In your introduction, establish credibility and state your position - Writing arguments - Academic Reading and Writing

Rules for writers, Tenth edition - Diana Hacker, Nancy Sommers 2021

In your introduction, establish credibility and state your position
Writing arguments
Academic Reading and Writing

When you construct an argument, make sure your introduction includes a thesis statement, a signpost that lets readers know your position on the issue you have chosen to debate. In the sentences leading up to the thesis, establish your credibility (ethos) with readers by showing that you are fair-minded and knowledgeable about the various positions in a debate. By building common ground with readers who at first may not agree with your views, you show them why they should consider your thesis.

In her own introduction, Julia Riew builds credibility by introducing both sides of the debate around zoos and endangered animals, defining important terms (captivity versus custody), and presenting herself as a fair-minded writer, someone worth listening to. She connects with readers by emphasizing the severity of the extinction rate and establishing the common ground she discovered — that humans are also harmed by animal extinctions. To read Julia’s introduction, see 7h.

VIDEO

Watch "How to develop an argumentative thesis" for more tips on drafting a thesis statement for an argument.

HOW TO

Draft a thesis statement for an argument

1. Identify the various positions in the debate you’re writing about. At the heart of a good argument are debate and disagreement. An argumentative thesis takes a clear position on a debatable issue and is supported by evidence. Identify the points in the debate on which there is disagreement. Consider your own questions and thoughts about the topic.

2. Ask a question that doesn’t have an easy yes or no answer. An open-ended question that doesn’t have just one correct answer will lead you to developing a stronger thesis. If your question can be answered with a yes or no response, add why or how to the question to provide an argumentative edge.

3. Determine where you stand on the issue. Consider how the sources you have read provide support for your position. Also consider how the sources make you question your position.

4. Write your thesis as an answer to your question. Your thesis should be arguable, one with which readers might disagree. Ask: Is your position debatable? Does your thesis state your position specifically and clearly? Will readers understand why your thesis matters?

5. Test your thesis with a counterargument. View your argument through the eyes of readers who disagree with you. Try to imagine a reader’s counterargument to your argument.

6. Revise your thesis. Why does your position matter? Put your working thesis to the “So what?” test (see 1c). Consider adding because or although to your thesis to show readers the importance of your position or to set it in the context of an opposing view.

CASE STUDY

Responding to an argument

Many college assignments ask you to write an argument in response to an argument. You will build your argument around a thesis statement that answers your questions about the argument, takes a position, and shows readers what to expect when they read your essay. The following strategies show the process of drafting a thesis statement about a multimodal text, such as this World Wildlife Fund ad. Use the strategies offered here when you respond to a written argument or to a visual argument such as the public service ad below.

1. Annotate the text with questions and observations.

Be an active reader by recording your questions and observations about the text.

Image

Image

2. Ask what, why, who, or how questions to explore your thinking and to help you determine what position you want to take.

o How do the words and images work together?

o Why is there graffiti on the polar bears?

o How does the single line “What will it take before we respect the planet?” play on viewers’ emotions?

o Who is the “we” being addressed in the ad?

o How does the ad accomplish its purposes of speaking out on behalf of vulnerable animals and sparking action?

3. Test possible working thesis statements.

o The World Wildlife Fund advertisement presents a picture of animals and nature defaced.

o This sentence is descriptive and factual. There’s no position here.

o How does the ad encourage action and advocacy on the part of the viewers?

o This is a question. There’s no position here.

o This is a great ad that makes us all aware of endangered polar bears.

o This is an opinion, not a position that suggests why the thesis matters.

4. Pose a why or how question that is open to debate.

How does the combination of the image of the defaced polar bears and the line “What will it take before we respect the planet?” play on viewers’ emotions? How is emotion related to action?

5. Draft a thesis that takes a position and imagines a counterargument.

If the purpose of the World Wildlife Fund ad is to startle, the ad is successful, but if the purpose of the ad is to urge action, it is unsuccessful.

6. Try adding a because clause to suggest why this thesis matters.

If the purpose of the World Wildlife Fund ad is to startle, the ad is successful, but if the purpose of the ad is to urge action, it is unsuccessful because it will take more than an emotional appeal to motivate humans to act on behalf of endangered species.