Argumentative essays
In an argumentative essay you give your own opinion and then try to convince
other people you are right with your reasons and examples. You can see
examples of the argumentative style of writing when you read editorial
columns and letters in the NST.
Before beginning to write an argumentative essay think about your own
opinion and ask yourself:
- Do you have a strong opinion?
- What have other people said on the subject and do you think they are
right?
- Is there any other evidence you can think of to support your views?
To write an argumentative essay, use the following steps to help you:
1. Begin by introducing the debate topic in your own words.
2. Then write if you agree or disagree with the argument
3. Tell people why you hold that opinion and come up with ideas and examples
to back up your arguments. Try to put these ideas in an order with the
most important ideas first and links between each idea so that the essay
flows well.
4. Think about why people might have a different opinion (objections)
and try to show why they are not important or they are not true.
5. Conclude with a brief summary and try to make a strong last sentence
that people will remember. For example Oprah Winfrey famously wrote,"
I believe the choice to be excellent begins with aligning your thoughts
and words with the intention to require more from yourself." The
rest of the article maybe forgotten, but that strong sentence is remembered.
Example - Hunger in the United States
One of the most disturbing and extraordinary aspects of life in this
very wealthy country is the persistence of hunger. The U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA) reports, based on a national U.S. Census Bureau
survey of households representative of the U.S. population, that in 2004
11.9 percent of all U.S. households were "food insecure" because
of lack of resources. Of the 13.5 million households that were food insecure,
4.4 million suffered from food insecurity that was so severe that USDA's
very conservative measure classified them as "hungry."
Source: http://www.frac.org/html/hunger_in_the_us/hunger_index.html
Resources on this Website
Handouts
Other Useful Pages
|
|