definition argumentative essay

Definition Argument Essay

For Paper 2, you will be constructing a Definition Argument, one of the Five Categories of Argument we will be covering this semester.  A Definition Argument is one that may be expressed by the formula X is/is not a member of category Y.  In this type of argument, you are simply trying to persuade the reader that something either does or does not deserve inclusion within a particular category.

This type of argument has two main parts: (1) the criteria*argument (which asks, "How do we define a Y?") and (2) the match argument (which asks, "How well does X fit that definition?"). 

[*The term criteria indicates a series of standards, requirements, or tests.]