Writing the Single-Source
Argumentative Essay
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Writing effective argumentation is one of the most sophisticated of academic communications. Your purpose, of course, is to persuade your reading audience to adopt your own position or point of view on a controversial issue. How successful you are depends upon many factors--voice, tone, organization, and level of development, to name only a few. Exercise 8: "Writing the Argumentative Essay" emphasizes these four elements.

Voice
"Voice" refers to the image you project of yourself as a writer. That image is composed of the set of attributes which constitute the personality your readers experience. Through your choice of words and sentence structure (the two key elements of your writing style), you should strive to project such attributes as honesty, intelligence, confidence, courtesy, civility, and tenacity.

Tone
The "tone" of your essay is the atmosphere you project. In presenting or reviewing the ideas of your sources, strive to project a tone of objectivity. You want the readers to sense your integrity as one who can weigh both sides of an issue, gather all relevant information, and then, from an informed position, render a sensible verdict.

Organization
The "organization" of your essay reflects the plan or outline. In organizing argumentative papers, generally follow this outline: 1) summarize the subject (issue, controversy), 2) identify the positions, 3) develop your argument. In other words, save your position for last. Build to a climax--the development of your conclusion.

For the single-source essay exercise (a relatively short paper), follow this plan: 1) summarize the author's stated position/claims, 2) identify and summarize any unstated claims or assumptions lying behind the stated claims, and then 3) develop your defense for or your attack against the author's stated and/or implied claims.

Level of Development
How much discussion you provide in your paper always depends upon what your audience already knows about the subject. Certainly, you don't want to patronize the audience by introducing information they already know. If you must review "old news," you have to find that new twist, that new angle that will translate as new insight for your reader. Generally, you need to be sensitive at the paragraph level to the amount of secondary development you create-- that is, explanation of explanation. Don't try to overwhelm the audience, but provide as much commentary as necessary for you to make your own convincing argument at the end of the paper.

Go to Exercise 13

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