Page 491 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

penalty, the best you can realistically hope for is to open a window to
your viewpoint. In this case, success means coaxing your reader to

look through that window long enough to say, “I see what you mean,

and I understand your point of view.”

Building CONNECTIONS

Arguing a point often involves contrast and cause-effect.
Making an argument sometimes involves contrasting one side

with another. An argument favoring a particular course of action

(for example, making handgun ownership illegal) often involves

examining the positive effects of that action.

Wordsmith’s Corner: Examples of

Writing Using Argument

Following are two student essays that argue a point. Read each essay

and answer the questions that follow.

Argument Essay 1

Is it time to bench college athletes and let the scholars take the field?

In this essay, one student speaks out.

Giving Academics the Edge