Comparison Of Huckleberry Finn And Offensive Language In Literature
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Offensive Language in Literature
In Mark Twain’s classic 1884 novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, regional and time-specific language is used in a way that offends some 21st century readers. Particular words are so disturbing that individuals across the country are still, to this day, attempting to have the book banned in schools and libraries. The idea that any book should be tucked away in a vault, let alone an example of a beloved American classic such as this, is ludacris and against what America stands for. Works of art, like this book, should be used to learn and to open up dialogue and analysis on both the piece itself and the society from which it came. With this particular Twain novel, we should be having a discussion about why the offending words are so offensive, and why it’s important that a record of these words and attitudes exist. …show more content…
Words carry weight, and the weight of the “N” word in Huckleberry Finn is heavy and dripping with sordid history.
It is a term that holds an impassable amount of cultural appropriation and painful association. The word, used in a classic literary context, is then a perfect way to open up a dialogue about issues that are difficult to talk about. Political correctness, racial slurs, America’s dark past—these are all topics that can be used to teach young people how to have a gentle conversation about a torrid subject matter. Instead of banning the book and ignoring the past, we should be embracing the story and teaching people how to deal with the words in a tactful and progressive
way.
Moving forward from America’s shameful history of racism is difficult and taxing. But the only way we make steps to a new and more comfortable future is to learn from our past mistakes. Twain was a product of his time, putting words into the mouths of his characters that would easily have come from the mouths of real people. It’s also important to remember that the character of Huck Finn himself is anti-racist, so teaching the book to young people is not teaching racism, but acceptance. It is imperative to connect with the period of history that Huckleberry Finn comes from because shoving it to the side will only render us blind.
Banning books is an effective way to censor, and censorship goes against a lot of what Americans believe to be a very important personal right. The right to free speech is sacred, and it is mostly untouched even in circumstances where highly polarizing or hateful words are being used. A work of fiction that integrates dialogue containing the “N” word may seem hateful to some, but it is certainly the intention of the author to use it in a context of satire. Censorship will just close the book when what we really need is to open it up in a different light.
At a time when it is nearly impossible to find an adult engaged in a healthy debate or discussion, teaching our children how to think and speak analytically and fairly is a dire need. Using fictional novels such as Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as a jumping-off point of what used to be, and what has become, is the perfect opportunity for creating the ability to do this. By keeping books deemed controversial in rotation and out of the vault, we can begin to understand the preciousness of our own rights to speak our mind, as well as being able to speak to others with respect and with knowledge of the past.
Downloaded from http://www.wikihow.com
There are three possible organization patterns:
Pattern 1: Thesis statement: PRO idea 1 PRO idea 2 CON(s) + Refutation(s) Conclusion Pattern 2:
Thesis statement: CON(s) + Refutation(s) PRO idea 1 PRO idea 2 Conclusion Pattern 3: Thesis statement: CON idea 1 -----> Refutation CON idea 2 -----> Refutation CON idea 3 -----> Refutation
Conclusion
The sample essay has been written according to the third pattern. Thesis: Do Reiki instead of taking medicine.
Counter arguments Refutation
1.
People should trust medicine since it is effective and scientifically proven.
----->
Reiki is also scientifically proven and does not have side effects. (refutation method: insufficient claim)
2.
Serious illnesses such as HIV/AIDS and cancer cannot be treated without medicine.
----->
Medicine also cannot treat serious illnesses if not diagnosed at an early stage. (refutation method: opponents are partially correct)
3.
Reiki, like alternative healing methods, requires a lot of time.
----->
Reiki requires less time if done regularly. (refutation method: opponents are completely wrong)
Language: Signposts gain importance in the argumentative essay. They enable the readers to follow our arguments easily. When pointing out opposing arguments (CONs):
Opponents of this idea claim / maintain that …
Those who disagree / are against these ideas may say / assert that …
Some people may disagree with this idea. When stating specifically why they think like that:
The put forward this idea because …
They claim that … since … Reaching the turning point:
However,
but
On the other hand, When refuting the opposing idea, we may use the following strategies: compromise but prove that their argument is not powerful enough:
They have a point in thinking like that.
To a certain extent they are right. completely disagree:
After seeing this evidence, there is no way we can agree with what they say. say that their argument is irrelevant to the topic:
What we are discussing here is not what they are trying to prove.
Their argument is irrelevant.
HEALTH AND HEALING AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Throw out the bottles and boxes of drugs in your house. A new theory suggests that medicine could be bad for your health, which should at least come as good news to people who cannot afford to buy expensive medicine. However, it is a blow to the medicine industry, and an even bigger blow to our confidence in the progress of science. This new theory argues that healing is at our fingertips: we can be healthy by doing Reiki on a regular basis. Supporters of medical treatment argue that medicine should be trusted since it is effective and scientifically proven. They say that there is no need for spiritual methods such as Reiki, Yoga, Tai Chi. These waste our time, something which is quite precious in our material world. There is medicine that can kill our pain, x-rays that show us our fractured bones or MRI that scans our brain for tumors. We must admit that these methods are very effective in the examples that they provide. However, there are some “every day complaints” such as back pains, headaches, insomnia, which are treated currently with medicine. When you have a headache, you take an Aspirin, or Vermidon, when you cannot sleep, you take Xanax without thinking of the side effects of these. When you use these pills for a long period, you become addicted to them; you cannot sleep without them. We pay huge amounts of money and become addicted instead of getting better. How about a safer and more economical way of healing? When doing Reiki to yourself, you do not need anything except your energy so it is very economical. As for its history, it was discovered in Japan in the early 1900s and its popularity has spread particularly throughout America and Western Europe. In quantum physics, energy is recognized as the fundamental substance of which the universe is composed. Reiki depends on the energy within our bodies. It is a simple and effective way of restoring the energy flow. There are no side effects and it is scientifically explained. Opponents of alternative healing methods also claim that serious illnesses such as HIV/AIDS and cancer cannot be treated without drugs. They think so because these patients spend the rest of their lives in the hospital taking medicine. How can Reiki make these people healthy again? It is very unfortunate that these patients have to live in the hospital losing their hair because of chemotherapy, losing weight because of the side effects of the medicine they take. Actually, it is common knowledge that except for when the cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, drugs also cannot treat AIDS or cancer. Most of the medicinethese patients use are to ease their pain and their sufferings because of the medical treatment they undergo. Instead of drugs which are expensive and have many side effects, you can use your energy to overcome the hardships of life, find an emotional balance, leave the stress of everyday life and let go of the everyday worries. Most of the chronic conditions such as eczema or migraine are known to have causes such as poor diet and stress. Deep-rooted anger or other strong emotions can contribute to viral infections as well. Since balancing our emotions and controlling our thoughts are very important for our well-being, we should definitely start learning Reiki and avoid illnesses before it is too late. Some people may still maintain that in our material world, everything depends on time. It is even “lacking time” that causes much of the stress that leads to the illnesses we mentioned. How would it be possible to find time to do Reiki to ourselves and the people around us when we cannot even find time to go to the theater? This is one good thing about Reiki; it does not require more than 15 minutes of our time. There is no need for changing clothes or special equipment. It is a wonderfully simple healing art, an effective method of relaxation and stress-relief. Most important of all, it is less time consuming than medicine if we think of all the time we spend taking medicine for some complaints and taking some more for the side effects as well. Having said these, resistance to Reiki would be quite illogical. Reiki is natural and drug-free. What is more, it is easy to learn by anyone, regardless of age and experience. It can be used anywhere, anytime. It also enhances physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being and the benefits last a lifetime. It is definitely high time to get away from the drug boxes we store in our drug cabinet!
_________________________________________________________________________
utline I
Introduction/Thesis-Claim
Body Paragraph 1: Present your 1st point and supporting evidence.
Body Paragraph 2: Present your 2nd point and it's supporting evidence.
Body Paragraph 3: Refuteyour opposition's first point.
Body Paragraph 4: Refuteyour opposition's second point.
Conclusion/Restate Thesis
Outline II
Introduction/Thesis-Claim
Body Paragraph 1: Refuteyour opposition's first point.
Body Paragraph 2: Refuteyour opposition's second point.
Body Paragraph 3: Present your first point and supporting evidence.
Body Paragraph 4: Present your second point and supporting evidence.
Conclusion/Restate Thesis
Outline III
Introduction/Thesis-Claim
Body Paragraph 1: Present your first point and it's supporting evidence, which also refutes one of your opposition's claims.
Body Paragraph 2: Present your second point and it's supporting evidence, which also refutes a second opposition claim.
Body Paragraph 3: Present your third point and it's supporting evidence, which also refutes a third opposition claim.
Conclusion/Restate Thesis 3 Additional Outlines that You Can Print:
Basic 5-Paragraph (Argument) Essay Outline: This outline also serves for other essays such as research papers, or the basic 5-paragraph essay. Highlight-and-print outline to fill in.
Another Argument Essay Outline: This outline asks questions that help you critically think about your topic. Highlight-and-print outline to fill in.
Argument/Research Paper Outline Guide: This outline can help guide you through a series of questions. You can highlight-and-print this outline, but it's not a fill-in-the-blank outline; use it as a guide. Many of my students like to use this outline for both research papers and argumentative papers.
Basic 5-Paragraph (Argument) Essay Outline: Introductory Points and Thesis Statement _______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Refutation Points (if needed) _________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
The major points I wish to make in this essay are:
1. __________________________________________________________________________________________
A. ________________________________________________________________________ (Detail or example)
B. _________________________________________________________________________(Detail or example)
C. _________________________________________________________________________(Detail or example)
2. ____________________________________________________________________________________
A. ________________________________________________________________________ (Detail or example)
B. _________________________________________________________________________(Detail or example)
C. _________________________________________________________________________(Detail or example)
3. _________________________________________________________________________________________
A. ________________________________________________________________________ (Detail or example)
B. _________________________________________________________________________(Detail or example)
C. _________________________________________________________________________(Detail or example)
Conclusion Points ________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________ Another Argument Outline Template
Working Title: __________________________________________________________________________________ Audience and how you plan to appeal to them:___________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Attention Getter: _________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Explain the interest in this topic. What experiences have caused the writer to become interested (careful using 1st person!)?
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Background Information, including history and context for problem: ___________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Thesis - Claim: __________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
How you will appeal to Ethos: _______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Refutation or Opposing Arguments (Explain them, explain how and why there may be value in them, and disagree with the parts you believe to be invalid. Establish common ground): ______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Evidence to support your claim, including appeal to logos, and pathos. (Evidence must come from your sources, bothprimary and secondary: examples, statistics, facts, studies, testimony, data, etc.)
Reason 1 supporting your claim:____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Reason 2 supporting your claim: ___________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Reason 3 supporting your claim: ___________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Do you have a solution to the problem? (This may or may not be applicable.) How will it work? What are its advantages?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
What does the future look like without some resolution to this problem?______________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Creative, thought-provoking closure:_________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Argument/Research Paper Outline
Some areas of each Roman Numeral may or may not apply to your essay.
I. INTRODUCTION
*Attention Getter is IMPORTANT
*Next, explain the current situation. What is the world like “as is” in relation to your issue? Why is it important? What drew you to this topic?
*You can include comments and quotations from an informal survey you conducted with people you know, you can also explain how other people you know feel about the subject.
*Mention misconceptions related to your topic, if any.
II. NARRATION
*Next you need to provide background information.
*What are the details to your problem?
*What is the struggle? Why is it a unique and complicated issue?
*Include examples to illustrate the struggle or issue.
*You can provide official statistics on the problem, current laws related to the topic, or the position the social majority has. This information should be coming from your research.
*Don’t forget to appeal to ETHOS.
III. PARTITION
*Now you need to create a section that CLEARLY establishes your claim. Say to yourself, clear thesis = clear direction, clear thesis = clear direction, clear thesis = clear direction
*Explain the WHY of your thesis in a simple way (i.e. it will solve ____ issue).
IV. ARGUMENTS/ YOUR SIDE OF THE ISSUE
*Introduce the first perspective you are willing to look at. Explain how your solution will help the situation.
*Explore one main side of the issue.
*Provide evidence for any mini claim you make.
*Unpack your evidence.
*Provide more evidence.
*Unpack your evidence some more.
Repeat Step IV as many times as necessary. Keep in mind the length requirements of the essay.
V. REFUTATION & CONCESSION
*Now you need to consider the other side of the issue or the opposing argument.
*As you introduce one refutation point, answer it.
* Provide evidence.
*Unpack your evidence.
*Provide more evidence.
*Unpack your evidence some more.
Step IV & V can be reversed in order, depending on the flow of your paper. Also, your refutation & concession section might be more than one paragraph.
VI. CONCLUSION
*Here is where you review the main points.
*Restate your thesis.
*Call to action. If you haven’t introduced any sort of solution in your essay, perhaps encourage others to become more aware of your topic.
*What does the future look like in relation to your topic?
Helpful Reminders
SANDWICH your quotes: Say what your going to say, Say it (the quote), then say it again. [In other words: Set up your quote, give the quote, and then provide commentary on you quote by answering “why is this quote important?”]
In Mark Twain’s classic 1884 novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, regional and time-specific language is used in a way that offends some 21st century readers. Particular words are so disturbing that individuals across the country are still, to this day, attempting to have the book banned in schools and libraries. The idea that any book should be tucked away in a vault, let alone an example of a beloved American classic such as this, is ludacris and against what America stands for. Works of art, like this book, should be used to learn and to open up dialogue and analysis on both the piece itself and the society from which it came. With this particular Twain novel, we should be having a discussion about why the offending words are so offensive, and why it’s important that a record of these words and attitudes exist. …show more content…
Words carry weight, and the weight of the “N” word in Huckleberry Finn is heavy and dripping with sordid history.
It is a term that holds an impassable amount of cultural appropriation and painful association. The word, used in a classic literary context, is then a perfect way to open up a dialogue about issues that are difficult to talk about. Political correctness, racial slurs, America’s dark past—these are all topics that can be used to teach young people how to have a gentle conversation about a torrid subject matter. Instead of banning the book and ignoring the past, we should be embracing the story and teaching people how to deal with the words in a tactful and progressive
way.
Moving forward from America’s shameful history of racism is difficult and taxing. But the only way we make steps to a new and more comfortable future is to learn from our past mistakes. Twain was a product of his time, putting words into the mouths of his characters that would easily have come from the mouths of real people. It’s also important to remember that the character of Huck Finn himself is anti-racist, so teaching the book to young people is not teaching racism, but acceptance. It is imperative to connect with the period of history that Huckleberry Finn comes from because shoving it to the side will only render us blind.
Banning books is an effective way to censor, and censorship goes against a lot of what Americans believe to be a very important personal right. The right to free speech is sacred, and it is mostly untouched even in circumstances where highly polarizing or hateful words are being used. A work of fiction that integrates dialogue containing the “N” word may seem hateful to some, but it is certainly the intention of the author to use it in a context of satire. Censorship will just close the book when what we really need is to open it up in a different light.
At a time when it is nearly impossible to find an adult engaged in a healthy debate or discussion, teaching our children how to think and speak analytically and fairly is a dire need. Using fictional novels such as Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as a jumping-off point of what used to be, and what has become, is the perfect opportunity for creating the ability to do this. By keeping books deemed controversial in rotation and out of the vault, we can begin to understand the preciousness of our own rights to speak our mind, as well as being able to speak to others with respect and with knowledge of the past.
Downloaded from http://www.wikihow.com
There are three possible organization patterns:
Pattern 1: Thesis statement: PRO idea 1 PRO idea 2 CON(s) + Refutation(s) Conclusion Pattern 2:
Thesis statement: CON(s) + Refutation(s) PRO idea 1 PRO idea 2 Conclusion Pattern 3: Thesis statement: CON idea 1 -----> Refutation CON idea 2 -----> Refutation CON idea 3 -----> Refutation
Conclusion
The sample essay has been written according to the third pattern. Thesis: Do Reiki instead of taking medicine.
Counter arguments Refutation
1.
People should trust medicine since it is effective and scientifically proven.
----->
Reiki is also scientifically proven and does not have side effects. (refutation method: insufficient claim)
2.
Serious illnesses such as HIV/AIDS and cancer cannot be treated without medicine.
----->
Medicine also cannot treat serious illnesses if not diagnosed at an early stage. (refutation method: opponents are partially correct)
3.
Reiki, like alternative healing methods, requires a lot of time.
----->
Reiki requires less time if done regularly. (refutation method: opponents are completely wrong)
Language: Signposts gain importance in the argumentative essay. They enable the readers to follow our arguments easily. When pointing out opposing arguments (CONs):
Opponents of this idea claim / maintain that …
Those who disagree / are against these ideas may say / assert that …
Some people may disagree with this idea. When stating specifically why they think like that:
The put forward this idea because …
They claim that … since … Reaching the turning point:
However,
but
On the other hand, When refuting the opposing idea, we may use the following strategies: compromise but prove that their argument is not powerful enough:
They have a point in thinking like that.
To a certain extent they are right. completely disagree:
After seeing this evidence, there is no way we can agree with what they say. say that their argument is irrelevant to the topic:
What we are discussing here is not what they are trying to prove.
Their argument is irrelevant.
HEALTH AND HEALING AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Throw out the bottles and boxes of drugs in your house. A new theory suggests that medicine could be bad for your health, which should at least come as good news to people who cannot afford to buy expensive medicine. However, it is a blow to the medicine industry, and an even bigger blow to our confidence in the progress of science. This new theory argues that healing is at our fingertips: we can be healthy by doing Reiki on a regular basis. Supporters of medical treatment argue that medicine should be trusted since it is effective and scientifically proven. They say that there is no need for spiritual methods such as Reiki, Yoga, Tai Chi. These waste our time, something which is quite precious in our material world. There is medicine that can kill our pain, x-rays that show us our fractured bones or MRI that scans our brain for tumors. We must admit that these methods are very effective in the examples that they provide. However, there are some “every day complaints” such as back pains, headaches, insomnia, which are treated currently with medicine. When you have a headache, you take an Aspirin, or Vermidon, when you cannot sleep, you take Xanax without thinking of the side effects of these. When you use these pills for a long period, you become addicted to them; you cannot sleep without them. We pay huge amounts of money and become addicted instead of getting better. How about a safer and more economical way of healing? When doing Reiki to yourself, you do not need anything except your energy so it is very economical. As for its history, it was discovered in Japan in the early 1900s and its popularity has spread particularly throughout America and Western Europe. In quantum physics, energy is recognized as the fundamental substance of which the universe is composed. Reiki depends on the energy within our bodies. It is a simple and effective way of restoring the energy flow. There are no side effects and it is scientifically explained. Opponents of alternative healing methods also claim that serious illnesses such as HIV/AIDS and cancer cannot be treated without drugs. They think so because these patients spend the rest of their lives in the hospital taking medicine. How can Reiki make these people healthy again? It is very unfortunate that these patients have to live in the hospital losing their hair because of chemotherapy, losing weight because of the side effects of the medicine they take. Actually, it is common knowledge that except for when the cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, drugs also cannot treat AIDS or cancer. Most of the medicinethese patients use are to ease their pain and their sufferings because of the medical treatment they undergo. Instead of drugs which are expensive and have many side effects, you can use your energy to overcome the hardships of life, find an emotional balance, leave the stress of everyday life and let go of the everyday worries. Most of the chronic conditions such as eczema or migraine are known to have causes such as poor diet and stress. Deep-rooted anger or other strong emotions can contribute to viral infections as well. Since balancing our emotions and controlling our thoughts are very important for our well-being, we should definitely start learning Reiki and avoid illnesses before it is too late. Some people may still maintain that in our material world, everything depends on time. It is even “lacking time” that causes much of the stress that leads to the illnesses we mentioned. How would it be possible to find time to do Reiki to ourselves and the people around us when we cannot even find time to go to the theater? This is one good thing about Reiki; it does not require more than 15 minutes of our time. There is no need for changing clothes or special equipment. It is a wonderfully simple healing art, an effective method of relaxation and stress-relief. Most important of all, it is less time consuming than medicine if we think of all the time we spend taking medicine for some complaints and taking some more for the side effects as well. Having said these, resistance to Reiki would be quite illogical. Reiki is natural and drug-free. What is more, it is easy to learn by anyone, regardless of age and experience. It can be used anywhere, anytime. It also enhances physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being and the benefits last a lifetime. It is definitely high time to get away from the drug boxes we store in our drug cabinet!
_________________________________________________________________________
utline I
Introduction/Thesis-Claim
Body Paragraph 1: Present your 1st point and supporting evidence.
Body Paragraph 2: Present your 2nd point and it's supporting evidence.
Body Paragraph 3: Refuteyour opposition's first point.
Body Paragraph 4: Refuteyour opposition's second point.
Conclusion/Restate Thesis
Outline II
Introduction/Thesis-Claim
Body Paragraph 1: Refuteyour opposition's first point.
Body Paragraph 2: Refuteyour opposition's second point.
Body Paragraph 3: Present your first point and supporting evidence.
Body Paragraph 4: Present your second point and supporting evidence.
Conclusion/Restate Thesis
Outline III
Introduction/Thesis-Claim
Body Paragraph 1: Present your first point and it's supporting evidence, which also refutes one of your opposition's claims.
Body Paragraph 2: Present your second point and it's supporting evidence, which also refutes a second opposition claim.
Body Paragraph 3: Present your third point and it's supporting evidence, which also refutes a third opposition claim.
Conclusion/Restate Thesis 3 Additional Outlines that You Can Print:
Basic 5-Paragraph (Argument) Essay Outline: This outline also serves for other essays such as research papers, or the basic 5-paragraph essay. Highlight-and-print outline to fill in.
Another Argument Essay Outline: This outline asks questions that help you critically think about your topic. Highlight-and-print outline to fill in.
Argument/Research Paper Outline Guide: This outline can help guide you through a series of questions. You can highlight-and-print this outline, but it's not a fill-in-the-blank outline; use it as a guide. Many of my students like to use this outline for both research papers and argumentative papers.
Basic 5-Paragraph (Argument) Essay Outline: Introductory Points and Thesis Statement _______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Refutation Points (if needed) _________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
The major points I wish to make in this essay are:
1. __________________________________________________________________________________________
A. ________________________________________________________________________ (Detail or example)
B. _________________________________________________________________________(Detail or example)
C. _________________________________________________________________________(Detail or example)
2. ____________________________________________________________________________________
A. ________________________________________________________________________ (Detail or example)
B. _________________________________________________________________________(Detail or example)
C. _________________________________________________________________________(Detail or example)
3. _________________________________________________________________________________________
A. ________________________________________________________________________ (Detail or example)
B. _________________________________________________________________________(Detail or example)
C. _________________________________________________________________________(Detail or example)
Conclusion Points ________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________ Another Argument Outline Template
Working Title: __________________________________________________________________________________ Audience and how you plan to appeal to them:___________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Attention Getter: _________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Explain the interest in this topic. What experiences have caused the writer to become interested (careful using 1st person!)?
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Background Information, including history and context for problem: ___________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Thesis - Claim: __________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
How you will appeal to Ethos: _______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Refutation or Opposing Arguments (Explain them, explain how and why there may be value in them, and disagree with the parts you believe to be invalid. Establish common ground): ______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Evidence to support your claim, including appeal to logos, and pathos. (Evidence must come from your sources, bothprimary and secondary: examples, statistics, facts, studies, testimony, data, etc.)
Reason 1 supporting your claim:____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Reason 2 supporting your claim: ___________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Reason 3 supporting your claim: ___________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Do you have a solution to the problem? (This may or may not be applicable.) How will it work? What are its advantages?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
What does the future look like without some resolution to this problem?______________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Creative, thought-provoking closure:_________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Argument/Research Paper Outline
Some areas of each Roman Numeral may or may not apply to your essay.
I. INTRODUCTION
*Attention Getter is IMPORTANT
*Next, explain the current situation. What is the world like “as is” in relation to your issue? Why is it important? What drew you to this topic?
*You can include comments and quotations from an informal survey you conducted with people you know, you can also explain how other people you know feel about the subject.
*Mention misconceptions related to your topic, if any.
II. NARRATION
*Next you need to provide background information.
*What are the details to your problem?
*What is the struggle? Why is it a unique and complicated issue?
*Include examples to illustrate the struggle or issue.
*You can provide official statistics on the problem, current laws related to the topic, or the position the social majority has. This information should be coming from your research.
*Don’t forget to appeal to ETHOS.
III. PARTITION
*Now you need to create a section that CLEARLY establishes your claim. Say to yourself, clear thesis = clear direction, clear thesis = clear direction, clear thesis = clear direction
*Explain the WHY of your thesis in a simple way (i.e. it will solve ____ issue).
IV. ARGUMENTS/ YOUR SIDE OF THE ISSUE
*Introduce the first perspective you are willing to look at. Explain how your solution will help the situation.
*Explore one main side of the issue.
*Provide evidence for any mini claim you make.
*Unpack your evidence.
*Provide more evidence.
*Unpack your evidence some more.
Repeat Step IV as many times as necessary. Keep in mind the length requirements of the essay.
V. REFUTATION & CONCESSION
*Now you need to consider the other side of the issue or the opposing argument.
*As you introduce one refutation point, answer it.
* Provide evidence.
*Unpack your evidence.
*Provide more evidence.
*Unpack your evidence some more.
Step IV & V can be reversed in order, depending on the flow of your paper. Also, your refutation & concession section might be more than one paragraph.
VI. CONCLUSION
*Here is where you review the main points.
*Restate your thesis.
*Call to action. If you haven’t introduced any sort of solution in your essay, perhaps encourage others to become more aware of your topic.
*What does the future look like in relation to your topic?
Helpful Reminders
SANDWICH your quotes: Say what your going to say, Say it (the quote), then say it again. [In other words: Set up your quote, give the quote, and then provide commentary on you quote by answering “why is this quote important?”]