Chapter 18 - Taking a Position Summary

Chapter 18 - Taking a Position Summary

This chapter really focuses on teaching the reader how to take a stand on a topic and write a persuasive paper on that stand. There are guidelines that you need to follow in order to make this happen. The first step is to select and narrow a topic. You need to choose a topic that you care about and then decide which angle you would like to use to explain the topic. Before you start writing you need to make sure that you have a stance on your beliefs when it comes to the topic you chose. Then you want to build your position to be defendable. You need to make sure you understand all possible positions that are out there regarding your topic. You need to do some research, find pros and cons, statistics, analysis, experiences, observations, and/ or expert testimony on your subject. Make sure that you watch out for fallacies. You don’t want your writing to have any slanted language, generalizations, oversimplifications, or have either/ or thinking. Once you have researched your topic, you need to refine your position. In the chapter, they give you a formula to use, which is, “I believe this to be true about…” Then you can choose your organization method you wish to use for your essay. There are a few different types outlined in this chapter. These different methods are traditional pattern, blatant confessions, delayed gratification, changed mind or winning over. Once you decide how to organize your essay, you can write your first draft. You want to be sure to grab the reader’s attention, clarify and support your position, stress your position or ask the reader for action, and make sure to choose a bold title that offers a glimpse into your stance. Then you will want to get feedback, revise your writing, edit & proofread your essay and then publish it. When reading this chapter and looking over the guidelines outlined in this chapter for taking a position and writing a persuasive essay, I was thinking about my upcoming essay. I was thinking about what form of organization I would use. I think my plan right now is to use the traditional method of organization. This method has you introduce your issue, state your position, support it, address and refute the opposition and then restate your issue to close. I think this method will work best for me. Who knows, maybe once I start my research, my organization method of my upcoming essay will change. We will have to see.