This past week’s reading contained multiple concepts and ideas that I feel can add to any piece of writing, whether it be argumentative, persuasive, or informative. One of the major ideas we discussed in class was the idea of providing objections to the arguments you are trying to make. Before I read this section I was against the idea of presenting a counter argument in my piece as I thought that I would either take away from my existing argument or that it would make my writing seem unimportant. However, Graff and Birkenstein explain that objections to your argument can in reality help improve your viewpoint on the subject and prevent you from appearing closeminded. After having introduced the objection to your argument you can then address the issues and provide your stance on the subject matter and explain the reasoning why you do not agree with the counterargument. The next topic that we discussed in class was introducing the skeptics or “naysayers” into your arguments. This technique allows you to directly address the audience that your argument applies to. One could address the audience using somewhat vague terms such as “they”, “some”, or “many” or one could directly address the population that the objection applies the most to. However, it is crucial not to generalize your …show more content…
Having learned what a crucial conversation is and what sets it apart from ordinary everyday conversations was very eye-opening. I have always known that there was such thing as an important conversation such as those with someone in a superior position than you such as an employer or boss, but I did not realize that a seemingly simple conversation such as debating over a property line could be define as a crucial conversation. Now that I know the innerworkings of a crucial conversation I will be better prepared during high risk conversations in the future such as a discussion with my
When attempting to convince other to view an issue from a different standpoint, there are multiple different rhetorical strategies that can be utilized in order to effectively do so. In the article “Not by Math Alone,” by Sandra Day O’Connor and Roy Romer, the authors argue that school systems today lack the education needed to prepare students to take part in their government. O’Connor and Romer use a variety of persuasive techniques, including establishing credibility and presenting facts and evidence, to get the audience to see how rare civic learning is and why it is important for students to learn about these things. The authors instill trust in the audience as they provide information from credible sources that supports their purpose.
There are many examples of strong argumentative writing in the second half of the book Everyday Arguments. Topics of writing examples include today’s college student, the internet, sports, earning your living, diet, and reading popular culture. Of the writings, two stood out as notable works to be critiqued; Who is a Teacher, and Thoughts on Facebook.
Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson. Writing Arguments: A Rhetoric with Readings. 9th ed. Boston: Pearson Education, 2012. Print.
... reasons why. This strengthens my argument as I develop relevant reasons to my position while agreeing on a middle ground.
Petersen, I have realized there are many actions and changes I need to make in my life. One thing I struggle with the most is listening. In order to overcome this struggle, I am willing to incorporate the “talker-listener card” into my everyday conversations (Petersen, 2007, pp. 55-64). Using this tool will guide me in developing active listening skills. Whenever I have a disagreement with a friend or family member, I can utilize this card. According to Petersen (2007), “Using the TLC opens the door to more effective conversations when someone needs to ‘talk things over’” (p. 55). This method helps prevent screaming matches and forces people to respond calmly and rationally to disagreements they are
Crusius, Timothy W., and Carolyn E. Channell. The Aims of Argument: A Text and Reader. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2003. Print.
Making a good and persuasive argument is very much an acquired skill. It requires much practice and perfecting. It takes more than just having passion and making good points. Just because a person is passionate about the topic or has supporting details does not mean they can make a successful argument. Much more thought and skill is required. Gordon Adams, in his letter to the Arizona State University standards committee, demonstrates this quite well. Gordon Adams writes a passionate argument, yet his argument lacks several critical aspects.
The rhetorical analysis played a role in this, because I was required to use the various rhetorical appeals to compose a strong argument. Using the appeals definitely helped in trying to persuade the reader to acknowledge the opposing view.
By showing the other side of the argument the author can then show how strong their claim is by finding ways to rebuttal it. One of the most effective sentences that contradicts her argument is, “Dr. Deanish Ornish, an advocate of low-fat diets, felt that the study did not follow the participants for a long enough period to show
This is something I would like to take away and infuse into my own writing, because I normally rely on facts to sway my reader, but I now see that presenting an opposing view can prove that one’s own argument would be strong enough to stand against doubt. It is like testing the foundation of a home you build yourself, how will you know if it is strong if the wind doesn’t blow? I would also like employ the pattern Primack uses to present his evidence. He layers facts along with quotes from the personal accounts of individuals who have an understanding of the topic, so it makes their words relevant. I feel as though this creates an argument that appeals emotionally, is relevant, and supported by accurate
Mark Sisson argues that the use of banned substances isn’t a problem because these substances keep the athletes healthy and at the top of their game. This is a topic that is popular in today’s world of competition and professional sports. The claim to allow performance enhancing drugs is difficult to make people agree with you because the media always displays them as bad and they never say the positive benefits of these drugs. Since it is difficult to get people to believe and agree with your claim by pitching a well-constructed argument. Sisson presents a good argument by using strategies of persuasion such as ethos, pathos, and logos developed by Aristotle.
A rebuttal is and anticipated objection to a claim. The authors effectively rebut themselves providing information that the possibility of wages being raises has not been spoken of and has not increased “since 1997 and is not enforced” at its preposterous level. By providing this rebuttal, it allows the authors to interject with the improbability of the construction of the wall that the House of Representatives planned to create. The implementation of a rebuttal, it allows the authors to include exceptions such as members of Congress “are trying to deport” illegal immigrants, but are ignorant that illegal immigrants occupy the minute jobs that are the base of the nation . This use of rebuttals and reservations provide readers to possess the feeling that those arguing are secure in their position by effective information to reinforce their
However, while writing the argumentative essay, it took much more than just asking myself a simple question. Since the topics of my body paragraphs were so diverse, I was forced to work harder at picturing the connections between all three of them. While I knew writing the process essay was difficult, when I began writing the argumentative essay, I knew it was going to be much more challenging. Nevertheless, after the paper was finally complete, my ability of writing transitional sentences was increasingly better due to the difficulty. Furthermore, I never would have examined so closely how to relate the ideas of college athletes’ monetary compensation to lawsuits being filed over disputes of unfairness (“Paying College Athletes” 3). Not only did the process essay help further my knowledge of transitional sentences, but the argumentative pushed it to the next
Another tool that I found useful was that there is no one person who has the absolute authority when it comes to science (Sagan, 1997). It establishes that you should not always believe what you hear just because it comes from someone who seems credible, especially if they do not provide evidence to support their claim. This idea also is useful because it shows that no one knows everything and that everyone makes mistakes. For example, product commercials endorsed by celebrities often lead to people buying those products (Mesher, 2012). We do not know if these celebrities are using the products they are trying to endorse or if these products actually work. The celebrities in these ads give ...
Crucial Conversations deals with more abstract concepts such as understanding and recognizing your emotions, while Perfecting Your Pitch gives a simple, yet effective three-step process to mastering life’s crucial conversations.