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Identifying the Argument of an Essay

Spotting the Conclusion in the Editorial

Let's go through this editorial step by step so that we can identify the argument. The way we do it is by reconstructing it for ourselves without reading into it whatever we want. What we want is to state the conclusion and list the reasons fairly and objectively--as the editorial states it -- not as we would wish it to be.

1. Read the editorial once to get a general sense of it, then read it again carefully.

2. Now back away from it and see it as a whole. Do not get side-tracked at this point by any emotional part of the editorial; the part that may have gotten you mad may only be a smaller piece of the argument--not the whole of it.

3. Ask yourself the following question: What is this editorial about? Is it about nuclear powerplants? No. Is it about television violence? No. Is it about the federal government? Yes. Can you be more specific? What is the federal government (federal nanny) doing that rubs the writer the wrong way? The federal nanny (interesting choice of words!) is "swooping down" on Minden, Nebraska, and "demanding the right to dictate the scheduling of athletic events." (paragraph 1)

4. Now ask yourself "Is this issue the one that governs the whole editorial?" Does every part of the editorial have something to do with the ISSUE of whether the federal government has the right to dictate the scheduling of athletic events in Minden, NE? Yes. What you have found is the main question the whole editorial addresses:

Should the federal government have the right to dictate the scheduling of athletic events in Minden, Nebraska?

5. Now ask yourself the following question: What position does the writer take on this main question? Yes or no? The position of the writer (and the editorial) is the following.

Position: No, the federal government should NOT have the right to dictate the scheduling of athletic events in Minden.