Responding to an Argument paper
Responding to an Argument
For this assignment, you will write an essay arguing against a source.
BEFORE WRITING (RESPONSE POINTS)
1. Identify the writer’s topic. This is (usually) a question to be answered.
2. Identify the writer’s thesis. This is (usually) an answer to the topic question.
3. Identify the writer’s intention, audience, and tone. Why was this article written? Who was it written for?
4. Identify the writer’s main points of contention. How would you respond to these points?
5. What kinds of evidence does he/she use to support his/her points? Are there any logical fallacies at work? Bias?
6. Find the common context(s) or basic principle(s) upon which you and your opponent AGREE.
7. THIS IS MOST IMPORTANT: Determine your alternative response/solution to your opponent’s argument! Remember: if you simply disprove (or disapprove of) each of your opponent’s points without offering any answers of your own, then you will find yourself engaged in a schoolyard shouting match (“Is so!” “Is not!” “Is SO!” “Is NOT!”) instead of well-reasoned argumentation!
DURING WRITING
1. Your paper should have a clear, specific thesis statement! The thesis statement is the core of your paper! Without this solid core, your paper will collapse in upon itself for lack of a point.
2. You must present your opponent’s viewpoints and explain how your views defeat them. You may use quotes from the articles to accurately represent your rival’s opinions, but NO MORE THAN FIVE (5) PERCENT OF YOUR PAPER SHOULD BE QUOTED MATERIAL.
3. Be specific! Your audience isn’t going to be persuaded by flimsy arguments like “Because I say so.” Make sure you have a solid theory behind your reasoning.
4. Consider your method of organization! Make sure your audience can clearly see your line of reasoning. If your presentation is random or haphazard, you and your argument’s credibility will be SEVERELY damaged! Try creating an outline of your essay’s structure—it really does help!
AFTER WRITING
1. Go back over your essay and make sure you have effectively proven your thesis statement. Does every paragraph work to prove your claim? Is there any information that seems irrelevant? Have you accurately represented the opposing side? Have you thoroughly responded to their points? Have you ACCURATELY CITED ALL YOUR SOURCE MATERIAL?
2. Check for grammatical, spelling, and punctuation mistakes. Have you eliminated all run-on sentences (G6) and sentence fragments (G5)? There is NO EXCUSE for having misspelled words in a college essay. Spell-check is universal these days— use it! But also be aware of misusing words—using “form” instead of “from”, “seams” instead of “seems”, et cetera. Spell-check won’t pick up these mistakes, so reread your paper carefully!
3. Check out your style of writing. Notice your tone, your choice of words, how you describe your argument. Could you explain something more clearly? Do you find yourself using the same words to state the same ideas over and over? If you were reading this essay for the first time, would you find it interesting? Read your essay out loud to yourself; in hearing your own words read aloud, you can often find places where your prose could be made brighter and/or clearer.
4. Have someone else read your paper. Don’t go to your mother—she likes everything you write. Choose someone who will be brutally honest with you. Often an outside reader will catch mistakes the writer will gloss over. This is a VERY effective proofreading technique, and I can’t recommend it highly enough!
Format: Double-spaced block in the upper left-hand corner as follows:
Name
Assignment name (e.g. “Formal Writing Assignment Draft 1”)
Class and class time
Professor’s name
Date
Length: 3-5 pages, double-spaced, one-inch margins, in Times New Roman 12-point font.
Structure:
1. Your paper should have a title!
2. You should include the “traditional” essay standards: introduction, body, and conclusion.
3. Include an identifiable thesis statement describing your position.
4. Identify at least three main points of disagreement and address each in your essay.
5. The conclusion should effectively tie your analysis to your thesis statement.
6. You should include a Works Cited page with MLA bibliographical citations for each source you use. YOU SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST ONE (1) CITATION!
YOUR Audience: You are speaking to a group of educated adults who have read the essay to which you are responding, but aren’t entirely sure whether or not they agree with the author’s position. Your job is to convince them that the author is mistaken in his/her conclusions. Remember: logos (logic) and ethos (ethics) will sway these readers FAR more than pathos (emotion)!
Also, these adults believe that grammatical errors and mistakes in spelling or punctuation seriously damage an author’s credibility, so please proofread your papers to catch any misspellings, misused words, run-on sentences or sentence fragments.