The purpose of the argument articles is to assist students in practicing several skills found within a formal argument paper. In these assignments, students will focus on writing claims, counterclaims, body paragraphs and concluding statements. Students will use evidence from provided articles, and explain the evidence to further support their opinions.
Argument Articles Documents
A Guide To An Article Argument
Pre Write:
1. Before reading the article, think about the issue and where you stand on that particular topic. This will help you in developing an argument after reading.
2. As you read, highlight any evidence that supports your stance on the issue presented.
Writing The Argument:
Claim (Thesis Statement): Write a sentence that clearly states your position within the argument. The Plan of Development may be included, or it could follow in another sentence.
Counterclaim: Write a sentence that clearly states the opposing side of the argument.
Confirmation Paragraph: Students may write a confirmation paragraph that highlights one reason supporting their claim.
Argument Articles:
September: Tablets vs. Textbooks
October: School Uniforms
November: Is Golf A Sport?
December: Are Cell Phones Safe?
January: The Use of Drones In The Military
February: Social Networks In Society
March: Are Standardized Tests Helpful?
April: Is A College Education Worth It?
May: Animal Testing
Example Article Argument: Confirmation Paragraph
U.S. Drones
Claim -
The utterly terrifying combat drones that the United States is using to fight terrorist organizations such as al Qaeda are failing in their purposes, as they instigate many to join these barbaric groups, they kill anyone on the slightest suspicion, and they disregard the authority of other countries.
Counterclaim -
Many people claim that drone usage has significantly lowered civilian fatalities, but this assumption is based on biased statistics. In actuality, U.S. drones have caused thousands of innocent deaths, a number which can only increase.
Confirmation -
Al Qaeda, the ever expanding terrorist organization, owes some of its success, believe it or not, to the United States. As clearly explained by the author of the article, “U.S. Drone Strikes,” the United States has been using drones in military operations for approximately fourteen years. Within this time, the U.S.’s use of military drones has directly resulted in civilians located where terrorist organizations are operating, especially those in Yemen, joining these extremist groups. The author of “U.S. Drone Strikes” cites writer Jeremy Scahill when addressing the subject of why people join these terrible groups. Stating that, “the vast majority of militants operating in Yemen today are ‘people who are aggrieved by attacks on their homes [thousands of which are caused by drones]...’” the author makes it clear that military drones are, in effect, making terrorist organizations such as al Qaeda larger and therefore stronger. However, this is not the only reason that combat drones are encouraging civilians to become members of these groups. Though the United states believes that it is simply combating terrorism, it is also creating it. In the article “U.S. Drone Strikes,” the author describes how drones affect the daily lives of Yemeni civilians. During a study conducted by Stanford and NYU researchers, it was found that these people, “‘hear drones hover 24 hours a day,’ and live with the fear that a strike could occur at any moment of the day or night… Yemeni tribal sheik Mullah Zabara says ‘we consider the drones terrorism. The drones are flying day and night, frightening women and children, disturbing sleeping people. This is terrorism.’” As put by Mullah Zabara, frightening the innocent, even with alternative intentions, is an act of terrorism. The U.S. cannot hope to effectively fight terrorism by using the weapon of its enemy - this battle strategy will only create more rivals. The United States must therefore end the terror it has caused by ceasing the use of combat drones. Discontinuing this use of robots in war will also solve a number of other pressing issues.
Conclusion -
Due to the facts that drones only strengthen the enemies of the United States, they don’t always know who they are killing, and they operate without the permission of the country they are in, combat drones are an abomination to the world and should be taken out of the military before they only create more issues on a global scale.