Argumentative Essay

An argumentative essay is one that convinces readers to see things from the author's point of view. At the end of your essay, you want your audience to agree with your claim, or argument. A good argumentative essay is the result of the author making a claim and supporting this claim with strong evidence. A good argumentative essay also acknowledges the counterarguments to the author's claim, or the reasons why some people may not agree with the argument that is being made.

Pre-Writing:

1. First, you need to choose a topic that you feel strongly about. I am leaving the topic up to you,

I want you write about McDonalds.

2. After you have chosen a general topic, try to narrow it down to something specific. Think back to the exercise we did in class to help you do this.

3. Now write a thesis statement. This should be a 1-3 sentence statement that summarizes your argument.

4. Once you have a thesis statement, think of the possible counterarguments that exist. Take a piece of paper and make 2 columns. In one column, write down the possible counterarguments that exist against your argument. In the other column, write down your arguments against the counterarguments.