Argumentation and Persuasion - Using Analogies - Post #2

Developing my Argument & Using Analogies - Post #2

Austin Freeman

Period 4 - Honors English

Independent Reading Project - Quarter 2

For my Quarter 2 IRP, I will be reading "A Rulebook for Arguments," and developing a short (no longer than three paragraphs), an argument on my personal passion for some ideas on Education habits and ideas on how to be successful. As I read my book, I will tie in the rules of Argumentation and the content of my book into my Argument, which will be developed over my 5+ blog posts.

As I continue to read my book, work on my argument, using analogies, and expanding on those analogies and my techniques, it helps me to organize my statements effectively and create a argument. by using arguments based on analogies, rather than many different examples, I am reasoning that since these two things have one major connection, they are similar. One example and explanation from the text that I want to reflect off, and find to be a powerful method to use in my argument comes from page 22. This page divides the small argument up into several different sections and uses an analogy. In a "Rulebook for Arguments," it says in the text:

"Beautiful and well-built houses must have "makers": designers and builders.

The world is like a beautiful and well-built house.

Therefore, the world must also have a "maker": a Designer and Builder!

Again, more examples are not necessarily needed here. In this example, the argument turns on the similarity of the world to one well-understood example, a house." (Weston, 22)

I then used this format in my argument (see the third paragraph).

My Argument (In-Progress):

In High School, your study habits and actions do matter and skills such as good time management, studying in new locations, and identifying how you learn all will enable you to be successful. You will use these skills all of the time in many different settings, such as college, your career, in social gatherings with other people, etc.

In High, School, you should develop skills such as planning and efficient time management. 

Colleges such as the University of Washington, want to see continued intellectual growth and that you care about your education. Identifying how you learn, establish good study skills where you can concentrate on your academics and not being distracted, and learning to manage your time so that you can get all of your homework and academics done, are good skills to have and will help you with your intellectual growth. Therefore, establish good study skills, identifying how you learn, and completing your homework are things that will help you get into college and prepare you for life. 

Question:

How can you use analogies and other background information when you are arguing or trying to persuade someone? How could using analogies and dividing your argument up into different paragraphs or statements help you make your point? For example, the example in the book and also in my argument has been divided up into different sentences that all tie into making an analogy and making a point (Therefore, the world must also have a "maker")

MLA Citation:

Weston, Anthony. A Rulebook for Arguments. 4th ed. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub., 2009. Print.

My next post will focus on the use of sources and revise my current argument to focus on getting my point across using correlation and repetitive terms.