Argumentative Essay

The argumentative essay is an essay in which you argue a point -- an essay in which you prove a thesis.

The argumentative essay starts with an introduction. The introduction is the gateway into your paper, and it serves two roles. The introduction should grab your reader's attention and let him or her know what your paper will be about. Your thesis must also let your reader know what your essay will be about. By the time he or she finishes your conclusion, the reader should know what you intend to write about, what you think of that subject, and what specific statement you intend to prove.

The body is where you stop talking about what you're going to do in your essay and you start actually doing it. In other words, the body is where you actually prove the assertion you made at the end of your introduction. Because the body is meant to do the heavy work of your essay, proving the point which you want to make, the language in your body will most likely be less engaging and more basic than the language in your introduction. Because the job of the body is to prove the thesis, it is both the easiest and the most dangerous part of your essay to write. It's easy because the body is the part of the essay where the words probably come to you easiest, but proving the thesis often turns out to be easier said than done. Despite the fact that the total body of evidence may be somewhat inconclusive, it is your job to present the evidence in such a way that the body of evidence in your paper. leads your reader to believe your thesis to be true..

First, you must do some research, trying to decide whether the bulk of the evidence available supports or contradicts your thesis. Fven if your essay deals only with one text, research is still essential, as research in this sense can mean anything from rereading the assigned text with an eye toward finding passages that support your claim to heading to the library, bringing an entire section of books to a table, and spending hours poring over them. If the bulk of evidence contradicts your thesis, you will, of course, want to reconsider your thesis. If all the evidence supports your reading, consider yourself lucky. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, the body of the essay is very easy to write. When the bulk of the evidence supports your thesis, but there is some evidence contradicting it, you are in a position where you have to decide how to best present the supporting evidence, while dealing with the contradictory evidence in the best manner possible. Presenting the supporting evidence properly can be more difficult than it sounds.

While it may sound simple to present evidence that agrees with the point that you are trying to make, there is almost always one order that is more effective than others. As a rule of thumb, you want to start with general principles and move toward specifics.