THE PURPOSE
The first thing one needs to keep in mind when
setting about writing an argumentative essay is the purpose which is to
convince people of your opinion and refute all counter arguments that they may throw
at you. I suggest you imagine you have an audience waiting to pounce on every
word as you write. You want people to put down the essay you have written
having completely changed their opinion and come round to yours.
PLANNING
The above being the case, your essay has to
include your own arguments and support for them and also the counter arguments
and their rebuttal. After all, you don’t want someone to turn round and say “But
there is always…” and slap you down with a counter argument. You need to prove
that the counter argument doesn’t make sense before anyone else does. With this
in mind, how is one to organize such an essay? The answer is as follows: it
doesn’t really matter so long as you stick to the basic principle; however,
there are two accepted ways of organizing argumentative essays in the US and
the UK and they are as follows: the first has an introduction which is followed
by two or three paragraphs of supporting arguments. What comes next is the
counter argument which is neatly refuted and the whole essay is rounded off
with a conclusion. The second starts off
with an introduction and is followed by a development in which every paragraph
starts with a counter argument which is refuted in the same paragraph. The
whole thing is wrapped up in the conclusion. But I would like to reiterate that these
are not hard and fast rules and so long as you defend your own point of view
and refute counter arguments, i.e. stick to the raison d’être, it doesn’t
matter how you organize the essay. The French have a completely different
approach to argumentative essays for instance: they have the writer’s main
thesis in the first paragraph of the development, the antithesis in the second
and a synthesis in the next. What’s more, there are plenty of great French essayists!
The Introduction: one thing you need to remember about essays
is that you have to have a rational argument which you follow through to the
end. Surprises are a definite no – no; people need to be able to predict what
is coming. The introduction which sets the tone of the essay, clearly points
out where you stand and what you don’t agree with as well as a hint at the line
of argument you are going to take.
The Tone of the Introduction: this type of essay is called an
“argumentative essay” not “a civilized discussion”, which means some aggression
and a sharper tone is acceptable. Consider the two examples bellow:
MILITARY SERVICE
Unfortunately, war has
been a fact of life since ancient times in human societies, which are the only
species along with ants that fight their own species and destroy them. War
means weapons and the trained manpower to use them, which brings us to armies;
the institution that trains, usually the men, to fight for their country in
times of need. The need for an army cannot be denied but should conscription
actually exist? The draft is understandable though not acceptable in times of
war when the situation is truly desperate but does this have to be done on a
regular basis in peacetime also? The answer is no; conscription should leave
its place to professional armies.
SPORTS
People need to work to
earn a living and maintain a certain quality of life; this is a fact of
life in the modern world. Not everyone
is fortunate enough to find their dream jobs; a considerable number of people
end up in some dead end office job which they dislike while some find their
true vocations. These fortunate individuals do a job they love and consider
worthwhile and what’s more, get paid for it: doctors for instance. Sportsmen
also fall into the latter category but unlike doctors, they contribute nothing
to society yet receive exorbitant sums of money throughout their short careers.
Should people who kick a ball around a field or hit a ball with a racket for
hours get paid millions while researchers can’t find grants to complete
valuable studies? Most certainly not.
In both
these introductions there is not a shade of doubt concerning where the writer
stands. In the first, there is the grudging acceptance of wars as a fact of
life but the desire is expressed that civilians should be left out of it all to
lead their lives in peace. In the second, disgust for the amount of money
professional sportsmen earn is clearly expressed by contrasting them with
deserving individuals who need funds but don’t get any.
A Misconception: there is the
belief that all the points that are going to be used in the development need to
be listed in the introduction. This is just not true. What needs to be made
clear is where the writer stands in relation to the argument. So let me reiterate:
the points do not need to be listed in the introduction but the writer’s
opinion most certainly does.
The Development: the development of the essay is the main body
and where you leave no stone unturned to defend your own view and provide a rebuttal
for any counter argument. You need to remember that this is the kind of essay
where you take sides and have a firmly fixed opinion. Let us consider the
example below:
SCHOOL UNIFORMS SHOULD
BE OUTLAWED
Uniforms, specialized
clothing for various groups of people in life, have been around for hundreds
and thousands of years especially in some sectors. Some people wear uniforms
for recognition and identification like the army, clerics and the police, some
do so for protection like firemen and riot police, others do so for hygiene
like doctors and nurses. Yet students in many countries are made to wear
uniforms as well and one is at a loss to understand why. It is time for
students to shed their uniforms and flourish freely.
Soldiers, clerics, the police and those in the service sector wear uniforms for recognition and it is claimed students would do well to follow their example for identification and to maintain discipline. Yet whereas adults in the said professions do need to be distinguished from other adults, the same can’t be said for children as education is compulsory: children between certain ages are all in school. Why, in that case, do we need to introduce children to the drab trappings of the adult world so early on? Once they have entered the job market they will find their wardrobes confined to suits any way; they should be allowed some freedom and leniency in their formative years. What is more, if discipline cannot be maintained unless children are dressed in identical garb Maoist China fashion, the schools have a much more serious problem.
One of the main arguments in favor of putting children in skirts or trousers, shirts, jackets and ties like miniature white collar workers is price and practicality. Practical for whom one might enquire; certainly not for the children who would be far happier in track suits and sneakers. Then there are those dratted white shirts that are a devil to get clean never mind how funny kids look dolled up in the outfit described above. Life would be a lot easier if children didn’t grow so fast but they do, which means they out-grow uniforms annoyingly fast. Then of course there are the effects of the playground: things get torn and mislaid. The issue of price can be dealt with very easily by not introducing children to designer labels until they can pay for them themselves. In short, uniforms are neither practical nor cheap; in any case, not really much cheaper than an average pair of jeans or track suit. Given the choice, there is very little doubt what the students would prefer.
Children are very likely going to be wearing uniforms of one sort or another when they establish themselves on their individual hamster wheels so it would be much kinder to allow them develop freely and not don the shackles so early in life. Adults of my generation will retort that uniforms never did them any discernible harm but are they really in a position to know? After all they have never known anything else. Personality development requires freedom so let us give it to our kids.
On reading
this introduction and development, it is easy to see that the one and only rule
of defending your own point of view and refuting counter arguments has been
adhered to. Notice also that whereas the counter argument is presented at the
beginning of paragraphs two and three it comes in the middle of the next
paragraph; this is fine and perfectly alright. You will find a complete version of the
essay task above under “Writing Exercises” where uniforms are defended.
The Conclusion: the conclusion to an argumentative essay
should be obvious from a mile away; surprises are for detective stories not for
essays. But there is one very important point that needs to be mentioned: the
conclusion should never be a repetition of the introduction where all the
points are listed once again; it should be a restatement. A restatement covers
the main ideas that have been mentioned and in this case, has a tone of “you
see, I told you so” about it. However, the language is different and there is
no repetition of any other part of the essay. Let us consider the following
example:
UNIFORMS MAKE PERFECT
SENSE
Uniforms, specialized
clothing for various groups of people in life, have been around for hundreds
and thousands of years especially in some sectors. Some people wear uniforms
for recognition and identification like the army, clerics and the police, some
do so for protection like firemen and riot police, others do so for hygiene
like doctors and nurses. Yet students in many countries are made to wear
uniforms as well and with good reason. Some may wonder why but school uniforms
should be the norm in developing and underdeveloped countries.
First developmental
paragraph: Financial arguments
·
Poverty and limited means:
one uniform cheaper than lots of regular clothes
·
Equality: the distinctions
between more well to do less well-off students blurred
Second developmental
paragraph: Practical arguments
·
Identification: young
people identified as students
·
Discipline: uniforms, due
to their connotations, make keeping order easier
·
Pride: a sense of pride due
to being a student at a certain school
Third developmental
paragraph: Individuality versus the system
·
Counter argument: uniforms
restrict personality development
·
Rebuttal: generations of
people have grown up with school uniforms; no data to link lack of
individuality to uniforms
In conclusion,
uniforms have done hundreds and thousands of people of past generations no
discernible harm and in no way prevented them from flourishing. This being the
case, burdening overstretched parents with the added expense of a wardrobe for
their offspring seems illogical. The alternative, a uniform and a spare, is
both cheaper and more practical. This does not mean to say uniforms can’t be
more child-friendly and comfortable. In fact efforts should be made to achieve
this to put a stop to the argument for once and for all.
If the
introduction and the conclusion are studied carefully, it will become obvious
that there is no repetition but the ideas covered in the essay have all been
touched upon. Let us look at one more complete example where there is one basic
supporting argument which is carried on to the end with no repetition:
12 YEARS OF BASIC
EDUCATION: AN IMPOSSIBLE DREAM
The importance given
to education has risen in tandem with development. Whereas schooling was not
considered such a priority in the 19th century now it is compulsory
for children up to a certain age. This is 16 in the UK and 14 currently in
Turkey. Ideally, the period of compulsory education should include college as
well; obviously the better educated the youth are, the better prepared for life
they are and the more useful they are for society. Yet is Turkey ready for such
an undertaking? The answer is most certainly not. Therefore, the idea of
extending compulsory education to include high school as well should be
postponed to a later date due mainly to practical considerations.
Politicians who are
concerned with votes and winning elections are trying to push through
legislation with complete disregard for the fact that the infrastructure is not
in place. 12 years compulsory education looks good on paper but what about
school buildings? Let us imagine for the sake of argument that some businessman
built the school; things don’t stop there: what about white boards, computers,
modern facilities, furniture? In a poor country with a soaring budget deficit,
can the ministry of education really claim to be able to provide all this by
September in every village? It doesn’t seem likely.
Secondly, assuming
that all the practical requirements have been met, there is the small problem
of teaching staff. Teachers don’t grow on trees; what is more Turkey refuses to
employ existing graduates of teacher training colleges. How does the government
propose to man schools under these circumstances? Obviously, no one wants a
mediocre teacher or teachers fresh out of college; they want the good ones. Under
these conditions how can equality be provided? Some people will get a good
education while others may not even be able to read properly.
Thirdly, in a
developing country where the pressure to enter the job market is high do we
need to keep everyone in school until they are 18? Most people would prefer to
learn job skills or go to a vocational school; they may think trigonometry and
modern physics are unnecessary for them and they can’t really be blamed. 14 is
a much more realistic stopping place; besides, we haven’ managed to apply this
rule properly yet.
Some may claim that
keeping children in school until they are 18 might enable the government to
instill good moral values and sound general principles. Reaching for the stars
is all very well but one has to be realistic: Turkey is unable to deal with the
existing inequalities in opportunity; would it be wise to increase the problem
ten-fold? At the end of Ibsen’s play, The Doll’s House, the young hero looks
longingly out of the window and tells his horrified mother he wants the sun. It
would be wise to remember this and other similar examples.
In conclusion, Turkey
is not ready to extend schooling to include high school and they will not be
ready for a long time. Progress should come step by step the current one being
providing students in every part of the country with equal opportunities for a
first class modern education. That alone is a formidable feet so as Jesus so
aptly said “Sufficient the problems of today”.
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