1. AP English Language and Composition
The Argument Essay
AP English Language and Composition

2. Notes from MHR Writing Powerful Arguments
Take a stand/Claim – sell your view or position
Consider:
What exactly is your goal? Your stand?
Who is your audience?
What is your attitude? Tone?
Do you develop and organize grounds (evidence)? See models

3. Are you setting up a “three bowler”?
Have you scrutinized your own position?
Did you consider warrants? How does evidence connect to thesis (claim)? Friendly vs. hostile audience
Do you acknowledge and refute opposing viewpoints? Counter arguments
Do you avoid unfair emotional appeals and logical fallacies?

4. The Argument Prompt
You will be given a statement, excerpt, quotation, or anecdote and you will be asked to either:
defend, challenge, or qualify the assertion.
support, oppose, or qualify the assertion.
agree with, disagree with, or qualify the assertion.

5. Argument Prompt continued…
What does it mean to qualify an assertion?
Agree with some and disagree with other parts of the text
Legality of Abortion – yes or no? Under what conditions?

6. How do you argue a point? Present the issue/situation/problem.
State your assertion/claim/thesis.
Support your claim with facts, details, personal experience, and examples to name a few.
Acknowledge and respond to real or possible opposing views.
Make your final comment or summary of the evidence.
Use ethos, pathos, logos.
Avoid logical fallacies.

7. Modes of Argument Ethos Pathos Logos Ethical…based on character
Emotional…based on an emotional appeal
Logos
Logical…based on reason and evidence

8. Ethos Establishing your credibility as an author
Citing people with authority to support your argument

9. Pathos Be careful not to rely solely on appeal to emotion.
It will weaken your argument.
However, used carefully it can be very powerful.
Be sure the emotion contributes to not detracts from the argument.

10. Logos Facts or statistics Personal experience Authority
Values (can be tricky if you evoke a value your reader doesn’t share)

11. Patterns of Logic Inductive reasoning Deductive reasoning
Drawing conclusions based on evidence
Deductive reasoning
Begins with a basic truth and proceeds (The Declaration of Independence is a good example.)

12. Deductive reasoning Premise The Syllogism
The truth, right, or belief from which a writer deduces an argument.
The Syllogism
A three-part argument in which the conclusion rests on two premises.
Major premise: All people have hearts.
Minor premise: John is a person.
Conclusion: Therefore, John has a heart.

13. Logical Fallacies Non-sequitir Hasty generalization
Conclusion that “does not follow” from the premise.
Hasty generalization
Draws a conclusion about an entire group based on insufficient evidence.
Post hoc: attributing false causes
Cites an unrelated event that occurred earlier as the cause of a current situation

14. More Logical Fallacies
Begging the question
The assertion/premise really remains to be proven.
Circular Reasoning
Restates the premise rather than giving a reason for holding the premise

15. More Logical Fallacies
Equivocating
Uses vague or ambiguous language to mislead an audience
Ignoring the question
Changing the subject
Jumping to conclusions
Conclusion has not been adequately supported by the evidence
Straw Man
Exaggerating opponents views or only responding to an extreme view

16. Yes…More Logical Fallacies
Presenting a false dilemma
Posing only two choices without looking at other alternatives
Slippery slope
Censoring pornography will end freedom of the press.
Red Herring
Throwing in a side issue to distract
Attributing guilt by association
Politicians use this.
Ad hominem: attacking the character of opponents

17. More Logical Fallacies
Appealing to pity
Should never stand alone
Appealing to prejudice
Seen as an attempt to distract the reader
Appealing to tradition
Especially if tradition is the justification for a position
Arguing by analogy
Can be used wrong; need to be careful