STRUCTURE OF AN ARGUMENT

(update: 3/3/98)
  1. Introduction
    1. Informing the Audience
      1. show that subject is important or interesting
      2. show subject has been neglected or misrepresented
      3. explain an unusual mode of development
      4. rouse interest in topic
    2. Ingratiating Oneself with the Audience
      1. establishing credibility with audience
      2. removing prejudices toward topic
      3. arouse hostility against one's opponent
      4. address needs of audience
        1. what we have to say
        2. before whom
        3. under what circumstances
        4. what the prepossessions of the audience are
        5. how much space/time has been allotted
  2. Statement of Fact - Thesis
    1. Generally found at the end of the introduction
    2. Lucid, brief and plausible
  3. Confirmation - Main Body of Proof
  4. Refutation
    1. By Appeal to Reason
      1. prove the contradictory
      2. best method
    2. By Emotional Appeal
      1. potentially dangerous if one miscalculates
      2. must know ones audience
    3. By Ethical Appeal
    4. By Wit
      1. can work very well
      2. can backfire
  5. Conclusion
    1. Inspire
    2. Amplify
    3. Rouse Emotion
    4. Restate Main Point
from Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student, by Edward Corbett, 3rd edition, 1990, New York:Oxford University Press, 1990. pp. 282-316.