Chapter 9: Taking a Stand

Personal Reaction: I noticed within this chapter that there are a few new things I learned, for example the meaning of the word Syllogism, which is basically a series of statements that lead to a logical conclusion. Something else new that I learned is the three general types of claims, which are claims of substantiation, claims of evaluation, and claims of policy. Another term I wasn't aware of is the Toulmin reasoning, which is an informal way of arguing that acknowledges the power of assumptions. Overall, nothing about this chapter surprised because I've written numerous argument papers before, and although I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on the guidelines so to speak, there is obviously much more for me to learn. The most difficult part of argument papers for me has always been the three types of appeals which are discussed on page 176, sometimes on my own it's hard to distinguish the difference between the three and exactly how to use them. On page 157 it talks about taking a stand within the multiple roles we play in life such as School, Work, and the Community. I guess I didn't realize how accurate that statement is if you really put some thought into it.

Professional Reaction: I found that there are multiple important points in this chapter, one of which is the three most relevant sources of evidence discussed on page 172, which are Facts, Expert Testimony, and Firsthand Observation. Like I said before the three different types of appeals can be a struggle for me, so I find that topic to be very important as well. As far as argument papers go, this chapter did a great job on covering the steps to an argument paper, which are talked about from pages 165-174, some of the steps are; Find an issue, your question and thesis, and reasoning to refine your position. Personally I've learned in the past that one of the best things you can do when writing an argument paper is taking all the opposing view points into consideration, which I still agree is extremely useful and is discussed on page 174.





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-Samantha Jo Gardner, English 122