Writing effective arguments The Art of Argument Writing effective arguments

The parts of an argument Claim: the statement of the position you are arguing; your thesis Warrant: Your evidence to prove your claim is true Impact: Why your argument matters and how it impacts those affected by the argument

Identify the claim, warrant, and impact in the following argument: “The American flag stands for more than our power and our interests. Our founders dedicated this country to the cause of human dignity, the rights of every person and the possibilities of every life. This conviction leads us into the world to help the afflicted, and defend the peace, and confound the designs of evil men.” President George W. Bush, State of the Union address 2003

Types of warrants to use: Aristotle believed there were three forms of proof or warrants: Pathos: appeals to personal feelings such as fear, pity, and anger Ethos: audiences respond to the speaker’s competence, character, goodwill, and dynamism and the credibility of the evidence Logos: appeals to reason and logic using statistics, facts, and scientific evidence Scholars today believe that there is one final element to the proof: Mythos: appeals to the traditions and values of your culture, legends, and folktales

Identify the types of warrants used in this example: “The American flag stands for more than our power and our interests. Our founders dedicated this country to the cause of human dignity, the rights of every person and the possibilities of every life. This conviction leads us into the world to help the afflicted, and defend the peace, and confound the designs of evil men.” President George W. Bush, State of the Union address 2003

PATHOS This kind of appeal can be very effective if it’s not over-done, especially if your topic is an emotional one. Because your audience has emotions & intellect, your argument must seek to engage the audience emotionally. However, using emotional appeal alone is not as effective as when it is used in conjunction with logical and/or ethical appeals Think pathos=passion

A Successful pathos warrant includes: The BEST way to incorporate pathos (or emotional) appeals is by using words that carry appropriate connotations. Denotation refers to the dictionary definition of a word. Connotation on the other hand refers to words that carry secondary meanings, undertones, and implications. For example, if you were to ask a woman how she'd like to be described from the following list of words, what do you think her answer would be? skinny thin scrawny malnourished

ETHOS This appeal involves convincing your audience that you are intelligent and can be trusted. Writers cannot simply say to their audience "I can be trusted because I'm smart and a good person." This appeal is perhaps the most difficult to establish; you have to prove yourself by demonstrating that you understand what you are arguing. Think ethos=ethics

A successful ethos warrant includes: personal experience or know someone else who has personal experience, you are using support when applicable, back up with research you are using appropriate writing style by means of professional and strong words that carry appropriate connotations (ex. thin vs. skinny, uninformed vs. stupid, etc) AND you are treating your audience with respect by acknowledging other sides to the argument (but still staying strong to yours)

LOGOS You appeal to logic when you rely on your audience’s intelligence and when you offer credible evidence to support your argument. Think logos=logic

A successful Logos warrant includes: FACTS- These are valuable because they are not debatable; they represent the truth EXAMPLES- These include events or circumstances that your audience can relate to their life PRECEDENTS- These are specific examples (historical and personal) from the past AUTHORITY- The authority must be timely (not out-dated), and it must be qualified to judge the topic REASONING - when you pick apart evidence or add pieces to the evidence to reach conclusions

Shakespeare & Anti-Semitism Argument From the evidence in The Merchant of Venice, do you believe that Shakespeare was anti-Semitic? Write your one page argument using textual evidence from the play and by following the claim/warrant/impact structure.