Strong Arguments In Dispute - Essay Example

August 29, English Essay What makes you win important arguments? Is it enough to put forward strong arguments and claims? Does an array of counter arguments sprayed against the opponent’s argument fulfill the purpose? Claims do not win arguments, evidences do!!! Stephen Prothero’s writing is the perfect example of how to win an argument. Prothero published a book, A Nation of Religious Illiterates, which illustrates how illiterate America has become on religious issues. Although Prothero uses a negative tone in his book, he is able to win his argument because of the mass amounts of evidence that he uses based on polls taken.

It is these evidences which are very effective and help strengthen the argument put forward in this book. In America, there is a serious problem of illiteracy where religion is concerned. Prothero aims to highlight this fact and he does it not only by introducing arguments. Any normal argument may not satisfy the reader and keep ho engrossed. So using his style of writing he injects into the argument numerous facts to support it. These are well chosen facts properly structured. Prothero uses an extreme amount facts, statistics, quotes, and he even uses murder trial to help him prove this point.

These are all great pieces of evidence, but the strongest piece of evidence was the “Religious Literacy Quiz” and its results. Prothero gave this literacy quiz to his students at Boston University, and he learned that almost every student knows nothing about religion. He included simple questions like: “Name a sacred text of Hinduism”, and the student’s answers showed “… only one in four could name a single Hindu scripture” (Prothero 196-197). He adds further that one in three United States Christians can give the names of the gospels.

This piece of evidence was a very successful strategy for persuading his audience. Unlike the facts and quotes he uses, this quiz engages the reader, makes them participate in the text, and has them test their own knowledge against his acquisitions. Once the reader finishes this quiz, it brings the text down to their reality and makes the reader pay attention to how bad the problem actually is. He does this in a two-step process. First he mentions the question encouraging the reader to participate.

This creates a link between the reader and the matter. The reader gets engrossed in the book as he aligns such evidences one after the other in various places. Then to cement his argument and to magnify the claim he provides the shocking results in a language that is critical and phrased excellently. The structure of the script is also organized in a remarkable way. Arguments followed by succinct facts, supported by tantalizing quotes and cemented by quiz or survey responses. The whole packaging is a treat for anyone to read and realize that there is no loop left to question or oppose the point again.

In some instances there is evidence that he could have organized or grouped the data but the interest of the reader which he was developing could have been hampered. In multiple sections of this book Prothero beats the dead horse into a pulp. In conclusion, Prothero crafted his argument very well. He uses plenty of evidence to not tell, but show his audience the problem that America is facing, and he structured and developed his book so that the audience could stay focused and get the most out of the experience.

Prothero knows exactly how to manipulate his audience to win his argument. Do you have what it takes to win your own arguments? Works Cited Prothero,Stephen. “A Nation of Religious Illiterates”. Insert Title Here. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2010. 190-213. Print.