 Who, being loved, is poor? –Oscar Wilde |
Good evening. I hope you are well.
The goal of argument, most often, is to convince others that they should change their minds about some issue. Barack Obama, in trying to pass health care reform, sought to convince Congress and the American people that health care reform was in the best interests of citizens and the nation. In his speeches on the issue he compared numbers, best estimates of current and future costs under the current system, to the savings and proposed benefits of reform measures; he cited examples of citizens neglected or underserved by the current system and the kinds of coverage that would be available after reform. He argued that reform, for a number of sound reasons, economic and ethical, is necessary to the health of the nation. To “win” he had to convince others by providing reasons so compelling they agreed with his position.
Today we will review your summaries of the article titled "Can One Die of Not Drinking," by Jeremy Singer-Vine, published July 28, 2011, at Slate (http://www.slate.com/id/2300346/) and the report due next week on a local place or event that we discussed last week. We will follow with an essay built upon your response to recent events widely reported. Some documentation will be required as the work builds on the requirements of the short research work.
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Yet another goal of argument is to decide or explore rather than to convince others of the rightness of a position. Before making an informed decision or taking a position, we need an adequate acquaintance with a subject or issue and the various perspectives in which it can be seen. Writing that presents information and perspectives to help people to understand an issue, without presuming to have answers, or any easy ones, is another goal of argument. Looking at the facts, asking questions, comparing perspectives, the writer prepares us to see the dimensions of a given problem or issue.
The thesis of an argument should be an arguable claim, one that tries to convince readers of something or perhaps to do something, or explore a topic so that readers are in a position to make an informed decision. The thesis may address an issue that has no ready or absolute answer, not one readily verified by resort to factual report, but one that readers might realistically take different perspectives on.
Argument or fact?
*Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
* Van Gogh’s work is that of a madman.
* Plastic bags are polluting the seas.
*Consumers must reduce their carbon footprint.
*The average temperature of the earth has risen over the last century.
*Glaciers are melting at a rate unprecedented in modern times.
The argument is to be built around an arguable claim, that is one about which reasonable people could reasonably disagree. It should be supported with reference to your readings, expert or authoritative findings, factual support and logical analysis. First-person experience and appeals to common sense and human values count, too.
Consider the following thesis: The use of plastics worldwide must come under closer scrutiny and regulation.
Readers may now want to know why, and how the issue affects them and, indeed, if there is anything they might do to help resolve the issue. Your sources provide background information, demonstrate your knowledge of the topic, provide authoritative support and perspective, and show the range of perspectives possible, in fairness to differing opinions.
Readers may now want to know why, and how the issue affects them and, indeed, if there is anything they might do to help resolve the issue. Your sources provide background information, demonstrate your knowledge of the topic, provide authoritative support and perspective, and show the range of perspectives possible, in fairness to differing opinions.
Our ideas, whether commonly held or no, are rooted in traditional areas of study reflecting the history of human thought, values, attitudes, and tastes, and conduct. These study areas include philosophy, religion, nature, aesthetics, science, ethics, education, etcetera. Our most closely held beliefs and attitudes reflect very often our unexamined ideas about the nature of love, faith, trust, loss, betrayal, goodness and evil, freedom, sanctity, the very meaning of life. Whether we focus on Washington and the shenanigans that make the nightly news, bioengineering, Facebook, legal injustices, or the most recent individual or "hero" making a positive difference in the world, our beliefs, associated ideas, and feelings define us as human beings. In choosing a research topic you will tap into some subject about which you feel strongly and have clear enough knowledge to put across a cogent argument or position, as supported also by fact and opinion gathered from your reading of available literature.
*Select material for quotation on the following bases:
1) the wording is particularly memorable, to the point, and not easily paraphrased
2) it expresses an author’s or expert’s direct opinion that you want to emphasize
3) it provides example of the range of perspective
4) it provides a constrasting or opposing view
You must soon begin to explore a subject or idea, begin finding and reading material relevant to whatever line of inquiry you intend. Week 10 you will have due a 1000-word length essay in which you put across a claim, your thesis, made persuasive and credible by virtue of supporting facts, expert opinion, testimonials, logical inquiry, and whatever emotional appeals you make to the reader's values.
Today's class work is intended to get you started. It requires you read from recent publications and then select a subject of particular interest for written discussion.
Summary/Response or Roundup Assignment (#4): In 450-500 words, address a subject garnering a good deal of news reporting and commentary. Use today's New York Times and other sources to both summarize, synthesize and respond briefly to the subject reported. Introduce by title, author, and source publication two to three articles for this exercise. Provide commentary and an overarching thematic link between the articles you have chosen. This is an informal piece in which you must discuss what is being reported, facts, highlights, interesting commentary or arguments, visual documents, and why the story is of interest. Include an alphabetical listing of the works discussed, in the MLA format displayed at the OWL writing site (the link is here, at this blog's link list).
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