Gun Control
For your final essay (5 pages, not including works cited), you must take a stance on a controversial topic and support your stance with counterargument, reasoning, and evidence. This essay must consist of an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Make sure to title your essay, to use at least 7 sources (minimum 2 scholarly articles), and to follow MLA guidelines for in-text citations and a list of works cited. Your final draft must be double-spaced and word processed in 12-font, Times New Roman. Your instructor will evaluate your essay’s logical organization, development of ideas, its use of standard written English, and its research and documentation.
Since this essay is strictly academic, you must completely avoid first- and second-person. Also, avoid contractions (e.g., use “cannot” rather than “can’t”). Ultimately, your primary task is to persuade your English 1010 class to accept the conclusion to your argument.
Organization
Even though some of the details below are suggestions, your essay’s organization must include the following framework.
Introduction:
First, creatively introduce the topic by getting the attention of your audience. Try a quote or fact bringing to light the importance of the social debate on your topic. Such an attention getter will help you develop your introduction’s topic. You can then briefly explain the mainstream debate and the various clashing viewpoints found in society and in your current research. Make sure to end your introduction with a strong thesis statement, including your conclusion and the premises that support it.
Background:
After the introduction, in the first part of your paper’s body, you must explain any background information that could help your readers fully understand your argument and the evidence you use to support it. Here, you may explain any terms, processes, facts, etc., needing clarification. If you must define several terms or describe more than one complicated process, find ways to break this part into more than one paragraph. For example, for a topic like cloning, you may include one paragraph that explains its history and another that explains the process of cloning while other important terms. This section is also where your research comes into play: do not speculate; make sure your background information is grounded in source material and expert opinion.
Body (Argument):
The force of your argument is in this section because this is where you develop and support your premises. To reach the required number of words, you may have to include at least 2 to 3 paragraphs per premise section. The following is how the Example organizes its premise sections.
(1) Counter-argument
Then…
(2) Explanation of premise
Then…
(3) Support of section’s premise using various types of evidence
However, you can reverse this by ordering it (2) then (3) and then (1). Do what makes sense to you.
Conclusion:
After supporting your premises, which should be the bulk of your paper, conclude with a brief yet strong summary of your argument (no more than three sentences). Then highlight the implication(s) of your argument. For example, if you argue pro-cloning, you may want to make the topic relevant to you readers by stressing the importance of funding to eliminate specific health problems. Finally, you want to end your paper with a cliff hanger, an in-your-face kind of moment. You can do so by giving an anecdote, telling a true story, for example, maybe a medical success story of cloning.
Important Note on Argument:
Above all other genres, the argument’s body must correspond to its thesis statement, which is the paper’s bare bones argument. This is important to the logical structure of your paper.
