Anatomy of An Argument Paper
Introduction
Purpose:
• A one or two paragraph introduction to the general topic of the paper.
• Grabs reader and gets his/her attention
• Ends with a thesis
Options:
• May begin creatively
o Describes an Ohlone living in Mission Santa Cruz
o Describes a Italian fisherman sailing from Santa Cruz Harbor
Citations
• Any information that is not general knowledge must be cited using MLA format
Thesis:
Purpose: Makes a claim that you will argue for the rest of the paper
Example #1:
o Father Serra should not be canonized as a saint.
Example #2
o “The Chinese community in Monterey was different from most others in
California because it included women and children.”
Rule: Does not include the words “In this paper, I will …”
Body of Paper
Purpose:
• Presents the various pieces of evidence you have to support your thesis.
Organization:
• You can organize the research or evidence anyway you like. There is no major formula or way to
do this. Here’s where you show your creative thinking.
• Information should be presented logically, to build all the steps in your argument.
• Each piece of evidence or research deserves at least a paragraph, usually more.
• Sometimes you can use the thesis as a way to organize the body of the paper:
o Example 1:
1. General info on Serra’s life and why he’s considered a possible saint
2. Catholic process for becoming a saint
3. Description of mission system and its aims and goals
4. Life of Native Americans in missions
5. High mortality of Native Americans in missions
o Example 2:
1. Background on Chinese coming to California – why, when etc
2. Description of most Chinese communities
3. Description of Monterey Chinese community
4. Description of impact of having wives and children
5. Contributions that Monterey Chinese community and its family orientation made
to the area
Citation
• Everything you found from outside sources, whether directly quoted or paraphrased, should be
cited in MLA format
• All quotes over 3 lines long should be single spaced and indented as a block quote
• When you don’t have an author’s last name, cite the source as you list in your works cited list
Transitions
• Write a transitional sentence between block of evidence.
• When in doubt, go back to your thesis
o “Another reason why Serra should be granted sainthood is….”
o “In addition to helping having more bodies present to help Chinese families prosper, the
presence of women and children provided a psychological advantage…”
Counter Argument
Purpose: Presents a point of view that disagrees with your thesis.
o “The diocese of Monterey disagrees with Lydon’s conclusions. They say that Father Serra…”
o “Despite the stability created by the presence of families, the Chinese community was still undone by the
racism of the times. For example, according to Sandy Lydon, during the 1906 fire at the Point Alones fishing
village, some Anglo neighbors from Pacific Grove cheered on the flames, looted the burned buildings and in
the days afterwards, asked the community to move. …”
Evidence:
• Should be specific and not theoretical.
• Should include some sort of research
Countering the Counter Argument
• After presenting the counter argument, you must discuss why this point of view is wrong.
• This can include research, including referring to evidence already presented, but should mostly feature your
own logic and thinking..
Conclusion
Purpose: Explores implications and greater worth or significance of topic
o “Granting sainthood to a man responsible for the deaths of thousands undermines what the
Catholic church stands for…”
o “The example of the Chinese holds for all immigrant communities; those who include woman and
children will thrive and make a stronger and easier transition to life in America.”.
• In Marcy’s universe, the conclusion does not repeat what you have already said in the paper, but moves it to
a higher level
• If you used a creative beginning, after discussing the significance of your topic, you can go back to the
creative opening from another angle
o A description of the whale singing and attracting a mate
o A happy student in an active learning classroom
Anatomy of An Argument Paper