Argumentation andPersuasion

“Most of us know someone who enjoys a good argument”John Langan

Argumentative WritingReading and Writing I

Ivan Vasquez - Bryan MarínUniversity of Quíndio

Argumentative WritingPorpuse!

Most of us know someone who enjoys a good

Argument. Such a person usually challenges any

sweeping statement we might make. “Why do you say

that?” he or she will ask. “GIVE YOUR REASONS” our

questioner then listens carefully as we state our case,

waiting to see if we really do have solid evidence to

support our point of view. Such questioner may make us

feel uncomfortable, but we may also fell grateful to him

or her for helping us clarify our opinions.”

Your ability to advance sound and compelling

arguments is an important skill for everyday life. You

can use persuasion to make a point in a class

discussion, persuade a friend to lend you money, an

talk an employer into giving you a day off from work.

Learning about persuasion based on clear, logical

reasoning can also help you see through the

sometimes faulty arguments in advertisements,

newspapers articles, political speeches, and the other

persuasive appeals you see and hear every day.

In this section, you will be asked to argue a

position and defend it with a series of reasons. You

are in a general way doing the same thing-making a

point and then supporting it-with al the essays in the

book. The difference here is that, in a more direct

and formal manner, you will advance a point about

which you feel strongly and seek TO PERSUADE

John Langan

Structure of an ArgurmentativeEssay

According to John Legan in his book College Writning Skills, third edition, thiese are the following steps

to write an argumentative paper:

1. Take several minutes to think about the comments. Which one in partiular are you for or against-

and why?

2. On a sheet of paper , make up a brief outline of support for your position on one of the comments.

3. This initial thinking and outlining that you do is the key to preparing a solid paper. Your goal

should be to decide on a position for which you can provide the most convincing evidence.

The writer of the next model essay on computers was originally asked to take a position

For or against the use of computers in the classroom. After a good deal of thinking,

he came up with the following brief outline:

I am against the use of computers.Don´t help me plan a paper

Are complicated to use

� Take up teacher´s time

While he had not yet written his first drafft, he had alreay done the most

important work on paper.

4. Next, decide how you will develped each of your three supporting points.

Make up brief outlines of the three points. Here, for example, is what the author the computers

essay did:

Don’t help me plan a paper: Like to scribble.

Use margins.

Circle details on different pars of paper.

See whole thing at once.

Are complicated to use: Sign out software.

Get machine started.

Wait for help.

Type Slowly.

Take up teacher’s time: Helps students use computers.

Has less time for writing feedback.

Such preliminary work is vital: to do a good paper. You must think and plan and prewrite. In

addition to preparing brief outlines, you may also find that other prewriting techniques are useful.

You may, variously, want to freewrite, brainstorm, and make up lists .

5. Decide in what order you want to present your paragraphs. Often, emphatic order (in

which you end with the most important reason) is an effective way to organize an

argument, for the final reasonis the one your reader is most likely to remember.

6. Provide as mant convincing details as possible.

7. As you write, imagine that your audience is a jury that will ultimately believe or

disbelieve your argument. Have you presented a convincing case? Do you need

more details? If you were on the jury, would you be favorably impressed with this

Argument?

8. As you are working on the drafts of your paper, keep the four bases of unity, support

and, coherence, and sentence skills in mind.

9. Finally proofread the next-to-final draft of your paper for sentence-skills mistakes,

including spelling.

Structure of an ArgurmentativeEssay

Essay to consider Teenagers and Jobs

“The pressure for a teenager to work is great, and not just because of the economic plight inthe word today. Much of it is peer pressure to have a little bit of freedom and independence, and tohave their own spending money. The concern we have is when the part-time work becomes theprimary focus,” says Rozanne Bradshaw, educator and officer of the National Education Association.Many people argue that working can be a valuable experience for the young. However, working morethan about fifteen hours a week is harmful to adolescents because it reduces their involvement withschool, encourages a materialistic and expensive lifestyle, and increases the chance of havingproblems with drugs and alcohol.

Schoolwork and the benefits of extracurricular activities tend to go by the wayside whenadolescents work long hours. As more and more teens have filled the numerous part-time jobs offeredby fast-food restaurants and mall stores, teachers have faced increasing difficulties. They must bothkeep the attention of tired pupils and give homework to students who simply do not have time to doit. In addition, educators have noticed less involvement in the extracurricular events many considerhealthy influences on young people. School bands and athletic teams are losing players to work, andsport events are poorly attended by working students. Those teenagers who try to do it all - -homework, extracurricular activities, and work - - may find themselves exhausted and prone to illness.A recent newspaper story, for example, described a girl in Pennsylvania who came down withmononucleosis as a result of aiming for good grades, playing on two athletic teams, and working thirtyhours a week.

Another drawback of too much work is that it may promote materialism and an unrealisticlifestyle. Some parents say that work teaches adolescents the value of dollar. Undoubtedly, it can, andit’s true that some teenagers work to help out with the family budge or save for college. However,surveys have shown that the majority of working teens use their earnings to buy luxuries - - stereos,tape decks, clothing, even cars. These young people, some of whom earn $300 and more a month,don’t worry about spending wisely - - they can just about have it all. In many cases, experts point out,they are becoming accustomed to a lifestyle they won’t be able to afford several years down the road,when the will no longer have parents to pay for car insurance, food and lodging, and so on. At thatpoint, they’ll be hard pressed to pay necessities as well as luxuries.

Finally, teenagers who work a lot are more likely than others to get involved with alcohol anddrugs. Teens that put in long hours may seek a quick release from stress, just like the adults who needto drink a couple of martinis after a hard day of work. Stress is probably greater in our society todaythan it has been at any time in the past. Also, teens who have money are more likely, for variousobvious reasons, to get involved with drugs.

Teenagers can enjoy the benefits of work while avoiding its drawbacks simply by limiting theirwork hours during the school year. As is often the case, a moderate approach will be the most healthyand rewarding.

CITING

Refutation

Punctuation

Quotation Marks (“ “)The two main uses of quotation marks are:1. To set off the exact words of a speaker or writer2. To set off the titles of short words

QUOTATION MARKS TO SET OFF THE EXACT WORDS OF A SPEAKER OR WRITER.Use quotation marks when you want to show the exact words of a writer or speaker.Ben Franklin wrote, “Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut afterward.”Hint: Commas and periods at the end of a quote always go inside quotation marks.

QUOTATIO MARKS TO SET OFF THE TITLES OF SHORT WORKSTitle of short works is usually set off by quotation marks, while titles of long works are

underlined. Use quotation marks to set off the titles of such short works as articles in books,newspaper, or magazine; chapter in a book; short stories, poems and songs.Quotation marks:The article “The toxic tragedy”Underline: In the book who is Poisoning America?

OTHER USES OF QUITATION MARKS1. To set off the special words or phrases from the rest of the sentence.I have trouble telling the difference between “principal” and “principle”2. To mark off a quotation between a quotation. For this purpose, single quotes are used (‘’)Ben Franklin said, “The noblest question in the world is, ‘what may I do in it?’”

COLON ( : ) The colon is a mark of introduction use. Use the colon

at the end of a complete statement to do the following:

1. Introduce a list.

My little brother has three hobbies: playing computergames, racing his Hot Wheels cars all over the floor,and driving me crazy.

2. Introduce a long quotation.

3. Introduce an explanation

There are two ways to do this job: the easy way and theright way.

SEMICOLON ( ; ) The semicolon signals more of a pause than the com-ma alone but not quite the full pause of a period. Use sem-icolon to do the following:

1. Join two complete thoughts that are not already con-nected by joining a word such as and, but, for or so

The chemistry la blew up; professor Thomas was fired.

2. Join two complete thoughts that include a transitionalword such as however, otherwise, moreover, further-more, therefore or consequently.

I cut and raked the grass; moreover, I weeded the lawn

Sally finished typing the paper; however, she forgotbring it to class

3. Mark off items in a series when the items themselvescontain commas.

This fall I won’t have to work on Labor Day. September7; Veteran´s Day, November 11; or Thanksgiving Day,November 26.

PunctuationHYPHEN ( - )

Use hyphen in the following ways:

1. With the two or more words that act as single unitdescribing a noun.

A white-gloved waiter then put some snails ontheir table.

2. To divide a word at the end of a line of writing ortyping.

Al though it had begun to drizzle, the teams decid-ed to play the champion-

ship game that day.

PARENTHESIS ( ) Use parenthesis to do the following:

1. Set off extra or incidental information from therest of sentence.

The chapter on drugs in our textbook (pages 142-178) contains some frightening.

2. Enclose letters or numbers that signal items in se-ries.

Three steps to follows in previewing a textbookare (1) study the title, (2) read the first and lastparagraphs, and (3) study the headings and sub-headings.

DASH ( -- )A dash signals a degree of pause longer than a commabut not a complete as a period. Use the dash to set offwords for dramatic effect.I suggest – no, I insist -- that you stay for dinner.

CITINGThe main purpose of documentation (of citing sources

used in a research paper) is to give credit for ideas,information and actual phrasing that you borrow fromother writers. You cite sources inorder to be honest and to lend authority to your ownwriting. You also include citations to enable your read-ers to find more extensive information than your paperfurnishes, in case they become engrossed in your sub-ject and want to read some of your sources in full.

We are all troubled occasionally about when a citationis necessary. I can say with authority that you mustinclude a citation for:

1. All direct quotations

2. All indirect quotations

3. All major ideas that are not your own

4. All essential facts, information, and statistics that arenot general knowledge especially

anything controversial.

REFERRINGWhen referring to a case for the

first time, give its full name exact-ly as it appears in the report.

Subsequent references a casecan be referred to by a shortenedname, E.G. Murphy v brentwooddistrict council and can be re-ferred to as the murphy case. Ifyou give full details of the case inthe text, you do not need to re-peat the references

Examples:

1. Campbell v Mirror GroupNewspapers Ltd [2004] 2 all ER995

2. Rees v United Kingdom (1987)9 EHRR 56

Bibliography1. 1A Crash Course in composition – Mcmahan Elizabeth (1989,119)2. The Complete Guide to Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism – Neville Colin

(2010,132)3. Sentence Skills – Langan John (1998, 167-168, 189, 190)4. College writning skiills - Langan, John ( 203- 216)

Ivan darioVasquez FeijoBryan Marin

Universidad del Quindio2015-1