Planning: Argument

Now that we have brainstormed some arguable topics for our argument essay, it is time to plan out the argument. I started with a blank page and began the planning in the middle with the larger conversation that I am entering. What does this mean? In any argument, there is a larger conversation that we are entering, and we have to start with a generalizable argument of sorts to appeal to readers.  For this, I use a sentence stem..."Some may argue..." or "On one hand, some argue..." This is what I call the "they say" of the paper where we have to talk about what others say on this topic before we, or the writer, enters the conversation.

For my argument about my father, I wanted to plan my argument before writing it. For planning, I went to my paper where I started in the middle and just wrote the following: "on one hand, some say 'honor thy father and mother," followed by a few bullet points about why. Then I move down the page and write "on the other hand, some say there are some very good reasons to break up with your parents" and add a few bullet points.  I move down the page a bit more and write the "I say" as an answer to that question. I start with "while those to perspectives are understandable, I say..." and add my position on this topic, which is to "honor thy father" but in a new way, which is to think of the father as a person with flaws.  Then, I went down a little further and wrote "counterargument and refutation" and wrote what I can hear my siblings saying to this, which is similar to one of the arguments above, and write my refutation or answer to their question or counterargument. And, then I leave the closing open...but basically write that my closing will be about seeing parents as people with flaws.

Here is my plan: