…

AmbassadorExploration6549
                                           …

                                              Rough Draft of Argumentative Essay

The number of communities you are in is vast; so, you should have thousands of things from which to choose. Further, you will likely find that you are more interested, that you write better, and the outcome is more interesting if you are interested to a degree to your subject and topic. If you don’t care about the condition of gray wolves in the United States, do not argue about the issue that in the few years since the Trump administration relaxed laws about killing wolves, nearly half of the wolf population has already been hunted and killed. I do care about the wolf population as an apex predator and wonderfully fascinating animal; so, I would be interested in my writing.

This can actually be tougher than it sounds. ALL GOOD WRITING IS CHALLENGING. ALL GOOD WRITING REQUIRES GOOD THINKING.

First, you have to figure out an issue that you care about or that concerns you or that affects you in some way.
Second, you have to figure out what your position will be, and this can be complicated, especially if this is an issue has been debated for quite awhile (like abortion, gun rights, and so forth). YOU MUST MAKE SURE YOUR POSITION IS NOT A DUPLICATE POSITION. Do not repeat the arguments of others; that is a waste of time. In fact, if you don’t have any new claim to argue, nothing new to add, in an ongoing debate, find one or move on.

So, you will need to develop a claim that fits the following:

The issue is one that affects you, that concerns you, that interests you, or that you care about on some level.
The issue should be one that can be changed by a rhetorical act large enough to be produced in the form of an essay.
The claim should be debatable (that is, someone likely will disagree). If your claim is not debatable, there is really no need to argue the point.
The claim should be original (that is, don’t repeat arguments that have been presented before by another) and should be additive. That is, add something to the ongoing debate about your issue–this doesn’t mean you have to add something major just something original. Think of it like this: you are entering a type of conversation when entering a debate over an issue (that is when arguing over an issue). If you were at a party and entered a conversation, people would not like it if you just repeated with others said would they?
The claim should be specific not vague or overly general
The claim should be limited enough for the given length or time frame.
The claim should be defensible (particularly in the space your are given to do so).

You also will want a good list of reasons that confirm your claim and a good list of evidence that supports these reasons. [It is possible in complicated issues and arguments that your reasons will actually also have reasons–that is a reason that supports your claim could itself be an assertion that needs reasons to justify it just like your thesis claim. Make sure you consider all the reasons which are required to prove your thesis claim.]

You will want a good list of reasons to refute opposition to your claim and evidence. [These too can be multi-layered and complex.]

It is vital to first develop a working thesis, reasons, and evidence. So, you should be ready to put these into essay form.