Mikaela Figueroa

ENG 102
Chapter 1 Outline
31 January 2015
Why We Make
Arguments

Arguments to Convince

Invitational
Argument: Inviting others to join in mutual
exploration based on respect.
Rogerian Argument: approached audience in
nonthreatening ways, finding common ground and
establishing trust among those who disagree about
issues. Try to see where a person is coming from.
Reporters, White papers, academic articles

Arguments to Persuade
Arguments to Inform
Arguments to Explore
Arguments to make
decisions
Arguments to meditate
or pray
Occasions for
Argument
Argument about the
past

-aim to convince rather than persuade.

Advertisements, political blogs, YouTube, newspaper
-not only convince, but move them into action.
-To inform others, give information.
Ex.) Bumper stickers with organization name and web
address.
-finding an answer to the authors problem.
-aim to make good, sound decisions
-hoping to transform something in himself/herself or
reach a peace of mind.
Ex.) Stained glass windows.
Rhetoric: art of persuasion
Forensic argument

Arguments about the

future
Arguments about the
present

Concerns: What happened in the past.

Found in: Court decisions, legal briefs, legislative
hearings, investigative reports, academic studies.
Deliberative argument
Concerns: What should be done in the future.
Found in: White papers, proposals, bills, regulations,
mandates.
Epidemic argument
Concerns: Who or what deserves praise or blame
Found in: Eulogies, graduation speeches, Inaugural
addresses, roasts.

Kinds of Arguments

Statis theory: Kinds of issues they address.

Did something happen

Did something happen?

What is its nature?
What is its quality or cause?
What actions should be taken?

(Arguments of fact)
-Statement that can be proved or disproved with
specific evidence or testimony

What is the nature of

the thing?

Where do the facts come from?

Are they reliable?
Is there a problem with the facts?
Where did the problem begin & what caused it?

(Arguments of definition)

Can have consequences

Decades of debate
Unresolved

What is the quality or

cause of the thing?

(Arguments of evaluation)

What action should be

taken?

(Proposal arguments)

Audiences for
arguments

Intended audience: those the writer wants to address

Considering contexts

Appealing to audiences

-present criteria, the measure individual people,

ideas, or things against those standards

-present an issue or problem so vividly that readers

say What can we do?

Invoked readers: those represented in the text itself

From the most immediate situation
(Specific circumstances in which the reading occurs)
to broader environments (local & community or
institutional context like schools or churches, as well
as cultural and linguistic context.)
Pathos: Emotion
Ethos: Ethics
Logos: Logic
Kairos: Suitable time & place for making an argument
and the most opportune ways to make it.