Find a letter to the editor in the New York Times, LA Times, or Wall Street Journal. Use page 145 of the textbook to perform a Toulmin analysis of the letter. Suggest revisions and offer additional evidence

 

CHAPTER 7 STRUCTURING ARGUMENTS 145 RESPOND. Using a paper that you're writing, do a Toulmin analysis of the argument. When you're done, see which elements of the Toulmin scheme are rep- resented. Are you short of evidence to support the warrant? Have you considered the conditions of rebuttal? Have you qualified your claim ad- equately? Next, write a brief revision plan: How will you buttress the argu- ment in the places where it is weakest? What additional evidence will you offer for the warrant? How can you qualify your claim to meet the condi- tions of rebuttal? Then show your paper to a classmate and have him or her do a Toulmin analysis: a new reader will probably see your argument in different ways and suggest revisions that may not have occurred to you. Outline of a Toulmin Argument Consider the claim that was mentioned on p. 139: Claim The federal government should ban smoking. Qualifier The ban would be limited to public spaces. Smoking causes serious diseases in smokers. Nonsmokers are endangered by secondhand smoke. Good Reasons Warrants The Constitution promises to "promote the general welfare." Citizens are entitled to protection from harmful actions by others. The United States is based on a political system that is supposed to serve the basic needs of its people, including their health, Backing Numbers of deaths attributed to secondhand smoke Lawsuits recently won against large tobacco companies, citing the need for reparation for smoking-related health Evidence care costs Examples of bans already imposed in many public places Authority Cite the surgeon general. Conditions Smokers have rights, too. of Rebuttal Smoking laws should be left to the states. Such a ban could not be enforced. ar Responses The ban applies to public places; smokers can smoke in private.