How to Write an Argument Essay (Essay 4)

For Essay 4, you will read several articles that discuss a current debate in education. You will then use at least two of these articles to write an argument essay on your chosen topic.

Resources

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Remember that taking a stand on an issue does not mean that you must be completely on one side or the other. You can take a modified stance, which means that you are arguing for/against only under specific circumstances.

 Before You Draft the Essay

  •  Choose an appropriate topic.
    • You should understand the topic and be interested in it.

    • Choose a topic on which you can take a definite stand. This is not a pro-con paper.

    • Can you write a 700+ word essay on the topic?

  • Prewrite for both sides.

    • Pick out the strongest arguments for both sides.

    • Once you've decided on your own position, think of how you would respond to one of the arguments from the other side.

  

How Do I Write an Argument Essay? 

For argument essays, it's often best to explain the writing process by discussing the structure of the essay.

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 Introduction

  • Overall Purpose: The introduction is where you should discuss the background of the issue and let the reader know your position. Explain what the reader needs to know in order to understand why a controversy exists and why it's important.

  • First Sentence: Start with an attention-getter sentence (the "hook"). There are many methods for grabbing your reader's attention, but for research-based argument papers, it's often useful to bring in some of your research that establishes the importance of your topic. 

  • Middle Sentences: Move from the attention-getter into an actual overview of the topic. Explain the overall controversy.

  • Thesis: The last sentence of your introduction should clearly state your position on the issue.
    • Example: Cursive writing should no longer be taught as a required subject in school. 

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Body Paragraphs
Develop your essay by using a combination of reason, facts, and appropriate emotional appeals.

Using outside material is most useful and convincing for the argument essay. Statistics, quotes from experts, and facts from research lend your argument credibility.

Other than outside material, the most persuasive evidence includes factual examples (personal, from friends or family, or from common knowledge), hypothetical examples (such as what might happen if the opposition should prevail), and logic. (You can use all of these kinds of evidence together.)

By logic, I mean a careful explanation of how your reasons lead to your stance on an issue. For example, imagine that you are writing a paper arguing that all college essays should be written under the supervision of an instructor. One of your reasons might be that supervision decreases the likelihood of cheating. In the body paragraph discussing this reason, you would need to explain how supervision decreases cheating. You might explain that supervision means that the instructor will be able to watch the student write, that the student can ask the instructor for help, technicians could set up blocks on the computers to prevent downloading prewritten essays, etc. All of these explanations help the reader see how supervision might create a fairer environment for all students.

  • Overall Purpose: The body paragraphs should provide the reasons and evidence to back up your position (the thesis statement)

  • Topic Sentences: Each body paragraph should begin with a sentence that states a specific reason for your position.
    • Example: The time spent on learning cursive writing could instead be used to teach computer skills. 

  • Middle Sentences (Details): After the topic sentence, present your evidence and analysis. This is where you will introduce the information from your articles and explain why it proves your point.
    • For Essay 4, you must include 2-4 quotations from 2 or more articles. At least two quotes must appear in the body paragraphs.

    • Do not begin or end your body paragraphs with quotations or paraphrases.

    • Always offer a lead-in, correct punctuation, and a citation. 
      • Example: Steve Graham, an Arizona State University education-leadership professor and expert in how children learn handwriting, explains that "before computers were commonplace, adults valued cursive because they could write it faster than they could print. Today, e-mails, text messages and documents created in systems like Microsoft Word take the place of handwritten pages . . ." (qtd. in Creno). 

    • Always follow your quotations with analysis. Explain why this quotation helps to prove your point.

  • Transition Sentence: The last sentence of each body paragraph should transition into the next paragraph.

  • Rebuttal Paragraph: For one of your body paragraphs, you must write a rebuttal paragraph. A rebuttal is an argument that takes on one of your opposition's points and explains why it is wrong or how to fix the problem. Please see the Download Example Outline with Rebuttal by Jeanne Cook for more examples.
    • Start the paragraph by describing the other side's point. Clearly show that this description represents the other side's ideas, not yours. This is not a pro-con paper!
      • Example: Those who support teaching cursive believe that it helps improve children's thinking skills.

      • You might choose to quote someone on the other side to show his/her reasoning.
        Example: Texas A&M University neuroscientist William Klemm argues, "Cursive writing, compared to printing, is even more beneficial because the movement tasks are more demanding, the letters are less stereotypical, and the visual-recognition requirements create a broader repertoire of letter representation" (qtd. in Creno). 

    • After you describe the other side's argument, explain why that idea is weak or wrong, or you can explain how to address the problem.
      • Example: However, not all experts agree with Klemm. [Offer some evidence from an article to rebut the claim.]
      • Example: Even if cursive writing does promote thinking skills, [offer your rebuttal here.]

Conclusion

  • Remind readers of your overall point, but do not repeat any part of your thesis word-for-word.

  • Try to connect your essay to the larger picture. I usually suggest:
    • Tell readers what will happen if the controversy is resolved as you would like. OR Tell readers what will happen if the controversy is not resolved as you would like.
    • Reflect on the significance of the controversy. Why should your readers care about it?

Works Cited Page

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