practicalargument3e

Structuring Your Essay

As you learned in Chapter 1, an argumentative essay, like other essays, includes an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. In the introduction of an argumentative essay, you state your thesis; in the body paragraphs, you present evidence to support your thesis and you address opposing arguments; and in your conclusion, you bring your argument to a close and reinforce your thesis with a strong concluding statement. As you have seen, these four elements—thesis, evidence, refutation, and concluding statement—are like the four pillars of the ancient Greek temple, supporting your argument so that it will stand up to scrutiny.

SUPPLYING BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Depending on what you think your readers know—and what you think they need to know—you might decide to include a background paragraph that supplies information about the issue you are discussing. For example, in an essay about green campuses, you might briefly sum up the history of the U.S. environmental movement and trace its rise on college campuses. If you decide to include a background paragraph, it should be placed right after your introduction, where it can prepare readers for the discussion to follow.

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Understanding basic essay structure can help you as you shape your essay. You should also know how to use induction and deduction, how to identify a strategy for your argument, and how to construct a formal outline.

Using Induction and Deduction

Many argumentative essays are structured either inductively or deductively. (See Chapter 5 for explanations of induction and deduction.) For example, the body of an essay with the thesis statement that is shown on the previous page could have either of the following two general structures:

INDUCTIVE STRUCTURE

Colleges are taking a number of steps to follow green practices.
Through these efforts, campuses have become more environmentally responsible, and their programs and practices have made a positive difference.
Because these efforts are helping to save the planet, they should be expanded.

DEDUCTIVE STRUCTURE

Saving the planet is vital.
Green campuses can help to save the planet.
Therefore, colleges should create green campuses.

These structures offer two options for arranging material in your essay. Many argumentative essays, however, combine induction and deduction or use other strategies to shape their ideas.

Identifying a Strategy for Your Argument

There are a variety of different ways to structure an argument, and the strategy you use depends on what you want your argument to accomplish. In this text, we discuss five options for presenting material: definition arguments, cause-and-effect arguments, evaluation arguments, proposal arguments, and ethical arguments.

Any of the five options listed above could guide you as you develop an essay on green campuses:

You could structure your essay as a definition argument, explaining the concept of a green campus and giving examples to show how it operates.
You could structure your essay as a cause-and-effect argument, showing how establishing a green campus could have positive results for students and for the campus.
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You could structure your essay as an evaluation argument, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of various programs and policies designed to create and sustain a green campus.
You could structure your essay as a proposal argument, recommending a particular program, service, or course of action and showing how it can support a green campus.
You could structure your essay as an ethical argument, explaining why creating a green campus is the right thing to do from a moral or ethical standpoint.

Constructing a Formal Outline

If you like, you can construct a formal outline before you begin your draft. (Later on, you can also construct an outline of your finished paper to check the logic of its structure.) A formal outline, which is more detailed and more logically organized than the informal outline shown on page 257, presents your main points and supporting details in the order in which you will discuss them.

A formal outline of the first body paragraph of the student essay later in this chapter would look like this:

Background of the term green
1. 1960s environmental movement
  1. Political agenda
  2. Environmental agenda
2. Today’s movements
  1. Eco-friendly practices
  2. Green values

Following a formal outline makes the drafting process flow smoothly, but many writers find it hard to predict exactly what details they will use for support or how they will develop their arguments. In fact, your first draft is likely to move away from your outline as you develop your ideas. Still, if you are the kind of writer who prefers to know where you are going before you start on your way, you will probably consider the time you devote to outlining to be time well spent.

EXERCISE 7.13

Look back at the thesis you decided on earlier in this chapter, and review the evidence you collected to support it. Then, construct a formal outline for your argumentative essay.