Developing an Argument of Your Own Planning,Drafting, And Revising An Argument A.

Getting Ideas: Invention: Process involving talking things over i. Free Writing: Non-censored writing ii. Listing: Shopping List iii. Diagramming: Clustering, Branching, Comparing in Columns iv. Asking Questions: (stasis: where you stand on a issue?) 1. What is X? 2. What is the Value of X? 3. What are the causes (or the consequences) of X? 4. What should we do about X? 5. What is the evidence for my claims about X? B. The Thesis: I. Thesis: claim, central point, chief position) II. Dont confuse topic with thesis C. Imagining an Audience 1. Who are my readers? 2. What do they believe? 3. What common ground do we share? 4. What do I want my readers to believe 5. What do they need to know? 6. Why should they care? D. The Audience as Collaborator E. The Title: i. Not bad idea to announce thesis in title ii. Rethink title after last draft finished F. Opening Paragraphs i. Attract the readers interest ii. Prepare the readers mind by giving some idea of the topic and often of the thesis iii. Give the reader an idea of how the essay is organized iv. Define a key term G. Organizing and Revising the Body of the Essay 1. Statement of the problem 2. Statement of the structure of the essay 3. Statement of alternative solutions 4. Arguments in support of the proposed solution 5. Arguments answering possible objection i. Checking Transition 1. Unify the essay by eliminating 2. Organize the essay by keeping in mind an imagined audience 3. Clarify essay by fleshing out thin paragraphs, making adequate transitions, and supporting generalizations with concrete details and examples H. The Ending i. Look back over essay and add something to wrap it up

ii. iii. iv. v. I. i. ii. J. i. ii. K. i. ii. L.

Return to something in introduction Glance at a wider implications Anecdote that illustrates thesis Brief Summary Two Uses of an Outlines Preliminary Guide Way of Checking a Draft Tone and the Writers Persona Aristotle: Ethnical appeal or ethos Persona: A writers own voice, Way in which writer presents attitudes We, One, or I I, First Person We, Multiples People Avoiding Sexist Language