Crafting an Argument

Mr. Ballinger's bit on "Writing and Argument" informs us on what the title so blatantly specifies. How to "build an argument," as Bruce put it. He talks about how to form a proper opinion and through analyzation, refine or create a new claim, as well as what you should have to make sure your claim is properly supported. This information could prove quite valuable in writing an op-ed or persuasive paper, which subsequently is exactly what he continues to talk about. Through what I could decipher, Ballinger states that op-ed's generally have a bit friendlier tone, perhaps even a slight bit tounge-in-cheek in some scenarios. Later, he cues us in on a few things we should be wary of in our arguements, such as an appeal to popularity. Just because a lot of people think something is the best, that is not always the case.
As our class is currently in the process of writing a persuasive paper (At least, we SHOULD be...), and will be writing up an op-ed soon after, the wisdom of Bruce Ballinger will come in handy. Whether it be his helpful outline for building a nice opinion or provinding insight into what exactly makes an arguement, this short paper could prove invaluable as an excellent source of refrence. Page 14 even has a few links to boards where you can work to hone down your claim into a fine point to take a stab at solving an arguement.