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Organizing Your Argument

The introduction

Introduce the topic by giving background information. It is important that the reader understand the issue to be argued. Define any terms that are unclear. If you were going to argue against virtual reality, you would first have to define virtual reality very clearly before taking your stand.

 

The Thesis Statement in an argument essay is different from those in other types of essays. In the argument essay thesis, you have to be persuasive and take a stand or choose a side on an issue. Look back at the thesis statement of the student essay.

 

►Body Paragraphs

The body paragraphs give reasons for your opinion and support them with evidence or facts. Each body paragraph relates back to a point of the argument stated in your thesis. The body paragraphs should be ordered so that the strongest reason is the last.

A characteristic of the argument essay is that you must recognize the opposing view and prove it wrong, or refute it, This means that you start with one of your opponent's viewpoints and prove that it is wrong by your superior reasons. Generally, the refutation occurs in the last body paragraph. Look back at the student essay on "Traps of the Information Age" to see how the student refutes the opposing argument.

 

Read the following argument about spending on the space program, then read the sample refutation.

 

Argument

It's about time our government stopped wasteful spending on trips to outer space and started concentrating on our needs here on earth. While billions of dollars are being spent launching telescopes that don't work, space probes that don't reach their destinations, and manned flights that circle around the planet a few times, millions of people are dying from illness and starvation, are hopeless refugees living under horrible conditions in camps, or are innocent victims of ethnic slaughter and civil war. We need to spend money on education and medical research, on rebuilding and replenishing, and on finding a lasting solution to peace here on planet Earth.

 

Refutation

While it is true that the space program is costly, it is well worth the money spent. Yes, we have important needs here on Earth, but the space program also contributes to those needs. Satellites allow ships and planes to travel safely. Communication satellites bring information, and therefore education, to the farthest reaches of the planet. It's true that the Hubble telescope didn't perform up to design, but it has nevertheless provided scientists with invaluable information about our stars and planets. One space probe didn't reach its destination but others are on their way, performing gallantly as messengers from space. Furthermore, important medical and scientific experiments are performed on board manned flights. Finally, we cannot deny the human need for exploration that will one day see us populating Mars and other planets, and allow us to see life, and the need for peace, in a new perspective.

 




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Exercise 3 | Outlining | Exercise 1 | А. Organise your ideas. | Look at the following subjects and categories. Identify the principle of classification being used. | Exercise 3 | Exercise 1 | Exercise 2 | VII. Cause and Effect Essay | Exercise 2 |


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