Argumentative Essay

Writing An Argumentative Essay
Why do people argue? Because it makes us explore different opinions thoroughly. It teaches us to ponder on opposing statements, to present only distinct and precise information. The art of arguing is to treat your opponent with respect and at the same time rebate his claims. This is what you have to do when writing an argumentative essay. The purpose of an argumentative essay is to win the debate with your point of view and support your point with facts or relevant ideas.

In this kind of essay, we not only give information but also present an argument with the PROS (supporting ideas) and CONS (opposing ideas) of an argumentative issue. We should clearly take our stand and write as if we are trying to persuade an opposing audience to adopt new beliefs or behavior. The primary objective is to persuade people to change beliefs that many of them do not want to change.
Your victory will depend much on the topic you choose for the essay. There are several rules for selecting a successful topic, if you follow these simple steps on how to write your argumentative essay you will be efficient from the start.

The following are some helpful tips to help you write your essay.
Choosing an argumentative topic is not an easy task. The topic should be such that

1. It should be narrowed down

X Marijuana should be considered illegal. (Not a good topic because it is too general. In some medical cases, marijuana is prescribed by the doctors and the patients are encouraged to use it in case of suffering from too much pain)
√ Selling and using marijuana in public places should be considered illegal.


2. It should contain an argument

X We should decide whether we want a bicycle or a car. (our stand is not clear: do we support having bicycles or cars?)
√ If we are under the age of 30 and want a healthy life, we should definitely get a bicycle instead of a car.

X Are you one of those who thinks cheating is not good for students? (a question cannot be an argument)
√ Cheating helps students learn.

X Considering its geological position, Turkey has an important geopolitical role in the EU. (facts cannot be arguments)
√ Considering its geopolitical role, we can clearly say that the EU cannot be without Turkey.


3. It should be a topic that can be adequately supported (with statistics, outside source citations, etc.)

X I feel that writing an argumentative essay is definitely a challenging task. (feelings cannot be supported; we cannot persuade other people)

The argumentative essay starts with an introduction. The introduction is the gateway into your paper, and it serves two roles. The introduction should grab your reader's attention and let him or her know what your paper will be about. Your thesis must also let your reader know what your essay will be about. By the time he or she finishes your conclusion, the reader should know what you intend to write about, what you think of that subject, and what specific statement you intend to prove.

The body is where you stop talking about what you're going to do in your essay and you start actually doing it. In other words, the body is where you actually prove the assertion you made at the end of your introduction. Because the body is meant to do the heavy work of your essay, proving the point which you want to make, the language in your body will most likely be less engaging and more basic than the language in your introduction. Because the job of the body is to prove the thesis, it is both the easiest and the most dangerous part of your essay to write. It's easy because the body is the part of the essay where the words probably come to you easiest, but proving the thesis often turns out to be easier said than done.

Sample argumentative essay: A University in Every Town

The Turkish government is planning to open 15 new universities in developing provinces of Turkey. This is a response to pressure coming from local MPs who in turn voice the demands of their constituencies. However, while the already existing 85 universities are wrestling with financial and academic difficulties, it does not seem to be a good idea to add new universities to the system of higher education.

First of all, the new universities will experience staffing problems. That is, they will have difficulty finding faculty that is qualified to teach in these budding universities. In our country the number of academicians who meet the academic requirements is limited. New universities will have two choices: either to draw from the existing pool or to employ under qualified people. To attract those instructors from other universities they will have to offer attractive incentives . However, since these will be state universities they will not have the necessary funds and most academics will be unwilling to go to small town universities where academic and life standards are below par. The only venue open to these universities will be to employ local professionals or under qualified instructors. The inevitable result will follow: a drop in the quality of education.

In addition to recruitment problems, small town universities will have financial difficulties. The funds allocated to them by the state will not be enough to build from scratch all the facilities that make a university a "real university". A university is more than a few classrooms. Students will need dorms, gyms, cafeterias, sports facilities, labs and computers for their academic and social development. How many new universities can claim to have only a few of these facilities on their campuses? The result will be a small town "university" which consists of a sole building that houses classrooms and offices, and nothing more.

It is argued that the establishment of a university in a developing town will contribute to the development of local culture, community and economy. However, if a university is wrestling with staff recruitment problems, or if it cannot solve its financial difficulties it means that it cannot be of any help to the local community or economy either. It will only employ a few locals, provide substandard education to a few local youth, and it will not fulfill the the aim for which it was initially established.

Universities are institutions of higher education and they need to provide education to satisfy certain standards. In order to provide such quality education they need to have qualified teachers and must provide minimum social and academic facilities. Since funds are limited, we should raise the standard of our existing universities first. Only after that, should we invest in establishing new ones.

For Further information and Examples you may visit the links bellow:
1. How to write Argumentative
2. Argumentative Essay Examples
3. Argumentative Essay Sample