Chapter 16

In Chapter 16 was about evidence in argument. Evidence and Rhetorical situation, instead of quality of evidence, how it was collected, by whom, and for what purposes, may become part of the argument itself. Evidence may be persuasive in one time and place but not in another. To be very persuasive evidence should match the time and place in which you make your argument. Firsthand Evidence and Research; firsthand evidence comes from research that you have carried out or been closely involved with. Observations, before you begin an observation, decide exactly what you want to find out. Do you want to observe an action that is repeated by many people? Experiments, arguments can be supported by evidence that is gathered through experiments. Personal Experience, this can serve as powerful evidence when it’s appropriate to the subject, purpose and audience. Personal experience should not be your only evidence. Secondhand Evidence and Research; comes from sources beyond yourself, like books, articles and documents. Library Sources, the college library has printed materials as well as computers with databases that help you search for efficient evidence. It helps to enter good keywords when searching for information. Online sources, using websites like google.com or library databases are good resources for arguments. Building a Critical Mass; it is stressed that you always find as much evidence as possible when supporting a claim. Remember that circumstantial evidence may not be enough. Arranging Evidence, review evidence and decide which pieces support specific points in the argument. Such as putting stronger pieces after weaker in your arguments.



A certain section of this chapter that I found most interesting was the section on arranging your evidence. I’ve always had trouble with organizing where to put certain things in my writing. Sometimes my ideas just run rapid in a word document. I find this information helpful and interesting. Knowing where to put strong pieces of evidence is important because that’s going to real the reader in, so putting it near the beginning of paragraphs makes sense. Also, putting strong information in a conclusion can really tie everything together and end the argument with a strong closing that stays with the readers. My only question is what makes evidence strong or weak? Well I guess that depends on you and what you’re trying to argue.



Personally, I use a lot of personal experience when I am trying to argue with people, especially people that I know or am close with. It has always helped me transition from arguing to maybe a softer or more emotional feeling in the argument. Helps people relate to you and potentially understand where you are coming from and change their minds on a certain subject.

Chapter 13

In Chapter 13 it talks about the style and presentation in arguments. Arguments have their own styles that can me outlined into three basic styles of communication, identifying them as high, middle, and low. High argument styles are generally formal and serious. Middle style is ordinary from a commonplace to professional. Last, the low style is informal. Style and word choice are important factors in arguments. The words that you choose for an argument help define style. Words should match the tone that you want to establish. It is also important to control connotation the unspoken associations that surround many words. Also, sentence structure and argument can define the style of an argument. To keep readers involved a series of sentences needs variety. Then you have punctuation and argument, punctuation affects the act of arguing and can enhance style. Such as, exclamation points to indicate a speakers tone, or question marks to help drive home the point. Figurative Language and Argument brings two major strengths to arguments. It aids understanding by drawing parallels between an unknown and known. Second, it makes the argument memorable. Metaphor is one of the most pervasive uses; it implies a comparison between two things. A simile compares two things while using "like" or "as." An analogy compares two things, point by point, to show similarity. Also, the other tropes such as, signifying, hyperbole, understatement and rhetorical questions.

A section that I found the most interesting was the examples in "Punctuation and Argument," I never really understood the importance of punctuation in the structure of a sentence, It can really change the tone of what you are reading and give some parts more importance than others. It’s a very powerful element in speeches and writing. Changing punctuation can change a lot on the writing. It’s also important to follow the punctuation while reading. If you bypass the punctuation the writing might mislead you and you can misinterpret what you are reading.


As for me, example that I can say about this section is the use of question marks in my writing, I like to ask a lot of rhetorical questions. I feel like it adds some tension to the argument. I can picture myself getting in my readers face like "huh? huh?" and I think that is an affective argument.