The Aims of Argument: A Rhetor

Book by Crusius Timothy Channell Carolyn

Preface

Note to Students

PART I. THE AIMS OF ARGUMENT

1. An Overview of Key Terms

What Is Argument? / How Should We Approach Argument? / What Are the Aims of Argument? / Arguing to Inquire / Arguing to Convince / Arguing to Persuade / Arguing to Negotiate / The Aims of Argument: A Summary / What Is Rhetoric

2. Reading an Argument

Before You Read / Recalling Prior Knowledge / Considering the Rhetorical Context / As You Read / The First Reading / Anna Quindlen, “Making the Mosaic” / The Second Reading / The Third Reading / After You Read

3. Analyzing an Argument: A Simplified Toulmin Method

A Preliminary Critical Reading / William F. May, “Rising to the Occasion of Our Death” / A Step-by-Step Demonstration of the Toulmin Method / Analyzing the Claim / Analyzing the Reasons / Analyzing the Evidence / Noting Refutations / Summarizing Your Analysis / Student Sample: An Argument for Analysis: Amber Young, “Capital Punishment: Society’s Self-Defense”

4. Preparing to Write: Arguing to Inquire

The Importance of Inquiry / Questions for Inquiry / Inquiry and Written Arguments: The Process of Dialogue / A Preliminary Critical Reading / Michael Levin, “The Case for Torture” / A Sample Dialogue / Evaluating an Argument: An Analysis Based on Inquiry / Preparing to Write / From Dialogue to Draft / A Sample Analysis: “Michael Levin’s ‘The Case for Torture’: A Dangerous Oversimplification” / William Murchison, “City Shouldn’t Ignore Morality” / Student Sample: An Analysis Based on Inquiry: Cindy Tarver, “An Appeal to Prejudice” / Inquiring into a Range of Positions / The Exploratory Essay / Three Opposing Positions: William F. May, “Rising to the Occasion of Our Death,” Sidney Hook, “In Defense of Voluntary Euthanasia,” Matthewe Conolly, “Euthanasia Is Not the Answer” / A Sample Exploratory Essay: “Exploring the Issue of Voluntary Euthanasia” / Using Inquiry by Peers in Writing an Argument

5. Making Your Case: Arguing to Convince

The Nature of Convincing: Structure and Strategy / Case Structure / Case Strategy / Anne Marie O’Keefe, “The Case against Drug Testing” / The Process of Convincing / Preparing a Brief / From Brief to Draft / Revising the Draft / Reader’s Checklist for Revision / Editing and Proofreading / Student Sample: An Essay to Convince: Justin Spidel, “Who Should Have the Right to Marry?”

6. Appealing to the Whole Person: Arguing to Persuade

A Matter of Emphasis: When to Convince and When to Persuade / Analyzing Your Readers / Who Is the Audience, and How Do They View the Topic? / What Are Our Differences? / What Do We Have in Common? / Reading a Persuasive Essay / Background / The Basic Message / Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from Birmingham Jail” / King’s Analysis of His Audience: Identification and Overcoming Difference / Using the Forms of Appeal / The Appeal to Reason / The Appeal to Character / The Appeal to Emotion / The Appeal through Style / Drafting a Persuasive Essay / Conceiving a Readership / Discovering the Resources of Appeal / Reader’s Checklist for Revising a Persuasive Essay / Student Sample: An Essay to Persuade: Joey Shanks, “An Uncomfortable Position”

7. Negotiation and Mediation: Resolving Conflict

Negotiation and the Other Aims of Argument / The Process of Negotiation and Mediation / Understanding the Spirit of Negotiation / Understanding the Opposing Positions: Margaret Liu McConnell, “Living with Roe v. Wade,” Ellen Willis, “Putting Women Back into the Abortion Debate” / Locating the Areas of Disagreement / Questions about Difference / Defining the Problem in Terms of the Real Interests / Inventing Creative Options / Gathering More Data / Reaching a Solution Based on Agreed-upon Principles / The Mediatory Essay / Roger Rosenblatt, “How to End the Abortion War” / Analyzing a Mediatory Essay / Writing a Mediatory Essay / Student Sample: A Mediatory Essay: Angi Grellhesl, “Mediating the Speech Code Controversy”

8. Image and Argument: Visual Rhetoric

Understanding Visual Rhetoric / Analysis: Common Types of Visual Rhetoric / “Reading” Images / Advertisements / Editorial Cartoons / Public Sculpture / News Photographs / Graphics / Russell A. Barkley, “Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder” / Writing Assignments / One: Analyzing an Advertisement or Editorial Cartoon: Student Sample: Kelly Williams, “A Mother’s Treat” / Two: Using Visual Rhetoric as Promotion for Your School / Three: Analyzing Your Own Visual Rhetoric / Four: Writing to Convince / Five: Using Graphics to Supplement Your Own Writing or Other Texts / Reader’s Checklist for Using Graphics / Image and Argument: Color Section

9. Researching Arguments

Finding an Issue / Understand That an Issue Is More Than Merely a Topic / Keep Abreast of Current Events / Research the News / Research Your Library’s Periodicals Indexes / Inquire into the Issue / Finding Sources / Field Research / Library and Online Research / Internet Research / Evaluating Sources / Eliminate Inappropriate Sources / Carefully Record Complete Bibliographic Information / Read the Source Critically / Inquire into the Source / Consider How You Might Use the Source / Suggestions for Evaluating Sources / Using Sources / Taking Notes / Suggestions for Taking Notes / Paraphrasing / Suggestions for Paraphrasing / Summarizing / Suggestions for Summarizing / James Rachels, from The End of Life / Patrick Pugh, Summary of Excerpt from The End of Life / Creating an Annotated Bibliography / Incorporating and Documenting Source Material in the Text of Your Argument / Different Styles of Documentation / Guidelines for Using MLA and APA Style / Direct Quotations / Indirect Quotations / Creating a Works-Cited or Reference List / Books / Periodicals / Nonprint Sources / Electronic Sources / A Student Research Paper (MLA Style)

PART II. READINGS: ISSUES AND ARGUMENTS

10. Immigration

David Kennedy, Can We Still Afford to Be a Nation of Immigrants? / Peter Brimelow, Time to Rethink Immigration? / Linda Chavez, What to Do about Immigration / Nicolaus Mills, Lifeboat Ethics and Immigration Fears / David Maung, Photograph / Leslie Marmon Silko, The Border Patrol State

11. Feminism

Cassandra Langer, What Is Feminism? / Deborah Rhode, Women’s Movements, Men’s Movements / Susan Faludi, The Backlash Against Feminism / Kirk Anderson, Cartoon / Naomi Wolf, The Beauty Myth / Christina Hoff Somers, The Backlash Myth / Katie Roiphe, The Independent Woman (and Other Lies) / Elizabeth Mitchell, An Odd Break with the Human Heart / Two Ads for Women’s Jeans

12. Marriage and Family

Arlene Skolnick, The Paradox of Perfection / Midge Decter, The Madness of the American Family / Betty Holcomb, Families Are Changing for the Better / Stephanie Coontz, The Future of Marriage / Cheney, Cartoon / Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, The Making of a Divorce Culture / David Popenoe, A World without Fathers

13. Gay and Lesbian Rights

Jeffrey Nickel, Everybody’s Threatened by Homophobia / Pete Hamill, Confessions of a Heterosexual / Gary Trudeau, Cartoon / Peter J. Gomes, Homophobic? Reread Your Bible / Jonathan Alter, Degrees of Discomfort / Jonathan Rauch, Beyond Oppression / Toni A. H. McNaron, In or Out in the Classroom?

14. The News and Ethics

Jack Fuller, What Is News? / Michael Schudson, In All Fairness / Jim Squires, The Impossibility of Fairness / M. Twohy, Cartoon / W. Lance Bennett, Escaping the News Prison: How People See beyond the Walls / James Fallows, “Public Journalism”: An Attempt to Connect the Media with the Public

15. Liberal Education and Contemporary Culture

Arthur Levine and Jeanette S. Cureton, College Life: An Obituary / Lois Bernstein, Photograph / Mark Edmundson, On the Uses of Liberal Education: As Lite Entertainment for Bored College Students / Earl Shorris, On the Uses of Liberal Education: As a Weapon in the Hands of the Restless Poor / John Tagg, The Decline of the Knowledge Factory: Why Our Colleges Must Change

16. Race and Class

Bruce Roberts, Photograph / Ryszard Kapuscinski, Second Thoughts about America’s Racial Paradise / Michael Lind, The Beige and the Black / Abigail and Stephan Thernstrom, Black Progress: How Far We’ve Come—And How Far We Have to Go / Linda Darling-Hammond, Unequal Opportunity: Race and Education / Shelby Steele, The Recoloring of Campus Life / Patricia J. Williams, The Distribution of Distress

17. The Twenty-First Century

Michiko Kaku, Choreographers of Matter, Life, and Intelligence / Bettman, Photograph / Larry King, from Future Talk (Interviews with Marian Wright Edelman, Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky, Maya Angelou, and Elaine Pagels) / Max Dublin, The Power of Prophecy / Robert D. Kaplan, The Coming Anarchy / Adrian Berry, Have We Got Company?

In each chapter:

For Further Research and Discussion

Additional Suggestions for Writing

Appendix A: Editing and Proofreading

Appendix B: Keeping a Writer’s Notebook

Credits

Index