Essay 4: Argument Essay

To argue well is an act of imagination, not a picking of sides

 ---Bruce Ballenger

    For this assignment, you’ll inquire deeper into an issue you are invested in, investigate the topic through doing research, and then write an argument essay that works to persuade. So you’ll write an essay in which you assert and support a position on a complex issue, using all of the elements of academic argument (which we will be discussing in class but which will build upon the work we’ve done in other essays, too). 

This essay must be written in the third person only.

     As Ballenger says in The Curious Writer, “the best argument essays make a clear claim, but they do it by bowing respectfully to the complexity of the subject, examining it from a variety of perspectives, not just two opposing poles.  And you will come to appreciate that wonderful complexity by keeping an open mind” (273).The topic for this paper is subject to my approval, and again, we will talk about and generate topics in class.

     Your purpose in this essay is to persuade an educated audience that your position is reasonable and worth consideration. To do so, you must show that you know the opposing arguments and acknowledge their validity as well as provide authoritative evidence (ethos, pathos, logos) to support your position.  In general, address your argument to readers who have not yet made up their minds on the issue.  For the greatest possible audience interest, you should avoid huge topics that are too broad and overused (e.g. gun control, abortion, capital punishment, etc.) unless you can bring a fresh—and narrow—perspective to the subject.  Broad topics like that are very difficult to do well in so few pages. Topics of current or local interest are often good choices, as we’ll discuss.

    This paper will employ some of the methods used in Essay 2, where you draw upon outside sources and synthesize information on your topic, and you should also cite five sources here.  It will likely also employ some methods from Essay 1 in that you can incorporate your personal experiences to help solidify your position, and you may employ primary research as you did in Essay 3.  This essay also launches you into the work you’ll do in 20803 (Intermediate Composition: Writing as Argument).

Although we will discuss several argumentative forms, in this assignment we will use two primary argumentative forms: the definition argument and the proposal argument.

     Note: For this essay, we’ll be doing in-class workshops. Failure to submit a complete draft (including a draft of your Works Cited) in time for peers to read and comment and/or show up for class on the day your paper is workshopped can hamper your final grade for your Essay 4.

Final Draft: 5-7 typed pages, plus a works cited page. The paper will follow MLA citation format.

Minimum of 5 sources.

Due Dates: (include author’s notes and copies for workshop):

First Draft Due: Thursday, November 13.

Final Draft Due: Tuesday, November 18.