Although literary texts — poems, plays, short stories, and novels — may not have the persuasive heft of research studies with data presented in tables and charts or the weight that the expert testimony of scholars carries, they certainly can add to your argument by providing vivid examples or reminding your readers of a story or character they are likely to know (such Gatsby or Hamlet). The key is not to support your argument entirely or exclusively with a literary text. Let’s look at a poem by John Updike and consider its possible connections to the topic of high school sports that we’ve been discussing.