Argument Essay

The following release comes from The Common Life, a 1994 strain by the American source Scott Russell Sanders. Read the passage carefully and therefore write an examine that defends, ch in allenges, or qualifies Sanders ideas close to the relationship between the soul and ships company in the United States. Use specific render to hold in your office.A woman who recently move from Los Angeles to Bloomington Indiana told me that she would non be adequate to(p) to stay here long, beca enjoyment she was already beginning to hump commonwealth in the grocery stores, on the sidewalks, in the library. Being surrounded by familiar faces made her nervous, after years in a city where she could area about anonymously. Every traveler knows the sense of liberation that comes from journeying to a place where nobody expects anything of you. Everyone who has gone to college knows the exhilaration of slipping away from the vigilant eyes of Mom and Dad. We all posit seasons of withdr awal from responsibility. still if we arrest a career of being unaccountable, we have lost slightlything demand to our humanity, and we whitethorn well pay back a burden or a brat to those around us. A community can support a hail of people who are just passing through, or who care about no ones needs but their own the great the proportion of such people, however, the more vulnerable the community, until pull utilisation uptually it breaks down.Taking violate in the common life means dwelling in a web of relationships, the many threads tugging at you while also prop you upright.PITFALL ONE non belowstanding the t convey or the directions obligate sure that you read the passage correctly and understand your task. Dont get caught up in tangential issues. Figure out what Sanderss central thesis is. This student had trouble understanding the issueFor grammatical case, when people get caught doing something wrong and they dont want to admit to their mistakes, they sometim es think of a lie, which is a defense mechanism people use when in trouble. Who hasnt lied at some timein their lives? The guilt will haunt the lady in the passage who moved to Bloomington, tearing up everything in her life from inside because out.The example about the woman from Bloomington is not the central issue in this actit is an example Sanders is giving to make his destine. An EXAMPLE WILL NOT BE THE CLAIM, it will illustrate the claim. So, to rejectmine the claim think about what point the example supports.PITFALL TWO merely paraphrasing the passageIf your whole essay consists of explaining what Sanders is saying in this passage, you will not score above a five out of nine. Resist the temptation to tell what the entire passage is saying. The readers know what the passage says. This mistake seems especially common when the argument flying is longer. Refer to the claim of the passage in as few language as possible. Un corresponding the rhetorical analysis, you do not ne ed to mention long sections of the passagethis eats up time and accomplishes very little. Your theorise here is to figure out and clarify what the central issue is and then to defend, challenge, or qualify that issue.In this passage, Sanders writes about the relationship between the one-on-one and society. He talks about a lady that moved from Los Angeles to Bloomington, Indiana. She says she would not be able to stay long because she was already beginning to recognize people. Sanders writes that the lady gets nervous when she is recognized. She liked not being known and not having to get involved in that society. Sanders says that a couple of people like this help society run, but if there were too many, society would collapse. baseball club depends on some people to interact so that it can proceed going. If this were only the introduction, and the student followed up with an assertion that defended, challenged, or qualified Sanderss assertion, this paragraph would be acceptab le, although its not necessary to paraphrase this some(prenominal). But when a paraphrase is your whole essay, youre looking at a low score.PITFALL THREE not taking a definite standThis is one of the most common errors students make. You must have a definite opinion and state that opinion unequivocally, even if you are qualifying. And even if you dont unfeignedly have that opinion in real life.Sanders describes the relationship between the individual and society as a contrast. The individual is nervous around a too-familiar society. A society feels threatened by a great number of individuals that are unfamiliar. In a Brobdingnagian city, most people become accustomed to unknown people because of the galactic population. However, in a small town where everybody knows everybody else, a newcomer powerfulness be seen as a threat to their way of life. In a small community, most people have their familiar routines. For the traveler, though, it is still a new opportunity for the commu nity. The unknown traveler may be notion of as an alteration to their everyday routine.The essay above discusses the workings of a small town and a big city and makes some elicit observations about the contrast. The writer, however, never takes a definite stand on whether or not it is healthy to remove oneself completely from society.On the other hand, this writer takes a definite stand and backs it up with appropriate evidenceSanders says that we all need seasons of withdrawal from responsibility. There are times when people need to forget about what others expect from them and do only what they feel is needed. (concession) firearm Sanderss statements are true, people cannot live a responsibility-dodging life forever. He feels that if people are to do so, We will have lost something essential to our humanity. If everyone were to give up their responsibilities and do only what was best for themselves, then society would not function. Organizations would fall apart because people would no longer be able to work together. Eventually our entire government would break down and the nation would erupt into total chaos. The more careless(prenominal) people a community has, the more vulnerable the community becomes. Thus, people must attain to take responsibility for themselves rather than dodgeit. (assertion)PITFALL FOUR utilise inappropriate or weak evidence to support your positionThe position of your essay is in direct correlation to the strength of your evidence. Weak or inappropriate evidence will produce a weak cover and a low score. The readers are looking for writers who can write logically and reasonably, who can evaluate and analyze someone elses argument, and who can experience the best evidence to convince someone of their position. This students evidence has to do with crime ratesA small town civilization is often seen as boring and old-fashioned, but it is just as primary(prenominal) to our nation as any of the modern big cities. In crude Yor k City people have that opportunity to wander the city anonymously. perhaps that is the reason why crime rates are so much higher in larger cities. People are far less likely to behave badly if people they know are notice them. This constant concern of others judging you is perhaps more beneficial than some may have you believe. It can get quite nerve-wracking to eer be under watch, but those that watch you also come to your forethought in times of need. For example, when you go out of town you can ask your ever-watchful neighbors to keep an eye on your house for peace of mind. If everyone went around with a total disregard for others, society would break down and the world would become a terrible almost primal place.This student effectively supports his position by reasoning that knowing someone is watching you may deter crime. He concedes (another way to reason logically) that it is bothersome to always be under watch, but those who watch you also watch over you.PITFALL quin writing aN analysis of the passage instead of aN ARGUMENTYour job is not to analyze the way Sanders writes. Your job is to write an argument. Read the prompt. Sanderss use of diction reveals his negative attitude toward wanderers. Sanders uses a word with negative connotations when describing the tangled threads. Sanders was accurate when he saidthe many threads tug, nonetheless hold one another upright. His metaphor identified individual lives as threads. The metaphor makes the reader reflect to a special blanket or person that brought them comfort, evoking emotional reactions.