AP Language and Composition: Snell Building Your Own Argument

Argument, Def. 1: An emotional, verbal fight in which people become angry, bitter, or dissatisfied with the person that you are opposing. Argument, Def. 2: A stance taken in support of an issue that can be supported, verified, or upheld by others.

Support, Refute, or Qualify Support/Defend: You agree with the passage/quote/topic (Pro/Affirmative) Refute/Challenge: You disagree with the passage/quote/topic (Con/Negative) Qualify: You take an “on balance” perspective. Example: For the most part, this quote is true, but there are many flaws in its logic. Some students misunderstood "qualify"; for example, "Sontag is not qualified to talk about photography."

Evidence and Development Evidence is a piece of information that supports a claim Hard Facts Quotes Stats/Data Examples are types of evidence and come in the form Personal Experience Analogies Logical Hypotheticals Developing an argument means the argument needs to move forward You can’t just make one little point and assume you are developing it by adding six redundant examples

Organization: Introduction Make a RHETORICAL STRATEGY! Attention Getter Make an Appeal Include important context information State your Claim Preview how you will prove that claim

Organization: Body USE RHEORICAL DEVICES! Your main claim should be broken into smaller premises/main ideas/topic sentences. For each supporting paragraph: State your Supporting Claim Back it up with Evidence and Examples (Quote/Example Sandwiches) Make an impact…relate it back to your main claim through use of a sticky statement At some point, you need to acknowledge the other side

Organization: Conclusion Include a Call to Action Review your main points and overall claim Leave your audience with a lasting impression

Common Problems Not taking a clear position or wavering between positions Substituting an expository essay for an argumentative essay Being reluctant to engage in verbal combat because "everyone's entitled to his or her own opinion," so there's nothing to argue about Not being specific enough in your examples or being redundant. Trying to analyze the passages’ rhetorical strategies or speaker’s style instead of arguing a point Being too narrow-minded…not showing the reader that you understand the world that you live in.