Summary
Highlights
An argumentative essay aims to persuade the reader to agree with the writer's opinion on a controversial or debatable issue. It involves taking a clear stand and convincing the audience through well-supported arguments.
The first step in writing an argumentative essay is to formulate a clear claim or thesis statement. This involves choosing a side on a debatable issue, such as whether mayors should skip the COVID-19 vaccine line, and stating your position explicitly. You must choose only one side.
Once you have your claim, the next step is to find evidence to support it. This evidence can come from prior knowledge, personal experiences, interviews with experts, or reliable books and articles. It's crucial to ensure all sources are credible and factual.
An argumentative essay typically has three main parts: the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. The introduction introduces the issue, provides background information, and states your claim. The body presents evidence and reasons, with each paragraph dedicated to one reason and its supporting details. The conclusion summarizes the argument and may include a call to action.
An important element of an argumentative essay is addressing counterclaims, which are opposing arguments. After presenting the counterclaim, you must refute it with a rebuttal, strengthening your own position. For example, if the counterclaim is that mayors should be vaccinated as influencers, the rebuttal could be that frontline workers and the most vulnerable should still be prioritized due to limited vaccine supply.
The video presents an example argumentative essay on marine mammals in captivity. The introduction states the claim: 'Marine mammals should not be held in captivity. They are a part of nature and should not be bought, sold, or thrown in an aquarium. Marine mammals have the right to be kept in their natural environment.'
The body of the example essay provides three main reasons to support the claim: captivity causes health problems (e.g., blindness, skin problems, stress-related diseases), marine mammals suffer from abusive treatment by caretakers (e.g., Keiko's case), and they breed poorly in captivity with high infant mortality rates.
The example essay acknowledges a counterclaim: some believe holding animals in captivity aids study and research. The rebuttal argues that scientists prefer to study animals in their natural environment for first-hand knowledge, thus discrediting the counterclaim.
The conclusion of the example essay restates the claim, includes a powerful quote from Mahatma Gandhi on the treatment of animals, and ends with a call to action, urging readers to advocate for the freedom of these marine mammals.