Focusing an Argument
Focusing an argument begins with taking a clear stand on the issue. See if you can express your point of view in a one-sentence proposal, such as the following:
- Students should (or should not) be required to pay for a campus parking permit.
- U.S. citizens should (or should not) be allowed to cast their ballots online in all local, state, and national elections.
- Cell phones should (or should not) be banned in all classrooms.
Planning an Argument
Planning the argument means deciding on the three or four points that best support your proposal. You may find these points in the lists you have already drawn up, or you may combine certain points from these lists to form new ones. Compare the points below with the ones given earlier on the issue of required physical-education courses:
Proposal: Students should not be required to take physical-education courses.Notice how the writer has drawn on both of his original lists, "pro" and "con," to develop this three-point plan. Likewise, you may support a proposal by arguing against an opposing view as well as by arguing for your own.
- Although physical fitness is important for everyone, it can be achieved better through extracurricular activities than in required physical-education courses.
- Grades in physical-education courses may have a harmful effect on the GPAs of students who are academically strong but physically challenged.
- For students who are not athletically inclined, physical-education courses can be humiliating and even dangerous.
As you draw up your list of key arguments, start thinking ahead to the next step, in which you must support each of these observations with specific facts and examples. In other words, you must be prepared to prove your points. If you're not ready to do that, you should explore your topic further, perhaps in a follow-up brainstorming session, before researching your topic online or in the library.
Remember that feeling strongly about an issue does not automatically enable you to argue about it effectively. You need to be able to back up your points clearly and convincingly with up-to-date, accurate information.
PRACTICE: Exploring Both Sides of the Issue
Either on your own or in a brainstorming session with others, explore at least five of the following issues. Jot down as many supporting points as you can, both in favor of the proposal and in opposition to it.
- Final grades should be eliminated in all courses and replaced by grades of pass or fail.
- A year of national service with minimum-wage pay should be required of all 18-year-olds in the United States.
- States should be allowed to collect taxes on all items sold over the Internet.
- The production and sale of cigarettes should be made illegal.
- People should be allowed the freedom to exchange music files online without having to pay fees to a subscription service.
- To encourage people to maintain healthy eating habits, foods with a high fat content and little nutritional value should carry a special "junk tax."
- Parents should discourage their young children from watching television on weekdays.
- Students should have complete freedom to select their own courses.
