Writing a succinct argumentative essay requires four sections: an introductory paragraph, a thesis statement, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. My successes in writing an excellent argumentative essay lie in the introduction and conclusion, while my weaknesses are identifying a thesis statement and the body. I find it easy to introduce a topic once I have learned its background information. I concisely provide an overview of the argument and tell the reader what the essay will entail. In conclusion, I go through the article, compare it to my thesis statement and provide my concluding remarks. I often prefer starting the decision by restating the thesis statement to remind the reader what the whole argument was about. Writing a conclusion is easier because I am concluding the essay from my perspective after gathering information from various sources. Writing a thesis statement is somewhat tricky, but I always manage it. It is difficult because when I face a topic, I can develop various thesis from them and narrow them down to the one that will benefit the argument most. Furthermore, phrasing a thesis statement is different from writing an average body sentence. The statement must be short, clear, concise, and informative, which can be challenging to achieve (Gladwell, 2021). Sometimes I feel like the statement is too long, but I will lose vital information if I shorten it further. My weaknesses in writing the body paragraphs arise from searching for reputable scholarly articles to review for the argument. There are countless blogs on the internet, and without thorough checking, the report reviewed may be at per with academic observations and conclusions. Therefore, finding and addressing viewpoints can be challenging. Furthermore, when the articles differ entirely from the main argument, it isn’t easy to stay objective and unbiased. The opposing view can easily be written in the paragraph’s topic sentence without prejudice. However, in the concluding sentence of the paragraph where I compare the opposing argument to the thesis, it can lead to biasness. I achieve a graceful and cohesive essay by dividing my opinions by theme or chronologically by date, depending on the topic.
I recently appreciated the importance of an outline. I used to find it redundant to write an outline if I already had the argument in mind. However, an outline allows me to control my train of thought and present everything in a cohesive order that will not confuse the reader. Using an outline has helped me improve my general essay writing skills. I will improve my skills in writing a solid introduction and thesis statement by spending time finding the correct argument and thesis. The old truism “when planning to cut down a tree, spend as much time sharpening the ax and cutting it down will be easier” is what I use when writing an argumentative essay. Without enough research to identify the correct thesis and argument to handle will mess with the writer’s thought process and make writing the whole document difficult. Therefore, my plan to improve writing an introduction and thesis statement is to do extensive research before writing an essay. I may have difficulties in selecting and addressing opposing viewpoints. Still, I realized that the more research papers and arguments I write, the more efficiently I can identify helpful articles to a scholar. I have identified websites to get scholarly peer-reviewed articles and government and organizations websites to find expert reviews. Even though I am not excellent yet, continuous research and essay writing will help me find and address opposing viewpoints. My plan to improve the construction of good graceful paragraphs of discussion and conclusion revolves around extensive reading. The more I read, either fiction or non-fiction works, the more I develop my reading and writing skills. I learn how to create informative and over-worded sentences. Conclusively, an argumentative essay should be straightforwardly structured with proper grammar and easy-to-understand words. It should successfully outline the writer’s reasoning, perspective, and evidence (Giulianetti, 2021).
References
Gladwell, M. (2021). How to Write a Good Argumentative Essay: Easy Step-By-Step Guide? Masterclass Articles. Web.
Giulianetti, L. (2021). Suggestions for Developing Argumentative Essays. UC Berkeley. Web.