing for an educated and
neutral audience.
They may not be hostile to your
claim(s), but they need to be
convinced.
 Appealing to Your
Audience
A good argument APPEALS to
the reader.
Remember: You want your
reader to agree with your
position.
Argumentation is PERSUASIVE.
 Three Levels of Appeal
Logical Appeals
All books from the bookstore are used.
These books are from bookstore.
Therefore, these books are used.

Emotional Appeals (appealing to readers

feelings)
Social/Ethical Appeals (appealing to
readers sense of right and wrong)
 Logical
An appeal to the readers mind and
sense of reason.
This is the most commonly used
appeal in argumentative essays.
We want our readers to trust our
opinions because they trust not only
our evidence but our interpretations
of it.
 Emotional
An appeal to the readers emotions.

Use this type of appeal most sparingly

and be especially careful to avoid
using an unfair appeal.

When writers employ inappropriate

emotional appealsto prejudice or fear
for exampleto influence readers,
they destroy their own credibility and
authority.
 Beware the EMOTIONAL
Appeal!
The emotional appeal is the weakest.
Why?
Writers with little concrete support for
their claims often try to use fear tactics or
exploit readers insecurities.
Educated readers will see this
manipulation.
An emotional appeal always makes your
argument ineffective because educated
readers question your credibility.
 The Opposition
An argumentative essay needs
to consider the opposition.

OPPOSITION = the OPPOSITE

point of view
 Acknowledging the
Opposition

A rhetorical strategy whereby a

writer acknowledges the points of
view of those that do not agree with
him or her in order to refute
(disprove) that position.
This is an important feature of
argumentation.
 Refuting the Opposition
After you acknowledge the
opposition, you must REFUTE the
oppositions ideas.
This is called REFUTATION.
The refutation needs to be part of the
pattern of argumentation.
Types of Evidence
 Factual

Example: Stephen Harper is Canadas

prime minister.
The most commonly used type of evidence
May be taken from your own experience
but primarily drawn from research and
reading.
Facts are more convincing when
supplemented by opinions, or
interpretations of facts.
 Authoritative (expert
testimony)
Not all opinions are equal.
The opinions of experts are more
convincing that are those of
individuals with no specialized
knowledge.
In the end, what is important is not
just the quality of evidence but also
the credibility of the person offering it.
Personal / Anecdotal

You use your first-hand

experience.
Can be weak evidence unless
the experience is directly
related to the argument.
Example: Many students pass
Level 5, so Level 5 is easy.
 Statistics
Excellent support if the statistics are from
RELIABLE
sources

Statistics are usually the result of research

by EXPERTS.

Read the research carefully. Make sure the

research is broad enough to support the
conclusions.

Check the credentials of the researchers or

organization.
Evaluating Evidence
 Criteria for Evaluating
Evidence

Before you use any evidence, you

need to ask questions about the
information.
If the evidence does not meet the
criteria, it will not provide good
support for your argument.
Is this evidence RELEVANT?
Evidence should support the
essays thesis or claim and be
pertinent to the argument
being made.
Is this evidence
REPRESENTATIVE?
Evidence should represent the
full range of opinions about the
subject and not just one side or
the other.
You want a balanced and
convincing discussion.
 Is this evidence
SUFFICIENT?
There should be enough
evidence to support the claim(s).

The amount of evidence required

depends upon the length of your
paper, your audience, and the
nature of your thesis.
Is this evidence ACCURATE?
Data shouldnt be used unless
it is accurate and up-to-date,
and it cant be persuasive
unless the audience believes
in the writers credibility.