Arguing a

Position
 1
In General . . .
What does it mean
to argue a position?
 Everything we do or say presents
some kind of argument, takes
some kind of position
 Often we take overt positions:
Taking a
position
- Industries should follow
more intense Carbon emission
standards
- Schools should be left to
follow their own standard of
excellence
 All positions are arguable
Taking a
position
- Backed with evidence and
reason, peers will often make
a counter to your position,
forcing you to make an
argument
 2
A Clear
Position
 At the heart of every argument is a
claim with which people may
reasonably disagree
A clear and Some claims are not arguable
arguable - Claims based on a:
position Matter of opinion
Matter of fact
Matter of belief
A clear and To be arguable, a position
arguable must have at least two points
position of view
- Gun buyers should (or
should not) be subject to
thorough background checks
before purchase
 3
Good Reasons
 By itself, a position does not make
an argument; the argument comes
when the writer offers reasons to
back the position up
 You can reason in a multitude
Good
reasons
of ways . . .
- Comparison of examples
- Warranting
 4
Convincing
Evidence
 Once youre given reasons for your
position, you need to offer evidence
for your reasons
 Your claim can be argued with
Convincing
evidence
evidence
- Facts, statistics, expert
testimony, anecdotal
evidence, case studies, and
textual evidence
 The very strongest arguments
Convincing
evidence
use a wide array of evidence
types
 5
Appeals to
readers values
 Effective arguers try to appeal to
readers values and emotions
Appeals to The appeal to emotion! Ethos!
readers - Get you readers emotionally
emotions involved in your side of the
argument
Appeals to Introduce evidence as
readers anecdotes or descriptions
emotions - The emotions of happiness,
relief, sadness, and even anger
can be a useful tool in swaying
readers to your position
 6
Trustworthy
Tone
 Arguments can stand or fall on the way
readers perceive them
 A Creating trust between you
trustworthy and your readers is imperative
tone to a strong argument
 A There are a few ways to
trustworthy establish trustworthiness
tone - Showing fairness
- Showing experience
- Showing honesty
 7
Careful
Consideration
of Others
Opinions
 No matter how reasonable and
careful we are in arguing our positions,
others may disagree or offer
counterarguments
 Careful When arguing a position it is
consideration vital to acknowledge and or
of other refute counterarguments
positions
Furthermore . .
 Considering Before you begin writing it is
the rhetorical important to outline the four
situation basic components to your
argument
MAPS MAPS MAPS
MAPS MAPS MAPS
MAPS MAPS MAPS
MAPS MAPS MAPS
 Considering (MAPS)
the rhetorical M- media/design
situation
A - audience
P - purpose
S - stance
 What media do you use?
(M) Media
and design
- Powerpoint, essay, article,
response
How does your chosen media
affect your argument?
- Do you need statistics?
Should you include audio or
video?
 Who are you addressing?
(A) Audience - What do they know/think
about your issue?
- To what degree will they
agree with you?
 What are you trying to make
(P) Purpose your (A) audience think?
- Change their mind on your
position?
- Evaluate alternative views?
- Understand you are
knowledgeable on your
position?
 What is your attitude on the
(S) Stance position, and why?
- How will the audience
perceive your attitude?
- Are you calm, excited, upset,
outraged, ecstatic . . . ?
The Activity
 We will be doing a MAPS
The activity game, where I choose the (M),
and fate chooses everything
else
 (M)
A Journal Entry
Get out your journals
 Take the month you were
The first step born (Ex: 04)Take the first
letter of
Take the day of the month
you were born (Ex: 17)
Take the first letter of your
first name (Ex: J)
Write them down (Ex: 04/17/J)
 Take a minute or two to think
Your topic of a topic (but not a position)
- Ex: Whether companies
should be forced to regulate
their Carbon output
- Ex: Whether schools should
be left to the state level
instead of the federal level
 04/17/J
The first number will
determine your (A),
the ones digit of the
middle number will
determine your (P),
the letter on the end
will determine your
(S)
REMEMBER!
Write your (A), (P),
and (S) down!
 Your expected audience is . . .
01 - A group of 10 year olds
02 - Very Liberal college students
03 - Elderly men
04 - A very conservative area of the Midwest
The (A)
05 - Golf enthusiasts
06 - CEOs of very big companies
07 - Small business owners
08 - On the fence voters from small towns
09 - Middle-aged soccer moms
10 - Starkingly average Joes from Montana
11 - Well learned intellectuals from around the United States
12 - Mr. Bigelow
 You are arguing a position in an attempt your make your audience . .
1 - Perceive you as an authority on your topic
2 - Accept your position as a possibility
3 - Understand you are very knowledgeable on your topic
4 - Accept your position as the best solution/answer
The (P) 5 - Take action
6 - Share your argument with others
7 - Understand common ground you share about your topic
8 - See that you have researched your topic thoroughly
9 - Be persuaded by your expertise
 You want to portray your position on your topic as . . .
A - Ecstatic B - Deeply agitated C - Completely indifferent
D - Excited E - Enthusiastic F - Furious G - Undecided
H - Ready to take action I - Upset J - Mildly annoyed
K - Calm L - Authoritative M - Professional N - Reasonable
The (S) O - Impassioned P - Collected Q - Mildly amused R - On the fence
S - Understandably annoyed T - Knowledgeable U - Angry
V - Happy W - Sad X - Reasonable Y - Learned Z - Equisite
 Take your topic, (A), (P), and
The last step (S) and write it like so
- I am writing about [Topic],
my expected audience is [(A)],
I am arguing in attempt to
make my audience [(P)], and I
am [(S)] in regards to my topic