Guidelines for the construction of the Argumentative Essay
1. Choosing a topic
An argumentative essay topic should examine a topic, issue, or situation. It is
recommended that you select a topic that somehow disquiets or calls to your sensibility a
circumstance that can be bettered. I suggest remembering John F. Kennedy’s quote,
“some men see things as they are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were and ask
why not.” Putting this idea into practice may lead you to look beyond what is apparent
and offer proposals of not yet thought of mechanisms and recommendations as your
argumentative positions.
2. Organizing your ideas
As you prepare to tackle your topic and begin to plan your bibliographic search, answer
these three questions:
a. Who am I addressing?
Try to be specific in your answer. Instead of saying “people,” it may be better to think:
“those people (or women, students, parents, athletes…) who….” At that point further
specify, for example, “those students who are contemplating studying graduate programs
abroad should….”
b. What am I proposing to make this problematic situation less of a
problem?
This is the part that will make your analysis argumentative. For any proposed course of
action, there is likely a counterargument suggesting a different solution, or, in some
cases, not wanting a change to the status quo at all. You have three options on how to
frame your proposal: “should,” asking for what is to be done; “should not,” asking for
something that is being done to stop; and “should realize,” asking that a perceived
assumption be reconsidered and changed.
c. What three (3) benefits will result if my proposed course of action is
done?
The best way to prove the validity of your argument is to show the benefits that it would
yield. It is recommended that you mention these three benefits in general form initially,
as part of your Thesis Statement on the first paragraph. This will then serve as the
conceptual map of what is to come in the developmental paragraphs of your essay.
