USING TOULMINS SCHEMA TO PLAN AND TEST YOUR

USING TOULMIN’S SCHEMA TO PLAN AND TEST YOUR ARGUMENT

■ A claim, a reason, and a warrant form the frame for a line of reasoning in an argument. ■ However, most of the words in an argument are devoted to grounds and backing. ■ Let’s see a case as an example: ■ Remember the issue question of Carmen: Should girls be encouraged to play firstperson-shooter video games? ■ Carmen decided to use four lines of reasoning, as shown in her because clauses listed on page 10. ■ She began by creating a basic Toulmin frame for each reason:

Carmen’s Toulmin Frames My claim: Playing first-person-shooter (FPS) video games is good for girls 1. Reason: because playing FPS lets girls beat guys at their own game. Warrant: It is good for girls to beat guys at their own game. 2. Reason: because playing FPS games frees girls from feminine stereotypes. Warrant: It is good for girls to be freed from feminine stereotypes. 3. Reason: because playing FPS games gives girls a different way of bonding with males. Warrant: It is good for girls to find a different way of bonding with boys. 4. Reason: because playing FPS games gives girls new insights into a male subculture. Warrant: It is good for girls to get new insights into a male subculture.

■ Carmen used the grounds as follows: ■ playing FPS lets girls beat guys at their own game – evidence (grounds) from personal experience to show she learned to beat guys at video games – support her warrant by showing how beating boys made her feel empowered ■ playing FPS games frees girls from feminine stereotypes – she primarily needed to support her warrant (backing) – It is obvious that playing FPS games breaks feminine stereotypes. What she had to show was why it was good or valuable to be freed from feminine stereotypes ■ playing FPS games gives girls a different way of bonding with males – needed support for both the reason and the warrant. – had to show these games gave her a different way of bonding with males (grounds) and then why this different way was a good thing (backing). ■ playing FPS games gives girls new insights into a male subculture – This was the most complex. – So, needed a more detailed planning notes for this reason

Carmen’s Planning Notes for Reason 4 Enthymeme: First-person-shooter (FPS) video games are great activities for girls because playing these games gives girls new insights into male subculture. Grounds: I’ve got to show the insights into male subculture I gained. -The guys who play these video games are intensely competitive. -They can play for hours without stopping—intense concentration. -They don’t multitask—no small talk during the games; total focus on playing. -They take delight in winning at all costs—they boast with every kill; they call each other losers. -They often seem homophobic or misogynist. -They put each other down by calling opponents “faggot” and “wussy, ” or other similar names that are totally obscene. -They associate victory with being macho.

Warrant: It is beneficial for a girl to get these insights into male subculture. Backing: How can I show these benefits? -It was a good learning experience to see how girls’ way of bonding is very different from that of boys; girls tend to be nicer to each other rather than insulting each other. Although I enjoy winning at FPS games, as a girl I feel alienated from this male subculture. -The game atmosphere tends to bring out these homophobic traits; guys don’t talk this way as much when they are doing other things. -This experience helped me see why men may progress faster than women in a competitive business environment—men seem programmed to crush each other and they devote enormous energy to the process. -What else can I say? I need to think about this further. ■ Now read her final draft essay on this topic on p. 23

The Thesis-Governed “Self-Announcing” Structure of Classical Argument ■ Self-announcing or closed-form structure – Carmen’s structure is an example to this because she states her claim before beginning the body of the argument and forecasts the structure that is to follow ■ Unfolding or open-form structure – often doesn’t give away the writer’s position until late in the essay. ■ A general rule of thumb for arguments: – using more than one line of reasoning is to place your most important or interesting reason last, where it will have the greatest impact on your readers.

Different ways of structuring thesis statement ■ Carmen might announce only her claim: – Playing first-person-shooter games can be good for girls. ■ She might forecast a series of parallel reasons: – There are several reasons that playing first-person-shooter games can be good for girls. ■ She might forecast the actual number of reasons: – I will present four reasons that playing first-person-shooter games can be good for girls. ■ Or she might forecast the whole argument by including her because clauses with her claim: – Playing first-person-shooter games can be good for girls because it lets girls feel empowered by beating guys at their own game, because it frees girls from feminine stereotypes, because it gives girls a different way of bonding with males, and because it gives girls new insights into a male subculture.

■ There is no formula for the right one ■ In general – In short arguments, readers often need only your claim. – In longer arguments, however, or in especially complex ones, readers appreciate your forecasting the complete structure of the argument (claim with reasons). ■ On many occasions more open-form or delayed-thesis approaches are more effective.

In-Class Writing Task ■ You will be given some thesis statements with their warrants. ■ Select one of them and write two paragraphs, one to support your reason and one to support its warrant ■ DON’T FORGET TO UPLOAD YOUR ASSIGNMENT NEXT WEEK ON TURNITIN, WRITING ASSIGNMENT 2 (PLAN OF AN ARGUMENT’S DETAIL), ON P. 26 ■ The number of the class in Turnitin: 22415347 ■ The name of the registration key: sehnaz