argumentation.doc

Lecture 10 Writing Argumentation

I. A typical argumentation consists of three parts: an introduction; a body and a conclusion.
Introduction – identify the issues to be discussed and explains the importance of such a discussion.
Body – present the evidence.
Conclusion – reaffirm the proposition, if stated at the beginning.
II. Points to remember about argumentation
1) A persuasive topic must be debatable
– Mere statement of facts. – Statements of personal taste or preference
– View points that are generally accepted or can be easily verified
2) Sufficient evidence includes:
– common knowledge. – specific examples.
– Hard evidence or facts, not opinions, unless opinions are expert and authoritative.
– Statistics. – Quotations from authorities
3) Good logic
– Organizing your points from the least to the most compelling can be effective because the potency of your arguments gradually builds.
– Beginning with your second-strongest point and then build from your least to most compelling reasons. This arrangement allows you to begin and end powerfully.
III. Problems to be avoided
– Do not engage in name-calling. – Do not make illogical comparison.
– Do not assume that what is true for one person will be true for every body.
– Do not over-generalize
– Avoid overuse of such words and phrases as: perhaps, maybe, sometimes, most often, nearly always, I think, in my opinion, you should etc. which invariably weaken the force of your argument.
IV. 4 ways to write an introduction
1）By statistics / facts：
Each 60 seconds 3 people are killed by handguns. Handgun shootings have taken the lives of doctors, lawyers, politicians and even nuns. More people die by handgun shootings than by cancer. There must be stricter handgun law enforcement.
2) By showing the importance of topic：
The Constitution guarantees it. The colonists were protected by it and modern day Americans insist on it. The right to bear arms means Americans should be able to purchase guns for their protection and for their sport.
3） By asking questions:
Is your husband using his computer to cheat on you? Are your kids fantasizing about sex on the internet? Do you know where your kids and spouse are? If they are in front of the computer, you might have reason to worry. There are several reasons why the computer is not “man’s best friend.”
4）By Zigzag(  曲折的接法)：
New York City has an international reputation for being “the city that never sleeps.” In other words, criminals work 24 hours a day in the “Big Apple.” However, if recent statistics are correct, this reputation is undeserved. In fact, New York City might be one of the safest cities in the world.
V. 3 ways to write concluding para.
1） Make a plea for a change.
The parents, the schools and the government must make a combined effort to educate young people about the dangers of drug abuse. Moreover, the whole society must change its attitude toward such over the counter preparations as sleeping pills, diet pills and tranquilizers. The careless use of these drugs creates an atmosphere that invites the use of illegal narcotics. When we realize our full responsibility in dealing with this problem, drug addiction may begin to disappear as a national menace.
  2）Draw the necessary conclusions from what has been said.
Thus it can be seen that the strong warnings about drug abuses heard on radio and television and seen in newspapers and magazines are not exaggeration. The evidence is overwhelming and only one overriding conclusion can be drawn: drugs are deadly, and experimenting with them can lead people and, in fact, our entire society to the point of extinction.
 3）Summarize the major points of the essay.
Narcotics, then can affect the user in a variety of ways, most of which are frightening and dangerous. When someone tries an illicit drug, he or she may experience immediate effects such as severe hallucinations, serious mental changes and a loss of appetite. Taken over a long period of time, drugs may cause hepatitis, a complete mental breakdown, or even death from an overdose. If people can be made to truly understand these effects, the seductive appeal of drugs will disappear and thousands of useful lives will be saved from the terrifying results or narcotics addiction.
How to write arguments
Example 1
Topic: Should We Restrict Immigration?
PRO (Yes, we should restrict immigration.) Reasons:
1.      Immigrants take jobs from American citizens.
2.      Immigrants don't pay their taxes, and they abuse the welfare system.
3.      With their strange customs, immigrants place a strain on American culture.
CON (No, we should not restrict immigration.) Reasons:
1.      Immigrants do menial jobs that American citizens won't do.
2.      Immigrants pay their taxes and avoid welfare.
3.      Immigrants help renew American culture by the variety of their customs.
IV. Model article reading
1. New Fashion in Clothing Are Created Solely For The Commercial Exploitation Of Women
Whenever you see an old film, even one made as little as ten years ago, you cannot help being struck by the appearance of the women taking part. Their hair-styles and make-ups look dated (old-fashioned); their skirts look either too long or too short; their general appearance is, in fact, slightly ludicrous (stupid or unsuitable). The men taking part in the film, on the other hand, are clearly recognizable. There is nothing about their appearance to suggest that they belong to an entirely different age.
This illusion (幻想，错误的观念) is created by changing fashions. Over the years, the great majority of men have successfully resisted all attempts to make them change their style of dress. The same cannot be said for women. Each year a few so-called “top designers” in Paris or London lay down the law and women the whole world over rush to obey. The decrees (the official demand or decision) of the designers are unpredictable and dictatorial （独裁）. This year, they decide in their arbitrary （武断的）fashion, skirts will be short and waists will be high; zips are in and buttons are out. Next year the law is reversed and far from taking exception, no one is even mildly surprised.
If women are mercilessly exploited year after year, they have only themselves to blame. Because they shudder at (to think sth is very bad) the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion, they are annually blackmailed by the designers and the big stores. Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be discarded because of the dictates (rule or principle) of fashion. When you come to think of it, only a woman is capable of standing in front of a wardrobe packed full of clothes and announcing sadly that she has nothing to wear.
Changing fashions are nothing more than the deliberate creation of waste. Many women squander（挥霍）vast sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn. Women who cannot afford to discard clothing in this way, waste hours of their time altering the dresses they have. Hemlines（衣服下摆的底边） are taken up or let down; waistlines arte taken in or let out; necklines are lowered or raised, and so on.
No one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything really important to society. Fashion designers are rarely concerned with vital things like warmth, comfort and durability. They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantages of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort, providing they look right. There can hardly be a man who hasn’t at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shivering in a flimsy（light and thin）dress on a wintry day, or delicately picking her way through deep snow in dainty (small, delicate, and pretty) shoes.
When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion, the conclusions to be drawn are obvious. Do the constantly changing fashions of women’s clothes, one wonders, reflect basic qualities of fickleness (the quality of easily changing one’s mind about things or people) and instability? Men are too sensible to let themselves be bullied by fashion designers. Do their unchanging styles of dress reflect basic qualities of stability and reliability? That is for you to decide.
Q1. Finish the following outline with missing points from the above article.
Outline: 1. Introducing a phenomenon in old films.
a. Women look odd (dated): hair-styles, make-up, dress.
b. Men are clearly recognizable; do not belong to different age.
2. (1) This illusion is created by changing fashions.
a. Most men have resisted fashion, but not women.
b. Top designers lay down the law; dictatorial.
c. one year, one thing; next year the reverse; no one is surprised.
(2) Women exploited: themselves are to be blame.
a. afraid to be seen in public in old fashioned clothes.
b. Blackmailed by designers, big stores.
c. New clothes discarded; wardrobe full, but nothing to wear.
(3) Changing fashion: the deliberate creation of waste.
a. Women waste money: throw away new clothes.
b. Women waste time: altering clothes.
(4) The fashion industry contribute nothing to society.
a. Designers not interested in important things: warmth, comfort, durability; interested only in outward experience.
b. Women put up with any discomfort.
3. Comparing women and men: obvious conclusions to be drawn.
a. Women: fickle, unstable?
b. Men, not bullied by designers, stable, reliable? You decide.
Q2.Discuss the counter-arguments for Women’s fashion. And lists them below. For example:
1. Fashion adds spice to life: color, variety, beauty.
2. Women follow fashion to please themselves and/or men.
3. There is no commercial exploitation: a huge demand for new styles always exists.
4. Mass production makes well-designed clothes cheap, available to everyone.
5. These days, men are fashion-conscious too: hair-styles, shirts, suits, shoes, etc.
6. Psychological importance of being well-dressed: confidence in one’s appearance very important.
2. Examinations Exert a pernicious Influence on Education
     We might level at（测量）the progress made in every field of study, but the methods of testing a person's knowledge and ability remain as primitive as ever they were.  It really is extraordinary that after all these years, educationists have still failed to devise anything more efficient and reliable than examinations. For all the pious（神圣的）claim that examinations test what you know, it is common knowledge that they more often do the exact opposite. They may be a good means of testing memory, or the knack （技能，本领）of working rapidly under extreme pressure, but they can tell you nothing about a person's true ability and aptitude（天资）.
     As anxiety-makers, examinations are second to none. This is because so much depends on them. They are the mark of success or failure in our society. Your whole future may be decided in one fateful day. It does not matter that you were not feeling very well, or that your mother died. Little things like that do not count: the exam goes on. No one can give of his best（尽力）when he is in mortal（致命的，极大的）terror, or after a sleepless night, yet this is precisely what the examination system expects him to do.  The moment a child begins school, he enters a world of vicious（邪恶的） competition where success and failure are clearly defined and measured. Can we wonder at the increasing number of 'drop-out' young people who are written off（取消）as utter（total）failures before they have even embarked on (began) a career?  Can we be surprised at the suicide(自杀) rate among students? 
     A good education should, among other things, train you to think for yourself. The examination system does anything but that. What has to be learnt is rigidly laid down by a syllabus, so the student is encouraged to memorize. Examinations do not motivate a student to read widely, but to restrict his reading; they do not enable him to seek more and more knowledge, but induce cramming. They lower the standards of teaching, for they deprive the teacher of all freedom. Teachers themselves are often, judged by examination results and instead of teaching their subjects, they are reduced to training their students in exam techniques which they despise. The most successful candidates are not always the best educated; they are the best trained in the technique of working under stress.
     The results on which so much depends are often nothing more than a subjective assessment by some anonymous examiner. Examiners are only human. They get tired and hungry; they make mistakes. Yet they have to mark stacks of hastily scrawled（潦草的写）scripts in a limited amount of time. They work under the same sort of pressure as the candidates. And their word carries weight. After a judge's decision you have the right of appeal, but not after an examiner's. There must surely be many simpler and more effective ways of assessing a person's true abilities. Is it cynical to suggest that examinations are merely a profitable business for the institutions that run them? This is what it boils down to（表明）in the last analysis.  The best comment on the system is this illiterate message recently scrawled on a wall: 'I were a teenage drop-out and now I are a teenage--millionaire.' 
The argument: key words
1. Great progress in many fields, but exams: a primitive method of testing  knowledge and ability. 
2. Educationists haven't devised anything more efficient, reliable. 
3. Exams should test what you know; often do the opposite. 
4. Test of memory, working under pressure; not ability, aptitude. 
5. Exams cause anxiety: mark of success or failure; future decided by  them. 
6. Personal factors (e.g. health, mother's death) are not considered. 
7. Cannot give of your best if in terror or after sleepless night. 
8. School: vicious competition: success, failure clearly defined, measured. 
9. Increasing number of 'drop-outs', suicides. 
10. Education should train you to think for yourself; exam system doesn't.  
11. Exams encourage memorisation; restrict reading;. induce cramming. 
12. They lower teaching standards; teacher: no freedom. 
13. Teachers often judged by exam results; therefore teach exam techniques. 
14. Most successful candidates not best educated; best trained in techniques. 
15. Results: subjective assessment by examiner. 
16. Examiners human: tired, hungry, make mistakes, work under pressure. 
17. After judge's decision, right of appeal; not after examiner's. 
18. There must be more effective ways of assessing ability. 
19. Exams merely a profitable business? 
The counter-argument: key words
1. Exams are a well-tried system: many advantages. 
2. They offer the best quick way of assessing a candidate. 
3. Their reliability has been proved again and again'. 
4. They are marked anonymously: therefore reliable. 
5. Not possible to do well relying m