This document provides an overview of rhetoric and argument essays. It discusses the essential elements of an argument, including the claim, evidence, counterargument, and rebuttal. It notes that a successful argument depends on balancing these elements. The document then outlines the typical sections of an argument essay, including an introduction with a thesis, presenting the position agreed with and supported by evidence, presenting the opposing position and circumstances where it could be valid, rebutting the opposition's stance, and providing a conclusion. It also briefly introduces the concept of a consensual or Rogerian argument.