CLAIMS / REASONS / EVIDENCE

  • Since the purpose of many arguments is to convince readers to agree, it’s important to have a central idea for readers to agree with.
  • An argument’s main idea is its central claim or thesis statement which is a road map for your essay
  • The central claim or thesis should illustrate the following:
  • The specific focus
  • The audience
  • The purpose
  • To convince undecided readers to accept your thesis
  • To make opposing readers less resistant to your thesis
  • To convince readers who agree with you to take action
  • The thesis statement can also include the following:
  • Your main reasons
  • A nod to the alternatives
  • Writers build arguments off of claims by providing reasons or key points, statements that show why the writer believes the claim to be true.
  • Since reasons often are opinions, they need evidence to show that they can be considered valid.
  • Each reason needs to be supported with evidence which can include:
  • Firsthand observations
  • Examples from personal experience
  • Statistics
  • Facts and quotations from your research
  • Results of field research, such as interviews, etc . . .
  • Your choices of evidence reflect your:
  • Purposes
  • Audiences
  • Contexts
  • The writer needs to provide connections, explanations, and interpretations to make the evidence meaningful.
  • The writer also needs to pay attention to alternative perspectives that are aligned to key reasons and are backed by evidence by both acknowledging and refuting them

SILLY EXAMPLE (CREATE YOUR OWN!)

Claim: Large dog breeds have often been negatively stereotyped as violent and aggressive; in fact, many giant dog breeds, if properly raised and trained, can be loyal and dependable family pets.

Reason # 1: Rottweilers are wonderful companions for both children and adults

  • Evidence: Statistics show that if the children in a family survive a Rottweiler’s first three years of life, the family will, 75% of the time, claim that they would welcome a Rottweiler as a family pet again
  • Evidence: Cesar Milan states that “. . . most dogs just need a small whisper and a little “tsk” sound in their ear to get them to behave. Sure. A Rottweiler? He just needs a bigger whisper . . . okay . . . a yell. A holler. A resounding whoop, you could say. That’s all he needs to be a beloved family member”

Alternative: Rottweilers do not make good family pets

  • Evidence: I.M. Tiny’s 2013 article, “Only Poodles and Abyssinians,” that appears in Volume 5, Issue 6 , of The Institute of Fake Research’s scholarly journal, Believe Me, It’s True, Rottweilers “. . . are no more than the living, nightmarish embodiment of Hagrid’s mythical dog, Fluffy”

IN PARAGRAPH FORM: EXAMPLE # 1

Large dog breeds have often been negatively stereotyped as violent and aggressive; in fact, m Many giant dog breeds, if properly raised and trained, can be loyal and dependable family pets. (Rottweilers are wonderful companions for both children and adults. The international scholarly journal, It’s Only a Dog Bite: Get Over It, published an article in Volume 6, Issue 7, titled “They’re Not Rotten, They’re Just Big,” by animal rights activist Wera Collar, that provides statistics that if the children in a family survive a Rottweiler’s first three years of life, the family will, 75% of the time, claim that they would welcome a Rottweiler as a family pet again Cesar Milan stated that “ . . . sure, most dogs just need a small whisper and a little “tsk” sound in their ear to get them to behave. Sure. A Rottweiler? He just needs a bigger whisper . . . okay . . . a yell. A holler. A resounding whoop, you could say. That’s all he needs to be a beloved family member” (Milan)

  • This argument starts out with a claim. Agree or disagree? Why or why not?
  • Does it explain how the pieces of evidence connect to each other or how they support the reason? Why or why not?
  • Is there an explained and connected alternative perspective?
  • What’s missing?

IN PARAGRAPH FORM: EXAMPLE # 2

Large dog breeds have often been negatively stereotyped as violent and aggressive; in fact, many giant dog breeds, if properly raised and trained, can be loyal and dependable family pets. It has, for example, been stated that Rottweilers do not make good family pets. For instance, according to small breed advocate and cat lover, I.M. Tiny’s 2013 article, “Only Poodles and Abyssinians ,” that appears in Volume 5, Issue 6 , of The Institute of Fake Research’s scholarly journal, Believe Me, It’s True, Rottweilers “. . . are no more than the living, nightmarish embodiment of Hagrid’s mythical dog, Fluffy and are lethal to all human beings” (22). More compelling research contradicts this belief, and provides evidence to support the idea that Rottweilers are wonderful companions for both children and adults. Case in point, the international scholarly journal, It’s Only a Dog Bite: Get Over It, published an article in Volume 6, Issue 7, titled “They’re Not Rotten, They’re Just Big,” by animal rights activist Wera Collar, that provides statistics that if the children in a family survive a Rottweiler’s first three years of life, the family will, 75% of the time, claim that they would welcome a Rottweiler as a family pet again. The people who have actually experienced life with a giant dog are willing to go on record with an affirmative support of the dog as a family pet. Additionally, in a personal interview I conducted with famous dog trainer Cesar Milan, on October 31, 2013 at a Halloween costume party, at midnight, in a dark, crowded house near Colorado State University’s campus, Milan stated that “ . . . sure, most dogs just need a small whisper and a little “tsk” sound in their ear to get them to behave. Sure. A Rottweiler? He just needs a bigger whisper . . . okay . . . a yell. A holler. A resounding whoop, you could say. That’s all he needs to be a beloved family member” (Milan). Milan’s expertise provides reassuring support for the idea that even a Rottweiler can be a good family pet.

  • What is different in this example?
  • How is the evidence presented?