Ethics and Nude Child Photography Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics and Nude Child Photography - Assignment Example However, the principal argument, in this case, is that modern art, such as nude child images, is supposed to evoke strong emotions, including discomfort so that it can realize its objective of showcasing the admirable innocence of childhood prior to mental and moral corruption. I, therefore, believe that Mann and Demaree did not act unethically by taking and exhibiting nude photographs of their children. Sally Mann published and exhibited a series of photographs aptly named â€Å"Immediate Family† in the early 1990s. The series sparked controversy and even brought about accusations that Mann was exploitative. This debate stemmed from the fact that the images featured Mann’s three kids, mostly naked, frolicking in streams and in the yard in their Virginia home (Woodward, 1992). More than a decade and a half later, an American family found itself in the middle of a similar debate. This was in the year 2008 when Lisa and Anthony Demaree traveled to San Diego with their three daughters. In the course of their vacation, they took innocuous nude photos of the daughters during bath time and as they lay beside each other holding hands. After going home, they took the photos to a Wal-Mart store for developing. Employees at the store reported the couple to the Police, citing child pornography and after failing to inform them about Wal-Mart’s policy on unsuitable content. The situation escalated as the coupled lost custody of their kids for a year and accrued significant legal fees (Ellin, 2013). The image series in both cases created and continue to fuel debate regarding the morality of the art, and its distinction from child pornography. In both the Demarees’ and Mann cases, the photographers intended to take innocent images of their children as they did ordinary activities.

Robert Frost Poetry Coursework Essay Example for Free

Robert Frost Poetry Coursework Essay Robert Lee Frost was an American Poet born in San Francisco, his life spanned from March 26th, 1874 to January 29th, 1963. He moved to New England with his family when he was eleven years old. He discovered his love of reading and writing poetry during his high school years when he was in Lawrence, Massachusetts. After Harvard he began writing his own poetry but it was only after his conference with the poet Edward Thomas in London that he truly discovered his voice. On his return to America he published two collections of poems, the most famous of which was North of Boston. The two poems I will be looking at are Home Burial and Mending Wall. The very first thing I noticed about the two of these poems is that they are both examples of the breakdown of communication between people. The first poem Home Burial is an example of an eclogue. The title Home Burial has both connotations of a warm, comfortable home and also a burial, which is both related with death and mourning. It is on the whole written in dialogue but has some narrative. The second poem Mending Wall and its title have meanings on human communication also. Mending meaning to fix and also it is present tense meaning its ongoing and Wall is an object that can be used either as a barrier between humans or something to keep them together. Many people say this poem is Frosts most enduring and most typical dramatic monologue I will look at Home Burial first and display Frosts ideas on human understanding and contact first. By starting the poem with He this already seems to make the man the main character even though her is at the top of the stairs making her the more dominant of the two. She in unconscious of him, but when she realises he might be there she looks over her shoulder at some fear however if they are married why does she fear him? He then asks her what is it you see from up there always? for I want to know. (at this point the dominant role is passed onto him) which shows that they have never actually talked about why she always looks out that window until that moment. At the same moment she no longer fears him and her faces turns from terrified to dull when she realises he is only being curious. However he then asks her again and mounts over her until she is cowering meaning she fears him. This shows that he feels the only way to get it out of her is to frighten her. But this contradicted right away when he says I will find out now you must tell me, dear. The use of the comma and word dear shows that he is now trying to appear as non-threatening to her. However even this doesnt work as she refused him any help. She seems very stuck to being misunderstood and even when he tries to help her, she will not help, in the hope that he will discover it himself but she knows he wont. She even lets him look out knowing that he wont see because he is a blind creature. However after a while of looking out he says oh [] its just that I can see. However by this point the word see has lost a lot of its meaning by being repeated so often. But even after saying this she challenges him on what he sees by saying you dont [] tell me what it is He then launches into how he would have noticed it, had it not blended in with the background. But whilst talking he upsets her by talking about their child in the grave almost in passing. Its not the stones, but the childs mound The man is shocked when she starts telling him to stop and asks why he cant mention his late son. She then, instead of staying and communicating to him, decided to leave for some fresh air. But he then tells her how she should stay and talk to him instead of bringing their problems to other people. He then tells her how he would like to ask her something to which she replies that he doesnt know how to ask. This to me shows that she knows what he is going to ask before he actually does, so I think although they dont talk they do have an understanding of each other even if its on a small level. She then says My words are always nearly an offense. This illustrates how even if he does try to communicate she does not listen or else does not take the correct meaning from what he says and just sees the negative side from everything he says. He then says a man must give up being a man with womenfolk. This brings in the subject if gender can be a barrier between human communication and understanding. But there is also a meaning in the subtext of how he doesnt think any of the blame should be put on him because she finds everything he says as offensive. He then goes on to plea for her to speak to him, to give him one more chance to redeem everything that is wrong with their communication problems, but she needs to stop being so over-reactive to everything. His statement evokes a sense of equality as he is saying that he will try to mend his wrong-doings if she agrees to do the same with hers. However once he says that her sense of loss over her child should be satisfied she sees the negativity in this and says that he is sneering. To which he replies Im not, Im not. This shocks me as this is just what they had been discussing about how they should give each other a chance and try and not be so quick to judge each other and straight away they are at it again. This, I think, is the point where the woman begins to truly open up as she then says to her husband about how he should have more to talk about and more to feel about their dead son, especially to the fact that he was the one to bury him. And then she gets even more annoyed by how when he came in from digging the grave he talks off average, mundane even, topics. She then talks of how if he cant grief over his son, he wont be able to grief for anyone, and if he continues like this he will be unaware of how alone he really is. She then remarks, If I can change it. Oh, I wont, I wont! meaning that she will keep to her grief. Then the husband says There, you have said it all and you feel better. You wont go now. Which sounds very patronizing like he wasnt even paying attention and that he only cares that she wont leave the house for people to see her in her state. And then to prove even more that he wasnt paying much attention to what she was saying he says Amy! Theres someone coming down the road! This is exactly what she had been talking about what she hated him doing and he does it. If he did it to annoy her or that he simply wasnt listening to her it isnt apparent, but it shows a great void in their communication and understanding of one another. The woman is so distraught to how he directly ignores everything she was saying that her sentences are all broken up. She then opes the door wider to leave as she is in a frenzy. The poem then ends with him using violence again to try and get her to stay, so even after they had this long and deep conversation they both returned to how they originally dodged conversation, fleeing and using violence. Now I will go onto talk about the poem Mending Wall and how it is used to convey human barriers between communication and understanding. The writer uses first person singular in this poem to create a persona, and so he can put his own views into the poem easily. It begins with Something there is that doesnt love a wall this is an inverted syntax which creates a tone in the poem and contains the word love which is a very strong word especially for an inanimate object like a wall. The next part says that sends the frozen-ground-swell under it; this made me think that he is possibly using frost on purpose as it is his name. It also contains an active verb to create an ongoing sense in the poem. The active verbs are carried on in the next two lines. makes and work these are the two other active verbs. He then says I have come after them and made repair this shows how he and his neighbour have went out year after year to fix this wall. I think the major part of this poem is if the wall is to be thought of as a barrier or as a magnet which almost brings him and his neighbour together. On one level it is separating their homes from one another, but it also brings them together once a year to repair it. Every year he goes to his neighbour and tells him of how the wall is in need of mending again and they both stay on their own side of the wall picking up the rocks which have fallen out and placing them back in. He talks of how they use spells to make the rocks balance, this shows how the persona of the speaker is very imaginative, but it is also shown in the poem how the persona spends a lot of the poem ruminating over different, small things. And then in the actual spell there is an exclamation mark to add to it. He finds it fun calling it an outdoor game almost like how a child would treat it. He is all pine and I am apple orchard. My apple trees will never get across And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him. He only says Good fences make good neighbours. This paragraph I think shows how he wishes to take down the wall, but instead of directly asking him decides to show him that there is no point in keeping the wall. The neighbour replies with a quote which he has obviously learnt from generations before him and hasnt actually put much thought into. I think this is a classic case of how bad communication can come up, this man has no views on the wall and is only using views of which he has heard from his father possibly and doesnt even consider what his neighbour is saying. Before I built a wall Id ask to know What I was walling in or walling out, And to whom I was like to give offence. This is where the poet realises he has no need for this wall and wishes it wasnt there. I also think he is actually offended buy the way his neighbour doesnt want to take it down by the way it says to whom I was like to give offence. There is repetition of the phrase something there is that doesnt love a wall. But this time instead of thinking of an animal I think you are made to think of how the neighbour doesnt listen to the poet and decides to keep the wall up. And however, much he would like to make the neighbour realise the wall is doing no good, he wants him to want the wall down without him saying anything. The poet then notes how his neighbour moves in darkness or in other words is unaware of how there is no need for the wall. So in this poem I think there is a very large barrier in the way of their communication between each other. The poet tries to reason with the neighbour to show there is no need for the wall, but the neighbour prefers to stick with his old quote, because it is one he has already though of a lot. Between these two poems I prefer Mending Wall to Home Burial because of its rhythm throughout it and also I like the very child-like views in it as it makes me feel like I can relate to it more. Home Burial also used terms and wording structure which I found very hard to understand. I think there is also a lot of differences in the culture in these poems and that may determine why the characters could not understand or communicate with each other. The fact that Mending Wall was set in a farmland could mean there is not many other people there and that could determine people and their communication skills. And Home Burial is set between a couple who seem to argue a lot so that doesnt show how every human has trouble understanding each other, just them two.

Adult Learning in Non-formal Institutions :: Education Learn Essays

Adult Learning in Non-formal Institutions Museums, zoos, nature centers, science centers, aquariums, and other similar institutions provide a tremendous opportunity for lifelong learning in a relatively nonthreatening setting for most adults (Schroeder 1970). Many of these attractions and museums include education as a part of their missions (see, for example, Allmon 1994; Chizar, Murphy, and Illiff 1990; Conway 1982) and the popularity of these places as providers of both recreation and education is well established (Chobot 1989). This Digest explores some of the central concepts of adult learning in these settings. A brief discussion of nonformal learning and the adult visitor lays the foundation for the examination of ideas in the literature on (1) what is educational in attractions, (2) opportunities and challenges to education in these settings, and (3) the application of adult learning theory to zoo, museum, center, and attraction education. Adult Visitors and Nonformal Learning Nonformal learning is often defined by activities outside the formal learning setting, characterized by voluntary as opposed to mandatory participation (Crane et al., 1994). Mocker and Spear (1982) offer a taxonomy of adult learning wherein nonformal learning is identified as learners holding the objectives for learning with the means controlled by the educator or organization. Maarschalk (1988) contrasts nonformal learning (i.e., outside formal settings--such as field trips and museum visits) with informal learning (i.e., that which grows out of spontaneous situations). In zoos, museums, nature centers, and attractions, adult learning can range from formal through nonformal to informal. Workshops, lectures, classes, and educational "shows" are some of the common formal adult learning programs; tours, informational signage, exhibits/interactive displays, and demonstrations are often considered nonformal learning constructed by the education staff; the individual visitor and the setting create informal learning situations (Diem 1994). For whom are these opportunities constructed? In a study of zoo visitors, Conway (1982) found that between 55-70% of all zoo visitors are adults. Hundreds of millions of people visit museums, zoos, nature centers, science centers, and other attractions (Falk and Dierking 1992). In North America, for example, over 100 million people visit zoos and aquariums each year (Eaton 1981; Howard 1989; Marshall 1994), and over 500 million visit museums (Naisbitt and Aburdene 1990). This translates to a tremendous population of learners. Adults more often than children suggest the visit (Cheek, Field, and Burdge 1976) and are also the societal decision makers whose actions directly affect the attraction, whether the decision is simply to visit or to support funding for expansion or renovation (Diem 1994).

How Community Service Changed My Future Essay -- Community Service Ess

"We are not put on this earth for ourselves, but are placed here for each other. If you are there always for others, then in time of need, someone will be there for you." - Jeff Warner I am the fourth child out of my seven siblings, the middle child. Growing up, I pestered my older sibling as my younger ones do to me now, but I never truly understood how blessed I was to grow up in such a big family. My older sisters were my role models and still are, I see what they go through as adults in this world and decide whether that’s the path I want to take or not. I am also a big sister to three younger siblings, and although I did not see that they look up to me until recently, I know that they do and I strive not to make many mistakes that they may follow. Looking up to someone and admiring them does not always mean that you want to be like them, but that you watch their actions and mentally note them, as if they are a manual on what to do and what not to do. Never in a million years did I think I would touch someone’s life outside of my family, but the last semester of my senior ...

Racial Culture: A Critique, by Richard T. Ford Essay

Over the last thirty years, critical race and gender theorists have questioned whether and if law can protect difference in a meaningful way, especially in the workplace. Richard T. Ford, a law professor at Stanford University, provides an interesting critique of the resulting â€Å"multicultural assumptions of difference† in his book RACIAL CULTURE. While he recognizes most refutations of these approaches come from conservatives with a political agenda of legal colorblindness, Ford explicitly asserts he shares the political and social goals of the progressive left. More specifically, he refutes colorblindness as a means of equality. Ford argues that racial identity politics have the liability of undermining their stated objective of eliminating racism in the workplace. The author is clear; his opposition to discrimination based on status does not mean that one is not ambivalent about the development of a new legal category of discrimination based on culture. His overarching concern is that â€Å"race,† which is socially and economically constructed, is given additional legitimacy by the assumption that every race manifests cultural similarities and that these cultural artifacts should be protected in the same manner as racism. [A]nti-discrimination law should be refined so as to recognize only those differences attributable to the production of formal status hierarchy, for the purpose of eliminating or reducing the ill-effects of such hierarchies. Difference discourse, by metastasizing status into a thick social identity, distracts from and confuses the vital task of correcting status hierarchy. Legal decision [*217] makers need to be aware of status differences and castelike social practices in order to correct the injustices that they do. But we should resist the temptation to write a speculative sociology of group difference into law or to enlist the state into a psychotherapeutic quest to validated â€Å"repressed† identities. Finally, Ford is concerned that in privileging racial culture we foster an environment of conflict and competition, without a thoughtful analysis of which cultures are most worthy of protecting. His assumption is that racial integration should be a dominant goal of society, with members of racial groups selecting for themselves which aspects of their culture are most worthy of preserving. Many readers may agree with aspects of his legal argument, without completely accepting his rejection of identity politics as â€Å"provincialism. † Ford offers instead a vision of â€Å"cosmopolitanism† in which â€Å"minority cultural practices will survive without legal protection, albeit often in an altered, fragmented and recombined form, and that such survival in an admittedly Hobbesian social competition is preferable to the distorted and blinkered version of group difference we should expect cultural rights to produce† . While Ford’s analysis is wide-ranging, well-written, and fascinating, there are several limitations to his argument. His own assumptions regarding employment discrimination law are disturbing. His reliance on current employment discrimination law as the best means for redressing racism ignores several factors that the â€Å"difference† discourse has revealed. One factor is the gap for women of color within the protections of Title VII. To demonstrate racial discrimination, women of color must show that others of their race were treated similarly, but if those similarly-situated are men, the discrimination may not be evident. To demonstrate gender discrimination, women of color must show that others of their gender were treated similarly, but if white women are those who are similarly-situated, such discrimination may not be apparent. Contemporary Title VII jurisprudence frequently does not allow for interactions between race and gender that are unique to women of color. The formal equality required by Title VII is limited in how well it can protect against explicit racism, let alone against the â€Å"proxies of race† illustrated by cultural practice. Another area that requires further development is Ford’s extension of cultural analysis to less comparable areas of employment discrimination law—in particular, sexual preference and gender. His premise that sexual preference should be protected as status, rather than as behavior or culture, ignores the lesser protection granted sexual preference under the law compared to racial discrimination. Ford does not address the unanswered question within the law of whether sexual preference is behavior or immutable characteristic. The current judicial acceptance of lower levels of scrutiny to protect sexual preference in the workplace means that a simple reliance on current employment discrimination law will not render the results he professes are necessary. Finally, his equivalence of gender discrimination to race is disappointing, especially in the area of pregnancy. While the right to difference literature [*218] builds on a century of analysis by feminist scholars, there are clear differences between the two. However, Ford perceives pregnancy as a form of gender culture, as braids or language can be for race. But this analogy does not work. Discrimination against pregnancy is not justified by employers solely on the basis of predicted workplace impacts of the actual pregnancy, but also because women have the potential to become pregnant. Since pregnancy is a biological reality, how can it be simply another cultural manifestation or behavior choice? A second difference is that, unlike forms of racial or ethnic culture, Congress revised Title VII to incorporate pregnancy into the definition of gender discrimination. 4 Part 2- How racial Identity affects an individual in society Individual youth who experience discrimination carry higher stress burden People’s beliefs that they are being treated badly because racial or gender bias increases their stress levels, and may lead to increased emotional and behavioral problems, according to a study of black and white youth. Understanding how race and gender affect youths’ well-being â€Å"is necessary not only for promoting optimal individual development, but also for meeting the nation’s social and economic needs,† says lead study author David L. DuBois, Ph. D., of the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago. DuBois conducted the research while at the University of Missouri, Columbia. Previous studies have focused on older study participants, but little is known about how younger age groups are affected by discrimination or prejudice, according to the study, which is published in the September/October issue of Child Development. DuBois and his colleagues administered a series of questionnaires to 350 students in grades 5-8. This group of students included comparable numbers of blacks and whites, females and males. One survey, which included questions like â€Å"Were you called names or insulted at school about your race/ethnicity† and â€Å"Were you treated unfairly at school because you are a girl/boy,† was designed to measure discriminatory experiences and how study participants were affected by them, while others measured major life stressors, racial and gender identity, self-esteem and behavior. The researchers found significant differences among the student groups. Black study participants, both males and females, reported more experiences with discrimination and prejudice. The study setting, a Midwestern school district in which blacks were a minority in both student body and staff, may have contributed to these higher perceived levels, according to the study. â€Å"In this context many black youth may not have felt adequately supported in their efforts to deal with situations involving perceived victimization or unfair treatment on the basis of race,† DuBois says. The black students who reported higher levels of discrimination were more likely to have emotional problems, the researchers found. Such problems may stem from internalized anger, according to findings from other studies. The researchers also found that the black participants in their early teens reported feeling a stronger sense of racial identity than same-age whites. The new study and previous studies have found that at this age, blacks tend to have higher self-esteem than whites. DuBois and his colleagues found that a strong racial identity is important in helping to enhance the self-esteem of black youth. 5 How Racial Identity Affects School Performance of an Individual We investigated the sources of differences in school performance between students of different races by focusing on identity issues. We find that having a higher percentage of same-race friends has a positive effect of white teenagers’ test score while having a negative effect on blacks’ test scores. However, the higher the education level of a black teenager’s parent, the lower this negative effect, while for whites, it is the reverse. It is thus the combination of the choice of friends (which is a measure of own identity) and the parent’s education that are responsible for the difference in education attainment between students of different races but also between students of the same race. One interesting aspects of this paper is to provide a theoretical model that grounds the instrumental variable approach used in the empirical analysis to deal with endogeneity issues. 6 Our Racial Identity affects who we see in society The authors asked biracial participants (one Black and one White parent) to think about their Black parent’s ethnicity. After, they could spot the presence or lack of a Black face in a crowd of White faces with the same speed and accuracy as a monoracial Black person. The same held true when asked to think of their White parent. Although all detected Black faces faster than white faces, biracial students were affected by thinking about one half of their racial identity and then behaved as if they were monoracial. Black, white, and biracial participants performed the visual search task by looking at Black and White faces on a computer screen. To prep the biracial individuals, the participants were asked to write about their mother or father’s ethnicity. Black-primed and White-primed biracial individuals differed significantly in the searches, displaying the effects of the manipulation. â€Å"These findings demonstrate that visual perception is malleable to top-down influences, such as orientation provided by one’s racial group membership,† the authors conclude. References: 1. AAPA Statement on Biological Aspects of Race America Association of Physical Anthropologists (AAPA) 2. http://genomebiology. com/2002/3/7/comment/2007 3. Alicia Fedelina Chavez, Florence Guido-DiBrito Racial and Ethnic Identity and Development NEW DIRECTIONS FOR ADULT AND CONTINUING EDUCATION, no.84, Winter 1999  © Jossey-Bass Publishers 39 4. Richard T. Ford. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2004. Vol. 15 No. 3 (March 2005), pp. 215-218 5. Pamela Ippoliti, www. hbns. org 6. Eleonora Patacchini (eleonora. patacchini@uniroma1. it) (University of Rome â€Å"La Sapienza†)Yves Zenou (yvesz@iui. se) (IUI, GAINS, CEPR and IZA Bonn) 7. Joan Y. Chiao, Hannah E. Heck, and Ken Nakayama are at Harvard University. Nalini Ambady is at Tufts University. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. , May 10, 2006.

The Need for Federal Government in Education essays

The Need for Federal Government in Education essays The Need for Federal Government Involvement in Education Reform For centuries, generations of families have congregated in the same community or in the same general region of the country. Children grew up expecting to earn a living much like their fathers and mothers or other adults in their community. Any advanced skills they required beyond the three R's (Readin', Ritin' and Rithmatik) were determined by the local community and incorporated into the curriculum of the local schools. These advanced skills were taught to the up- and-coming generation so they could become a vital part of their community. The last several decades has greatly expanded the bounds of the "community" to almost anywhere in the country or anywhere in the world for that matter. Advances in transportation and communication has made the world a much smaller place then the world we knew as children. The skills our children need to realize parents' perpetual dream of "their children having a better life" are no longer limited to those seen in the local area. It is becoming more and more apparent that the education system of yesterday cannot adequately prepare students for life and work in the 21st Century. These concerns have prompted people across the country to take a hard look at our education system and to organize their efforts to chance the education system as we know it. There are two major movements in recent years whose focus is to enhance the education of future generations. The "Standards" movement focuses on educational content and raising the standards of traditional teaching and measurement means and methods. The "Outcome Based Education" (OBE) movement is exploring new ways of designing education and changing the way we measure the effectiveness of education by focusing on results or outcomes. In September 1989, President Bush and the nation's governors called an Education Summit in Charlottesvi...

How to Write a Great Argumentative Essay

How to Write a Great Argumentative Essay Politics, social movements, laws, and religion- these topics, among others, are often approached through argumentative discourse, among individuals with diverse experiences and perspectives. While potentially tense, arguments are a great way to learn about the world around you, as well as the perspective of others in it.Debate is a necessary skill for anyone in law or education careers, and it is a useful one in just about every profession imaginable. Being able to learn from (and negotiate with) others through clear, well-researched, concise discussion is important for leaders, especially since this type of skill is often needed on a day-to-day basis in leadership positions.So what is an argumentative essay?You should think of an argumentative essay as essentially the written form of a well-thought-out debate. Just as would be the case in spoken arguments, its important to start with solid evidence without the need to fabricate anything to support your claims. When your statistics a nd data are fabricated, anyone who looks up those facts for themselves will immediately dismiss your opinion. On the other hand, when youve done your research and have credible data as evidence, your argument (or argumentative essay) has a much greater chance of winning.What topic should I choose?If youre writing an argumentative essay on a topic youre passionate about, consider yourself lucky. Those are the easiest type of argumentative essay assignments to write, because we tend to have a lot of background knowledge on the topic through past reading, experiences, or conversations. So the answer in this case would be to pick a topic thats important to you, whether thats conservation of the planet, politics, race problems, etc.If you have been given a topic to write about- or worse, discover the topic for the first time for an undergraduate or graduate entrance exam- knowing the right outline to use to create a great argumentative essay is going to be a life saver. Even if youre not passionate about (and therefore, have little background knowledge of) the given topic, youll at least have a road map for navigating through the process.What needs to happen before I start writing?The key to writing an exceptional argumentative essay is research. A lot of it. And this isnt limited to researching studies done by those who side with you on the issue- you also have to research a few of the most prevalent arguments opposing yours. You need to know the significant evidence they use, and consider their point of view. It is essentially planning ahead, like in a game of Chess, to determine where the other side is likely to move and the strategy they are likely to take.Planning ahead and playing smart is what makes a great argumentative essay.Now research, then research some moreThomas Paine, an English-American philosopher and political theorist, wrote some of the most influential political pieces of the American Revolution. In his series of pamphlets entitled The American Crisis, he wrote: To argue with a man who has renounced the use and authority of reason, and whose philosophy consists in holding humanity in contempt, is like administering medicine to the dead†¦The point here is that you should focus on two things as you research:Evidence that supports or disproves your side of the issueEvidence that supports or disproves the other sideThis is approaching an argument from a logical, grounded perspective, which is crucial for writing a great argumentative essay. The research you do before writing even begins will make or break your argument.Your goal is to win the debate - ethicallyOne of the best ways to win an argument is to know the most significant facts and recent data published on the issue, and how to direct your reader to it. Logic- presented correctly- will win almost every time, unless your audience isnt logical themselves. Despite this, when writing an argumentative essay, you need to approach the process with logic as your guidin g principle. You should also be extremely careful to avoid including any fabricated data, since this is both unethical and a sure way to lose credibility when your audience discovers you did it.Research all of the facts to win the debate.Dig for dataHow do you build logic into your essay? Simple. Know what the experts have said- on both (or all) sides of the debate. Find data that has been published in reputable journals by experts in their chosen field. Look at statistics gathered from trustworthy sources, or, if they are unavailable, conduct your own survey to gather them. If you take the latter approach, keep in mind that fabricated data is a big risk and could result in failed classes or being denied entrance into a university. Your teachers are likely able to spot the difference- especially when its statistics related to the field they know so well.Research is done – now what?After conducting thorough research, youre ready to start outlining. If you were able to conduct research beforehand, it should allow you to quickly complete the outline and start writing. Even if you are taking an entrance exam and are under significant time constraints, an outline will speed up the process of writing and keep your logic on the right track. You shouldnt spend more than five minutes or so in doing this if there is time pressure, but it will more than make up for your lack of research and background knowledge on the issue.You should create an outline before writing an argumentative essay.IntroductionStep 1 - Find a hookAs with any genre of writing, the hook you choose to open the first paragraph needs to grab the readers attention. It needs to convince them to continue reading because youve opened the discussion with a startling statistic or brutally honest question. Most readers cant resist either one.Examples:11 adolescents die every day from the number-one killer of American teenagers: texting while driving.When was the last time you used your phone while dr iving?Step 2 - Summarize background of the topicIf youve researched your topic thoroughly, it should be all downhill from here. Following your hook, you need a summary of the topic as a whole. Why is it important? Why is it worthy of further scrutiny and debate? Who are some of the well-known people, in the present or in history, who have focused on it? This is how you provide a background and give readers a concise summary of the topic.Step 3 - Include your ThesisAt the end of this summary is where your thesis will most naturally fit, as you state (in one sentence, preferably) the position you choose to take on the subject. This thesis sentence will be one of the most important sentences of the essay if logic is your aim (which it should be!). Your readers need a solid, easily understood thesis to form a foundation for any kind of logical discourse.BodyHere is where the real fun starts, especially if you enjoy debating and expressing your opinion often. The body of a five-paragra ph essay generally consists of three paragraphs exploring three points you want to make that back up your thesis. The same holds true for a five-paragraph argumentative essay. In the first paragraph of the body (the second paragraph in a five-paragraph essay), you should begin by stating the first point youd like to make to back your thesis. Following that statement, you need to include solid, credible evidence that supports your claim.Now, remember at the beginning, when I said that your level of research can make or break your argument? Heres why. If you are stating claims about an important topic, you need to have a reason for those claims. No one should just take your opinion as truth- your readers need to know that you have solid evidence to back up your opinion.This evidence most often comes in the form of statistics and data gathered from credible sources. Such sources could include data published on .gov websites, information printed in peer-reviewed professional journals, a nd reports released by nonprofit organizations that specialize in providing services and resources related to the topic.Keep in mind that for this section of the argumentative essay, its best to present one claim per paragraph. In a five-paragraph essay, you could most easily express two claims, followed by evidence supporting them. These would make up paragraphs two and three in a five-paragraph essay. In a longer essay, several claims could be made, as well as more than one paragraph dedicated to each of them.The final step for writing the body of an argumentative essay is acknowledging opposing arguments. Remember: your goal here is to briefly introduce these opposing opinions to provide context. In addition to acknowledging opposing arguments, you will need to explain briefly the evidence that is typically used to support that side.This is another place where thorough research is important- a necessity, even. If you have researched your topic in depth, you will know both sides o f it, and can therefore summarize both sides of it. This section is meant to provide your reader with a birds-eye view of the topic, in addition to your individual perspective on it.While the primary goal of an argumentative essay is certainly to argue your point (thesis), without presenting the opposing view youre not providing a logical argument for your reader. Youre also approaching unethical territory in your writing. Your audience deserves to know that there are others out there who feel differently than you do, why they feel that way, and (potentially) significant research or data that supports their side.ConclusionNow that youve reached the end, dont make the mistake of thinking that an essays conclusion is simply restating the introduction. Sure, you might have been taught this in middle school, but its also middle-school level writing.The conclusion is the end result of all of the work you have done in the process of researching and writing the essay. Its also the paragrap h that will make the most significant impression on your reader, partially due to the fact that it will be the last words of the essay (and, therefore, will resonate in the mind of the reader for minutes, hours, even days afterwards). So here is where you have the best chance of winning over others to your side of the argument, or making a great grade on the argumentative essay assignment. A simple re-wording of the introduction- in this light- comes across as lazy and a missed opportunity to hit a home run.Rather than restating your introduction using different words, use your conclusion to synthesize your thesis and the evidence you have provided that supports it. Revisit only the strongest evidence that supports your claims, and refute the opposing side respectfully, without fabricated data or statistics. Restate your thesis but restate it in a way that will stick in the mind of the reader- a more powerful expression of the original- and make them think†¦ wow, I never though t of it that way!