Assignment Paper

An argument-driven paper utilizes an arguable thesis statement and carefully chosen and organized evidence to defend a position on a particular issue. This is the most common type of paper assignment in college-level writing and is designed to prepare you for ENC 1102.

In class, we discussed the three pillars of rhetoric (logos, pathos, and ethos) and how they are used in argumentation. We also discussed the various ways evidence can be used: evidence can be both facts (such as statistics and research) and opinion (from credible sources). Logic is also a powerful tool in argumentation; sometimes, it is referred to as reasoning, and faulty reasoning can destroy the author’s credibility (his or her ethos) and make for an unconvincing paper. It is always important to use relevant and sufficient evidence when making an argument. In his 1931 book The Epic of America, James Truslow Adams defined the American Dream as “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.”