From Identifying Claims
to Analyzing Arguments
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□ Basic Argument structure
□ Claim/Thesis statements
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Basic Argument Structure
Claims
Reasons/Key points
Organizational structures
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Argument Structure
Claim
Reason # 1 Reason # 2
Evidence a Evidence b Evidence c
An argument must have a claim, supported by reasons, which are, in
turn, supported by evidence.
Professor X is the best
Composition instructor
She gives stimulating She encourages writing
lectures that students as a process rather than
rarely miss. an end product
70% of her students have
Students have been said they could apply
60% of her students
overheard to say, “That the strategies from her
have perfect attendance
was the best lesson ever” class to other classes
they are taking
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
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CLAIMS / REASONS / EVIDENCE
● Reasons or key points: show why the writer believes the claim to be true.
● 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
● Connections, explanations, interpretations make the evidence meaningful.
● Alternative perspectives: authors can acknowledge / refute them.
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□ Claim: The government should pass laws that
make texting while driving a primary offense.
■ Reason/key point 1: (BECAUSE) banning texting
while driving would significantly decrease traffic
deaths.
□ Evidence: A 2006 study done in two Australian states
found an estimated 45,600 people had near-misses
due to using their mobile phone in the car.
□ Evidence: The New York Times reports that when
long-haul truck drivers texted, ‘their collision risk
was 23 times greater than when not texting’
□ Evidence: The Public Policy Institute of California
points out that 300 lives per year will be saved in the
state due to hands-free cell phone laws.
□ Making texting while driving a primary offense would
decrease traffic deaths. A 2006 study from Australia
found that in just two Australian states, an estimated
45,600 people had near-misses in their car due to cell
phone use (Partell 57). That’s a striking number. The
New York Times reports that when long-haul truck
drivers texted in their vehicle, ‘their collision risk was 23
times greater than when not texting’ (Johnstone 3).
Furthermore, in California a law requiring hands-free
devices in cars saves an estimated 300 lives per
year(“Texting” 45). Clearly, making this a primary
offense is a good idea.
One reason the government should make texting while driving a primary
offense is because such a law would decrease traffic deaths – and there is
plenty of proof to support this fact. For example, a 2006 study done in
Australia found that in just two Australian states an estimated 45,600
people had near-misses in their cars due to cell phone use (Partell 57). If
there were a law banning texting in the car, the number of near-misses
(and, logically, actual crashes) would decrease significantly, ultimately
saving lives. Additionally, the New York Times reports that when long-haul
truck drivers texted in their vehicle, ‘their collision risk was 23 times
greater than when not texting’ (Johnstone 3). Clearly, when truck drivers
took their eyes from the road to focus on their cell phones, they put many
innocent people on the road in danger. Similar logic applies to drivers of
cars who, although they are not generally hauling large loads, do have
several thousand pounds of metal around them. These dangers could be
mitigated with stronger laws against it in the first place. If texting while
driving were a primary offense in all states, then a police officer would
need no other reason to pull over a texter. Furthermore, the Public Policy
Institute of California estimates that a law requiring hands-free devices in
that state saves an estimated 300 lives per year (“Texting” 45). If
disallowing talking on the phone while in the car in California could save
that many lives, imagine how many of thousands of people in the US could
be saved if texting were banned, as well. Clearly, making this a primary
offense is a good idea.
Using Evidence to Develop Reasons: Student Practice
● You and your partner will each get a piece of paper that tells you:
○ The claim you’re trying to support;
○ Your audience you’re directing the argument towards;
○ The main point (reason) you’re developing;
○ Several pieces of evidence to use in the argument.
● Your job is to take the reason and evidence you’re given and develop
the argument for your reader. That is, you need to “do the job of
persuading” and use the evidence given to you to persuade your readers
to understand how it links together and how it connects back to the
claim.
● Write your developed reason in paragraph form. You will be turning it
in at the end of class.
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Claim: Donuts are an excellent breakfast food for busy college students.
Audience: College students.
Reason: Donuts are cheap, which is ideal for a broke college student.
Evidence: A recent field research trip to the grocery store indicated that a single
donut at Safeway is only $0.69.
Evidence: According to their website, you can get a dozen premium donuts
from LaMar’s, a specialty donut shop, for just $8.99.
Evidence: The Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook breaks down the cost for
making donuts at home. According to this source, with ingredients and
equipment you can make your own donuts for a mere $0.24 per donut – a cost
that goes down with every batch as you reuse the equipment you’ve purchased.
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Claim: Donuts are an excellent breakfast food for busy college students.
Audience: College students
Main point: Donuts are extremely convenient, which is perfect for college students’
hectic lives.
Evidence: According to Krispy Kreme’s website, a single glazed donut weighs only
1.8oz.
Evidence: A survey of restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, convenience stores, and
grocery stores indicates that there are literally hundreds of places a person can buy a
donut.
Evidence: A recent field research trip reveals that when you buy donuts – either a
single donut or more – you receive a paper sleeve, a small bag, or a box to carry your
purchase.
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4 Types of Claims
□ Claims of Fact or Definition
□ Claims of Cause and Effect
□ Claims About Value
□ Claims about Solution or Policy
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Claims of Fact or Definition
□ “facts” or “truths” not easily determined
□ Definitions are debatable
□ For example, a fact that is NOT debatable:
■ FTU was founded in 1960.
□ Good examples:
■ Celebrity endorsement increases demand for
product.
■ Grades measure a student’s achievement.
■ America’s public secondary schools are not
adequately preparing students for college.
Claims About Cause and Effect
□ Argue for a direct cause/effect relationship
between two things. The relationship
between these things is debatable.
□ BAD example:
■ A student’s grades in high school affect
admission to college.
□ GOOD example:
■ Testing in schools improves the quality of
education.
■ Capital punishment deters violent crime.
Claims About Value
□ Typically state or imply that something is good
or bad or assess the worth or merit of
something.
□ Whether or not that thing is good or bad is
debatable.
□ BAD example:
■ Murdering people is unethical.
□ GOOD example:
■ Capital punishment is unethical.
■ Democracy offers people the greatest chance to
reach their full potential.
Claims about Solution or Policy
□ Call for enactment of a policy (law or rule).
□ Whether or not that policy should go into effect
is debatable.
□ Need to first demonstrate a problem, then
provide the solution or policy.
□ Identifiable by the word “SHOULD”
□ BAD example:
■ Drunk drivers should be punished.
□ GOOD example:
■ The penalty for drunk driving should be a mandatory
jail sentence and loss of a driver’s license.
■ To reduce exploitation and sensationalism, the news
media should not be allowed to interview victims of
crime or disaster.
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Trying Out all 4 Types of Claims
□ Consider the rhetorical situation of an
issue. Then put that issue into the
form of a question.
□ Now, answer the question in one
sentence.
□ Now, turn that one sentence into
each of the four different kinds of
claims.
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What is a Theme?
□ A broad idea or message about life,
society, or human nature. Our theme
for the class is Higher Education
□ Often timeless and universal
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What is a Topic?
□ An area of interest; focus of debate—
the categories within the reader are
examples of various topics that are
under the theme of Higher Education.
□ Subject of debate, discussion, discovery
□ Usually falling under the umbrella of a
theme (since there needs to be some
kind of exigency behind writing
something)
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What is an Issue?
□ A slice of an area of the topic
□ Points of disagreement, uncertainty, concern,
or curiosity that are being discussed by
communities of readers and writers
□ Topics contain multitudes of issues; it’s up to
us to find them
□ To identify, look for patterns in what you read
■ Central concepts repeated in texts
■ Other topics being incorporated under the theme
■ Places of discrepancy
■ Recurring voices (“experts in the field”)/key players
in the conversation
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What is inquiry?
□ Asking narrow and refined questions to help
develop knowledge and ideas about an issue
□ Getting curious
□ Exploring many different frames of an issue
(not a topic—much more narrow)
□ The beginning of an argument
■ Often good inquiry will lead you to a good
research question (which is just a question that is
debatable that you choose to answer in a
particular way with particular support)
■ The answer to the research question turns into
your thesis statement/claim for the argument you
wish to present into the conversation
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Example
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