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This is the second article in a two-part series. Make sure
you’ve read “Preparing
to Write the Argument Essay” before this, or it
won’t make much sense.
In the previous article, we talked about preparatory steps
for writing the Argument essay. Once you’ve found
three big assumptions, and have some specific examples in
mind that you can use to criticize those assumptions, you’re
ready to begin writing. The nice thing about the Argument
essay is that it’s a much narrower, more constrained
essay than the Issue essay. So the writing part will match
up nicely with a predetermined structure. It’s like
writing with a template.
Introduction
The introduction must accomplish two things. It must establish
what argument you’re responding to, so that the reader
knows what the essay is about, and it must establish your
point of view, so that the reader knows where you stand.
As discussed in the first article, your point of view is
a given: you’re going to say that the argument is
terrible. So the rest of the introduction is just a paraphrase
of the argument itself. Here is a basic template for the
introduction.
The argument concludes [paraphrase conclusion]. This conclusion
is based on the premises [paraphrase premises]. The argument
is logically flawed, however, because it depends on numerous
assumptions for which no evidence has been given.
This simple structure is all you need for an introduction.
You can certainly make it fancier if you wish, but a basic
version will do perfectly well. Obviously, in a real introduction
you would have to actually paraphrase the conclusion and
premises of the argument you’re writing about. Let’s
look at an argument prompt to flesh this out.
In order to increase productivity, Jameson Engineering
should require that all its employees attend Happiness
Now! workshops, which teach techniques for being a happier
person. These workshops have clearly benefited Bright
Faces daycare center. Three years ago, 50 Bright Faces
employees volunteered to attend an afternoon Happiness
Now! workshop. Today, these employees are among the most
productive in the company, and the company as a whole
has increased its enrollment of children by 30%.
Here’s how a sample introduction might read:
The argument concludes that Jameson Engineering should
require its employees to attend Happiness Now! workshops
to learn happiness techniques, in order to increase productivity.
This conclusion is based on the premise that after 50 Bright
Faces daycare employees volunteered for an afternoon Happiness
Now! workshop, enrollment increased by 30% and they were
among the most productive employees. The logic of the argument
is flawed, however, because the author makes numerous assumptions,
but fails to adequately support them.
Body Paragraphs
Your body paragraphs are where the real criticism happens.
This is where you attack the assumptions you’ve identified
one by one. Here is a list of some of the most problematic
assumptions contained in the argument above.
- The workshop enabled the Bright Faces employees to
be happier.
- Being happy caused these employees to be productive.
- These employees were not already among the most productive
in the center before the workshop.
- An enrollment increase of 30% is evidence of productivity.
- An engineering company is similar enough to a daycare
center that what works at the latter will work at the
former.
- Mandatory attendance at these workshops will be as effective
as voluntary attendance.
Remember, you’ll only be picking three of these to
write about. Each body paragraph should identify an assumption
and then proceed to criticize it. Here are a few templates
for body paragraphs.
The argument assumes [assumption]. However, [all the
reasons the assumption is a poor one].
The argument ignores the possibility that [assumption
is false]. However, [all the reasons the assumption is a
poor one].
The argument fails to consider that [assumption is
false.] However, [all the reasons the assumption is a poor
one].
Let’s begin a body paragraph based on one of the
assumptions above.
First of all, the argument fails to consider that engineers
are very different from daycare workers and what works to
make the latter more productive may not work with the former.
The author argues that because techniques to become happier
made the daycare workers more productive, it will have the
same effect on engineers. But this is a very dubious assumption.
Daycare workers work directly with children all day. Their
personal attitudes and happiness directly affect how they
interact with the kids. A miserable daycare worker would
have a much harder time entertaining and teaching children
than a happy one. By contrast, an engineer’s job is
much less affected by happiness techniques. Engineers interact
with co-workers, but primarily spend their time designing
and building things …
The paragraph could go on longer, but hopefully you get
the idea.
Conclusion
The most important thing about the conclusion is that it’s
there. You don’t need to break new ground with the
conclusion, you’re just ending the essay on the right
note. The conclusion should tie a bow on the essay and tell
the reader, “Okay, nothing more to see here. We’re
done now.”
In conclusion, the argument that mandatory Happiness
Now! workshops will increase productivity at Jameson Engineering
is weak. If the author demonstrated that being happy leads
to higher productivity, that what works with daycare workers
can be expected to work with engineers, and that mandatory
attendance is as effective as voluntary attendance, then
the argument would be strengthened. Absent that support,
however, there is no reason to accept the argument’s
conclusion.
Execute these basics, and you’ll do fine on your
Argument essay. |
