Argumentative Synthesis
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The document discusses the argumentative synthesis essay format. It explains that an argumentative synthesis essay presents an argument supported by multiple sources on a topic. It outlines the typical elements of an argument - the assumption, supports/evidence, and claim. It also discusses how an argumentative synthesis essay combines sources to present a new explanation on an issue and responds to counterarguments.
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Argumentative Synthesis
- 1. Argument Argumentative Synthesis The Limits of Argument The Argumentative Synthesis a.k.a. The Ultimate Essay!
- 2. Argument Argumentative Synthesis The Limits of Argument Assumption: What the author believes to be true Supports: What the author uses to make the truth(s) apparent Claim: What the author proposes to do or what the author wants the reader to do. What the author offers as an explanation (a new explanation) of something, some event, some phenomenon, etc.
- 3. Argument Argumentative Synthesis The Limits of Argument Assumption: The American dream is different from what it used to be but we deny this fact. Supports: It's no longer easy for people—even those work hard—to gain success in life. Government reduces services for citizens. Claim: We need to acknowledge the fact that the American dream is dead before we can do anything about it.
- 4. Argument Argumentative Synthesis The Limits of Argument Assumption: Many people can share the same assumption(s) Supports: Events, phenomena, textual sources, history, experiments, etc. Claim: ● proposes a new explanation of something, some event, some issue, etc. ● Proposes something for the reader to do
- 5. Argument Argumentative Synthesis The Limits of Argument Argumentative Synthesis Presenting an argument (with all its basic elements) supported by more than one source put together
- 6. Argument Argumentative Synthesis The Limits of Argument Two common ways Spotting the problem ● Claim (& assumption) ● Supports. ● Spotting the problem ● Supports (& assumption) ● Claim. ●
- 7. Argument Argumentative Synthesis The Limits of Argument Making an argument..... about something.... supported by various sources.
- 8. Argument Argumentative Synthesis The Limits of Argument Present and Respond to Counterargument “demonstrate that you are aware of the other side of the argument and you are prepared to answer it.” (A Sequence for Academic Writing, p. 166)
Editor's Notes
- This is the introduction to the Argumentative Synthesis, that I hope can provide an adequate introduction and preparation before we start writing our fourth paper, the Argumentative Synthesis Paper. I'm dividing this introduction into three parts: Argument, Argumentative Synthesis and the Limits of Argumentation. There is no logical explanation for these three divisions other than the fact that I'd really like you to be fully aware of them before we even start taking any action in researching for our last paper in this semester.
- Argument There are three basic elements that must be present in an argument. These are the main building blocks of an argument. The absence of these three elements will make our argument defective. Keep in mind, though, that the presence of these three elements don't necessarily guarantee the effectiveness or the strength of our argument. The strength of our argument itself depends on the quality of each of these three elements. However, as with most things in life, the more effort and practice we put into this, the better our capability in argumentation will be. Further explanation of each of these three elements can be found on page 123 of A Sequence for Academic Writing.
- This is an example I've drawn from one of the articles that we have read in our class, that is, “Hiding from Reality” by Bob Herbert. In this article, the Herbert assumes that the American Dream is in a “sad shape” nowadays. The American Dream is no longer the American Dream that we heard in the past. There is also an assumption that acceptance of a condition is a prerequisite for further actions to make that condition better. To further explain this condition, Herbert takes several supports from the society or from current issues. He shows us how a lot of the employments in our society cannot make us achieve what we want to be, which is against the idea that if we work hard we will be anything we want to be. He also presents a couple more examples for that. Then, Herebrt makes a claim that we have to acknowledge this fact, the fact that American dream is not in its right condition and needs fixing. Until we acknowledge this, Herbert argues, we won't be able to do anything to fix this condition
- Since an assumption is often related to cause and effect, natural laws, social tendencies, and cultural beliefs, then it is often shared among many people. This is also the reason why two writers or more can work under the same assumption while making different claims. It is safe to say that an assumption consists of sets of beliefs or tendencies that underlie the way we think how things work in the world. Supports are usually from real-life situations. If the assumption is the idea that we have in our consciousness, then supports are events that take place, things that exist in the world today or in the past. We can get these supports from observing our surroundings, reading textual sources, interviewing sources, and so on. As for the claim, it can include actions that we want to be done or ideas that we want our reader to believe. It can be a persuasion to do something or an attempt to provide a new explanation of something. If an assumption is what we believe to be how things work (which is passive by nature), a claim is what we want others to do or believe based on our assumption and supports that prove the strength of that assumption. In other words, a claim is active by nature; it urges the reader to do something or to believe something.
- Argumentative Synthesis In short, an argumentative synthesis is an attempt to present an argument with the help of more than one source. The argumentative aspect of this type of writing requires us to have the three basic elements that we discussed earlier. As for the synthesis aspect, it requires us to use ideas from more than one source; however, just as the word synthesis suggests combination, the sources for argumentative synthesis have to be used in relation to one another.
- There are various strategies to write an argumentative synthesis essay. We can begin by spotting a problem (here, I use the term “problem” to mean both problems as we commonly know them and interesting things that we want know and explain further). In a writing process, this can translate into deciding the topic of our writing, what we want to write about. After this, we can make a claim that shows our position with regards to that topic of choice. Usually, this claim comes up from our basic assumption of the problem. So, in this case, assumption is always present on the background. Then, we will start working to find supports for our claim. We will find support that are in line with our basic assumption. Since we begin with an assumption and claim that came before really finding supports, there is a possibility that our claim or assumption changes along the way when we realize that a considerable amount of supports that we find are not exactly in our favor. The second way works the other way around. After deciding the topic or the problem, we can start doing a research or read the available sources on that topic. As we encounter more information from these sources, we will automatically sort out ideas that we lean towards and those that we consider weak or irrelevant. Usually, this tendency towards certain ideas instead of the others is highly influenced by the assumption that we have. These ideas that we lean towards will turn into the so-called “supports.” Based on these supports, we can deduce a claim. IDEALLY, THIS PROCESS HAS TO TAKE PLACE EVEN BEFORE WE START DRAFTING OUR PAPER! To remind us all of the first lesson in this class, this process is part of the pre-writing stage. To be more specific, this is part of the problem detection, data gathering, and invention stages.
- I guess the quote speaks for itself. Naturally, piling evidence after evidence will not necessarily make our claim more sound. It can also make us look like we are centered on own side, and not to the topic itself. By presenting counterarguments and responding to it by showing the weakness of such arguments—or by showing how our argument is better—we can demonstrate that we are aware of the other side and, by extension, we can increase our own ethical appeal.