ARGUMENT ANALYSIS

ROGERIAN ARGUMENTS
1. 2. 3. 4. Find common groundshared goals Point to their views Point to your views Find a way your view could benefit them

CONSIDER THE
RHETORICAL SITUATION
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The Writer The Writers Purpose The Writers Audience The Topic The Context

MEANS OF PERSUASION
1. Appeal to Logos 2. Appeal to Pathos 3. Appeal to Ethos

WRITERS RHETORICAL STRATEGIES

1. 2. 3. 4. Thesis Organization Evidence Stylistic Techniques

ASSESSING THE ARGUMENT

1. Effectiveness 2. Has the writer achieved his or her purpose

ROGERIAN ARGUMENT CONSTRUCTION

ROGERIAN ARGUMENTS
1. Find common groundshared goals (INTRO). 2. Point to their views (BODY). 3. Point to your views (BODY). 4. Find a way your view could benefit them (BODY). 5. Reinforce your thesis and emphasize the idea that you are certain that the manufacturer wants to settle this matter fairly (CONCLUSION).

ROGERIAN ARGUMENT CONSTRUCTION

INTRODUCTION Introduces the problem, pointing out how both the writer and reader are affected (establishes common ground). BODY Presents the readers view of the problem. Presents the writers view of the problem (includes evidence to support the writers viewpoint). Shows how the reader would benefit from moving toward the writers position (includes evidence to support the writers viewpoint). Lays out possible compromises that would benefit both reader and writer (includes evidence to support the writers viewpoint). CONCLUSION Includes a strong concluding statement that reinforces the thesis.

TOULMIN LOGIC AND ARGUMENT CONSTRUCTION

TOULMIN LOGIC (EXAMPLE)
CLAIM Distance learning should be a part of all students education (THESIS). GROUNDS Students who take advantage of distance learning get better grades and are under less stress than students who do not (EVIDENCE). WARRANT Anything that improves students grades and lowers stress is a valuable educational option (STATEMENTS OF MEANING
EXPLANATION).

WRITING TOULMIN ARGUMENTS

INTRODUCTION Introduces the problem States the claim (and possibly the qualifier). Includes a strong concluding statement that reinforces the claim BODY Possibly states the warrant Presents the backing that supports the warrant Presents the grounds that support the claim Presents the conditions of rebuttal CONCLUSION Includes a strong concluding statement that reinforces the claim.

CONSTRUCTING TOULMIN ARGUMENTS

CLAIM The claim is the main point of your essay. It is a debatable statement that the rest of the essay will support. Distance learning should be a part of all students education. REASON The reason is a statement that supports the claim. Often the reason appears in the same sentence, with the claim connected to it by the word because. (In an argumentative essay, this sentence is the thesis statement.) Distance learning should be a part of all students education because it enables them to have a more successful and enjoyable college experience. WARRANT The warrant is the inference that connects the claim and the grounds. The warrant is often an unstated assumption. Ideally, the warrant should be an idea with which your readers will agree. (If they do not agree with it, you will need to supply backing.) Distance learning is a valuable educational option. BACKING The backing is the evidence that supports the warrant. My own experience with distance learning was positive. Not only did it enable me to schedule classes around my job, but it also enabled me to work at my own pace in my courses. GROUNDS The grounds are the concrete evidence that a writer uses to support the claim. These are the facts and observations that support the thesis. They can also be the opinions of experts that you locate when you do research. Studies show that students who take advantage of distance learning often get better grades than students who do not. Research indicates that students who take advantage of distance learning are under less stress than those who are not. QUALIFIERS The qualifiers are statements that limit the claim. For example, they can be the real-world conditions under which the claim is true. These qualifiers can include words such as most, few, some, sometimes, occasionally, often, and usually. Distance learning should be a required part of most students education. REBUTTALS The rebuttals are refutations of opposing arguments. Some people argue that distance learning deprives students of an interactive classroom experience, but a class chat room can give students a similar opportunity to interact with their classmates.