HELPFUL TIPS FOR WRITING AN ARGUMENT ESSAY
* This may sound obvious, but when you are writing an agrument essay, you are writing… an argument. Your paragraphs ought to be arranged by minor arguments that you are going to prove that in turn win your main argument. Even if it may sound wooden, a fine way to start your first support paragraph is by saying “One reason why [this argument is right] is because…” and then your next paragraph can be “Another reason why [this argument is right] is…”. You should try to avoid having your topic sentences sound like ones you would use in a literature analysis essay, like “In Chapter three of Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses hands as a symbol of aggression and power.” That *might* be an effective way of leading up to your argument by using voice and anticipation, but more likely, it might just feel weird if you started any persuasive argument that way.
*While the rules for powerful writing are roughly the same here as they are in an analytical essay, one key difference is that you are allowed, encouraged even, to use first-person pronouns. Don’t overdo it, but it’s acceptable. Past tense is also perfectly acceptable.
* Pay attention to the writing prompt – it might tell you exactly who your audience is, and you will want to adjust your response accordingly. If the prompt asks you to write a letter to a U.S. Senator asking for a change, that will sound different than a prompt that asks you to give a speech in front of an auditorium full of excited students.
* Structurally, the good news is: You still want to follow the same SPEAC structure that you would do for a literature essay. Your paragraphs want to have a debatable Statement, several Points to support it, each point gets Evidence from the texts and that evidence is Analyzed. You might not break down the evidence using the same word analysis that you might do for a literary analysis essay, but otherwise, it’s the same structure.
* Your job is to persuade the reader to your side of the argument. Use a variety of persuasive techniques: Logos (fact-driven), Pathos (emotion-driven) and Ethos (expert source). You do not need to handle these one at a time – in fact, moving among these three techniques can give your argument momentum.
* If you have a good grasp of Logos/Ethos/Pathos, it is often a good idea to go light on the pathos – it can feel artificial or easy to disagree with. It is, however, often powerful to either begin or end with pathos.
* Argument essays will be a response to articles that you read. If you know the prompt ahead of time, you can compile your best factual support as you go through the article the first time.

CLICK HERE to see an Argument prompt from the 2023 MCAS, including several HHS students’ responses

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