Chapter 15

Proposal arguments is the basis for the read of chapter 15, a proposal argument is also know as a to do action. Practical proposals looks to solve and an immediate problem, policy proposals focuses on social, economic and political problems affecting the common good.  These types of arguments are structured,  have a description of the  problem and a proposed solution and justification of proposed solution.    When writing a proposal you have to show specifics, lay out your thesis which is a proposal for solving the problem. You will also need to show how your proposal will solve the problem either partially or wholly (Ramage, 315).  Another type of proposal arguments  are advocacy posters and advertisements.   These consist of condensed writing , abbreviated , tightly planned and formatted ( Ramage, 316).   When you are writing a proposal you should map local ideas or problems, then you should determine your audience so that you will have a better idea of what approach to take (Ramage, 324).  Visual arguments are always a good way to get a point across, they are very influential and speak loud with little wording and pictures.

The sure thing

I received a packet in the mail that contained ten envelopes and ten sheets of paper to go in it, I am unable to recall the exact name of this packet but it involved making money it used the catchy words fast, easy and rich. Of course these words got my attention.  This letter insisted that stuffing these envelopes with the assigned paper work will be a breeze and that you can make lots of money.  The first ten envelopes was a trial period and then you have to call a 800 number and give them your credit card number and you will receive more envelopes , the catch was to get the envelopes back in a timely manner.

 At the time I was hard up for cash so this sounded good to me, this proposal targeted people who needed an easy way to make money.  This letter and starter packet basically recruited you into stuffing the first ten letter s and receiving a $50 check, the next step would require you to pay $25 to continue the services. I believe I responded the way the author of the letter wanted me to. The $50 was a ploy to hook and bait me and continue to debit my account every month. At first I thought this was  a good idea but it was not for my benefit come to find out there were filing fees and postage fees. This proposal was very effective and for the desperate, the audience was the average person who wanted to make extra money. This is a lesson learned, in many ways the letter was very convincing. I found this to be a very convincing argument.

Triangle

The rhetorical triangle is a good way to form a solid structure for an argument or public speaking in general. There are three parts to the rhetorical triangle logos, ethos and pathos.  I like to compare the rhetorical triangle to a preacher at a church; there is a speaker (preacher), audience (parish), and message (gospel). I guess some people might look at this as an argument its also a form of public speaking, It also could be viewed as way of life a belief, this would start with a message it would contain logical appeal  , reason , consistency  and something to draw the audience in. I guess there wouldn’t be too much convincing in a church because if people didn’t want to hear or receive a message but say you where new to the parish and the speaker wanted you to continue to attend every Sunday or was trying to get you to come to bible study, his argument or discussion would have to draw you in. The speaker would then have to be aware of the audience he is speaking to younger crowd, older crowd, troubled youth etc. The speaker would have to draw the listener in with something that is appealing to the audience it might contain values or interest that people face today (teen pregnancy, drug use, unemployment). I think relating to the audience will make them more receptive to the speakers argument. The rhetorical triangle gives you structure in what you want to put out to an audience, being aware of the crowd you want to get the message to and what you want to say and how to say it. What you can do as a speaker to make people believe you. This is an excellent guide to go by and good structure and order to say something effective to people and make a good point.

What is an argument?

In a classical argument it begins with an introduction that grabs the audience’s attention, when writing an introduction to an argument you must focus on the issue at hand by stating a question or a view.  The structure of an argument presents the writers belief of why he or she supports the issue. These usually are facts to support the writer’s belief and persuade the readers into believing and thinking in the writer’s point of view, after the writer states the views that support the subjects at hand a closing argument it necessary to sum of the arguments context.

Classical rhetoricians identified three persuasive appeals called logos, ethos and pathos. It is important to use all point in an argument. When writing an argument their needs to be an open question that ask why. The topic needs to be controversial so you can draw the reader in. A good argument is strong and shows the position of the writer if he or she believes in the controversial issue. The supporting views help the readers believe where the writer point of view stands in regards to the opposing views.

The writer finishes with a strong summarization of what was talked about and ensures that all of the points in the Rhetorical triangle are used so that a point can be made, what type of message is being put out, who is the audience that will read it and how can the writers or speaker effectively to get people to listen and believe what he or she is saying. I think that good facts can always be helpful in getting a reader to believe that you have done effective research about the topic you chose to talk about.  Readers will for their own objective opinion this is normal to have a negative outlook on something that is not supported (Should abortion be legal?) you have to persuade the reader to believe why you think something should be with confidence and trustworthiness.

Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson. Writing Arguments: A Rhetoric with Readings, 8th Edition. New York: Longman, 2010.