Introduction to Stasis Theory
1 How Stasis Theory Helps You Write a Better Paper
By Stacie Draper Weatbrook
Stasis theory can do three things for you in organizing your writing:
- It can help you organize the flow of your paper by giving background information and context in a way the audience will better understand.
- It can re-define what the argument should be about.
- It can help you narrow your topic so you (and your audience) don’t get overwhelmed by all the information out there.
You’ve been given a writing assignment. You research. You read. You prepare to write. But how do you get the gazillion pieces of information organized in a way that makes sense to you and, ultimately, your audience? The answer involves understanding and being able to classify the types of arguments being made.
Let’s stop here and define “argument.” In rhetoric, an argument is “a claim with reasons,” not a fight or disagreement, as we tend to use the word in everyday language.
A lot of information goes into the topics and discussions you will research. A lot of claims are being made all at once. If you were researching bees, for example, you might find the following claims in multiple sources as you did research:
- Pesticides should be banned
- Everyone should plant flowers to attract bees
- Mold and viruses threaten bees
- The bee population is declining due to colony collapse disorder
- Almonds and apples are almost entirely pollinated by bees
- “Murder Hornets” attack honey bees
- Local honey helps seasonal allergies
- Honey bees are displacing native bees
- Bees are a keystone species
- Planting native wildflowers helps native bees
- Decreased bee populations hurt the economy
- People can’t survive without bees
- Monoculture is bad for the environment
- Pesticides and toxins threaten bees
- Bees are essential to one-third of the food consumed in the United States
Shopping the Clearance Rack: Identifying and Classifying Claims
Notice these claims are all over the place? Sorting through the information is just as difficult as shopping the clearance rack at Kohls or Macy’s: it’s not an activity for the faint of heart. You’re looking for a great bargain—and it’s there to be found—but the women’s shirts are mixed in with teen graphic tees, career jackets, and pajamas. The different sizes are supposed to be organized on racks by size but are usually more random than not.
When you write, it’s your job to organize and control the flow of information. Your audience will not have the patience to sort through a confusing collection of ideas. That’s your job as a writer. So, just like shopping a clearance rack and sorting through the sizes, colors, and types of clothes for that great deal, you will need to sort through the types of claims you find and settle on a clear claim (does the term “thesis statement” sound familiar?) and supporting reasons. Types of claims can be classified into five different levels or stases. Below, the five levels of argument are listed with exa