AP English Language & Composition Rhetoric Crash Course: Support

Rhetoric Crash Course: Support

Source: The Elements of Argument,Annette Rottenberg

• The Three Elements of Argument
• Claim: The main idea, or thesis, of your argument.
• Support: The information that backs up your claim.
• Warrant: The “big idea” that connects your support to your claim.
• An Example: Cutting in Line at the Movies
• Claim:“What?”
• Support:“Why?”
• Warrant:“So what?”
• What is Support?
• Support is the information provided to back up a claim.
• In an essay, your evidence is usually going to show up in your body paragraphs, following your claim.
• The support is the “Why?” part of your argument.
• Types of Support
• Evidenceconsists of statements that tend to prove ground for belief.
• Facts, including statistics
• Opinions, or interpretations of facts
• Example:I was here first.
• Appeals to needs and valuesbring up the reader’s needs (for physical and psychological well-being) and values (moral standards) to support the argument.
• Example:Everyone here saw you cut in lineor It’s wrong to cheat.
• Factual Evidence
• Factual evidence is evidence that we can verify ourselves, or that has been verified by people we trust.
• Opinions
• Opinions usually take one of four forms:
• They suggest a causal connection.
• They offer predictions about the future.
• They suggest solutions to a problem.
• They refer to the opinion of experts.
• Evaluation of Evidence
• To evaluate factual evidence, ask:
• Is the evidence up to date?
• Is the evidence sufficient?
• Is the evidence relevant?
• Are the examples representative?
• Are the examples consistent with experience?
• To evaluate statistics, ask:
• Do the statistics come from trustworthy sources?
• Are the terms clearly defined?
• Are the comparisons between comparable things?
• Has any significant information been omitted?
• To evaluate opinions, ask:
• Is the source qualified to give an opinion on the subject?
• Is the source biased for or against his/her interpretation?
• Has the source bolstered the claim with sufficient and appropriate evidence?
• Are there other experts who disagree?
• Appeals to Needs
• Appeals to needs suggest that accepting an idea or performing an action will fulfill some need.
• Physiological needs:food, drink, health, sex
• Safety needs:security, freedom from harm, order, stability
• Love needs:love within a family and among friends, roots within a group or community.
• Esteem needs:material success, achievement, power, status, recognition
• Self-actualization needs:fulfillment in realizing one’s potential.
• Appeals to Values
• Needs give rise to values. Most claims contain expressed or unexpressed value judgments.
• Values change over time.
• Different groups will interpret (and rank) values differently.
• Knowing your audience’s values will help you appeal to them more effectively.