Katy's Reading Response

Every day we participate in arguments. They may not always be world altering arguments but nonetheless we are participating in a debate with someone about something. There are many types of arguments as Bruce Ballenger points out in the Curious Writer and all types need effective evidence to be convincing. Some arguments are used to persuade others to join their sides and some are used in exploration of a subject in order to gain a strong opinion about something. All of these arguments need to be well supported to be able to hold any weight and have any chance of swaying people. How many times have we watched or been the person who failed to persuade someone to our way of thinking? Ballenger points out that if we are unable to support our ideas effectively, that no one will tend to believe them. I think that is what Ballenger is trying to teach us. No matter how much we believe our point of view is correct, unless we can back it up with convincing facts, no one will be persuaded to listen to us leaving our argument ineffective. We also need to pay homage to the other side.

A debater is seen as more credible if they can prove they know both sides to an argument. They have shown that they have taken the time to not only research how they feel about an issue but how the opposition feels about an issue. This is one of the reasons that politicians not only research their side of the argument but their opponents as well. It allows them to influence the opposing side’s supporters because they know how they feel about an issue and can influence it to change to what they want them to feel about it.

All of these tips are very helpful when it comes to writing our own argument papers. We need to be well educated in our topic, both pros and cons, so that we can not only use our evidence purposefully but so we can express our opinions in a knowledgeable way. If we are able to prove that we not only know our side of an argument but the oppositions as well, we will have more credit to our opinions and hopefully, we shall be able to convince people to join our side. I also learned that everything I use needs to not only be well sourced, but very credible. Who is going to believe what I think if I only use Wikipedia or my dad as a source? Instead, credible sources that many people have edited or commented on are better. All of this will allow me to better craft my argument on how the media has influenced us to believe an unrealistic idea of how our bodies should look.