Argument
PART ONE
[reading arguments critically]
1 Reading Arguments with a Critical Eye 2 2 Responding Critically to the Arguments of Others 22
PART TWO
[writing arguments]
3 The Basics of Argument 46 4 Writing Effective Arguments 66 5 More about Argument: Induction, Deduction, Analogy, and Logical Fallacies 86 6 The Refutation Essay 104 7 The Position Essay 118 8 The Causal Essay 134 9 The Problem/Solution Essay 150
PART THREE
[writing a researched argument]
10 Planning the Researched Argument 162 11 Evaluating and Utilizing Sources 186 12 Drafting and Revising the Researched Argument 200 13 Documenting Sources (MLA, APA, and More) 224
PART FOUR
[an anthology of contemporary arguments]
14 The Myth and Reality of the Image in American Consumer Culture 25415 The Challenges of Living in a High-Tech, Multimedia World 27016 Violent Media or Violent Society? 28817 America in the Age of Obama 30218 Students, Teachers, and Schools in the 21st Century 32019 Freedom of Expression in the 21st Century 33620 Enduring Controversies in a New Age: Abortion, Animal Rights, Capital Punishment, and Health Care 35421 Marriage and Gender Roles: Changing Attitudes vs. Traditional Values 37222 Arguing About Science: Policy, Politics, and Culture 38623 Competing Perspectives on the American Economic and Financial Crisis 400 c h a p t e r 1Reading Arguments with a Critical EyeWhat Does an Argument Look Like? 4Recognizing Purpose in Everyday Arguments 4Understanding Audience in Everyday Arguments 5Why You Need to Learn to Read and Write Arguments. Right Now. 6 PHYLLIS KORKKI“Young Workers: U Nd 2 Improve Ur Writing Skills” 7
What You Can Expect from Your Writing Assignments 8Why Read and Respond to the Work of Others? 8Critical Reading and the Contexts of Argument 8Active Reading: Use Your Mind! 9Understanding the Arguments of Others 9Editorial: “Music Piracy: A New Tune” 11Examining the Context of an Argument 12Who Is the Author? 12Who Is the Audience? 12What Is the Author’s Purpose? 13What Are the Writer’s Sources of Information? 13Understanding an Author’s Attitude and Tone 14Denotative and Connotative Word Choice 14Recognizing Tone 16Analyzing an Author’s Tone 16Analyzing for Tone: Word Choice 16Analyzing for Tone: Sentence Structure 17Analyzing for Tone: Metaphors 18Analyzing for Tone: Organization and Examples 18Analyzing for Tone: Repetition 19Analyzing for Tone: Hyperbole, Understatement, and Irony 19Analyzing for Tone: Visuals 19 c h a p t e r 2Responding Critically to the Arguments of OthersResponding to Arguments 24Responding to Content: What Does It Say? 24Writing Summaries 24 ABRAHAM LINCOLN“The Gettysburg Address” 24
ELLEN GOODMAN“In Praise of a Snail’s Pace” 26
Writing Paraphrases 28BERTRAND RUSSELLFrom “A Free Man’s Worship” 29
The Analytic Response: How Is It Written? 29 Understanding Purpose and Audience in a Style Analysis 30DAVE BARRY“In a Battle of Wits with Kitchen Appliances, I’m Toast” 31
Planning a Style Analysis 32 Drafting a Style Analysis 32ELLEN GOODMAN“Choosing Our Families” 33
Student Essay: “Goodman’s Feast of Style” 35
The Evaluation Response: Does It Achieve Its Purpose? 36 Combining Summary, Analysis, and Evaluation: The Critique or Review 36 Knowing Your Audience 37 Understanding Your Purpose 37 Establishing a General Plan 38 Drafting the Critique or Review 38 The Research Response: How Does It Help Me Understand Other Works, Ideas, and Events? 38DAVID LEONHARDT“Chance and Circumstance” 39
MEDICAL NEWS TODAY“Grim Warning for America’s Fast Food Consumers Offered by ‘Supersize Me’ Mice Research” 42
ALYSON WAITE“Beware of Facebook Danger” 43
PART TWO
[writing arguments]
c h a p t e r 3The Basics of ArgumentCharacteristics of Argument 48Argument Is Conversation with a Goal 48Argument Takes a Stand on an Arguable Issue 49Argument Uses Reasons and Evidence 49Argument Incorporates Values 50Argument Recognizes the Topic’s Complexity 50The Shape of Argument 50The Aristotelian Model 50The Toulmin Model 52The Language of Claims and Support 53Types of Claims 53Support for Claims 56RICHARD MORIN“Paradise Lost” 58
Using Toulmin’s Terms to Analyze Arguments 61LES SCHOBERT“Let the Zoo’s Elephants Go” 62
c h a p t e r 4Writing Effective ArgumentsBARACK OBAMAInaugural Address 68
Know Your Audience 69Who Is My Audience? 69What Will My Audience Already Know about My Topic? 69Where Does My Audience Stand on the Issue? 71How Should I Speak to My Audience? 72Understand Your Writing Purpose 74Move from Topic to Claim to Possible Support 74Selecting a Topic 74Drafting a Claim or Thesis 75Listing Possible Grounds 75Listing Grounds for the Other Side or Another Perspective 75Considering the Rogerian or Conciliatory Argument 76Planning Your Approach 77Organizing and Drafting Your Argument 78Revising Your Draft 78Editing 80Word Choice and Tone 80Proofreading 81DEBORAH TANNEN“We Need Higher Quality Outrage” 84
c h a p t e r 5More about Argument: Induction, Deduction, Analogy, SLIPPERY SLOPE and Logical FallaciesInduction 88Deduction 89Analogy 90Arguments That Do Not Work: Logical Fallacies 91Causes of Illogic 92Fallacies That Result from Oversimplifying 93LIVESCIENCE STAFF“Why Teens Are Lousy at Chores” 94
Fallacies That Result from Ignoring the Issue 97GREGORY KANE“To Murder Victims’ Families, Executing Killers Is Justice” 98
Letter: “Legalization of Drugs Would Solve Many Problems for Government” 102Letter: “Better Things to Worry about Than Smoking” 103 c h a p t e r 6The Refutation EssayWhat Is a Refutation Essay? 106Guidelines for Writing a Refutation Essay 107DAVID SADKER“Gender Games” 107
Using Research in Refutation Arguments 110JIM BUIE“The Case for Legal Late-Term Abortions” 110
COLBERT I. KING“You Can’t Fight Terrorism with Racism” 114
c h a p t e r 7The Position EssayCharacteristics of a Position Argument 120Writing a Position Essay 120Planning and Organizing the Position Essay 120Counterarguments and Finding Common Ground 121Editorial: “Ultimately We Control Our Own Privacy Levels on Facebook” 125
Drafting the Position Essay 126BRANDON KEIM“Brain-Enhancing Drugs: Legalize ’Em, Scientists Say” 131
c h a p t e r 8The Causal EssayWhat Is a Causal Essay? 136Characteristics of Causal Arguments 137Recognizing Relationships in Causal Arguments 137Mill’s Methods for Investigating Causes 138Planning and Drafting a Causal Argument 139Planning the Causal Argument 139Using Visuals in the Causal Essay 141Drafting the Causal Argument 141Counterarguments in Causal Essays 142A Checklist for Revision 142GREGG EASTERBROOK“TV Really Might Cause Autism” 143
Guidelines for Analyzing Causal Arguments 145EUGENE ROBINSON“A Specious ‘Experiment’ ” 147
c h a p t e r 9The Problem/Solution EssayCharacteristics of Problem/Solution Arguments 152Planning and Writing a Problem/Solution Argument 154Drafting 155A Checklist for Revision 156Editorial: “Reviewing Criminal Justice” 157
Guidelines for Analyzing Problem/Solution Arguments 158JAMES Q. WILSON“A New Strategy for the War on Drugs” 160
PART THREE[writing a researched argument] c h a p t e r 10Planning the Researched ArgumentFinding a Workable and Manageable Topic 164Who Is My Audience? 164What Are the Assignment’s Time and Length Constraints? 167What Kinds of Topics Should I Avoid? 167How Can I Select a Good Topic? 168Writing a Tentative Claim or Research Proposal 169Locating Effective Print and Online Sources 170Preparing a Working Bibliography 171Basic Form for Books 172Basic Form for Articles 172Knowing Your Library 172Locating Books 173Using the Reference Collection 174Basic Reference Tools 174Using Indexes to Periodicals: In Print and Online 175Using Indexes to Academic Journals: In Print and Online 179Searching the Internet 180Conducting Field Research 180Federal, State, and Local Government Documents 180Correspondence 182Interviews 183Lectures 183Films, Tapes, Television, Online Multimedia Sources 183Surveys, Questionnaires, and Original Research 183 c h a p t e r 11Evaluating and Utilizing SourcesFinding Sources 188Evaluating Sources and Maintaining Credibility 189Documenting Sources to Avoid Plagiarism 192What Is Common Knowledge? 194Taking Notes on Sources 194Using “Tags” or “Signal Phrases” to Avoid Misleading Documentation 196 c h a p t e r 12Drafting and Revising the Researched ArgumentOrganizing the Paper 202The Formal Outline 203Drafting the Paper 204Plan Your Time 204Handle Documentation As You Draft 204Choose and Maintain an Appropriate Writing Style 204Avoid Ineffective Openings 205Write Effective Openings 206Compose Solid, Unifi ed Paragraphs 207Provide Unity and Coherence 207Guide Readers through Source Material 209Synthesize Source Material and Your Own Ideas 210Avoid Ineffective Conclusions 212Write Effective Conclusions 212Choose an Effective Title 213The Completed Paper 213Revising the Paper: A Checklist 213Rewriting 214Editing 214Proofreading 214 c h a p t e r 13Documenting Sources (MLA, APA, and More)MLA Style 226MLA In-Text (Parenthetical) Documentation 226Preparing MLA Citations for a “Works Cited” Page 228Author/Year or APA Style 235APA Style: In-Text Citations 235APA Style: Preparing a List of References 238Sample Student Essay in APA Style 241Footnote or Endnote Style 250In-Text Citations 250Footnote/Endnote Form: First (Primary) Reference 250Sample Footnotes/Endnotes 251Footnote/Endnote Form: Short Forms 252Sample Bibliography 253
PART FOUR
[an anthology of contemporary arguments]
c h a p t e r 14The Myth and Reality of the Image in American Consumer CultureHUGH GRAHAM“The End of Consumer Culture?” 256
MICHELLE COTTLE“Turning Goys Into Girls” 260
NISSAN ADVERTISEMENT 264
ROB WALKER“Social Lubricant: How a Marketing Campaign Became the Catalyst for a Societal Debate” 265
PRODUCT PLACEMENT: MCDONALD’S AD IN 30 ROCK 267
JEFF HOWE“Why the Music Industry Hates Guitar Hero” 268
c h a p t e r 15The Challenges of Living in a High-Tech, Multimedia World“ACCIDENT” ADVERTISEMENT FROM APPLE (MAC VS. PC) 273
RUTH MARCUS“PowerPoint: Killer App?” 274
SAM DIAZ“Obama: ‘It is unacceptable that the United States ranks 15th in the world in broadband adoption’ ” 276
JOEL ACHENBACH“Out of the Woods: Today’s Kids Can’t See the Forest for the MTV” 277
ANDREW SULLIVAN“Society Is Dead: We Have Retreated Into the iWorld” 279
STEPHEN J. DUBNER“Is MySpace Good for Society? A Freakonomics Quorum” 281
JACQUIELYNN FLOYD“On Facebook, Biggest Threat to Your Private Data May Be You” 285
c h a p t e r 16Violent Media or Violent Society? GLORIA STEINEM“Supremacy Crimes” 290
KIDS, GUNS, AND TELEVISION 293
BILL RICHARDSEditorial cartoon 294
KATHERINE ELLISON“What’s Up Doc? A Bloody Outrage, That’s What” 295
AARON MCGRUDERThe Boondocks 298
BRENT STAPLES“How Hip-Hop Music Lost Its Way and Betrayed Its Fans” 299
c h a p t e r 17America in the Age of ObamaMEET THE PRESS TRANSCRIPT, TOM BROKAW AND COLIN POWELL 304
STEVE BENSONPolitical cartoon on Barack Obama 310
STEVEN GRAY“What Obama’s Election Really Means to Black America” 311
TIME MAGAZINE COVER 313
JON MEACHAM“The Age of Obama: Obama Will Need the Spirits of Kennedy, FDR and Lincoln, and Also a Patient Public” 314
ZEB WELLS, TODD NAUCK, AND FRANK D’ARMATAThe Amazing Spider-Man, Inaugural Day edition 318
c h a p t e r 18Students, Teachers, and Schools in the 21st CenturyNATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION WEB SITE 322
DARYL CAGLEPolitical cartoon on standardized testing 325
GARY VARVELEditorial cartoon about education 326
BOB HERBERT“Left Behind, Way Behind” 327
CYNTHIA KOPKOWSKI MCCABE“Education Funding: Follow the Money” 328
MARY SUE COLEMAN“The Digital Library Plan: Riches We Must Share” 331
NICK TAYLOR“The Digital Library Plan: But Not at Writers’ Expense” 332
c h a p t e r 19Freedom of Expression in the 21st CenturyJOHN W. WHITEHEAD“The Schools Are Destroying Freedom of Speech” 338
KEN DAUTRICH AND JOHN BARE“Why the First Amendment (and Journalism) Might Be in Trouble” 340
MARK DAVIS“A Little Civility, Please” 343
ROBERT O’NEIL“What Limits Should Campus Networks Place on Pornography?” 344
RICK SANTORUM“A Perfect Storm: Privacy. Neutrality. Free Expression” 347
FREE SPEECH COALITION, INC. WEB SITE 349
PHOTO OF “BONG HITS 4 JESUS” BANNER 351
BRIAN FAIRRINGTONPolitical cartoon on free speech 352
c h a p t e r 20Enduring Controversies in a New Age: Abortion, Animal Rights, Capital Punishment, and Health CarePHOTO ABOUT RESCINDING MEXICO CITY POLICY 357
PHOTO OF ANIMAL RIGHTS PROTEST 358
STOP AERIAL WOLF HUNTING IN ALASKA WEB SITE 359
MICHAEL HOGUEIllustration about the death penalty 360
KHALIL BENDIBPolitical cartoon on race and the death penalty 361
YOUTUBE VIDEO ABOUT THE DEATH PENALTY 362
JASON LINKINS“Elizabeth Edwards: Favors Clinton’s Health Plan, Says Obama’s ‘Not Universal,’ Slams McCain’s as Ineffective” 363
MAGGIE MAHAR“Is Health Care a Right?” 365
YARON BROOK“The Right Vision of Health Care” 368
c h a p t e r 21Marriage and Gender Roles: Changing Attitudes vs. Traditional ValuesGRAPH BY TODD TRUMBULL, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE 374
KEVIN DRUM“Gay Rights in California” 375
PROTECT MARRIAGE: VOTE “YES” ON PROPOSITION 8 WEB SITE 376
MAX MUTCHNICK“My Daughters Have No Mother” 378
DARRIN BELLPolitical cartoon on gay marriage 380
SAM SCHULMAN“The Worst Thing About Gay Marriage” 381
c h a p t e r 22Arguing About Science: Policy, Politics, and CultureMICHAEL M. CROW“The Challenge for the Obama Administration Science Team” 388
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH WEB SITE 391
KENNETH R. MILLER“Trouble Ahead for Science” 393
BEN STEIN“Florida’s Darwinian Interlude” 395
LAURA K. DONOHUE“Censoring Science Won’t Make Us Any Safer” 396
c h a p t e r 23Competing Perspectives on the American Economic and Financial CrisisPAUL KRUGMAN“Behind the Curve” 402
THOMAS SOWELL“Bailout Politics” 404
AMERICANS UNITED FOR CHANGE ADVERTISEMENTS 406
WILLIAM WARRENPolitical cartoon on Barack Obama 407
ROBERT REICH“The Real Scandal of AIG” 408
YOUTUBE VIDEO OF JIM CRAMER ON THE TODAY SHOW 409
ROBERT J. SAMUELSON“The Shadow of Depression” 410
Credits 413Index 419
