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The AP Argumentative Essay. AP English Language and Composition ** Information taken from 5 Steps to a 5, Second Edition by Barbara L. Murphy and Estelle M. Rankin, McGraw-Hill Publishers, New York, 2007. The AP Argumentative Essay.
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The AP Argumentative Essay AP English Language and Composition ** Information taken from 5 Steps to a 5, Second Edition by Barbara L. Murphy and Estelle M. Rankin, McGraw-Hill Publishers, New York, 2007
The AP Argumentative Essay Most frequently, the AP exam will present you with a prompt that could be a brief excerpt, a quotation, a statement, or an anecdote. . .
The Argumentative Essay In this type of essay, you will be asked to do the following: • Understand the nature of the position taken in the prompt • Take a specific stand- agree, disagree, or qualify- with the assertion in the prompt • Clearly and logically support your claim using your own experience, reading, and/or observations
What does it mean to: • Agree? I think about this subject in the same way as the writer/speaker. • Disagree? I think the writer/speaker is totally wrong. • Qualify? I think some of what is said is correct and some of what is said is incorrect. • Regardless of the synonyms used, these are your only three choices on the argumentative essay.
Classical (Ciceronian) Formula for an Argument • Present the issue/situation/problem • State your writer’s assertion/claim/thesis • Support your claim • Acknowledge and respond to real or possible opposing views • Make your final comment or summary of the evidence
Logical Appeals • Ethical (Ethos)- an appeal to the reader’s good sense, good will, and desire to “do the right thing” • Emotional (Pathos)- an appeal to the reader’s fear, patriotism, etc. • Logical (Logos)- an appeal to inductive and deductive reasoning
Induction and Deduction • Induction: forming a generalization from a set of specific examples; premises make the conclusion certain Example: Margo has 17 stuffed teddy bears, 3 stuffed cows, 11 stuffed monkeys, 4 stuffed camels, and 6 stuffed elephants. Margo likes to collect stuffed animals.
Induction and Deduction • Deduction: reaching a probable conclusion based on given premises; uses the syllogism, a format which consists of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion; goes from the general to the specific Example: • Major Premise: All lions are cats • Minor Premise: Leonard is a lion. • Conclusion: Therefore, Leonard is a cat.
Logical Fallacies • Logical fallacies are mistakes in reasoning and fall into several categories: • Non sequitur argument: Latin for “does not follow”; argument where the conclusion does not follow from the premise. • Example: Diane graduated from Vassar. She will make a great lawyer. • Begging the Question: where the writer assumes in his assertion/premise/thesis something that has yet to be proved • Example: Taking Geometry is a waste of time. High school students should not be required to take this course.
Logical Fallacies • Logical fallacies are mistakes in reasoning and fall into several categories: • Circular Reasoning: restates the premise rather than giving a reason for holding that premise • Example: I like to eat out because I enjoy different foods and restaurants. • Straw-man Argument: the speaker/writer attributes false or exaggerated characteristics or behaviors to the opponent and attacks him on those falsehoods or exaggerations • Example: You say you support allowing people under eighteen to drive. I will never understand why weak-willed drivers like you are willing to risk your life and the lives of all other drivers with these crazy teenagers on the road!
Logical Fallacies • Logical fallacies are mistakes in reasoning and fall into several categories: • Ad hominem Argument: technique that attacks the person rather than dealing with the issue under discussion • Example: We all know Sam has several speeding tickets on his record. How can we trust him to vote for us on the issue of a trade agreement with Europe? • Hasty Generalization: drawing a conclusion about an entire group based on evidence that is insufficient • Example: The veterinarian discovered a viral infection in five beagles. All beagles must be infected with it.
Logical Fallacies • Logical fallacies are mistakes in reasoning and fall into several categories: • Overgeneralization: often called stereotyping; here, the speaker/writer draws a conclusion about a large number of people, ideas, etc. based on very limited evidence • Example: All members of Group A are not to be trusted. • Post-Hoc Argument: cites an unrelated event that occurred earlier as the cause of a current situation • Example: I saw a black cat run across the street in front of my car five minutes before I was hit by a foul ball at the ball park. Therefore, the black cat is the cause of my bruised arm.
Logical Fallacies • Logical fallacies are mistakes in reasoning and fall into several categories: • Either/Or Argument or False Dilemma: writer/speaker asserts that there are only two possibilities, when in reality, there are more • Example: Tomorrow is April 15; therefore, I must mail in my tax return, or I will be arrested.
Kinds of Support/Evidence for the Argumentative Essay • Facts/Statistics • Details • Quotations • Dialogue • Needed Definitions • Recognition of the opposition • Examples • Anecdotes • Comparison and Contrast • Cause and Effect • Appeal to Authority
Does it Matter what tone I take on an argumentative essay? • Not really…the College Board is open to a variety of approaches on this type of essay. • Just be sure that your choice of tone is appropriate for your purpose.
Will I be penalized for taking a unpopular or unusual position on the given issue? • No, as long as you are addressing the prompt and appropriately supporting your position, you will not lose points for taking a “different” approach. • Your essay is graded for process and mastery of language, not for how close you come to agreeing with your reader’s viewpoint.
Planning Your Time on the Argumentative Essay • 1- 3 Minutes: reading and working the prompt • 3 Minutes: Deciding on a position
Planning Your Time on the Argumentative Essay • 10 minutes: Planning the support of your position • 20 Minutes: writing your essay, based on your preparation • 3 Minutes: proofreading