Debate Writing -Notes

 
A debate is a creative expression of a person’s opinion or a perspective on an
issue. 
For eg. You are Mukul / Mahima of Alps Public School. Your school has
organized an Inter-House debate on the topic, "Will the development
of artificial intelligence help humanity?” You have been asked to represent your
house. Prepare your views against or in favour of the motion. (150-200
words)                                                              5 marks 
Everyday :
Read any good newspaper to get more and more ideas. Listen to debates on
English news channels.
The first and the foremost step is to choose your stand, whether you would like
to write for or against the motion. Always try to select the side you personally
support  and have more material information to write on. It is preferable to
make a choice during the reading time. 

A Debate should have -- 4 paragraphs

Format carries 1 mark which includes the following
1.Salutation (Respected Chairperson, honourable judges and my worthy
opponents) 
2. Thank you in the end 

FIRST PARAGRAPH
Introduction – Salutation and introducing the topic, stating whether you are for
or against the motion.
For Example:-
Good morning everyone. 
 Respected Chairperson, esteemed judges, honourable guests, respected
teachers and my fellow students, I, (name given in the question or else,
XYZ) feel honoured to have been given the opportunity to speak
(FOR/AGAINST) the topic- (name of the topic). 
 Introduce the topic in an interesting way- Quotation, startling fact or news
headlines
 Here you can also explain a particular term or unfamiliar word in the
topic like Democracy, Demonetization

 
 2 PARAGRAPH – Development of the topic :
 Current situation. Causes, give examples from real life surveys, data,
news. highlight the problem and its adverse effects on public and the
society, depending upon your stand
 Write all points in a sequence. It is possible that you have too many
points or very few points. When you have a lot of varied points, it is
better you choose the most forceful in the beginning and write a few
lines on each.

 Sentences should be clear; avoid ambiguity.

 You may rebut (prove to be false) the statements of your fictional
opponents. Ladies and gentlemen, as a matter of fact my opponent is
unaware of the ground reality…….though the opponent is absent that
time. 

Other Points to make the language more impressive 

Use Connectors like However, Coincidentally, Similarly, Moreover,
Furthermore, Incidentally, Eventually, Likewise, On the contrary, In sharp
contrast,  
You may use phrases or idioms for emphasis
for eg. It goes without saying… … 
In a nutshell…. 
The crux of the matter is…….. 
To make matters worse, the authorities made this policy…. 
adding insult to injury 
a standing joke…. 
a blessing in disguise… 
To make a long story short…. 
get a taste of your own medicine (make the other person go through the
same situation) 
Use rhetorical questions in debate… when you are not expecting audience
to reply. 
Examples of rhetorical questions: 
 Have we become so selfish that we have started neglecting those
who brought us into this world? – (Old age homes, elders being
neglected) 
 Where is our society heading to? (heinous crimes, unbearable
situation) 
 Are we supposed to leave our successors a scorched planet? 
 Have we stooped down to such a low level that we have started

3 paragraph : Here prove why your position is stronger than your
opponents.
"For every problem, there is a solution." 
This paragraph needs to be short and crisp whereby; you are supposed to give
a rational and practical solution for all the above problems. 
Avoid offensive language. You can use sarcasm. 

Conclusion- This part involves clarification of your statement and stance along

with thanking the audience for being such patient listeners. This paragraph
needs to be short and precise.
Here also, you could add some glitter to your art piece with some quotes like
"The word IMPOSSIBLE itself says, I M POSSIBLE." You can end with a
positive and hopeful note.
 
Can be part of the body : Common phrases: ‘I strongly feel that…’, ‘I
would like to draw your attention to… (beginning).’, ‘May I ask all
present here have you ever visited an old age home? 
‘I wholeheartedly oppose/support…’, ‘In my opinion….’ 
 
Salutation: ‘Respected chairperson, honourable judges, and my dear friends…’.

Introduction: ‘I am here to present my views for/against the motion…’

Body of the argument: May include views, facts, rebutting the statements,
questions, etc.

Common phrases: ‘I strongly feel that…’, ‘I would like to draw your attention
to…’, ‘May I ask all present…’, ‘I wholeheartedly oppose/support…’, ‘In my
opinion…’

Debate is a creative expression of a person’s opinion or a perspective on an

issue.

Q. You are Gagan Sharma studying at Bishop School, Shimla. You often
get disturbed to see the flaunt of wealth by people on Diwali and other
festivals. So you would like to participate in an inter-school debate
competition being held at your school to voice your opinions on this issue.

DEBATE WRITING

Topic: Festivals are less Tradition and More of Commerce

Back in our school days, festivals meant a break from school, time to feast,
get new clothes, toys and catch up with our near and dear ones. Festivals
would be the time when our parents would be saving and cutting corners to
buy some new things for the house. Back then, there was a certain kind of
innocence attached to the way we celebrated all the festivals. It was more
inclusive and even people with limited means could join in and enjoy the
festivities.
But today, festivals have become an excuse to flaunt your riches.

Good morning honourable Chairperson, judges, teachers, my worthy

opponents, and my dear friends,
I, Gagan Sharma of Bishop School, stand before you to speak for the motion
and I totally agree that ‘Festivals are less traditional and more of Commerce.’
As with everything else, with the passage of time, the advent of globalization
and a booming economy has had an impact on the way of our festivals
celebrations today.
These celebrations have become more self- centred and are moving away
from the traditional. They are more about instant gratification now. The
traditional way of celebrating festivals is slowly taking back seat. The simple
things that would give us pleasure in celebrating festivals earlier, no longer
enthuse us now. Isn’t it sad?
Today the equation has shifted towards money. Money equals happiness. So
for more happiness you need more money, for which you have to work more.
Nowadays you wouldn't be surprised to find people working on festivals rather
than spend time with their families. It is this change that is not welcome
because at some point in the future we would even forget the reason behind
all these festivals. I am sure my worthy opponent will agree with this.
The spirit of festivals, for instance, Christmas, seems to have been lost.
Singing carols, humming hymns, homemade sweets have all become
nostalgic, as we would rather be watching the latest blockbuster in the theatre
than celebrating the festival with passion. Diwali is supposed to lead us to the
light of knowledge from the darkness of ignorance. But ‘diyas’ and candles
have made way for artificial lights. The warmth of this festival seems to have
been lost. These days, it is associated with the Diwali ‘Dhamaka’ sales and
offers, where the retail industry does all it can to woo its customers. It has
become the festival to shop till you drop.

I would like to ask my worthy opponent that is this not a negative impact of
commercialization?
During Navratri, the ‘Garbha’ dances have now been replaced by Dandiya
Discos. The ‘Janamashtami’ festival in Mumbai is mainly about the
associations called ‘mandals” competing against each other to break the ‘Dahi
Handi’ with millions of rupees and sponsors dominating the festival. Festivals
have just become an occasion of extravagance and ostentatious show.
Festivals should create opportunities for cementing friendships and ending
hostilities and it should not be an occasional holiday or time for lavish
spending. Love and harmony are the most important features of a festival, but
our ethics and morals seem to be getting diluted. Festivals are a symbol of our
traditional and cultural values and we need to preserve them or we might just
be losing our identity.
With this I rest my case.

Thank you.

____________________________