Chapter
In writing, a genre is a category of literary composition. One such genre is a position argument. In a position argument, your purpose is to present a perspective, or viewpoint, about a debatable issue and persuade readers that your perspective is correct or at least worthy of serious consideration. A debatable issue is one that is subject to uncertainty or to a difference of opinion; in college classes, a debatable issue is one that is complex and involves critical thinking. These issues are not rooted in absolutes; instead, they invite writers to explore all sides to discover the position they support. In examining and explaining their positions, writers provide reasoning and evidence about why their stance is correct.
Many people may interpret the word argument to mean a heated disagreement or quarrel. However, this is only one definition. In writing, argument—or what Aristotle called rhetoric—means “working with a set of reasons and evidence for the purpose of persuading readers that a particular position is not only valid but also worthy of their support.” This approach is the basis of academic position writing. It is also important to note, however, that the term rhetoric is flexible and has other meanings in the English field involving written, verbal, spatial, and even visual communication, among others.
Your instructor likely will require your position argument to include the following elements, which resemble those of Aristotle’s classical argument. However, as you continue the development of your writing identity throughout your composition endeavors, consider ways in which you want to support these conventions or challenge them for rhetorical purposes.
- Introduce the issue and your position on the issue
- Explain and describe the issue
- Address the opposition
- Provide evidence to support your position
- Offer your conclusion
Position arguments must provide reasoning and evidence to support the validity of the author’s viewpoint. By offering strong support, writers seek to persuade their audiences to understand, accept, agree with, or take action regarding their viewpoints. In a college class, an audience is usually an instructor and other classmates. Outside of an academic setting, however, an audience includes anyone who might read the argument—employers, employees, colleagues, neighbors, and people of different ages or backgrounds or with different interests.
Before you think about writing, keep in mind that presenting a position is already part of your everyday life. You present reasoning to frame evidence that supports your opinions, whether you are persuading a friend to go to a certain restaurant or persuading your supervisor to change your work schedule. Your reasoning and evidence emphasize the importance of the issue—to you. Position arguments are also valuable outside of academia. Opinion pieces and letters to the editor are essentially brief position texts that express writers’ viewpoints on current events topics