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

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

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?

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.

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?

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.)

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.

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

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

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

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

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