Drafting: Argument

Now that we have brainstormed, planned, and have the lead, we are ready to draft. I start with a thinking about the audience and purpose -- the rhetorical triangle. On the board, I have posters with some sentence stems for the "They Say" and the "I Say" parts of the paper. I also have a sample paper on the board showing students to draft skipping lines so that we can add and revise on the page.

As I write, I am already changing my lead because I want to add some information and also cut out some beause it seems too long.  I know the they say, and the I say. I am anxious to get this paper written, and it comes easily to me. I resist the urge to use "I" or tell my own examples in the "they say," and then reveal it in the "I say" comes in. I also get more personal with the counter argument and refutation. The conclusion is easy because I know my purpose, which is to encourage my readers to think about their parents as human beings with flaws. I don't have answers; it is not about persuading people to think like me or to convince anyone like a persuasive essay is. It is just presenting an argument, working through some logic, and offering a new perspective or making my contribution to the larger conversation known.