2. +
AGENDA
Review: Essay #4:
Video: Counterarguments
Counterargument
Alternative Solutions
Outline
Integrating and Citing Sources
Works Cited Page
Quiz 12
3. + Counterargument vs. Alternative Solution
A Counterargument is a challenge to your particular solution.
You must address the argument to your solution by explaining
how or why your solution is the best one regardless of the
specific challenge. For example, if someone says your solution
is too expensive, you have to explain how you will fund it, or
you can explain why your solution should be applied in spite of
its cost.
An Alternative Solution section takes a look at other solutions
people might consider. Then, you must explain how or why the
solution you are offering is the superior choice. For example, if
you suggest we alleviate parking problems at De Anza by
adding several rapid buses to the local routes, you might also
examine the alternative solution of building a parking structure.
At the end of your discussion of the alternative solution, you
must return to why the rapid buses are are the better solution.
4. + The Counterargument
You anticipated objections for your homework. Now choose the two
or three most important ones to acknowledge, accommodate, or
refute in your essay. If you have written these out in paragraph form,
take this opportunity to revise them. If not, put them in paragraph
form now.
Write down objection 1
Acknowledge, accommodate, or refute the objection.
Write down objection 2
Acknowledge, accommodate, or refute the objection.
And so on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmqETlEJLyk
5. +
Consideration of alternative
solutions and their disadvantages
You identified alternative solutions for your homework. Now choose
those you will discuss in your essay. Write out each alternative
solution and discuss the disadvantages of it compared to your
solution. If you have written these out in paragraph form, take this
opportunity to revise them.
Write out alternative solution 1
What are the disadvantages of this solution?
Write out alternative solution 2
What are the disadvantages of this solution?
Write out alternative solution 3
What are the disadvantages of this solution?
6. +
Putting it together: The Outline
Your outline will of course reflect your own writing
situation. Once you have a working outline, you should
not hesitate to change it as necessary while drafting and
revising. For instance, you might find it more effective to
hold back on presenting your own solution until you have
discussed alternative but unacceptable solutions. Or you
might find a better way to order the reasons for adopting
your proposal. The purpose of an outline is to identify the
basic features of your proposal and to help you organize
them effectively, not to lock you into a particular structure.
7. +With your purpose and goals in mind,
organize an outline that includes the
following:
1. a clear statement of the problem (A complete discussion
of the problem goes before your thesis statement).
2. your thesis statement, announcing the proposed solution
and forecasting your reasons for it
3. your argument for the solution, giving reasons and support
4. anticipation of counterarguments and a response to
objections readers might have about the proposed solution
5. your evaluation of alternative solutions
8. +Here is a possible outline for a proposal. Yours may differ in
order, but it should include all of these parts:
I. Presentation of the problem (This is likely multiple paragraphs).
A. Its existence
B. Its seriousness
C. Its causes
D. Consequences of failing to solve the problem
II. Description of the proposed solution (Your thesis)
III. Reasons and support for the solution ( This is likely multiple
paragraphs).
IV. List of steps for implementing the solution
V. Counterargument
A. Acknowledgment of objections
B. Accommodation or refutation of objections
VI. Consideration of alternative solutions and their disadvantages.
VII.Conclusion
A. Restatement of the proposed solution and its advantages
B. A warning about the failure to solve the problem
C. A call to action
11. +
Using Sources
Statistics can be helpful in establishing that the problem exists and
is serious. For example, Patrick O’Malley cites research to
support his assertion that students prefer frequent exams to
fewer high-stakes exams: “A Harvard study notes students’
‘strong preference for frequent evaluation in a course’ ” (par. 4).
But his argument would have been stronger and possibly more
convincing if he had cited statistics to support the study’s
conclusion. All of the other writers in this chapter cite statistics in
their proposals. Let us look at some of the ways Karen Kornbluh
uses statistics to define the problem.
Today fully 70 percent of families with children are headed
by two working parents or by an unmarried working parent.
The “traditional family” of the breadwinner and homemaker
has been replaced by the “juggler family,” in which no one
is home fulltime. (par. 1)
12. Kornbluh also compares different time periods to show that the
problem has worsened over the last thirty years. Here are several
examples from paragraph 7. Note that Kornbluh presents statistics
in three different ways: percentages, numbers, and proportion.
Between 1970 and 2000, the percentage of mothers in
the workforce rose from 38 to 67 percent (Smolensky
and Gootman). Moreover, the number of hours worked
by dual-income families has increased dramatically.
Couples with children worked a full 60 hours a week in
1979. By 2000 they were working 70 hours a week
(Bernstein and Kornbluh). And more parents than ever
are working long hours. In 2000, nearly 1 out of every 8
couples with children was putting in 100 hours a week
or more on the job, compared to only 1 out of 12
families in 1970 (Jacobs and Gerson).
13. For statistics to be persuasive, they must be from sources that
readers consider reliable. Researchers’ trustworthiness, in turn,
depends on their credentials as experts in the field they are
investigating and also on the degree to which they are disinterested,
or free from bias.
Kornbluh provides a Works Cited list of sources that readers
can follow up on to check whether the sources are indeed reliable.
The fact that some of her sources are books published by major
publishers (Harvard University Press and Basic Books, for example)
helps establish their credibility. Other sources she cites are research
institutes (such as New America Foundation, Economic Policy
Institute, and Families and Work Institute) that readers can easily
check out. Another factor that adds to the appearance of reliability is
that Kornbluh cites statistics from a range of sources instead of
relying on only one or two. Moreover, the statistics are current and
clearly relevant to her argument.
14. +
Ask Yourself:
Are my sources reliable?
Do they support my assertions
with facts, statistics, or credible
opinions?
Do I need more support?
Where will I find it?
15. +
Note how the in-text
citations correspond
directly to the alphabetical
entries on the works cited
page.
16. + Integrating In-Text Quotations:
How to do it!
At the Beginning
“Kitten season is overwhelming, crowded, and very hectic. I can be examining one cat and
there will be 10 or more waiting for me with more coming in one after the other on the other
side of the exam room door. It's never-ending and it affects the cats. They pick up on the
stress we feel," says Christa Raymond, a lead veterinary technician in the Animal Humane
Society (“Cats in Crisis”).
In the Middle
In any given shelter, they are supposed to hold “strays up to only 5 days” according to
animal shelter specialist Stephanie Watson (6).
At the End
According to Green Eco Services, “75% of Americans admit to littering within the past five
years.”
Divided by Your Own Words
“We are always telling people about spay/neuter,” says Kit Belcher, the executive director
of Beltrami Humane Society, and “[t]he responsibility starts the day the animal is born, but
many don’t accept the responsibility” (“Spaying/Neutering” 14).
17. + Post #25: Write four sentences that integrate textual evidence
into your essay: Put one quotation at the beginning, one in the
middle, one at the end, and one broken by your own words.
Remembering just a few simple rules can help you use the correct
punctuation as you introduce quotations.
o Rule 1: Complete sentence: "quotation." (If you use a complete sentence to
introduce a quotation, use a colon (:) just before the quotation.)
o Rule 2: Someone says, "quotation." (If the word just before the quotation is a
verb indicating someone uttering the quoted words, use a comma. Examples
include the words "says," "said," "states," "asks," and "yells.”
o Rule 3: Ending with that “quotation.” (There is no punctuation if the word
"that" comes just before the quotation, as in "the narrator says that.")
o And remember that a semicolon (;) never is used to introduce quotations.
18. +
Block Quotations
In the MLA style, use the block form for prose quotations of more than
four typed lines. Indent the quotation an inch (ten character spaces)
from the left margin, as shown in the following example. Double
space, just as you do in your paper.
US Surgeon General Regina Benjamin has, in essence, supported this
position:
Americans will be more likely to change their behavior if they have a
meaningful reward--something more than just reaching a certain
weight or dress size. The real reward is invigorating, energizing,
joyous health. It is a level of health that allows people to embrace
each day and live their lives to the fullest without disease or disability.
19. + Practice integrating one long quotation
(four or more lines) into your essay.
Indent the quotation an inch (ten character spaces) from the left
margin, as shown in the following example. Double space, just as you
do in your paper.
Remember these rules:
• Rule 1: Complete sentence: "quotation." (If you use a complete sentence
to introduce a quotation, use a colon (:) just before the quotation.)
• Rule 2: Someone says, "quotation." (If the word just before the quotation
is a verb indicating someone uttering the quoted words, use a comma.
Examples include the words "says," "said," "states," "asks," and "yells."
• Rule 3: Ending with that “quotation.” (There is no punctuation if the word
"that" comes just before the quotation, as in "the narrator says that.")
20. +
Citing Summarized Material
Currently, the law states that the speed limit in
a residential area is 25 miles per hour unless
posted otherwise (California Driver
Handbook).
Since Generation X, major food corporations
have peddled addicting junk food to children
from their birth. This has helped to create the
worst obesity epidemic in human history (Fox).
Despite euthanasia being the very last method
to make room in the shelter, 70 percent of the 3
to 4 million pets euthanized nationwide are cats
(“Pet Statistics”).
21. +
Integrate information from your
sources into your essay using
summarized material.
Summarizing involves putting an idea into your own words.
Summaries are significantly shorter than an original text. It
is a good idea to summarize material when you want to
briefly discuss the main idea(s) of a longer piece.
Summarizing allows you to discuss central points without
reproducing multiple quotation from a single source.
Remember, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to
the original source; that is, you must cite even summarized
material.
22. +
Punctuating within Quotations
Although punctuation within a quotation should reproduce the original, some
adaptations may be necessary. Use single quotation marks for quotations within
the quotation:
Original from David Guterson’s Family Matters (pages 16 – 17)
E. D. Hirsch also recognizes the connection between family and learning,
suggesting in his discussion of family background and academic achievement
“that the significant part of our children’s education has been going on outside
rather than inside the schools.”
Quoted Version
Guterson claims that E. D. Hirsch “also recognizes the connection between
family and learning, suggesting in his discussion of family background and
academic achievement ‘that the significant part of our children’s education
has been going on outside rather than inside the schools’ ” (16-17).
23. +
Punctuation
If the quotation ends with a question mark or an
exclamation point, retain the original punctuation:
“Did you think I loved you?” Edith later
asks Dombey (566).
If a quotation ending with a question mark or an
exclamation point concludes your sentence,
retain the question mark or exclamation point,
and put the parenthetical reference and sentence
period outside the quotation marks:
Edith later asks Dombey, “Did you think I
loved you?” (566).
24. +
Avoiding Grammatical Tangles
When you incorporate quotations into
your writing, and especially when you
omit words from quotations, you run the
risk of creating ungrammatical
sentences. Three common errors you
should try to avoid are verb
incompatibility, ungrammatical
omissions, and sentence fragments.
25. +
Verb Incompatibility.
When this error occurs, the verb form in the introductory
statement is grammatically incompatible with the verb form in
the quotation. When your quotation has a verb form that does
not fit in with your text, it is usually possible to use just part of
the quotation, thus avoiding verb incompatibility.
As this sentence illustrates, use the present tense when you refer to
events in a literary work.
26. + Ungrammatical Omission.
Sometimes omitting text from a quotation leaves you with an ungrammatical
sentence. Two ways of correcting the grammar are (1) adapting the quotation
(with brackets) so that its parts fit together grammatically and (2) using only
one part of the quotation.
27. +
Sentence Fragment.
Sometimes when a quotation is a complete
sentence, writers neglect the sentence that
introduces the quote — for example, by forgetting to
include a verb. Make sure that the quotation is
introduced by a complete sentence.
28. +
Check your integrated
quotations for grammatical
tangles
Look for these problems
verb incompatibility
ungrammatical omissions
sentence fragments.
Refer to your essay and the
previous slides!
29. Works Cited
How to make your page
All of the information on the next
slides can be found in your St.
Martin’s Guide.
Alternatively, you can click on the
“MLA Help” link on the homepage of
our website. This will take you to
Purdue Owl, which also offers great
help.
34. +
HOMEWORK
Put all of the parts of your
essay into the outline you
wrote today. Read your essay
aloud to make sure it is in a
logical order. Integrate your
research into your essay. Begin
your works cited page.
Post #25: The four sentences
that integrate textual evidence
into your essay: slides 17-18
Bring a copy of your working
draft to our next meeting
