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Written Language III- Ana Laura Bozzani
Different types of essaysESSAY: ARGUMENTATIVE
An argumentative essay is a selection of writing designed to defend a position or thesis.The purpose of the argumentative essay is to convince the reader through reason, logic and illustration that astated position, view, theory or premise is true or false. Structurally the argumentative essay follows the thesis,point development, conclusion pattern of the formal essay. The audience must be clearly understood by the writer as he develops arguments, anticipates rebuttals, defends conclusions which that audience is likely to present or need in order to be convinced. Thought may be either inductive (moving from the specific to the general) or deductive (moving from a generalization to specific application). The language will be precise, organized,denotative. Where effective, exposition will provide the needed explanation or analysis in order to make a point.While persuasion appeals to emotion and personal involvement, the tone of argumentation is factual, removed,precise, logical. The impact of an argumentative essay is to convince logically and rationally that a viewpoint istrue or false, right or wrong.
ESSAY: DESCRIPTIVE
The descriptive essay focuses on the use of a descriptive style develop the chosen topic.The purpose of the descriptive essay is to use description to support ideas about a subject. The audience isdetermined by the subject matter of the essay. The structure of this essay blends the conventions of the essay(introduction, development, conclusion) with those of descriptive writing. The language is built around adescriptive style which uses vivid language, figurative devices, emotive vocabulary, sensory imagery to appeal tothe audience. The description is not limited to people, places or things, but may make clear abstract thought,establish the power of a feeling. The development of ideas on a topic remains the dominant throat of this writing,and the descriptive style is the dominant technique used. The voice of the writer will show sensitivity and creativeappreciation of the manner in which description will enhance the development of the chosen topic. The voice maybe objective or impressionistic communicating the observer’s feelings. In the descriptive essay the tone will bestrongly individualistic as the personality of the writer is brought to bear on the chosen topic. The impact of thedescriptive essay is its appeal to the reader’s senses and feelings.
ESSAY: NARRATIVE
The informal narrative essay focuses on the use of a narrative style to develop the chosen topic.The purpose of the narrative essay is to communicate a significant experience in order to enlighten and perhapspersuade the reader. The audience is determined by the subject matter of the essay. The structure of this essayblends the conventions of the essay (introduction, development, conclusion) with those of a narrative. It haselements of story, but its thrust is to relate an idea or thesis, explicitly or implicitly, as opposed to developingcharacter or plot in a pure narrative. A strong sense of sequencing is retained to establish a point in time, and theconsequences of that experience. Chronology may be altered for dramatic or emotional impact. The languagemay be formal to informal and even colloquial. It is strongly expressive, using striking images, vivid storytelling.The voice of the writer is strongly individualistic as it uses those narrative activities to present his/her audiencewith thoughts about a chosen topic. The impact is determined by how effectively the narration elucidates thechosen thesis for the reader.
ESSAY: PERSUASIVE
A persuasive essay is a selection of writing designed to change the reader's mind.The purpose of the persuasive essay is to convince the reader through a strong voice, the writer's conviction, vividexample and illustration to support the stated position taken by the writer. Structurally the persuasive essayrespects the organization of the formal essay with greater freedom being taken in the use of supporting materialand the impact of voice. The audience will shape the voice and tone of the writer, as it is the writer's intent toinfluence that group of readers. The voice of the writer is intentionally slanted, but must retain its credibility or integrity by avoiding generalization, fallacious reasoning, exaggeration. The language of a persuasive essayappeals to emotion more than to reason. Because of the predominance of the writer's voice, persuasion may bemore emotional, the language more informal and even colloquial. The tone is fundamentally one of appealing tothe reader to accept a thesis. The impact of a persuasive essay is to change or to confirm the reader's thinkingabout an issue or subject with a strong appeal to the emotions, by using examples and illustration, and by citingexperience.
ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY
|
DefinitionRefuting opposing argumentsOrganizationLanguageSupporting our ideasSample argumentative essay
Definition:
In this kind of essay, we not only give information but also present an argument withthe PROS (supporting ideas) and CONS (opposing ideas) of an argumentative issue. We shouldclearly take our stand and write as if we are trying to persuade an opposing audience to adopt new
 
Written Language III- Ana Laura Bozzani
beliefs or behavior. The primary objective is to persuade people to change beliefs that many of them do not want to change.Choosing an argumentative topic is not an easy task. The topic should be such that
•
it should be narrowed down
 
X
 
Marijuana should be considered illegal.
(Not a good topic because it is too general. In somemedical cases, marijuana is prescribed by the doctors and the patients are encouraged touse it in case of suffering from too much pain)
√ 
 
Selling and using marijuana in public places should be considered illegal
.
•
it should contain an argument
 
X
 
We should decide whether we want a bicycle or a car.
(our stand is not clear: do we supporthaving bicycles or cars?)
√ 
 
If we are under the age of 30 and want a healthy life, we should definitely get a bicycle insteadof a car.
X
 
Are you one of those who thinks cheating is not good for students?
(a question cannot be anargument)
√  
Cheating helps students learn.
X
Considering its geological position, Turkey has an important geopolitical role in the EU.
(factscannot be arguments)
√  
Considering its geopolitical role, we can clearly say that the EU cannot be without Turkey.
•
it should be a topic that can be adequately supported (with statistics, outside sourcecitations, etc.)
X
 
I feel that writing an argumentative essay is definitely a challenging task.
(feelings cannot besupported; we cannot persuade other people)If you believe that you can find enough evidence to support your idea and refute others effectively,you can choose challenging topics as well. You can enjoy writing about such topics:
Cheating is beneficial for students.Murat 124 is a very good choice for conscientious drivers.Stress is good for the human body.Polygamy is quite natural.For women, there is no need for men.
Organization:
All argumentative topics have PROs and CONs. Before starting writing, it isimperative to make a list of these ideas and choose the most suitable ones among them forsupporting and refuting.There are three possible organization patterns:Pattern 1:Thesis statement:PRO idea 1PRO idea 2CON(s) + Refutation(s)ConclusionPattern 2:Thesis statement:CON(s) + Refutation(s)PRO idea 1PRO idea 2Conclusion
 
Written Language III- Ana Laura Bozzani
Pattern 3:Thesis statement:CON idea 1 ----->RefutationCON idea 2----->RefutationCON idea 3----->RefutationConclusionThesample essayhas been written according to the third pattern.Thesis:
Do Reiki instead of taking medicine
.Counter argumentsRefutation1.
People should trust medicine sinceit is effective and scientificallyproven.
----->
Reiki is also scientifically proven and doesnot have side effects
. (refutationmethod: insufficient claim)2.
Serious illnesses such asHIV/AIDS and cancer cannot betreated without medicine.
----->
Medicine also cannot treat serious illnessesif not diagnosed at an early stage
.(refutation method: opponents arepartially correct)3.
Reiki, like alternative healingmethods, requires a lot of time
.----->
Reiki requires less time if done regularly
.(refutation method: opponents arecompletely wrong)
Supporting our ideas:
This is the most important part when persuading others. We are askingsome people to change their beliefs or actions. We should be supporting our ideas with such facts,statistics and/or authorities that there should not be room for any doubts. Here are some
faulty 
supports we should avoid:Thesis:
Leaving the university and starting to work is good for the adolescent because
…
•
Feelings, emotional arguments (…
it makes one feel much better
.)
 
•
Irrelevant examples (wandering off the topic) (…
he would then be able to take his girlfriend toexpensive restaurants
.)
 
•
Oversimplification (…
only then would he understand what it means to be an adult.
)
 
•
Hasty generalizations (...
it is a widely known fact that all adolescents look forward to earningmoney
.)
 
•
Unreliable, even false outside sources (…
according to www.doubtme.com, 80% of working menwish they quit school when they were at university and started working at an earlier age.
)
 
For more mistakes in the logic of arguments, seeFallacies.
 
Refuting opposing arguments:
Before we start saying that the opponents are wrong, we should
specify 
their opposing ideas. Otherwise, it would be like hitting the other person with eyes closed.We should see clearly what we are hitting and be prepared beforehand so that he cannot hit usback. We can do this by knowing what we are refuting.e.g.
X
 
Some people may say that adolescents should not leave university education; however, theyare wrong
. (what they say is not wrong. Maybe their supporting idea is wrong /irrelevant /insufficient. We should state their supporting idea specifically to be able to refute it.)
√ 
 
Some people may say that adolescents should not leave university education because theyare not physically and psychologically mature enough to cope with the problems of the real world.However, they forget one fact: adolescents can vote or start driving at the age of 18 (in somecountries even before that age!), which proves that they are considered physically andpsychologically mature
 
at that age
.
Language:
Signposts gain importance in the argumentative essay. They enable the readers tofollow our arguments easily.
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