THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING Language Arts

HOW DO WE GET OTHERS TO ACCEPT OUR POINT OF VIEW? Appealing to their reason Using induction and deduction By appealing to their emotions By the appeal of our good character Using pathos, ethos, kairos, logos

APPEALING TO REASON The argument is an appeal to a person’s sense of reason: it is not a violent fight, dispute, or disagreement REMEMBER: there are always TWO sides to every issue Choose one side of an issue clearly If you are unsure of your own position, how can other people understand your position? Issue: Should my father stop smoking Position: Yes

DEDUCTION AND INDUCTION Begins with a general principle and draws a specific conclusion All people who smoke endanger their health (major principle) My father smokes (minor principle) Therefore, my father is endangering his health (conclusion) Ask yourself if it is a strong argument Induction Supports a general conclusion by examining specific facts or cases Example If I was to argue that my father was endangering his health, I might cite certain symptoms His teeth are yellowish and he’s lost a considerable amount of weight. He’s no longer able to cycle his 25km every morning. Whenever he exerts himself physically, he ends up coughing extremely hard.

APPEALING TO EMOTION The logical appeal is an extremely persuasive tool Human nature also lets us be influenced by our emotions One way of evoking emotion is to use vivid images Ex (to when my father smokes): “I remember when Grandma died from lung cancer. It was the first time I had ever seen you cry Dad. I remember that you made me promise not to start smoking. Use language and/or images that are emotionally charged Detail the pain of going through chemotherapy Use x-rays of the diseased lungs or photos of cancerous gums Be careful that you don’t use emotion to manipulate emotional fears Don’t use emotional appeals to get an automatic, knee-jerk reaction

APPEALING TO GOOD CHARACTER Ask yourself the following questions Are you a reasonable person? (Are you willing to listen, compromise, concede points?) Are you authoritative? (Are you experienced and/or knowledgeable in the field you are arguing?) Are you an ethical/moral person? (Is what you’re arguing for ethically sound/morally right?) Are you concerned for the well-being of your audience? (To what extent will you benefit as a result of arguing from your particular position?) The ethical appeal is based on the audience’s perception of the speaker; therefore, the audience must trust the speaker

ELEMENT OF A GOOD ARGUMENT Ensure that your evidence is convincing Identify any unfamiliar or uniquely used terms in argument Is the evidence sufficient in volume? Is there enough evidence to present a strong, indisputable case? Is the evidence trustworthy? Does it come from reliable, informed sources? Is the evidence verifiable? Can you corroborate it through other sources? Is the evidence factual, or does it rest solely on opinion?

APPEAL TO AUTHORITY When you are trying to determine whether someone is an authority, consider the following elements: Is your expert a current authority on the specific subject in question? Is your expert up-to-date on the most current procedures, statistics, test programs, etc? Is your expert viewed favorably by their peers? Is he/she respected in the field? Is your expert associated with reputable organizations? Is your expert as free of bias as possible?

HOW TO WRITE AN ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY Claim State your argument Example: Chocolate is not a healthy snack.

BIG NAMES Important people or experts can make arguments seem more convincing Example: Former US President George Bush thinks that junk food should be taken out of vending machines.

LOGOS Facts, numbers, and information can be very convincing. A Snickers bar only has 280 calories and 30 grams of sugar. Not very healthy, but very yummy 

PATHOS Getting people to feel happy, sad, or angry can help an argument Example: Your donation might just keep this puppy off the street and into a good home

ETHOS If people believe and trust in you, you’re more likely to persuade them Example: Believe me! I’ve been there before. I know exactly how you feel.

KAIROS Try to convince your audience this issue is so important that they must act now. Example: This is a one-time offer. You can’t get this price after today!

RESEARCH Using reliable research can help your argument seem convincing. Example: A recent study found that students need up to 9 hours of sleep a night to function at high levels.