S.D.A. School English A: "Essay Hack": The Argumentative Essay

What is a life hack?

A life hack is a strategy or technique adopted in order to manage daily activities in a more efficient way.

So what is an “Essay Hack”?

Simply put, the objective is to provide options (strategies) in essay structures so that you can produce better essays.

Purpose of this Lesson

The 5-paragraph essay structure is your foundation for essay writing approaches. So now that you have learned this basic approach, we can explore other structures/approaches that you may become more comfortable using.

þ Approach # 1: You can adjust the introduction

Original:

ü AG – 1 or 2 sentences

ü Counterargument –1 or 2 sentences *

ü Divided Thesis – 1 sentence

For example:

[Attention-Getter] What happened on April 22, 1970, to bring people all over the world together? That date marked the first celebration of Earth Day. Every year since then, people in record - breaking numbers have used April 22 to show their common concern for our environment. [Counterargument] Some persons complain that "tree-huggers" have taken the celebration to distracting extremes; however, there have been positive initiatives to come from it. [Divided thesis] Therefore, our school needs to join the celebration by organizing a full schedule of Earth Day activities as this will teach students about environmental issues, unite the school community and bring awareness to the planet’s problems.

Hack # 1: You may have more than one paragraph to create the background for argument. Thus your structure would look like this:

ü AG – 1 paragraph of 3 or 4 sentences

ü Counterargument – new paragraph of 1 or 2 sentences and ending with*

ü Divided Thesis – 1 sentence

For example:

[Attention-Getter 1] According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 2,700 teen drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 died in 2010 and over 282,000 were injured. Despite their desire to want to get behind the wheel, teen drivers simply aren't ready to take on the responsibilities of driving yet.

[Attention-Getter 2] Driver's license requirements are set by each state, not the federal government. Therefore, the legal driving age varies from state to state. All states, with the exception of Maine, allow drivers to have unrestricted licenses at the age of 18. Maine's age is 21. [Divided thesis] Considering all these figures, the legal driving age should be changed to 20 because teen drivers are more likely to cause accidents and they are not mature enough to understand the repercussions of their actions.

Hack # 2: You may have more than 2 sentences for your thesis. Thus your structure would look like this:

ü AG – 1 or 2 sentences

ü Counterargument – 1sentence*

ü Divided part of Thesis – 1 sentence

ü Single- idea expressing position on issue – 1 sentence

Example 1:

[Attention-Getter] China’s one-child policy was intended to help control population growth. [Divisions of Thesis] Instead, it has led to unintended and negative consequences, such as a diminishing labor force, an aging population, the neglect of basic human rights, and an unbalanced gender population. . [Single-idea thesis] To improve China’s situation, the policy should be reversed.

Example 2:

Hack # 3: You may have a single –idea thesis statement. Thus your structure would look like this:

ü AG – 1 or 2 sentences

ü Counterargument – 1 or 2 sentences*

ü Single- idea expressing position on issue – 1 sentence

For example:

[Attention-Getter] The teen age years are a time when young people are constantly pushing boundaries and testing limits. This is a natural part of growing up. Teenagers have always enjoyed staying out late, but some cities have curfew laws preventing this. [Counterargument] Even though most teens are against these laws, their parents usually support them. [Single- idea expressing position on issue] Curfew laws are necessary and should be enforced in all cities.

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5x4Og1Gpes

þ Approach# 2: You can adjust the body

Original:

ü P – 1 Topic sentence

ü E – explanation –1 or 2 sentences

ü E – evidence – 1 or more sentences + commentary sentence

ü D – drawn conclusion – 1 sentence

For example:

[Point] FURTHERMORE, I believe that arrange marriages should not exist in America because it could cause depression. [Explanation of point] When you are with someone who you do not naturally love, you become unhappy. When you are unhappy, you become depressed. Depression prevents you from living a normal mental and physical healthy life. [Evidence] To illustrate, my next-door neighbours have an arranged marriage. The wife explained to my mother that she is very depressed because she did not marry someone she loved, and she was never depressed before this marriage. [Commentary on Evidence] As a result, she never leaves the house, and she always looks frail when we see her. [Drawn Conclusion] Perhaps if my neighbour did marry someone she loved, she would not be depressed.

Hack #1: If the topic sentence is very clear, skip the explanation sentence and jump straight to evidence. You may give more than one piece of evidence BUT must explain/give commentary on each piece of evidence. Thus your structure would look like this:

ü P – 1 Topic sentence

ü E – evidence – 1 or more sentences

ü E – explanation/commentary sentence(s)

ü D – drawn conclusion – 1 sentence

For example:

[Point]In the first place, you do not always win when you win. [Evidence] In the movie, Ender’s Game, when Ender “won” the final battle, he felt he had lost because he wiped out a whole race. [Explanation/Commentary on Evidence] This shows that winning can be different to different people; while the humans “won”, Ender believed he had sacrificed his own values – and thus he lost. [Drawn Conclusion]Hence, winning is not a single thing – it depends on people’s point of view.
- revised version from https://nauticalf7.wordpress.com/2011/11/

Hack # 2: You can swap a body paragraph for a rebuttal/ refutation paragraph. Thus your structure would look like this:

üBody Paragraph 1 – regular P.E.E.D. structure

üBody Paragraph 2 – regular P.E.E.D. structure

üBody Paragraph 3 – Rebuttal:

-Introduce the Opposing Argument

- Acknowledge parts of the opposition that are valid

- Counter the Argument

- Introduce the Conclusion

Example 1: