eng arg

Read the previous final exam prompt provided for this assignment: “Keep Kids in the Same Grade

Actions
.” Then write a paragraph developing an example and counter-example that you find in the prompt. Then conclude with your own idea, following the instructions below.

Identify the author’s main point (in argumentation, this is the thesis/conclusion, or call to action).
Connect it to a larger, more general point about why the author’s argument is important.
Add one of the author’s reasons (in argumentation, this is called a premise) to support the author’s thesis, and provide a specific example to illustrate it.
Add a transition or concession and provide an opposing reason that contradicts the author’s point (either from the text or your own idea) and provide a specific example to illustrate it.
Add another transition and conclude with your own main point, which either supports the author’s point or the opposing point.

This is only example:

Example: if you were assigned to read Bob Herbert’s essay “Tweet Less, Kiss More,” first you would state Herbert’s main point, explain what effects the problem he describes can have on our lives, and then give a specific example of this problem from your own experience (or if you have none, use an example from the text as I have below). Then you would add a contrast transition and explain the opposing view. Give a specific example that contradicts Herbert’s point. Then use an appropriate transition to close with the main point you want to make, which can be similar to Herbert’s point or in opposition to it. This is a PIE pattern which includes opposing views, or PEIPIE. You will use this pattern in your own argumentation essays later in the semester.

(Point) In his essay “Tweet Less, Kiss More,” Bob Herbert complains that our technological devices “control us” (287). (Explanation) He writes, “One of the essential problems of our society is that we have a tendency, amid all the craziness that surrounds us, to lose sight of what is truly human in ourselves, and that includes our own individual needs—those very special, mostly nonmaterial things that would fulfill us, give meaning to our lives. . . . We need to leave the cellphone at home every once in awhile. Try kissing more and tweeting less. And stop talking so much” (288). (Illustration) He gives an example of attendees at a champagne luncheon engagement party where all the guests, instead of enjoying the day, “text-messaged their way through the entire event” (287). And we’ve all seen drivers who’ve caused or nearly caused accidents because they were looking at their cellphones instead of the road. (Transition and CounterPoint) On the other hand, cell phones have provided many ways for people to stay in touch as well as stay safe when they couldn’t before. (Illustration) For example, parents and children can instantly inform one another about their schedules, locations, and any last-minute emergencies or changes in plans. (Transition and Explanation) But overall, most cell phone communication is about relatively non-urgent matters, so I agree that while it’s nice to always have a cell phone handy, we shouldn’t keep it in our hands all day long.

Work Cited

Herbert, Bob. “Tweet Less, Kiss More.” Student’s Book of College English, edited by David Skwire and Harvey S. Wiener, 13th ed., Pearson, 2012, pp. 287-289.