Identify the argument10 of an essay.

Identifying the Argument of an Essay

(B) Strategies for Spotting Reasons

1. Know where to look for reasons in certain parts of the essay (in the body of the essay). Remember that reasons can include facts, surveys, statistics, value judgements and general opinions.

2. Look for indicator words which signal reasons, words such as because, since, on account of, for, in view of the fact that, and for the reason that. These words function in the same way as the word because.
Can you spot the indicator words in the example below?

Example

On account of his not finishing the sixth grade and in view of the fact that he wears glasses, I can't believe Jim's account of what happened that night.

The phrase On account of indicates the first reason ( Jim didn't finish the sixth grade ) and the phrase in view of the fact that indicates the second reason ( Jim wears glasses ). In standard argument form, the argument looks like this:

                    CONCLUSION: I can't believe Jim's account of what happened that night.

                            REASONS:    1. Jim didn't finish the sixth grade
                                                    2. Jim wears glasses.

Please remember that we are not evaluating the argument at this point; we are trying only to reproduce it faithfully. (But your hunch is right; this is a very poor argument!)

    3. After you have found the conclusion, ask the question WHY?  Any sentence in the essay that responds directly to this question is a reason. In the above example, WHY does the author not believe Jim's account of what happened? BECAUSE Jim didn't finish the sixth grade and BECAUSE Jim wears glasses.