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Choosing a topic can be extremely difficult—even more difficult than deciding which Ben & Jerry's flavor to try next. No, scratch that. Nothing w...
Without a thesis statement, you don't have a paper. Watch this video, and get the inside scoop on how to write a killer thesis statement.
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Both Sides of the Story 1797 Views
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Description:
When presenting an argument in an essay, you may want to play devil’s advocate. Don’t play it with the devil himself, though. That guy always wins.
Transcript
- 00:04
Both Sides of the Story, a la Shmoop Okay, so you’re an expert on your topic,
- 00:09
but hold on, bucko. We always need to hear both sides of the story.
- 00:13
Have you considered other points of view? The thing is, there are usually more than
- 00:18
two sides of the story… …and you’ll earn the respect and trust
- 00:22
of your readers by acknowledging it. Point out who might see the issue differently
Full Transcript
- 00:27
and why. Get the most bang for your buck by choosing
- 00:35
the strongest or most common arguments against your position.
- 00:44
Give your opposition a fair trial by explaining their point of view.
- 00:48
Use words such as “while,” “although,” and “however” to introduce competing points
- 00:53
of view. Don’t set up other opinions just to knock
- 01:04
‘em down without a fair trial. Be craftier than that.
- 01:08
Poke holes in the argument by showing how it’s uninformed, illogical, or outdated.
- 01:16
You’ll probably wish you could razz the opposition, but bite your tongue.
- 01:27
Keep your tone respectful and your attitude in check, cowboy. As the saying goes, kill
- 01:34
‘em with kindness and bury ‘em with a smile.
- 01:41
But hey, you still want to stand your ground in your essay…
- 01:46
… so here are a few tips for giving the other guy his fifteen minutes then bumping
- 01:50
him out of the spotlight. For every standard 5-paragraph essay—you
- 01:57
know - the intro, body, conclusion—confine the competing points of view to a single paragraph.
- 02:06
In longer papers, a good rule of thumb is one paragraph of counterargument for each
- 02:10
major section. There’s always someone who will come along
- 02:16
and argue with your point of view…
- 02:18
…so beat ‘em to the punch by choosing relevant counterarguments…
- 02:23
… presenting them accurately and respectfully…
- 02:26
… pointing out stuff the other guy failed to consider…
- 02:30
… and confining your courtesy rebuttal to about one-fifth of your essay.
- 02:35
Then ease back into your own argument. Now you can confidently say that you’ve
- 02:41
looked at both sides of the story.
- 02:43
It’s what those in the business world call, “Covering one’s butt.”
- 02:45
Blurb: When presenting an argument in an essay, you may want to play Devil’s Advocate. Don’t
- 02:47
play it with the Devil himself, though. That guy always wins.
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