Choose ONE of the following topics to write about. Be sure and construct a good argumentative essay with the structure and features discussed in class.
1. Should cigarettes and other tobacco products be outlawed?
2. Does freedom of speech give people the right to use hate speech?
3. Do people who commit heinous crimes deserve the death penalty?
4. Is there too much pressure on teenagers to go to college?
5. At what age should citizens be allowed to vote in the United States?
6. Should more rights be given to immigrants?
7. Can online dating replace meeting a person in real life?
8. Do TV shows and movies have the responsibility of being more diverse?
9. Do children deserve/need an allowance?
10. Is it okay for parents to monitor teens’ internet use?
NOTE: BRING YOUR BOOK TO CLASS ON MONDAY, MAY 2ND
Some example introduction styles (do not copy these word-for-word!):
General Statement(s)
Introduce the topic
Share your opinion in a clear thesis
Immigration remains a hot-button issue even today. One thing
people are always discussing is an immigrant’s responsibility to integrate into
their new culture. One of the main ways to do this is to learn the language of
the country they’ve moved to. Some people believe immigrants coming to the
United States don’t have any responsibility to learn English. However, I
believe that anyone aged fifty or younger who immigrates to the U.S. should go
to school to learn English.
Immigration remains a hot-button issue even today. One thing
people are always discussing is an immigrant’s responsibility to integrate into
their new culture. One of the main ways to do this is to learn the language of
the country they’ve moved to. Many people believe learning English should be a
requirement to moving to the United States, while others believe immigrants moving
here don’t have any responsibility to learn English. However, I believe that
anyone aged fifty or younger who immigrates to the U.S. should go to school to
learn English.
Contrast signals:
Example planning methods:
Fixing "The Right to Die" essay's
thesis statement:
I
believe that euthanasia should be legal because many patients do not want to be
kept alive on machines, the cost to their family is astronomical, and their
loved ones suffer constantly.
Common
structure of body paragraphs in an argumentative essay:
Topic sentence
Explain
Give an example (anecdote, statistic, etc)
Connect that example explicitly with the topic sentence/thesis
(look at the first body paragraph in the “Right to Die” essay)
Explain
Give an example (anecdote, statistic, etc)
Connect that example explicitly with the topic sentence/thesis
(look at the first body paragraph in the “Right to Die” essay)
Contrast signals:
Although many people
feel that doctors must to everything possible to keep their patients alive, I believe
that euthanasia should be legal for three reasons.
Although X, I think Y.
Police departments say that curfew laws to control teenage
gangs are necessary, but I feel that
such laws are unfair, unconstitutional, and counterproductive.
Some believe X, but I believe Y.
Many people believe that women should not serve in the
military, but women have proven many
times they are up to the task and deserve a spot in our armed services.
Society often ignores steroid use by well-known professional
athletes because of the athletes’ popularity. However, we should take this abuse of illegal substances seriously
not matter who the athlete may be because they are role models and it’s not a
fair competition with drugs involved.
Although
professional athletes undoubtedly feel that they deserve their million-dollar
salaries, I feel that we pay them far too much just to play a game.
Some people are in favor of drug testing for high school
athletes, but I believe it is an
unnecessary and embarrassing invasion of privacy.
Some people feel that the United States needs more laws to control
the sale and ownership of guns. However,
gun ownership is one of our basic rights in America and taking away that right
is dangerous.
REMEMBER: Everything
in your essay must support your
thesis. If you want to mention the other side, you must refute it before ending your paragraph.
Thesis: I believe uniforms are a necessity in a
well-functioning school today.
1: Uniforms unite students.
2: Uniforms save time and money.
3: Uniforms increase safety.
A lot of people think lotteries are harmless fun, I strongly
believe buying lottery tickets is a bad idea.
1.
Waste of money
a.
People spend hundreds every week or day
b.
People are losing their life savings and going
into debt to play
2.
Lotteries are addictive
a.
Many people gamble compulsively and cannot stop
b.
There is even a gambling addiction hotline
3.
Not a good way to get money
a.
There is no guarantee you will ever gain a
profit
b.
It encourages people to believe in the idea that
money and fortune will fall into their laps
… change their behavior because they are wasting their
money, in danger of becoming addicted, and will never find fortune this way.
