Argument and Manifestoes

Arguments in Manifestoes
Every now and then, we come to a point wherein

we need to take a stand or determine a position in
a particular issue. Pronouncing our side on a
matter is not that easy, considering that we need
to scrutinize every aspect of that concern for us to
be able come up with a decision.
A position paper is a document which contains
statements about a one-sided arguable opinion on
a certain subject or issue. It is sometimes called a
point of view paper since it presents your claims
provided with rationale and valid evidences. It is
a debate in written form with the goal of
convincing your audience to your belief or
judgment. Hence, the principle of writing in an
argumentative way should be followed.
An argument is a set of ideas put
together to prove a point. It is
different from the “real world’
meaning where an argument denotes
“fight” or “conflict”.
• Manifesto is defined as a written statement
declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or
views of its issuer. (Merriam-Webster
Dictionary)
• Analyzing an argument means breaking it down

into its components in order to determine
whether or not it is strong or weak, effective or
not.
A writer’s argument
• is a group of statements or reasons used to

persuade the readers that what he/she
believes is true. It may cause the audience to
act differently or change mind completely.
• As for the audience, it is essential that you
could develop the skill to evaluate whether
an argument used by the author is good or
bad; whether it supports the assertion
sensibly or it is presented in a confusing and
illogical way.
An argument consists of these parts:
1. Claim/Conclusion What do you want reader It summarizes the main
to believe? idea. It is not just your
opinion. It is what you
think is true about a topic.
2. Reasons/Premises Why should the reader It is the importance of your

accept your claim? claim. It includes the
evidences that comes in
various forms, including
specific examples quotes
and ideas from other
scholars, statistics, data,
testimonies, narratives and
facts.
There are three major ways that authors
present an argument:
• Reasoning – giving logical explanation of the
argument.
• Evidence – presenting statistics, facts, and
studies
• Appeal – stimulate the reader's emotions
Types of Arguments
• ✓ Deductive Arguments- proceeds from general ideas/facts to
specific inferences
• Example: Premise
• 1: All men are mortal (major premise/very general statement)
Premise
• 2: Railey is a man. (minor premise/more specific)
• Conclusion: Railey is a mortal. (very specific statement)
• ✓ Inductive Arguments-derives from specific
observations lead to a general conclusion
• Example: Premise: The past Marvel movies have been

incredibly successful at the box office.
• Conclusion: Therefore, the next Marvel movie will
probably be successful.
Identifying the Arguments
• When reading, you need to identify the
arguments to understand the main points. In
paragraphs, a topic sentence identifies the main
claim or main idea. To find it, follow these steps:
• 1. Read the paragraph
• 2. Ask, “What is the paragraph about?
• 3. Summarize the content in your own words
• 4. Find the sentence within the paragraph that
best matches the summary. This is the stated
claim of the paragraph.
Let us look at this example:
The story of Disney's "The Lion King" draws direct inspiration from
Shakespeare's "Hamlet". Simba represents Hamlet, the successor of
the King/Mufasa, who swears revenge on his evil uncle
Scar/Claudius. Likewise, Simba's best friend Nala represents both
Ophelia, a love interest, and Horatio, a best friend.
Take a minute and follow the four-step process to determine the

stated claim.
• After reading the paragraph, it seems clear that
the author is comparing "The Lion King" to
"Hamlet". More specifically, it is saying that the
similarities between the two are too great to be
only coincidences.
• As a result, it would appear as though the best
'sentence' match to this summary would be the
first sentence. This is likely the stated claim.
Analyzing the arguments
• In order to begin analyzing an argument, you must first
look at the evidence presented to you, then ask
questions based on that evidence. Ask questions like,
•• "Based on the evidence, is there a
different explanation or claim possible?"
• "Is the evidence convincing and sound?"
• "How does the argument/evidence
compare with others you've read?"
• You will likely find two authors who make
different claims on the same topic. How do they
each support their claims with reasons and
evidence?
Let's look at an example.
• These two passages each reflect an opinion about a universal health
care system. Although each paragraph discusses the same topic, they
both claim very different things.
• The upper paragraph argues that universal health care gives doctors
the opportunity to focus on care over insurance concerns while the
bottom argues that doctor flexibility is decreased in such a system due
to intrusive government policy.
• The upper paragraph argues that universal health care gives everyone
the opportunity for regular checkups, no matter the cost while the
bottom argues that such a system forces the healthy to subsidize
benefits for those needing care due to smoking or obesity.
• Ultimately, each author supports his claim with effective reasoning. As

you read, make sure you understand the claims that the author is trying
to make.

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Arguments in Manifestoes

Every now and then, we come to a point wherein

• Analyzing an argument means breaking it down

• is a group of statements or reasons used to

2. Reasons/Premises Why should the reader It is the importance of your

• Example: Premise: The past Marvel movies have been

Take a minute and follow the four-step process to determine the

• Ultimately, each author supports his claim with effective reasoning. As

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