Argummentative Essay

Or are the stereotypes in the story integral to our fascination—do we feel comforted by a world in which conventional roles are firmly in place?
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Exercise 14.6, p. 414
For this exercise students fill in the blanks to create their own arguments. A sample response appears here with the given text in boldface.
Template for Writing an Evaluation Argument
The first Harry Potter book, published in 1997, was a publishing sensation that turned into a worldwide phenomenon.Many people saw the Harry
Potter books as valuable for a variety of reasons. For example, many applauded the texts’ imaginative plots that captivated readers of all ages. Also, supporters of the continuing series noted the growth of complexity in vocabulary, character, and theme to match the progress of texts’ target simultaneously growing audience.
However, some people have criticized the series. They claim, for example, that the story is poorly written and a poor derivative of older, better books. Others believe that the text is sexist or anti-Christian by virtue of its central theme.
Depending on the criteria used for evaluation, the Harry Potter books can be seen in positive or negative terms. If we judge on the basis of reader reception and experience of the texts, it seems clear that they are successful children’s books destined to become classics.
Exercise 14.7, p. 414
This exercise asks students to discuss in small groups their reactions to the Harry
Potter books and to evaluate the texts based on their collective experiences; groups should write a paragraph summarizing their conclusions.
Teaching tip: If earlier in the chapter you did not ask students to freewrite about their first experiences with Harry Potter, you may want to have students write for a few minutes before joining a group. As with any class discussion of a popular subject, conversations can rapidly digress, so writing may help to focus conversations more clearly on substantive evaluation—rather than on unabashed praise or criticism.
Exercise 14.8, p. 414
For this exercise, students should write an evaluation argument that takes the At
Issue question as its topic, arguing that the Harry Potter books either do or do not deserve their popularity; students should cite the readings within this chapter to support their position.
Exercise 14.9, p. 415
This exercise, like those concluding previous chapters, asks students to think foundationally about the arguments they formed for the previous exercise by reviewing the four pillars of argument discussed in Chapter 1. Students should look for these pillars in their own argument, add anything that is missing, and then label the essay by identifying these parts.
Chapter 14 Evaluation Arguments 145
Writing Assignments: Evaluation Arguments, p. 415
The chapter ends by offering three writing assignments. The first asks students to write an evaluation argument about a course they feel strongly about, the second asks students to challenge a popular position on the quality of a product or service with which they are familiar, and the third asks students to write a comparative evaluation that argues one thing is superior to another.
Teaching tip: While each prompt offers several topic suggestions, a class brainstorming session to generate additional topics is always productive.