Thesis and Divisions | Topic Sentences | Explanation | Verb List and Sentence Patterns | Counterarguments
Remember that your goal here is to show your thinking and reasoning to another person.
You have to grab the reader's attention.
Avoid the old "____ is the most controversial topic in America today" unless you then prove it is "the most" with data on number of articles, or trials, or protests, or some other evidence.
Instead, try:
Take a look at how the author's in the assigned readings opened their essays. Could you do something similar?
This is similar to an introduction, but it can be a separate paragraph. Remember that you need to make it clear to the reader what, exactly, you'll be arguing. Often, for issues that are easily understood -- as in capital punishment -- your thesis can both announce your position and explain the issue, but for other topics, you may need to provide background information that will help readers understand what you are talking about.
For an argumentative essay, your thesis should 1) state your topic and 2) state your position on that topic. Thus, if your topic is the death penalty, you basically have 2 options for a position:
Now realistically, regarding the death penalty (and other controversial issues) you may be conflicted about your position -- particularly after the readings -- and that's good because it shows you're thinking. But for this essay and for most argumentative essays, you have to take a hard look at the pros and cons and decide for yourself that, in general, it is good or bad. As in much of life, you cannot have it both ways: you can give part of a death penalty to a defendant: by its nature, it's all or nothing.
Your divisions will come primarily from the pro and con list developed in your research.
A sample thesis from Garret Fitzgerald follows.
| I believe that the death penalty is bad for America because it executes innocent victims, its process is racially biased against minority offenders and in favor of white victims, and because it simply is not cost effective. |
Note that he clearly states his topic and is position and then follows it with a list of his divisions.
These, of course, will be the main part of your essay. You'll start off with a topic sentence that includes a word from your division statement.
Consider the sample thesis and topic sentences below: note, in particular, how the topic sentence echoes the thesis (position) and division (argument).
| Sample Thesis #1 Besides morality, other reasons such as its extravagant cost, the discrimination in judicial process and the risk of false convictions prove that the death penalty is harmful to America. Topic sentences
The death penalty creates problems because it's an expensive punishment and the money can be put to better use. Secondly, sometimes innocent people can wrongly convicted. And finally, it is discriminatory. Topic sentences
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| One of the main problems with the death penalty is the chance of murdering an innocent person. |
Here Garret uses direct repetition "innocent" to let the reader see in this paragraph he's going to focus on his first division.
After your topic sentence, it's time to roll out those darlings of argument, those twin E's persuasion, the veritable peanut butter and jelly of reasoning: Evidence and Explanation.
This is the easy part. You need to provide proof -- statistics, facts, stories -- that will illustrate whatever point you're making.
Picking up Garrett's paragraph from where we left off above . . . .
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According to Mary H. Cooper, in addition to the five hundred prisoners who were executed, there were also seventy-five innocent men and women who were very nearly the victims of wrongful execution (3). She adds that "After evidence showed that they had been wrongfully convicted" (Cooper 3), they were released, but these are only the cases where new evidence could be found before the innocent person could be put to death. As Jane Fritsch explains in her article "Evidence of Innocence Can Come Too Late For Freedom," "judges are loath to reopen cases, and state appeals courts dislike intervening on anything but procedural issues". She explains that while DNA testing often creates "incontrovertible evidence" that "has forced the release of the unjustly convicted", other types of evidence, such as new witnesses or even confessions, have been argued away or ignored. For instance, in the case of David Lemus and Olmado Hidalgo, "who were convicted in the 1990 murder of a bouncer at a Manhattan night club" (Fritsch), their lawyers eventually found out that another man had confessed to the murder several years ago. "Joey Pilot, a member of the Bronx extortion gang, told a federal prosecutor investigating the gang that he and his friend, James Rodriguez, had murdered the bouncer" (Fritsch). The story was enough to convince a prosecutor and police detective that he was the real killer, but Mr. Lemus and Mr. Hidalgo were still refused a new trial. |
Garrett offers examples here which suggest that innocence has been an issue in capital crimes. But note that he hasn't yet argued whether this appearance of innocence is good or bad. He's saving it for his . . . .
Most beginning writers understand that you need examples/evidence when making an argument; unfortunately, most beginning writers stop there. Luckily, you're reading this and will know that the explanation -- a clear discussion of how and why the example supports your position -- is the heart of your argument. And without a heart, your argument is, well, dead.
How much explanation is too much? Don't know, I so seldom see too much explanation that I can't decide what is too much (get the hint?).
In your explanations, your goal is to lead readers through your thinking. One way to understand this idea is to keep in mind "if then. . . . " This questioning leads to logical consequences. An example? Okay. Capital punishment is expensive. If it is expensive, then ____________. Filling in this blank results in arguments that are more thoughtful and reasoned.
Let's see how Garrett handled his explanation of the evidence quoted above.
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The fact that evidence as strong as an actual confession from someone who claims to be the real killer is considered so lightly is a perfect example of the way the system is designed more for the purpose of killing inmates and offering victims "closure" than actually finding the guilty party. The fact that Congress "passed a law sharply limiting [. . .]appeals in 1996" shows an even more callous attitude toward the task of determining who really committed the crime in any given death penalty case. The ramifications of this system are obvious. If the courts are so resistant to giving suspects a second trial, or even just a thorough, reliable review of the trial, then it stands to reason that innocent people are being killed within this system. If evidence as strong as a confession from another man that was believed by both a prosecutor and a detective is not strong enough evidence for the court to review it, then what is? However, when the punishment is life imprisonment, rather than death, there is at least some hope that innocent people may one day be freed by new evidence. They will never get back the years they spent in jail, but at least they will have the rest of their lives ahead of them. Death row inmates have no such option. |
Note that Garrett works through what he sees as the problems with convicting innocent people. This results in an argument which conveys the writer's thinking -- the goal of any argument.
The main error students make in this kind of writing is not explaining or "telling" why a particular example proves their point. Remember that to readers, an example is only a group of words describing something. They might look at the exact same data/description, and draw a completely different conclusion. You have to create the story, let the readers see why and how that specific example changed the wiring in your brain and made you adopt your position. See below for sentence patterns that will help you with this.
When introducing (providing a context) your examples or explaining them, use the verb list below to shift your language into an argumentative discourse. These could also be used for introducing sources.
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add agree analyze answer argue
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believe charge claim comment conclude consider |
criticize declare describe define discover emphasize |
explain feels illustrate imply indicate list |
maintain mention note observe object offer |
point out reinforce report reply respond reveal |
show stress suggest support think write |
The sentence starters below can provide a structure to move into argument.
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Use repetition of key words (within reason, of course) or synonyms within the paragraph to keep readers focused on the topic of that paragraph. Think of them as a friendly nudge on the shoulder of the reader that says "Hey you, this is my point -- stop thinking about what you'll have for lunch tomorrow and pay attention."
This essay requires you to acknowledge that not everyone feels the same
way you do about this issue (surprise, surprise). This helps readers see
you as the logical, open-minded person that you are instead of a
dangerous, narrow-minded zealot who stands on an apple crate at the corner
of Park Ave. and 44th ranting at the pedestrians slogging their way to
work (I've seen one of these and he wasn't convincing anyone). Be sure you
understand, as well, that a counterargument consists of two parts -- the
argument against your position AND a rebuttal; in other words, why you
think the argument against your position isn't valid.
In addition to the language below, review the "Phrases for
Counterarguments & Rebuttals" at the bottom of the Academic
Phrasing handout. It contains more detailed and sophisticated
methods of setting up a counterargument.
| 1)
The Counterargument An argument against your position From an essay against the death penalty Counterargument example #1 Proponents of the death penalty, such as Richard Cizik, argue that "to not have the death penalty on the books would lower the value of life itself" (qtd. in Cooper 7). Counterargument example #2 Some suggest that "until an inmate is executed [. . .] victims' families are unable to reach 'closure'" (Cooper 15). |
2)
The Rebuttal An explanation of how the counterargument (see left) is not valid. Without this, you weaken your argument. Rebuttal for example #1 Yet to equate life with death suggests that our judgment is off balance, that we are too interested in an "eye for an eye" vengeance than in honoring a person's life. Rebuttal for example #2 But this rush for closure masks the real psychological pain caused by violence, a pain that can only be "heal[ed]", as rape victim Debbie Morris solemnly states, by "[f]orgiveness" (qtd. in Cooper 15). Words used to set up rebuttals: On the other hand/contrary, Although, Yet, However, But |
The suggestions above should give you guidelines on what's expected.
For a specific list of suggestions for planning this essay, see Planning Argumentative Essays. I've kept the suggestions all together on that page for easy reference.