Discussion: First, choose a topic for which you are able to write the following: (a) a proposition or main point that you will argue for, (b) argument(s) supporting your proposition, (c) argument(s) opposing your proposition. Second, look for information (evidence) with which to build arguments for and against your proposition. And third, use the information to write an essay that convinces your readers that your proposition is right. Use the guidelines below and the example that follows to help you develop your essay. (Also see “Thinking Logically” in the index for more.)

1. Searching * Review your texts or class notes for possible topics. Also think of related issues or problems you hear debated locally or nationally. (Focus on subjects that are serious, specific, timely, and debatable.)

2. Selecting * Test a possible topic in the following way: (a) identify a reasonable point or proposition to argue for, (b) list one argument supporting this proposition, and (c) list one argument opposing it.

3. Collecting * Look in books, magazines, or newspapers for information.

arguments. Thus, it is up to the United States to take a defensive position and avoid an all-out war with Iraq in the upcoming months. Our nation cannot afford to fall as one of the top three world powers. Our nation cannot afford the extreme cost of such an event. And finally, our nation cannot afford to lose thousands of men and women to war, where even they can not see the reason. The trauma and holocaust of a war with Iraq would make the problems of society, such as disease, poverty, and crime, pale in comparison.

Student writer Jennifer Nanna’s essay presents a well-organized argument about the U.S. government’s decision to intervene in the Persian Gulf Crisis in 1990. (This model first appeared in Moments [1991], a collection of student writing from Badger High School in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin) Note: This essay was written before Desert Storm.

Some topics in this essay:
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