Academic Writing: Guide Sections
Argumentative Essays: Representing a Debate in Miniature
Writing an argumentative essay can turn into an interesting task. My personal perceptions of such essays can be summarized in two words, which are fairness and debates. We will try to explain what is so special about argumentative essays.
Responsibility toward Opposition
In other essays, in which you support your thesis, you only have to research the materials supporting your arguments. In argumentative essays, the task is combined with the burden of finding the argument for the opposing side as well. In that regard, writing an argumentative essay can turn into a round of debates between you and … you.
Another argument in support of argumentative essays is a sense of responsibility. Being responsible for presenting the arguments for both sides of the tale, you have to be careful not to be accused of picking your arguments, in a way that makes it easier for you to refute them. Argumentative essay is about proving you are right, while the other opinion is wrong, but at the same time the other party should be represented by valid facts and statements. In that regard, in argumentative essays, the stronger the arguments you find for your opposition, the greater the satisfaction refuting them.
Refutation
The refutation is an important aspect of the argumentative essay, where it is not sufficient to present arguments for both sides. Neutrality is not an attribute of such essays, where you have to pick and support a certain position. Argumentative essay is like court proceedings, in which you play the role of the prosecutor and the attorney, while the readers are the jury panel.
Personally, we think that one of the most important aspects of writing a good argumentative essay is being involved in the topic you are writing about. Personal attachment to support a particular point of view will result in a better research and better arguments used in the paper.