English claim argument essay
Hedgehog18
TS6and7_Claims.pptxWriting is a series of (rhetorical) choices a writer makes. Choices should be made based on
the rhetorical situation—the medium / venue, the audience / audience expectations, and
a writer’s own goals / purposes—what they hope to achieve in / through their writing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCWxF7OeNvo (Tonouchi 1.20-2.19 or 3.25)
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MP4: Claim-Driven Argument
create an academic argument (with a narrow, original, arguable, important claim) that addresses one of the issues / topics we’ve discussed
bring together at least three (3) course texts
appropriately integrate at least five (5) direct quotes from any of the readings you use
Audience
Your audience consists of me, your peers, and other scholars that make up higher education.
You should consider the tone, language, organization, and evidence expectations this kind of audience might have, and consider the risks and possible rewards of either fulfilling (some of) those expectations or challenging (some of) them.
Writing Strategies for MP4
TS / IS Organization
Directed / Strategic Summary (TS)
An Argumentative Response (Claim-Driven / IS)
Textual Evidence to Support a Claim
Appropriate Quote Integration with an MLA style Works Cited Page
Close Reading (optional in the paper)
Personal Connection (optional)
Summary Fundamentals:
Accuracy
Faithfulness
Unbiased: believing game
Direction (strategic / focused / targeted toward an I Say)
Quote Integration (3 Parts):
Statement introducing the quote
The Quote
Explanation of / commentary on the quote (TS, IS 43)
“[Q]uoting what ‘they say’ must always be connected with what you say” (43 original emphasis).
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Quote Fundamentals
Accuracy
Author name should be spelled correctly each and every time it appears.
Direct quotes must be integrated as they appear in their original form.*
Clarity*
Alter direct quotes to add clarity.
Grammatical Integration*
Your sentence(s), regardless of the grammar of the direct quote, must be grammatically correct.
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Chapter Four of They Say, I Say
Three Common Ways of Responding in Academic Writing
Agreeing
Disagreeing
Agreeing and Disagreeing simultaneously (Okay, but)
All arguments
MP4: Claim-Driven Argument
create an academic argument (with a narrow, original, arguable, important claim) that addresses one of the issues / topics we’ve discussed
bring together at least three (3) course texts
appropriately integrate at least five (5) direct quotes from any of the readings you use
What is a claim?
is the main argument of an essay
defines your paper’s goals, direction, scope, and significance
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Claims must be
original (not obvious)
narrow (not general / overly broad)
arguable (not simply descriptive)
important (must answer the “so what” question)
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Part III: Developing a Claim (typed only; single-spaced okay)
Select ONE of you narrowed topics and:
Create a persuasive claim (at least 3-4 sentences) that is original, narrow, arguable, and important. Remember that this claim shouldn’t be obvious. Do not simply repeat a claim found in another text. What new thing are you going to bring to the topic?
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Possible Topics
Rebelliousness: positive / negative, necessary trait / necessary for certain communities?
How cultural minorities in the US use internalized negative stereotypes against their own community members.
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Possible Texts
Alexie: he was arrogant; he used his arrogance to learn, become literate and educated; he challenged negatives perception from within and outside his community
Anzaldúa: she rebels against standard English, standard Spanish, standard academic discourse; her tongue resists the dentist
King: views rudeness as necessary for being a writer; rudeness as necessary for writing truthfully
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Possible Texts = Claim? = They Say
Alexie: he was arrogant; he used his arrogance to learn, become literate and educated; he challenged negatives perception from within and outside his community
Anzaldúa: she rebels against standard English, standard Spanish, standard academic discourse; her tongue resists the dentist
King: views rudeness as necessary for being a writer; rudeness as necessary for writing truthfully
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Possible Claim =
What do you think about all of this?
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Part III: Developing a Claim (typed only; single-spaced okay)
Select ONE of you narrowed topics and:
Identify and explain a prevalent counter point of view, position, or argument.
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They Say, I Say Chapter Six
“no single device more quickly improves a piece of writing than planting a naysayer in the text” (79)
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They Say, I Say Chapter Six
What does “planting the naysayer” mean? What is a naysayer?
What is the purpose / function of planting the naysayer in your text? How does it enhance / improve a writer’s own position? In other words, why are they necessary?
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Naysayer (n)
one who denies, refuses, opposes, or is skeptical or cynical about something
In academic writing, the naysayer denies, opposes, or is skeptical about what? = your argument
Move to the exercise
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They Say, I Say Chapter Six
What does “planting the naysayer” mean? = include a counterargument
What is the purpose / function of planting the naysayer in your text? How does it enhance / improve a writer’s own position? In other words, why are they necessary?
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They Say, I Say Chapter Six
“[T]he more you give voice to your critics, the more you disarm those critics, especially if you go on to answer their objections in convincing ways. When you entertain a counterargument, you make a kind of preemptive strike, identifying problems with your argument before others can point them out for you” (79).
Move to the exercise
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Counterarguments
Two components
Counter: the position of the naysayer, skeptic, opposition, critic to your position
Response: how you address the counter (how you counter the counterargument)
Counter and Response
Counter:
What makes a good counterargument?
Where should a counterargument appear in an essay?
How long should a counterargument be / how much space in your paper should it take up?
Counter and Response
Response:
Do you always have to respond to a counterargument?
What are options for responding to a counterargument? How can you respond?
What should you do if you cannot answer your counterargument?
Yes, but; yes and no; concede some but still hold your ground
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Counter and Response
“[T]he goal of writing is not to keep proving that whatever you initially said is right, but to stretch the limits of your thinking. So if planting a strong naysayer in your text forces you to change your mind, that’s not a bad thing. Some would argue that that is what the academic world is all about” (90).
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Part III: Developing a Claim (typed only; single-spaced okay)
Select ONE of you narrowed topics and:
Finally, state why your claim is of interest / importance and to whom.
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They Say / I Say Chapter Seven
What is the difference between “who cares” and “so what”?
Why is it important to address the “who cares” and “so what” questions in your text? What do they add to your text?
Do you always need to address the “who cares” and “so what” questions?
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They Say / I Say Chapter Seven
“readers always need to know what is at stake in a text and why they should care” (92).
Who cares: “identify a person or group who cares about your claims”
So what: “the real-world applications and consequences of those claims” (93); “link your argument to some larger matter that readers already deem important” (97)
04 Only
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Part III: Developing a Claim (typed only; single-spaced okay)
Select ONE of you narrowed topics and:
Finally, state why your claim is of interest / importance and to whom.
What is it about this time and place that makes it significant?
Why does it matter?
To whom should it matter
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pidgin v Creole
pidgin = a contact language that develops as a means of communication between two or more groups that do not have a common language
creole = a pidgin / contact language that becomes the first language of a generation of speakers (the children of pidgin speakers)
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Pidgin v pidgin
pidgin = a contact language that develops as a means of communication between two or more groups that do not have a common language
Pidgin = Hawai’i Creole English (HCE); a creole spoken by a majority of Hawai’i locals in some capacity / in some circumstances
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