Argument Beyond Pro&Con

  

    Arguments that are portrayed academically are nearly equal to every day conversations we have when we interact. It's just someone trying their hardest to convince someone else to see where he/she is coming from or to even get on the same page and maybe to agree with that person. This entire process works a little more smoothly if the topic up for discussion is a known and available topic to argue. It works better if you know the facts and the truth, it's easy to convince someone that way. There are a few ways to make this more successful. You can use the cause and effect method to make your point more clear. Also, providing evidence is a really important and helpful tool.

   Four basic questions to ask when you are going to try to make an argument: what happened, how did it happen, why is it a problem, and even who is affected by this. The best thing to use to support all of these questions is strong evidence.  Claims and evidence are extremely critical when making arguments. The claim has to be able to be proven and to prove it, evidence must be present. It also has to be a claim that is actually related to the argument, that way the reader knows the evidence and claims are factual.

   Arguments are made up of paragraphs, this is a given. All of the paragraphs have to include implications, evidence, and analysis of the argument. It is super important to make sure all of these paragraphs coincide and all focus on the same point. That way the end product or conclusion of your argument is drawn organizationally.

   Overall, just make sure you always state the pros and cons, and state them clearly. Show and exemplify that the pros are greater weighed than the cons. It is also really strategic to give both sides of the argument, so the reader doesn't believe you are being bias. Covering all the basics, stating the facts, and dotting your eyes are key to a good strong argument. In the end, putting that extra twist to give your side that extra pull to convince the reader will hopefully be beneficial in getting the reader to feel what you feel or even better, agree.

Arguement Beyond Pro and Con

Academic arguments are similar to day to day conversations. It is like someone trying to convince someone else to take into consideration his ideas or viewpoint. These are most effective when the topic is well-known by the person trying to persuade the other. Even in these there are strategies that can help argue a point. One strategy is cause and effect. This is where the reason for something happening is pointed out along with the effect that it tends to have on the people or things involved. Another strategy is one that includes having evidence to prove your point. Such as circumstances changing, and the effect that these changes may have. In such cases, it is good to present both sides of the argument and show the changes in both sides. It is good to keep in mind that everyone's opinion is different, and that it doesn't necessarily mean that one is more right than another.

Four good questions to ask when presenting an argument are what happened, how did it happen, who was affected, and why it's a problem. Evidence is important in backing these four questions up. Evidence can come from almost anywhere, but it is important to make sure it is credible evidence. It is also important to choose the right kind of evidence necessary to help in the context of your argument.

Claims and evidence are critical in arguments. If a claim is made in an argument and there is also evidence to go with it, it is important to realize that this isn't always enough. To make sure that it is, it is good to make sure that you claim is directly related to your evidence and to state why it is directly related. Arguments are always made up of paragraphs. The paragraphs need to include evidence, analysis, and implications. It is essential to make all these paragraphs coherent, and also that they draw the same conclusion. The more organized the argument, the better.

One last thing to keep in mind when presenting an argument is stating the pros and cons. Also state how the pros out weigh the cons. In addition, state the things that both sides of the argument have in common. This gives the reader both sides to the argument, and if it is presented well enough, the reader can choose for themselves, and hopefully choose the side that the author is promoting.

Chapter 13: The Law and Society

To start off, there are many differences between argumentation and persuasion. Argumentation is based of sound reasoning. It has obvious evidence along with logical explanations as to why the readers should agree with the author. Persuasion is a little different. It appeals to the readers emotions and ethical beliefs. There are certain situations where either argumentation or persuasion would be best used. In situations concerning things such as politics it would be best to use argumentation. Persuasion is best used in situations such as trying to get people to see why your idea is better and more fair for a workplace. Sometimes it is even acceptable to use persuasion and argumentation together.

There are specific strategies for the use of argumentation and persuasion. Obviously, the overall purpose for both is to convince the readers to agree or change their opinion in agreement with the writers. In the case that it is nearly impossible to change the readers' opinions, it is better to simply do the best possible to try to soften their harsh opinion or to at least make them see that there are two sides to the argument. The way to best know how to go about persuading the audience is by doing some audience assessment. This way, it is possible to find an overall goal in persuading the readers, and it is nearly impossible to do this without first knowing who you're trying to win over.

According to the Greeks, there are three necessary elements of a successful argument. These include: logos, pathos, and ethos. Logos is the sound reasoning for the argument. Included in logos are evidence, facts, statistics, examples, and authoritative statements. Pathos is the emotional side of the argument. This is the part that hits home with the readers' feelings, values, attitudes, and beliefs. Ethos is the part where the author establishes his or her honestly, integrity, and reliability. This basically gives the reader a reason to trust that the author is a credible source. If used correctly, these three things can be used to make any argument credible and successful.

There are two types of reasoning that can be very helpful in an argumentative or persuasive essay. These are inductive and deductive reasoning. Inductive reasoning is a type of reasoning that uses facts and evidence to draw a conclusion. Deductive reasoning is a type of reasoning that uses a generalization and then a specific instance to help persuade people. Both are useful depending on what type of argument the writer is bringing to the table.

Chapter 13: The Law and Society

Personal: I always knew that there were one or two differences between argumentation and persuasion. While reading this chapter I was shocked to see that there are a lot more than just one or two differences. They said that they are similar when it comes to trying to convince readers to think or act in a specific way. I didn't know that even though they are different, they can coincide to create a pattern of assertion while writing. After reading chapter 13, I have a better understanding of how and why to write these kinds of essays.

Professional: Argumentation relies on reasoning, evidence, facts and logic. While persuasion appeals to emotions, beliefs, and values. It stated that both, argumentation and persuasion have persuasive tendencies. The argument built in the paper should be strong and factual while still trying to make your view or standing on the topic very clear. Persuasion is used in many ways, it a lot of papers written today. It's a helpful tool.

Image: http://memecrunch.com/meme/TF53/persuasion-aliens/image.png

Blog Review

The first striking thing about the blog attackoftheenglishteacher is its simplicity. It is a good example of a clear and concise blog. The writers of this blog do a good job of keep it clean and easy to navigate. The setup is basic, and the colors are a little boring. This makes it not as appealing to the eye, but even considering that, the blog is still very interesting and would do well in keeping followers because it doesn't appear that they are trying too hard to interest people.

As for the actual writing in the blog itself, it is well-written with few grammatical errors. Individually the writers do a good job of getting their point across, and together they do an even better job of combining their ideas into a great blog post. Each of them does a good job of knowing a good spot to place their pictures, and don't just throw them in at the end. Overall, it is a good example of what a successful blog should look like.

The format of attackoftheenglishteacher is done well. Each picture is put in and cited, giving credit to the person who originally took or made the picture. They do a good job of separating paragraphs and thoughts. All in all, I would say that attackoftheenglish teacher is doing a great job of demonstrating what a good blog should look like. I myself have taking plenty of notes on what they are doing that can help better my posts. Such as where to put pictures and how to separate paragraphs.

Blog Review

       The blog that caught my eye when i was looking through the list of blogs was drunkwritertalk's blog. The blog drunkwritertalk121 initially caught my eye with it's background design.  The blog has a unique writing style and a great way of writing content that just made the blog more interesting.  They could improve on the font by upping the size of it or changing to a more readable font, as the font is very thin and people could find it hard to read.  The blogs organization was good and with its mix of images and writing it kept the reader entertained.
       The drunkwritertalk121 blog design i thought was great.  It's background colors were easy on the eyes and really enhanced the blog.  Their use of images was well balanced as they do not have too many images or too little and the images together with the postings they have seem to really captivate the reader.  The design also seemed to make the blog more user friendly as it was clear where everything was and what each posting was about.
       The only thing i felt was wrong with the blog was the use of its font.  The font they used i felt was to thin and while i did not have trouble reading it, others may.  Aside from that though they did a great job in everything. Below is my ranking of the blog on the quality criteria.

Quality Criteria
continunity of focus - 8
content clarity - 8
organization - 8
design - 9
amount of relevant info - 10




Image: http://www.contentamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/content-its-kind-of-a-big-deal.jpg
Blog: http://drunkwritertalk121.blogspot.com/

Blog Review

       I chose to review and examine eng1blogger's blog. After reviewing and examining their blog, I noticed that the people writing that blog have a better understanding of what a blog should be and what it consists of. Their blog is somewhat humorous and it makes things more interesting. It has a couple of grammatical errors here and there, but that's what makes things interesting...but then again it is a blog for English class.
      I found that their blog was easy to navigate and very user friendly. I can hear the voice of the people who wrote it, it's very clear and personable. The focus for each separate post seemed to be pretty on point. They made things exciting, even when things seem boring. The information was always relevant to the topic and the assignment. They used the basic theme of grey and white, but it helps the blue lettering stick out. It was organized in a very basic fashion and the material was very concise.
     After looking over their blog posts, I would say my group and I could change a couple of things on our blog to make it more intriguing in general. We also used the basic theme and I think if we changed our theme and our design a bit, we might have a blog that is more appealing to the eye. Our information could also contain a little more detail, but our grammar is usually spot on. I mean I guess we can critic one another's blog posts and blogging pages, but it's all personal preferences and unique to that group regardless of what we may say about the others blog.


Image: http://www.siliconrepublic.com/fs/img/internet-memes-you-say-my-blog-is-bad_2736763.jpg





 

Chapter 7: Exemplefication

Personal- I didn't know there had to be a certain amount of examples, much less that an example has to have enough detail to support it. I also didn't know that examples can be used as support. Most examples may come across as true or real, but actually they are just made up or over generalized by the writer. Sometimes, it can get really confusing when someone uses an example that isn't true, or an example that is more of a generalization. I was also unaware that you can combine exemplification with other patterns to help enhance or prove your example.

Professional- Chapter 7 covered exemplifications. It talked about how an example is a pattern used when writing. It then said that you can combine things like entertainment or descriptions within an example while you are writing. This chapter was really helpful and it covered a lot of material.

Image: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8WBcJtIxKo-L3co2ziK9-ZCg3FwJPhv4qvRTbSopxifGhpVGf9EPgxMWxK5RaNYLfR0yHR6BvDvB4UCogmAPm5y0nszmet0YZIJWzjeXs-R5aKzN_wU4G5GXct-yUFfKJQSIwHack4LV/s400/fallacy2.gif

Artwork Analysis

     The purpose of this coke ad is to show how refreshing and enjoyable Coca-Cola is. This is a persuasive ad that gives the appearance that every one enjoys Coca-Cola, and is trying to get people to stop and buy it. Its demonstrating fact by showing people buying and being excited about the product, and by also saying it is the same Coca-Cola everyone enjoyed when they were younger. This ad is inferring that Coca-Cola is "Pure Refreshment". This means consuming the product is not only going to quench your thirst and refresh you, it is also going to make the buyer happy.
     In this ad there are not definite lines. The edges of the people, store, and product are blurred at the edges. This gives it an older look as if it is trying to remind people of when Coca-Cola was first invented. The color of this ad also adds to the old feel of the picture. The colors show kind of a worn look, but also one that is remembered and cherished. The color red is subtly added in both pictures to catch the eyes of the consumers, and to associate the color red with Coca-Cola. The outline of the ad is white which is also a color of Coca-Cola. This also adds emphasis to the label itself.
     The texture of the picture is fuzzy. This brings more attention to the bold Coca-Cola label. The shapes are basic and simple. Making the time of drinking Coca-Cola look simple, happy, and blissful. This demonstrates that Coca-Cola draws people wherever it is. The picture is very light and bright giving it a happy feel, and portraying the happiness of the people in the pictures. The layout goes along with all the other aspects, its simple. It is showing a man serving a woman and her child their refreshments. Giving the simple message that Coca-Cola makes people happy. The style of this ad is vintage. It is reminiscing the time when Coca-Cola was still sold in glass bottle, and people would go out just to get a Coca-Cola. This ad appears to derived from an older oil painting. Reemphasizing the simple fact that this ad is trying to get across: Coca-Cola is delicious, refreshing, and brings joy to everyone.

Chapter 7: Exemplification

     The best way known to clarify something is by giving an example. Just stating a fact doesn't explain why or how that is the truth. In writing, it is important to clarify the statements we give or else our reader can be left confused and asking more questions than when they started reading. What's worse than leaving your reader confused, is leaving your reader bored. It is important to keep your writing excited and interested in what they're reading. A good way to keep away from both of these is by using exemplification. Exemplification is a way you can use examples to make your points and facts clear to your reader as well as keeping them interested.
     The way you use exemplification matters. It is important to use it to your benefit. To use it for a certain purpose. Use it to explain what you're talking about and to get your point across clearly. Exemplification is useful in many ways. It helps writers write essays in any type of class or situation by giving them the ability to explain themselves. It can even be taken farther than school. It can be used to write resumes, writing thank you letters, or even trying to persuade someone of something.
     Equally important, is supporting your details. Give facts to support your examples or descriptions, and if there are no facts to support them, you can use hypothetical examples. There are examples made up by the writer that is very sensible, plausible, and easy to relate to. This is why it is important to ask yourself if your examples are made up or real, and if you have enough examples with ample details. The more detail and explanation you have the more proof the reader has to take your side, understand your point, or just simply agree with you.
 http://seanwes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/exemplify1.jpg

Logical Fallacy

Either-or Reasoning

    Either- or reasoning is defined as a sentence or statement that is structured in a way where there is only one alternative to the problem. We all know that there is always more than one solution to the issue at hand. They used the example: "If the state does not raise taxes, we will have a fiscal crisis on our hands." and the book also countered that statement with, "What about other alternatives, such as cutting expenditures." This is true because there are many other ways you can solve this problem or prevent this problem other than raising taxes.

    You can avoid this logical fallacy by giving plenty of other solutions to the problem at hand. You can also make it sound like there is hope in the situation, and ways to prevent the problem.  Another way to avoid this logical fallacy is to refrain from using the words either, or.  Using the words either, or, can lock you into using this fallacy.  An example of the sentence you want to avoid using is "either we do (blank) or (blank) will happen".




https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI2fA89PG4woXKFFXM3zy3f_ZsvbM5FpOs7fZgIADryLaAZ121j2u1e-OPCHrW_AxUypi3-WzfPOz9JoRfcMsjbCeMtVpqSnugTj_cRm1TdKcmSPb6s7PtbmKv1RwfVrkiwLim4joTME0/s1600/logical+fallacy.jpg

Blog Review: Life Hacker

As a group, we chose the blog Life Hacker on the website http://lifehacker.com/. The general idea of these blog postings is to simply inform the reader of good ways to life hack. Life hacking is defined as "a strategy or technique adopted in order to manage one's time and daily activities in a more efficient way". This blog does this by posting one or more blogs a day in thousands of different categories. 

There are many things that make this blog more interesting. It posts a variety of things that most people don't know and is applicable to every day life. It has a wide scale of topics that reach out to many different types of readers. The language and writing style used varies depending on the topic of the blog. Most posts are casual but informative. They relay information in a clear concise way. This post is popular because everyone looks for short cuts in their every day life. This post does just that, it gives us information and shows a different perspective. The set up of this blog is simple yet effective. It is usually just a picture accompanied with an article of what the life hack is. The page is easy to navigate.  

Rating
Interest: 10
Language: 8
Popularity: 10
Visuals: 6
Writing Style: 8

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1381375879/lifehacks10.png

Reading Response Ch.5 : Description

           After reading chapter 5, which mainly focused on description and using dominant impression.  One of the parts that stuck out to me when I read chapter 5 was the part about avoiding clichés, because as a writer avoiding clichés can be a little hard.  When the chapter talked about organizing details, I found pretty surprising as I had never heard of spatial order and progressive order when it comes to writing.  By ordering your details you can change the focus of your sentence and have it imply something else.  Using description correctly can have someone visualizing your story which is something great to do as a writer.

            As a student I find that dominant impression is one of the most important points in the chapter.  By focusing your description on one characteristic, your description can stand on its own and help the reader visualize what you are writing.  The part I wish was elaborated a bit more was the small part about avoiding clichés,  I feel that this could have been elaborated a bit more as falling into clichés in your writing is easy and learning to avoid them will only help your writing.