Summary and Response

Stuarts Greene’s main point is that the art of argument is everywhere around us today,

especially in writing. We find reasons to support or not support a certain cause or person, then

find evidence to prop up our viewpoint, thus forming an argument. There are many factors that

go into making an argument. For example, they can be different peoples’ opinion, conflicts in the

world, and questions that are raised. Because of these factors, Greene contends that arguments

are like having a conversation. He also says that writing is a form of inquiry. When writing, we

participate in research and eventually formulate our own ideas and answers with the help from

other ideas. This relates back to forming arguments.

Greene uses a passage written by Kenneth Burke to support his thesis. The theme of the

passage is that discussion is forever ongoing, and you can be a part of that discussion. Key

concepts that Greene brings forth for writing are research, reading, and open dialogue. Research

allows evidence and ideas to be incorporated into our writing, showing us different

counterarguments and views. Reading exposes us to many different opinions and voices. Open

dialogue recognizes that we are not the first to approach the topic we are writing about. Because

of this reality, we can decipher which argument is our own and give credit to the ones that are

not. Greene refutes that a community’s writing is all their own. Since writing is a form of

discussion, the conversation has been going for a long time, outside of a certain community.

Personal Response

From what I’ve personally seen, discussion within many communities have been

ongoing, just like Greene argues. I can relate to the importance of research. I try to expose
myself to many different points of view so I can have as much information as I can obtain. This

includes reading various publications that are opposite from each other, such as the Washington

Post and Fox News. Greene did change my perspective the discussions taking place in a

community. Before reading this essay, I assumed that specific conversations happening in an

individual community only took place within that group. But now, it is apparent to me that that

same conversation can happen in many different communities. The area where this essay failed

for me is that it didn’t fully address the setbacks that come with refusing to do research or hear

others’ opinions. From what I’ve seen in many communities today is that there is a high level of

closed-mindedness. Many times, I have seen communities brush off new ideas in the form of

name calling or just outright refuse to hear them.