You can go on to explain exactly why Smith’s opinion is naive—but make sure you give it a fair shot first. Debate tournament: At a debate tournament, you don’t know what side of the argument you’ll be assigned to, so you have to research both sides! The cue words, “while it is true” lets the reader know the writer is conceding, but will refute this idea. A very common method for writing an argumentative essay is the five-paragraph approach. Satire can be used in less formal essays to inject humor and relax the reader’s defenses. Persuasive writing is a fixture of modern life—found in advertising, newspaper editorials, blogs, and political speeches. So, in your writing, anticipate opposing viewpoints. In order to write an effective persuasive essay, you need to choose a topic you feel strongly about, take a stand, understand opposing viewpoints and present your argument in a convincing, organized manner. Gardening essay writing opposing essay viewpoints Writing how to write a case study report in social work! During the revision process, you’ll need to look for redundancy of information in claim and refutation paragraphs and check the structure for flow. How are they different? Beginning your search can be as simple as putting the question into a search engine: “Why would anyone oppose hate-crime legislation?”. Present your own argument first, and then present and counteract the opposing viewpoints. This tactic, however, results in the unfair labeling of others’ arguments as uninformed, feeble, or otherwise unworthy of a considerate response. Of course, you will go on to explain why this counterargument is not conclusive, but as you introduce it, you show that you understand the logical and rational basis for the argument. There are many valid ways to introduce an opposing view, but do try to present it in a neutral manner before you shoot it down. Be in your reader’s mind. Punitive Damage Awards in State Courts, 2005. Your email address will not be published. It's not an easy task to write good argumentative essay. For example: “Opponents of the Animal Welfare Act claimed that the use of animal subjects in drug testing was absolutely necessary to save human lives.”. In a good argumentative essay, a writer attempts to persuade readers to understand and support their point of view about a topic by stating their reasoning and providing evidence to back it up. He has placed this objection just after his claim that all people should be given the opportunity for redemption, because he knows that that’s the claim that is most likely to ignite this counterargument in the reader’s mind. It’s presented reasonably and respectfully. Here, the writer approaches concession by acknowledging that it makes sense to at least consider this counterargument. Just as with your own argument, you’ll want to find the best thinkers on the opposing side of the argument. Modify language to be neutral in tone when presenting a counterargument. Letâs consider the argument below and how you might include opposition: Argument: Schools should move to a year round curriculum. Paper Topics and Opposing Viewpoints Topics to Consider Search this Guide Search. The final difference between the argumentative essay and the argument (persuasive) essay is the organization of the composition. To find a good topic for an argumentative essay, consider several issues and choose a few that spark at least two solid, conflicting points of view. Outline Section 1: Introduction Every essay starts with an introduction, and an argumentative essay is not an exception. The following skills are evaluated when grading an argumentative essay: CC licensed content, Specific attribution, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta-discussion, https://www.boundless.com/users/268747/textbooks/fremont-college-english-composition/paper-execution-2/planning-your-argument-10/assembling-your-argument-48-8497/, https://www.boundless.com/users/268747/textbooks/fremont-college-english-composition/academic-writing-3/summarizing-18/anticipating-potential-objections-86-534/, http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/counterargument, http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Rhetoric_and_Composition/Argument%23Dealing_With_the_Opposition, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Student_Union_Debate.jpg, http://rugby-pioneers.blogs.com/rugby/3_rugby_trade_cards/, https://www.boundless.com/users/364813/textbooks/professional-writing-ae312174-61d8-432f-9276-655b5a888adc/week-3-boundless-presentation-620/responding-to-objections-624/representing-objections-fairly-629-942/, https://www.boundless.com/users/268747/textbooks/fremont-college-english-composition/academic-writing-3/summarizing-18/using-satire-to-summarize-88-1172/, http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Rhetoric_and_Composition/Analyzing_Assignments%23Summary.2FResponse_Paper, https://www.boundless.com/users/364813/textbooks/professional-writing-ae312174-61d8-432f-9276-655b5a888adc/week-3-boundless-presentation-620/responding-to-objections-624/addressing-opposing-viewpoints-632-70/, http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Rhetoric_and_Composition/Argument, http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/pdasc05.pdf, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ace_Attorney%23/media/File:WonderCon_2015_-_Phoenix_Wright_(17049616945).jpg. Then, when you begin structuring your argument, imagine how your skeptical reader might react to your thesis statement and each of your claims. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Here, you state your objection to the view—the reason the reader should not accept the opposition’s viewpoint. The best way to counteract an opposing viewpoint is to anticipate what an opponent might say. However, this is untrue. ” 8 Identify the premises and conclusion of the argument. You’ve introduced two valid viewpoints. For the reason stated above, the opposition may disagree the contention that information is lost and must be retaught. Some writers make the mistake of introducing a weak or silly opposition to make it easier to refute. A conditional statement (if x, then y) gives the reader’s objections a voice in the context of the writer’s argument, “If all people suddenly became vegan in order to save the planet, would that create an overpopulation of livestock that would then do even more damage to the planet?”. Counter these objections by showing your reader that your position is more reasonable than the opposing position. However, students can find the time to study if they work on their time-management skills.”. Neutral language is not emotionally charged, biased, or polemical. There are several ways to introduce to your reader the counterarguments you’ve uncovered: quoting a source for the counterargument, paraphrasing a source, or using your own words to offer a rhetorical example or conditional statement. Your email address will not be published. “All this talk about tolerance and the possibility of rehabilitation is nice in theory, but what if it was your own parent or child who was killed? Match an argument to a corresponding counterargument. Check the headlines of a newspaper, or just listen to a conversation at Starbucks. Signposts enable the reader to follow our arguments easily. Follow the path of each objection to discover its roots. How can you anticipate what the opposition might be? If this is true, then that may be true. In essence, this is you’re trying to truly represent an opposing view. Follow our tips and make you argumentative essay writing process a lot easier! In the argumentative essay, you stick to the one side, but you can ignore the opposite side of the argument. The first step for creating a strong opposition section is to thoroughly understand your audience. You are conceding that the opposing argument is not completely false. The approach here is, “I know what you’re thinking, but hang in there, and you’ll see where I’m coming from.”. This is called a concession. While all of the above examples use a serious and respectful tone to introduce counterarguments, there is another option that can be effective, depending on your audience and your intentions. Just as a criminal trial is ostensibly about finding out the truth of what happened during the crime, consider that the aim of your paper is to get to the truth of the issue you’re addressing. When researching the topic, then, don’t limit yourself to sympathetic sources; find sources that disagree with your argument. If you fail to neutralize a common objection, readers will have an excuse to reject your argument. That way, you will be familiar enough with these opposing viewpoints to argue against them. That includes researching to find the thought leaders on the opposing side of your topic, presenting their arguments in an honest light, and then moving into respectful refutation. HIRE verified writer $35.80 for a 2-page paper There are various ways to refute counterarguments in your paper, and selecting one will depend on your topic, your audience, and space/time limitations. No matter how you decide to incorporate the counterargument into your essay, be sure you do so with objectivity, maintaining a formal and scholarly tone. In doing this, you’re acting as a proxy for your readers, voicing their potential objections, hopefully at just the moment those objections arise in their minds. Essay Writing Blog; Follow. : To be an ace arguer, you’ll need to clearly state your objections to your opponent’s arguments and support your objections with evidence. Learn by example and become a better writer with Kibin’s suite of essay help services. Or you can quote a politician or another public figure who has recently brought up the issue (keeping in mind that this latter option dates your paper), as long as you do it respectfully. In each refutation paragraph, you’ll want to state your opponent’s argument, clearly state your objection to that argument, support your objection with evidence and supportive statements, and then conclude with a comparison of the ideas. You’ll just need to use this technique with caution and care. The worst is to start your essay with a blank page, so we collect the most useful information on one page! Debaters prepare for tournaments by gathering information on both sides of a topic. When writing an argument essay, you’re writing in support of one side of an argument. An academic argument supports its claim with sound reasoning, research, and evidence such as facts, statistics, and quoted opinions from authorities on both sides of the argument. You may have heard talk-radio hosts and opinion columnists employ this strategy. An advantage of using quotations is that you are allowing the opposition to speak for itself. Jul 25, opposing viewpoint. Tags: controversial, paper writing, pros and cons, research, speech, speeches, topics. You can introduce counterarguments with direct quotations from an opposing expert by paraphrasing, by offering a rhetorical example, or by offering a conditional statement. You will want to resist the temptation to skew the comment’s meaning or to editorialize! Introducing opposing viewpoints is necessary, but do not stop there. There are four basic parts to a refutation of an opposing argument: you introduce the counterargument, state your objection to it, offer evidence to support your view, and draw a clear conclusion by comparing the viewpoints head to head. Enjoy the process! However, writers may neglect the next step, which is just as important: discussing opposing viewpoints and providing counterarguments. As you’re researching, then, take the debater’s approach to gathering information so you’ll be very well-informed about the opposing views. Argument essay topics can be found everywhere. So, how might one go about making such fundamental decisions?”. Of course, you don’t want to stop there. Rugby: Anticipating your opponents’ objections can help you structure your arguments more soundly. Just like any piece of evidence you include, you should make sure to include a transition from your previous point, introduce the opposing/alternative viewpoint, present the opposing/alternative viewpoint (which may be a quote, fact, statistic, paraphrase, or summary of someone else's argument), and then respond to it. Don’t dismiss your opposition from the outset with language like this: “John Smith naively argues…” Instead, you could say, “John Smith contends,” and then summarize John Smith’s view. Take note of their rationale and use of evidence. They actually don’t know which side they’ll be arguing until the debate begins, and so they must be just as prepared to argue the side they don’t agree with as the one they believe in. For example: “Raymond Rodriguez, arguing in ‘The Social Contract’ (Summer, 1992) for closing the Mexican border to immigration, suggests that ‘Regulating immigration is as important as enacting agreements to control trade and pollution of the environment—and for many of the same reasons. Facebook. Note the highlighted transitional cue word, âHowever.â This is a cue word that indicates that you are now stating your rebuttal, or disagreement with the opposition. As you can see by the previous example, the opposition has a valid point. Instead of changing your thesis, consider conceding the point. A respectful and well thought-out response will put you on the path toward a successful argument! In the revision stage, you’ll want to look at the balance of the paper. In argumentative essays, writers accomplish this by writing: A clear, persuasive thesis statement in the introduction paragraph Body paragraphs that use evidence and explanations to support the thesis statement A paragraph addressing opposing positions on the topic—when appropriate The violation of a nation’s territorial integrity, its safety and well-being, cannot be tolerated.’ Let’s look at each of these concerns in turn.”. How to write a get to know me essay, quotation marks in essays case study on hospital design physics topics for essays. In your essay, you will need to state and refute these opposing views to give more credence to your argument. If the opposing view that you are considering and counteracting comes from another author, be sure to introduce the author and the point of view in a neutral way. As you compose an argument essay, you must anticipate your audienceâs objections. You’ve presented his words respectfully, however, allowing them to speak for themselves. Consider and counter opposing viewpoints in order to strengthen your own argument. In order to strengthen your own argument and demonstrate that you’ve looked at all aspects of the topic, you need to address the opposing view. Get a verified writer to help you with Opposing Viewpoints Essay. List of best Opposing Viewpoints essays, topics - argumentative, MLA, APA format. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); When you consider and counteract opposing arguments, you strengthen your own argument. Follow WRITING CENTER UNDERGROUND on WordPress.com, More Students Willing to Cheat (NY Times 9/2012). An argumentative essay is an essay which purpose is to present evidence to support an idea. The counter-argument paragraph presents the opposing arguments. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. You can change your thesis and claims and argue for the other side of the issue. As you compose an argument essay, you must anticipate your audience’s objections. Rather than addressing every possible objection to your thesis, you may decide at this point to eliminate the lesser objections, so as not to overload the paper with counterarguments. It requires a debatable topic with opposing points of view. In reality, students can find the time to study if they learn time-management skills.”, “Students face many time constraints: between work and family obligations, social responsibilities, sports, clubs, and the expectations of professors, who all think their class should be the top priority, students can have trouble finding time to study for all of their tests. Argument essays seek to state a position on an issue and give several reasons, supported by evidence, for agreeing with that position. > × Opposing Viewpoints Essay Examples. Developing a creative, original title is a fantastic … By conceding to their point, or agreeing that the opposition has a strong argument, you are positioning yourself as respectful and are more likely to gain the audienceâs trust. Often, the opposition has a very valid disagreement against your position, so valid that it might cause you to rethink your position. During the research phase, you’ll want to have a respectful vision of both these people in your mind to build an argument that might help increase the understanding of where the other is coming from. Researchers at Chimi-Changa Education Labs have done extensive studies focusing on the effectiveness of year-round schools, and their conclusions show an increase in learning in all areas of study. The section that makes the argumentative essay different from every other type of essay is counter-argument. The best way to counteract an opposing viewpoint is to anticipate what an opponent might say. âThe students we have tested in districts who have implemented year-round curriculum show higher test scores in math, reading, and science from those students in traditional 9-month districts,â says Sam Smith, Chair of Curriculum Design at Chimi-Changa. A skeptical reader has a doubtful, questioning attitude, and expects a thorough presentation of logical reasoning and evidence. Hastening death can seem antithetical to the goals of medicine, and the artificial extension of life through invasive and/or risky medical procedures often does not provide an easier alternative. The main purpose of an argumentative essay is to inform rather than convince – that’s why this type of paper should not be confused with a persuasive essay. For example, if you’re arguing for hate-crime legislation and your search terms use only language related to that, you may find counterarguments based on free speech, but you may exclude those that oppose legislation on religious grounds. Who are they? The second example presents the argument more sympathetically and realistically. When we’re passionate about a topic, emotions can sometimes cloud our rationality. Depending on your writing style and material, your argument could follow various structural formats: This structure has the advantage of putting your argument in people ‘s minds first, so it can be useful when you are space-limited or your audience is time-limited. You can quote an expert in the field who has publicly objected to the your thesis. Some writers make the mistake of introducing a weak or silly opposition to make it easier to refute. As you’re researching, spend some time putting in search terms as if you were arguing for the opposition. Coming across as disrespectful or failing to take the opposition seriously is a sure way to make your own argument seem weak. And the last sentence tells the reader you will deal with each of the concerns—violation of territorial integrity, safety, and well-being—in your refutation. Here, you acknowledge each objection as it’s likely to arise in the reader’s mind. What is a bridge sentence in an essay, how to write a persuasive essay on romeo and juliet. You’ll also notice that the publication and date is included, so a reader can quickly and easily find the original source material. Have you ever seen one of those courtroom dramas on TV or at the movies where, in a climactic moment, a lawyer is grilling a witness or delivering an impassioned argument, and the other lawyer stands up and weakly says, 'Objection,' but the first lawyer is so overpowering and exciting that the judge doesn't even seem to care about or acknowledge the objection? 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Any way allowing them to disagree with your point of view same time makes the essay! Arguing for the other sideâs opinions was not sent - check your email addresses are allowing the opposition seriously a., don ’ t want your verdict to be overturned on appeal researching, spend some time in! To skew the comment a well-reasoned argument on a debatable topic with opposing points view. You must anticipate your audience ’ s another side, but you can on! The seriousness of your mission and for the readers themselves to follow our tips and make argumentative.