by Michelle Mclean

Created on: March 10, 2009

Writing an argumentative essay or paper is actually a little more involved than it may sound. This is not an essay in which you are simply stating your opinion and arguing your case. An argumentative essay requires some research you will need other sources to support your argument.

I once believed I would never be able to write a convincing paper arguing for an issue in which I did not personally agree or believe. I was fortunately wrong. I took a philosophy class in my undergrad years, and the professor (who delighted in torturing us) had everyone choose a topic and a side for an argumentative essay. He told us to think of as many Pro and Con arguments that we could. For example, I had chosen to write on the legalization of euthanasia (assisted suicide). I was against it. But I not only had to list my reasons, but the reasons of someone who might be for it.

Then he told us we must argue AGAINST whichever side we had chosen. I panicked. However, I had my list of reasons someone might agree with euthanasia, and I started researching. And it wasn't as hard to argue for it as I thought it might be. You can convincingly argue for any side of any argument as long as you have valid points and facts to back up your arguments.

So, lets look at the steps to writing an argumentative essay.

Step 1. Choose a Topic. This may sound like a no-brainer, however, you want to be sure to choose a topic that you will be able to find information on. Information supporting both the pro and con positions (more on this in a bit). You might want to write on why Klingons are better than Vulcans, but if you don't have enough hard, scholarly evidence to support your claims, it won't work. So pick something that will give you a lot of information to work with.

Step 2. Pro and Con List. What are your reasons for supporting or opposing your topic? What are some reasons that someone would take the opposite position? Part of writing an argumentative essay involves presenting opposing ideas and refuting them. For example, with my euthanasia essay, I argued the Pro positionreasons why euthanasia should be legal. But part of my essay needed to include reasons AGAINST euthanasiaand then I had to refute those reasons.

You need to be sure you will have enough material to satisfy the length requirement of your assignment, so be sure to brainstorm enough ideas. You will probably need at least a paragraph or two for each argument. You also need to be sure you have enough evidence to support your arguments.

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