“Give me liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties”

-John Milton

Argumentative Writing

Arguing in WritingOften, when having a verbal argument with

someone, it becomes heated and rationality and reason sometimes fly out the door (along with the person losing the argument).

When you are writing/constructing an academic argument, however, there is no room for emotional outbursts or loss of reason.

The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers states that “A written argument creates an atmosphere of reason, which encourages readers to examine their own views clearly and dispassionately” (Reid 510).

The Thesis of your ArgumentThe thesis is the most important part of an

argumentative essay. It MUST be a debatable claim.

Claims for Written Argument generally fall into one of three categories (as illustrated by Stephen Reid):

-Claims about Cause and Effect-Claims about Value-Claims about Solutions and Policies

CLAIMS ABOUT CAUSE AND EFFECTExamples:

-Testing in the schools improve the quality of education.-Secondhand smoke causes lung cancer.-Capital punishment does not deter crime.-Television has a negative effect on family life.

Sample Thesis: Excessive television watching is causing a decrease in familial bonding and family rituals that are important to parents and children alike.

CLAIMS ABOUT VALUEExamples:

-Boxing is a dehumanizing sport.-Internet pornography degrades a sense of human dignity.-College is a waste of time and money.-The availability of Welfare encourages laziness and large families.

Sample Thesis:While most sports showcase competition and skill, boxing presents two men resorting to physical beatings and baser animalistic instincts. Therefore, boxing should not be considered a sport.

Claims about Solutions or PoliciesExamples:

-Pornography on the Internet should be censored.-The penalty for drunk driving should be

mandatory jail time and loss of your driver’s license.

Sample Thesis: In this modern age, with the availability of cell phones and taxis, there is really no excuse for drunk driving. Due to this, stricter penalties about drunk driving should be enforced, including the revocation of driver’s licenses and mandatory jail time.

Journal Time! Choose one. NCAA football should have playoffs.Fraternities and sororities should be

forbidden to serve alcoholic beverages.Students should work for one year between

high school and college.Public universities should be free to all

eligible students.High school courses should be pass/fail only.Families should eat dinner together nearly

every night at the dinner table.