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Introduction
In
this type of essay writing, we do not merely give information but also present
an argument with the PROS (supporting ideas) and CONS (opposing ideas) of an
argumentative issue. We should clearly take our stand and write as if we are
trying to persuade an opposing audience to adopt new beliefs or behavior. The
primary objective is to persuade people to change beliefs that many of them do
not want to change.
Choosing
an argumentative topic is not an easy task. The topic should be such that
- it
should be narrowed down
X Marijuana should be considered
illegal. (Not a good topic because it is too general. In some medical cases,
marijuana is prescribed by the doctors and the patients are encouraged to use
it in case of suffering from too much pain)
√ Selling and using marijuana in
public places should be considered illegal.
- it
should contain an argument
X We should decide whether we want a
bicycle or a car. (our stand is not clear: do we support having bicycles or
cars?)
√ If we are under the age of 30 and want a healthy life, we should
definitely get a bicycle instead of a car.
X Are you one of those who thinks
cheating is not good for students? (a question cannot be an argument)
√ Cheating
helps students learn.
X Considering
its geological position, Turkey has an important geopolitical role in the EU. (facts
cannot be arguments)
√ Considering
its geopolitical role, we can clearly say that the EU cannot be without Turkey.
- it
should be a topic that can be adequately supported (with statistics,
outside source citations, etc.)
X I feel that writing an
argumentative essay is definitely a challenging task. (feelings cannot be
supported; we cannot persuade other people)
If
you believe that you can find enough evidence to support your idea and refute
others effectively, you can choose challenging topics as well. You can enjoy
writing about such topics:
Cheating is beneficial for students.
Murat 124 is a very good choice for
conscientious drivers.
Stress is good for the human body.
Polygamy is quite natural.
For women, there is no need for men.
Organization: All argumentative topics have PROs and CONs. Before starting
writing, it is imperative to make a list of these ideas and choose the most
suitable ones among them for supporting and refuting.
There
are three possible organization patterns:
Pattern 1:
Thesis statement:
PRO idea 1
PRO idea 2
CON(s) + Refutation(s)
Conclusion
Pattern 2:
Thesis statement:
CON(s) + Refutation(s)
PRO idea 1
PRO idea 2
Conclusion
Pattern 3:
Thesis statement:
CON idea 1 -----> Refutation
CON idea 2 -----> Refutation
CON idea 3 -----> Refutation
Conclusion
The
sample essay has been written according to the third pattern.
Thesis:
Do Reiki instead of taking medicine.
Counter arguments
|
Refutation
|
||
1.
|
People
should trust medicine since it is effective and scientifically proven.
|
----->
|
Reiki is
also scientifically proven and does not have side effects. (refutation
method: insufficient claim)
|
2.
|
Serious
illnesses such as HIV/AIDS and cancer cannot be treated without medicine.
|
----->
|
Medicine
also cannot treat serious illnesses if not diagnosed at an early stage.
(refutation method: opponents are partially correct)
|
3.
|
Reiki,
like alternative healing methods, requires a lot of time.
|
----->
|
Reiki
requires less time if done regularly. (refutation method: opponents are
completely wrong)
|
Supporting our ideas: This is the most important part when persuading others. We
are asking some people to change their beliefs or actions. We should be
supporting our ideas with such facts, statistics and/or authorities that there
should not be room for any doubts. Here are some faulty supports we should avoid:
Thesis: Leaving the university and
starting to work is good for the adolescent because …
- Feelings,
emotional arguments (… it makes one feel much better.)
- Irrelevant
examples (wandering off the topic) (… he would then be able to take his
girlfriend to expensive restaurants.)
- Oversimplification
(… only then would he understand what it means to be an adult.)
- Hasty
generalizations (... it is a widely known fact that all adolescents look
forward to earning money.)
- Unreliable,
even false outside sources (… according to www.doubtme.com, 80% of working
men wish they quit school when they were at university and started working
at an earlier age.)
Refuting opposing arguments: Before we start saying that the opponents are wrong, we
should specify their opposing ideas.
Otherwise, it would be like hitting the other person with eyes closed. We
should see clearly what we are hitting and be prepared beforehand so that he
cannot hit us back. We can do this by knowing what we are refuting.
e.g. X Some people may say that adolescents should not
leave university education; however, they are wrong. (what they say is not
wrong. Maybe their supporting idea is wrong /irrelevant /insufficient. We
should state their supporting idea specifically to be able to refute it.)
√
Some people may say that adolescents should not leave university education
because they are not physically and psychologically mature enough to cope with
the problems of the real world. However, they forget one fact: adolescents can
vote or start driving at the age of 18 (in some countries even before that
age!), which proves that they are considered physically and psychologically
mature at that age.
Language: Signposts gain importance in the argumentative essay. They
enable the readers to follow our arguments easily.
When pointing out
opposing arguments (CONs):
Opponents
of this idea claim / maintain that …
Those
who disagree / are against these ideas may say / assert that …
Some
people may disagree with this idea.
When stating specifically
why they think like that:
The
put forward this idea because …
They
claim that … since …
Reaching the turning point:
However,
but
On
the other hand,
When refuting the
opposing idea, we may use the following strategies:
- compromise but prove that their argument is not powerful enough:
They have a point in thinking like
that.
To a certain extent they are right.
- completely
disagree:
After seeing this evidence, there is no way we can agree
with what they say.
- say
that their argument is irrelevant
to the topic:
What we are discussing here is not what they are trying to
prove.
Their argument is irrelevant.
HEALTH AND HEALING AT YOUR
FINGERTIPS
Throw out the bottles and boxes of
drugs in your house. A new theory suggests that medicine could be bad for your
health, which should at least come as good news to people who cannot afford to
buy expensive medicine. However, it is a blow to the medicine industry, and an
even bigger blow to our confidence in the progress of science. This new theory
argues that healing is at our fingertips: we can be healthy by doing Reiki on a
regular basis.
Supporters of medical treatment
argue that medicine should be trusted since it is effective and scientifically
proven. They say that there is no need for spiritual methods such as Reiki,
Yoga, Tai Chi. These waste our time, something which is quite precious in our
material world. There is medicine that can kill our pain, x-rays that show us
our fractured bones or MRI that scans our brain for tumors. We must admit that
these methods are very effective in the examples that they provide. However,
there are some “every day complaints” such as back pains, headaches, insomnia,
which are treated currently with medicine. When you have a headache, you take
an Aspirin, or Vermidon, when you cannot sleep, you take Xanax without thinking
of the side effects of these. When you use these pills for a long period, you
become addicted to them; you cannot sleep without them. We pay huge amounts of
money and become addicted instead of getting better. How about a safer and more
economical way of healing? When doing Reiki to yourself, you do not need
anything except your energy so it is very economical. As for its history, it
was discovered in Japan in the early 1900s and its popularity has spread
particularly throughout America and Western Europe. In quantum physics, energy is recognized as
the fundamental substance of which the universe is composed. Reiki depends on
the energy within our bodies. It is a simple and effective way of restoring the
energy flow. There are no side effects and it is scientifically explained.
Opponents of alternative healing
methods also claim that serious illnesses such as HIV/AIDS and cancer cannot be
treated without drugs. They think so because these patients spend the rest of
their lives in the hospital taking medicine. How can Reiki make these people
healthy again? It is very unfortunate that these patients have to live in the
hospital losing their hair because of chemotherapy, losing weight because of
the side effects of the medicine they take. Actually, it is common knowledge
that except for when the cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, drugs also
cannot treat AIDS or cancer. Most of the medicine these patients use are to
ease their pain and their sufferings because of the medical treatment they
undergo. Instead of drugs which are expensive and have many side effects, you
can use your energy to overcome the hardships of life, find an emotional
balance, leave the stress of everyday life and let go of the everyday worries.
Most of the chronic conditions such as eczema or migraine are known to have
causes such as poor diet and stress. Deep-rooted anger or other strong emotions
can contribute to viral infections as well. Since balancing our emotions and
controlling our thoughts are very important for our well-being, we should
definitely start learning Reiki and avoid illnesses before it is too late.
Some people may still maintain that
in our material world, everything depends on time. It is even “lacking time”
that causes much of the stress that leads to the illnesses we mentioned. How
would it be possible to find time to do Reiki to ourselves and the people
around us when we cannot even find time to go to the theater? This is one good
thing about Reiki; it does not require more than 15 minutes of our time. There
is no need for changing clothes or special equipment. It is a wonderfully
simple healing art, an effective method of relaxation and stress-relief. Most
important of all, it is less time consuming than medicine if we think of all
the time we spend taking medicine for some complaints and taking some more for
the side effects as well.
Having said these, resistance to
Reiki would be quite illogical. Reiki is natural and drug-free. What is more,
it is easy to learn by anyone, regardless of age and experience. It can be used
anywhere, anytime. It also enhances physical, mental, emotional and spiritual
well-being and the benefits last a lifetime. It is definitely high time to get
away from the drug boxes we store in our drug cabinet!
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