Lesson 4 Prompts: Revising and Reading

In this entry I address three prompts for lesson 4 that address revising and editing written work.

Did you ask anyone else to make recommendations about your revising process? Why or why not?

How did previewing sections of a book (rather than simply reading them) help you to understand the material? (If you are not practicing previewing the written material it will show in your work.)

Which of the suggested tasks from Writing Arguments did you find most helpful in pre-writing your revision? Why?

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Did you ask anyone else to make recommendations about your revising process? Why or why not?

I spoke with a friend of mine who is on the high school debate team, and asked him what the best way to turn my essay into an argument would be. He said that I really needed to take the term 'global revision' to heart, because my current essay 1) didn't make a claim, 2) was too specific to me to back up with solid evidence, and 3) was too informal to make into an argument without lots of work. 

I asked my friend because I wasn't sure if I really should scrap just about everything in my essay in order to turn it into a claim or not. He said that I really didn't have an option!

How did previewing sections of a book (rather than simply reading them) help you to understand the material? (If you are not practicing previewing the written material it will show in your work.)

Previewing sections of a book, before reading it, lets a reader know what to expect. This helps them make connections between what they are reading now, and what they know they will be reading in the future. Just as re-reading material helps by firming everything up, the connections a reader can make from present material to future material also helps the reader understand the material. 

I skimmed each section for all the headlines, and all the paragraph subjects. I took notice of when the example papers and paragraphs were, so I knew that I could connect those specific ideas with a correct way to perform them. Previewing the material answered almost all the questions that arose when I went back and read all the material through and through. 

Which of the suggested tasks from Writing Arguments did you find most helpful in pre-writing your revision? Why?

I found that the the believing and doubting game was the most helpful in pre-writing for my essay. In my essay I did not make claim that I could support with evidence, it was just a recount of one of my experiences without much argument to it. So I took the main idea, that debating was helpful to me, and  made the term more specific: debating is beneficial to students because it strengthens life skills. Using that as my claim, I wrote a paragraph where I believed it, and a paragraph where I doubted it. 

The believing paragraph was easy to write because I personally believe the claim, but it made my reasons for believing it much more clear. I was able to answer questions like “why do I believe that debating is good?”, “why is it good?”, and “what specific skills does debate improve/create?” Once I knew exactly what I believed about debate, I began writing a paragraph that criticized it.

This paragraph was more of a challenge to write, because like I said earlier, I believe the claim I'm making. However, I was able to find certain areas of debate that I actually don't like, such as the time involved, and the emphasis on winning and losing. The doubting paragraph was a counter argument to the believing paragraph, and the claim. If I had enough space (if I could have added another paragraph), I would have brought up a small argument why debate isn't as great as the claim makes it out to be.

-Ace

Lesson 4 Prompts: Written Arguments

The lesson 4 prompts I address in this entry are:

Which genre of argument would you most likely write on your own? Why?

What is the goal of argument?

In the next entry I will address another three prompts focusing on revising written work.

Which genre of argument would you most likely write on your own? Why?

The argument genres I most often use are personal correspondence, blogs, visual arguments, and speeches. While I often write arguments as personal correspondence, including informal e-mails and formal letters, the genre of argument I write more than any is a speech. 

I am a fairly strong public speaker, and often give board presentations and persuasive speeches, so I am very comfortable writing speeches. Because I have been writing and performing speeches, in and outside of competition, for three years, I have come to learn what is most effective in a speech and what does not work. I would prefer to give a speech on a topic rather than write a paper on it because speeches are much more personal, and have the advantage of immediate audience that a paper does not have. Vocal inflection, gestures, and posture can have a subconscious effect on an audience that a paper can not provide. 

What is the goal of argument?

The goal of argument is to:

1)inform yourself on a topic (research)

2) inform your opponent

3) persuade them to see your side of things.

 In an argument, it is more important to inform your opponent and help them to see your point than to make them agree with you. If a person is set on a certain belief, it will take more than an argument and another person telling them what to believe for them to change their mind. If a person can manage to persuade another not to agree with the person's claim, but rather to see the person's point, the argument has been successful and the arguers have done a good job. Often times, both arguers will present a claim, and in turn both arguers should end up acknowledging the other person's claim, whether they are persuaded to truly believe it or not is not relevant.

-Ace

Evaluation of Evidence

In the next blog entries I will be addressing five additional prompts. The prompt I address in this entry is:

Write an evaluation of the supporting evidence you found for your claim.

I used two articles on why a person should debate as sources in my essay. Both sources were persuasive articles written by debate societies (the Amos J. Peaslee Debate Society, and the Erasmus Debating Society), trying to convince non-debaters to begin debate. 

Both articles are persuasive articles, and only offer one perspective on debate: the good side. Both articles focused mainly on the three skills that I included in my essay: public speaking skills, research skills, and reasoning skills. There evidence was not based off of studies, but I determined it to be factual because they were writing with their experiences as support. Because both are a debate society, it is implied that they belong to, or are in charge of, a large group of debate programs, or debaters. It would be reasonable to assume they are backing up their claims with their experiences dealing with debaters over periods of time. 

The articles' audience is most likely aimed at future debate students who are checking out the society's program to decide whether they want to join or not. I see no reason why another person would read the article, with exception to students like me who are using it a source. Both articles are aimed specifically at those who may wish to debate within their society or team.

The article by the Erasmus Debating Society was slightly more formal in style than the Amos J. Peaslee Debate Society's article was, which leads me to think that the Amos J. Peaslee Debate Society is directing their instruction towards general college students, while the Erasmus Debating Society may be direction instruction towards students more serious about debate—communications majors, political science majors, etc. This holds up because The AJPDS is the debate society for Swarthmore college, where any student can join the team.

I had found good sources with statistics of improvement (such as grades, literacy, and graduation levels) for debaters or schools that offered debate, but they did not apply to my essay well enough to actually include them.

-Ace

Lesson 3 Prompt: Process and Product of Arguments

Addressing the last two questions for lesson 3:

What is worth arguing about?

Why and how is argument both a process and a product?

What is worth arguing about?

It is my opinion that all things of controversy are worth arguing about, as long as there are willing participants. As long as there is disagreement, there is room for argument. Of course, this is only my personal opinion, and I'm sure there are differing ones out there. 

I adore arguing, for the educational aspects of it, as well as the entertainment it provides. Curious as to what other people's answers to this question would be, I asked a few of my friends. Many of them agreed with my answer, and then we began exploring other answers. Is it really worth arguing if apples should be engineered to be blue instead of red or green? Is it really worth arguing about superman being better than batman? My friends and I came to a collective agreement that it would be worth arguing even the silliest things if: a) the person you are arguing with disagrees with you along some lines, b) you, and the person you are arguing with are enthusiastic and willing, and c) both arguers are in the right mindset. 

If you have a, b, and c, it is my opinion that anything of disagreement is worth arguing for or against.

Why and how is argument both a process and a product?

Argument is two things: process, and product. Without process, all that is left is the product. Under those guidelines, an argument is not possible. Without a product, there is no collective agreement, no goal for the argument. It is possible to have an argument where there is no product, or no agreement or compromise, but there would be little purpose to the whole affair. Without either a process or a product, there is no true argument.

The process of an argument is the journey arguers take, it is the beginning, middle, and end of the argument. There is a product only because there is a process. Within a process, arguers can provide evidence for their case, support their case with logic and reason, and hopefully culminate to one main point, or goal of the argument. 

The goal that each arguer has for an argument would be the product of the argument if that person's goal prevailed against the other arguers goals. Often, the product of an argument will be a mixture of the goals involved in the argument. Products are not always satisfactory to each person involved in the argument. Socratic arguments attempt complete satisfaction, and the goal of a Socratic seminar is to find overall truth. Finding overall truth is an ideal goal, but realistically it is hard to obtain, especially because not all arguments lead to one overall truth. This is Sophist philosophy, that there are multiple 'overall truths' within one argument. A product will multiple right answers is, in my opinion, more common in current times than arguments with one correct truth.

-Ace

Prompt: Nuclear Power, Argument, and Opinion

Posts for lesson 3 in the UAF academic writing course.  I address five prompts in this post and the following: 

Write about a controversy in the news

How does one demonstrate their belief in an opinion?

Why is a written argument a good way to defend an opinion?

What is worth arguing about?

Why and how is argument both a process and a product?

News controversy:

Nuclear power: should the U.S. build more reactors or not? Nuclear power costs 5.71 cents per kilowatt hour (Department of Energy), compared to gas which is priced at 3.9 to 4.4 cents per kW hour, and coal, which is priced at 4.8 to 5.5 cents per kW hour (Cold Energy LLC, 2008). Even compared to renewable power generation such as hydro, geothermal, wind, and solar, gas is still the cheapest form of power we have available to us at this time.

However, the oil that gas needs to act as a power source is non-renewable, and already running out. We cannot expect to keep burning so much gas and have it last for thousands of years into the future. Not only are oil and gas supplies running out, but the burning of gas is greatly contributing to the greenhouse gases, which contribute in some part to global warming.

Coal is only slightly more expensive than gas, approximately one cent more per kW hour, but won't burn clean. It is seen that coal provides the world with more pollution then all other power supplies combined; 30,000 people die annually due to coal pollution (Abt Associates, 2000). Because of environmental regulations, it is becoming difficult to build coal plants around the world.

Nuclear power has drawbacks as well. Plants are expensive to build, approximately $12 million to $18 million (Climate Progress, 2008), and even more expensive to de-commission, approximately $300 million per plant in the U.S (nuclearinfo.net, 2008). There is no 100% safe way to store nuclear waste, plants could be a target for terrorism, and radiation affects not only plant workers, but people in the area. Nuclear accidents such as that in Three Mile Island (in which thousands died) are catastrophic; I don't believe another power source should be worth that risk. 

That's not to say I'm not a proponent of alternative energy; I don't think gas or coal are doing us any good right now, what with global warming and environmental concerns, and the decreasing supply of oil. Being less dependent on foreign oil sounds great right now, it's just a matter of finding an alternative source for energy. Nuclear energy could supply this need, if it is refined to the point where it is cost-effective, and safe.

How does one demonstrate their belief in an opinion?

A person can demonstrate belief in either their own opinions, or someone else's. People demonstrate belief in many, many different ways. Through their own speech, through words, or pictures, or actions. In a person's lifetime, it will be a combination of all these things. 

From the Oxford English Dictionary, 'belief' is an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists. 'Opinion' is a view or judgment about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.  

This would mean that belief in an opinion is the acceptance that that opinion is true, even if the opinion is not based on fact. It could merely be an idea, a brief 'I think' statement, but people can still believe it. Some of the most influential opinions come from influences in a person's family or circle of friends, and also the opinions of idols, such as actors, musicians, religious symbols, and political symbols.

Political campaigns are one example of a statement of opinions. The candidate has opinions based on something, whether it is fact or the past or personal experiences, and they try to persuade people to believe in these opinions by advertisements, debates, and public speeches. In return, people demonstrate their belief (and trust) with a vote. 

Why is a written argument a good way to defend an opinion?

Written arguments have several advantages to other options for arguments, such as speech, art, or actions.  Written arguments are often more complete and thought-out than other arguments because the author has time to fully construct his or her stance on an issue, research all sides of it, and then present it in a complete format, unlike the other forms of arguments (speech, art, actions). After an initial argument is formed and written, it is changeable and not set in stone. The author can revise and edit, or simply begin again with more information and evidence, or a completely new take on the original opinion they were defending. 

When writing in the defense of an opinion, it is possible to generally predict who the audience will be, or who will be reading your argument. For example, if an argument is written in support of nuclear power, the audience will be others in support of nuclear power, people who are not sure if they are supporting or rejecting nuclear power, and those who are simply doing research on nuclear power, whether for their own information and curiosity, or for their personal argument. Choosing material for your argument can be easier if you know your audience.

Using knowledge of the audience and 'conversation' being joined, it is easier to determine which writing form a personal argument should take. Business papers, letter to the editor or other newspaper editorials, research paper or other school-related argument, peer-reviewed journals, magazine articles, or blogs are only a few options available for written arguments. The ways to get other forms of argument publicized are much more limited than written arguments. 

I will address the two remaining prompts in a later post (tomorrow, most likely).

-Ace