Choose a controversial issue on which to take a position.

Printed Page 276

When choosing an issue, keep in mind that the issue must be

Choosing an issue about which you have special interest or knowledge usually works best. For example, if you are thinking of addressing an issue of national concern, focus on a local or at least a specific aspect of it: For example, instead of addressing censorship in general, write about a recent lawmaker’s effort to propose a law censoring the Internet, a city council attempt to block access to Internet sites at the public library, or a school board’s ban on certain textbooks.

You may already have an issue in mind. If you do, skip to Test Your Choice (p. 277). If you do not, the topics that follow, in addition to those following the readings (pp. 260, 265, 272), may suggest an issue you can make your own:

Issues Related to School

Printed Page 277

Issues Related to Your Community

Issues Related to Work

TEST YOUR CHOICE

Ask yourself the following questions:

  • Does the issue matter to me and to my readers? If the issue is not currently one of widespread concern, would I be able to argue convincingly at the beginning of my essay that it ought to be of concern?
  • Do I know enough about the issue to take a position that I can support effectively, or can I learn what I need to know in the time I have?
  • Have I begun to understand the issue well enough to frame or reframe it in a way that might open readers to my point of view?
  • What can I realistically hope to achieve with my readers—convince them to adopt my point of view; get them to reconsider what’s at stake; show them that arguments they trust are unfair, inaccurate, or logically flawed?

As you plan and draft your argument, you will probably want to consider these questions. If at any point you cannot answer them with a confident yes, you may want to consider modifying your position on the issue or choosing a different issue to write about. If you have serious doubts, discuss them with your instructor.