The Argumentative Essay (and its components)
Overview
The fundamentals of the argumentative essay (the gateway essay to all college level writing!).
Argumentative Essay - What is it and what’s in it?
An argumentative essay is a type of writing that prompts the student to investigate a topic, as well as find, collect, and evaluate evidence (quotes from sources), and establish a position on the topic in a concise manner (create a thesis statement). It is crucial to remember that when you create a thesis statement:
Your thesis statement should be one to two sentences.
Your thesis statement should clearly present the main idea of your essay and make some kind of assertion (even if that assertion is about bringing two sides together).
Your thesis should not make an “announcement” about what your essay will cover. Instead, it should just present your assertion.
For example, a thesis that makes an announcement would look like: “In this paper, I will persuade you to vote for candidates who support education reform.”
Thesis Statement Placement - Where does this go?
While there is no such thing as a “required” place for your thesis statement, most academic essays will present the thesis statement early on, usually near the end of the introduction. There is a reason for this. Audience members are more likely to understand and absorb each point as readers if you have told them, in advance, what they should be getting out of your essay.
*Your thesis statement is the most important sentence in your essay. It’s your chance to make sure your audience really understands your point. Be sure your assertion and your writing style are clear.
How Does This Essay Look?
First, you'll begin with an introduction. Here, you'll create a topic sentence that alludes to what you’ll be talking about, then, you’ll introduce background information about the topic, and you'll do so in a way that captures your reader. Next, you’ll introduce your claim (your thesis statement).
EX Introduction: Weight in society has always played a role, but in more recent years, the stigma behind this has escalated to a whole new realm in regard to body shaming. The media, in its entirety, has managed to manipulate the public into perceiving beauty to be a certain way. Although beauty is subjective, the term in the media, has a razor thin line for its qualifications, and because of this, people are subjected to jumping to drastic extremes of dieting in order to meet its standard.
Body Paragraphs
You’ll follow your introduction with body paragraphs. These paragraphs are where you'll introduce your points (the claims you've made in your thesis), followed by specific evidence (quotes) that support them.
Conclusion
Within your conclusion, you'll summarize your thesis and comment on the significance of your topic, tying everything together.
Attributions:
Adapted from: Argument and Critical Thinking - Excelsior Online Writing Lab