Argumentative writing

A. Analyzing samples
Sample 1
I recommend that English stop being used as the international language because it is symbolic of
an exploitative colonial past and is spoken by so few people in the world. The spread of English as
a second language or as the international language began in the 16 th century and has continued to the
present time as a direct result of British and American colonialism. India, Malaysia, Singapore, and
the Philippines are all examples of countries that have had English exploitatively forced upon them.
By “exploitatively” I mean that language is a critical component of the formation and maintenance of
culture among people. A people’s way of thinking and habitual behavior, which are parts of culture,
are transmitted by language. To force a population to learn another language is to corrupt insidiously
their way of thinking and habitual behavior-their culture. Ultimately, of course, the culture of the
colonizer will take the place of the native culture. The opponents of the proposal that the role of
English as the international language should be stopped would argue that English is already the
international language of science, business, and popular conversation. This is at least partially true;
scientists and business people do use English, but there are relatively few people in the world who use
English conversationally. According to a recent study statistic, English is not spoken by more than 3.5
billion of the world’s population. To put it in different way, fewer than one out of ten people in the
world speak English, and the proportion of English speakers is declining. In summary, it is necessary
that the international language not be English.

Analyze the text using the box below

Topic:

Position of the author:

Reasons:

Supporting evidences:

1
Sample 2
As a former student at Hinds Community College, I can honestly tell you that it is a wonderful place to
go to college, for a whole range of reasons. One obvious reason is that it is more affordable than many
other colleges. Most of us do not have a lot of extra money to throw around, so attending a college that
allows you not to have such high student loans to repay is important. Students can get a great
education and not be so burdened. With lower loan payments to make, you will be more able to live
the kind of life you strive for. Another good reason is the class size. At Hinds, the student-faculty ratio
is 17:1, a much better proportion of students to faculty than at many other local colleges. This ratio
makes getting individual attention easier than at a larger place. With smaller classes, faculty can work
one-on-one with students to make sure that they succeed. This point leads me to the most important
reason to attend Hinds: Students receive an excellent, high-quality education. Some people say that
community colleges aren’t as good as four-year colleges and universities, but I am living proof that
Hinds Community College provides a first-rate educational experience. Students at Hinds are diverse,
with ACT scores ranging from low to very high. The professors at Hinds are great teachers, and
teaching is their primary focus. At four-year colleges, some professors are more interested in research
than in teaching. Here, teaching is the most important faculty responsibility. Here, you will not find
yourself in a huge class run by a graduate student who is not a good teacher. The instructors at Hinds
go above and beyond in their efforts to help students learn and succeed in college. When I transferred
from Hinds to Delta State, I was able to make the academic transition easily because of all the support
and attention available to all Hinds students. When you add it all up — low cost, good ratio of teachers
to students, and devotion to academic excellence — Hinds is a great choice for college. It set me on
the path to success and a great life, and it can do that for you, too.

B. Developing ideas using counter-argument and refutation

In order to make an argument as persuasive as possible, writers should include a counter-argument and
a refutation.
- The counter argument is the opposing opinion. It disagrees with the writers’ opinion. By including
the counter-argument, writers show an understanding of other points of view.
- The refutation is the writers’ response to the counter-argument. In the refutation, the writers show
why the counter-argument is weak, and the writer’s position is strong.

2
 Counter-argument Many people think that a child is unhappy without
brothers or sisters; however, most only children
would disagree with this statement.

An only child receives more attention from

Refutation parents, gets into fewer fights, and has plenty of
social contact with friends and classmates.

Ways of attacking and refuting a counter-argument

Method 1 Demonstrate that the counter-argument is wrong because it is based on incorrect or
misleading information.
Method 2 Show that the counter-argument is weak because it is based on insufficient
information or ignore significant information.
Method 3 Agree that the counter-argument is valid, but show that the writer’s points of
support are more compelling.

The useful phrase to counter-argue

- Opponents/critics/defenders/proponents of this idea argue/assert/claim/contend that…. Part of their
argument thread is true in sense that…However, it should be clearly noted that…
E.g. Proponents of this idea argue that it is better to stream classes i.e. putting children in different
classes according to their own abilities. They claim that children will not be held back if they do not
have to share the lessons with less intelligent ones. However, this educational system can result in
discrimination between students. Some tend to think that they are superior to others; whereas others,
as a result of being labeled “second rate”, engender a sense of inferiority complex. For that reason,
the ultimate purpose of education to bring equal educational opportunities to children fails to
materialize. Another problem in this argument lies in the controversial question “on what standards
we base on in streaming classes?
- Admittedly, some might reason that… But when it comes to…, such belief is not arguably reasoned.
The fact is…
E.g. Admittedly, some might think that smoking can stimulate certain brain nerves and help artists
find some inspiration in working. It is technically true that sometimes when they get stuck in ideas,
having a cigarette make them feel refreshed. However, when it comes to true inspiration and real
healthy mind, smoking cannot work. How can artists unremittingly create beautiful works if their
lungs can be contaminated, their brain dysfunctional, their memories affected due to smoking? In the
long run, only by leading a lifestyle without smoking can the artists have enough physical strength to
perfect their refined works.
- People against this idea/opponents claim that… Nonetheless, they ignore that fact that…
Opponents of this idea may argue that grouping children of different levels in the same class can
create a big gap of understanding. Those who are more intelligent will study faster, demanding
teachers for more difficult quizzes. The less intelligent ones, on the other hand, become frustrated,
engendering a sense of incompetence. However, they just ignore the fact that the speed of class
learning depends on that of the majority of students, not few intelligent ones. Additionally, it is good
to have some excellent students in class to boost the learning spirit of other students. In a word,
students of different abilities should study in the same environment.

3
Position of counter-arguments
Counter-argument can appear anywhere in the paragraph, but it most commonly appears

 as a section just after your introduction, in which you lay out the expected reaction or standard
position before turning away to develop your own;
 as a quick move within a paragraph, where you imagine a counter-argument not to your main idea
but to the sub-idea that the paragraph is arguing or is about to argue;
 as a section or paragraph just before the conclusion of your essay, in which you imagine what
someone might object to what you have argued.

Practice
Exercise 1: Identify the topic sentence, counter-argument and refutation
in the following argumentative sample.

Businesses should provide onsite childcare for working

parents.
First, onsite daycare can reduce absenteeism which
costs businesses
millions of dollars a year in lost productivity. According
to the
National Conference of State Legislatures’s report, 80
percent of the
companies surveyed said that child care problems
cause reduced
working hours among their staff6. With a child-care
subsidy,
employees would be able to concentrate better at work
and be
more productive. Second, onsite daycare helps attract
and retain
employees in a tight market for highly skilled workers. A
study
conducted by Simmons College Graduate School of
Management
found that ninety-three percent of parents consider
work-site
childcare as an important factor in job change. A survey
of Bristol
Meyers Squibb employees also found that workers who
used the on
site childcare centers had a deeper commitment to the
company and
felt better able to balance work and life responsibilities,

4
meaning less
employee turnover. The major argument against onsite
childcare
has been that it is too expensive and that only the
largest and most
profitable corporations can afford it. However, according
to the
authors of the book Kids at Work: The Value of
Employer-Sponsored
On-Site Child Care Centers, onsite daycare can actually
be profitable
for companies. The authors cite two daycare-providing
companies
which saved the considerable amount of $150,000 and
$250,000 in
wages. For small businesses with fewer resources to
invest in on-site
childcare, they can collaborate with other area small
businesses to
provide on or near-site child care, and share the cost to
ease financial
hardship7. Although providing onsite daycare facilities
certainly
takes effort, the evidence suggests that it is worthwhile
in the long
run—from both a human and financial perspective

5
 Exercise 2: Write refutations for the following counter-argument

a. Counter-argument: Proponents of this idea argue that it is better to stream classes i.e.
putting children in different classes based on their intellectual and academic abilities. They claim
that children will not be held back if they do not have to share the lessons with slower learners.
Refutation:
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
b. Counter-argument: Opponents of this idea may argue that grouping children of different
levels in the same class can create a big gap of understanding. Those who are more intelligent will
study
faster, demanding teachers for more challenging tasks. The less intelligent ones, on the other hand,
become frustrated and develop a sense of incompetence.
Refutation:
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
c. Counter-argument: Trial marriage should be encouraged, for it helps lovers understand
more about each other and their compatibility before making a life-long commitment.
Refutation:
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………