We should do X because ...
And then you fill in the reason for X and your evidence supporting it.
Here's an example of a proposal argument.
We should get out of school early today because a 30-foot tall pygmy shrew is destroying the city.
1. You can present proposal arguments in three different forms. The first is called the categorical claim. It looks like this:
We should do X because X is a Y.
For example:
We should eat pygmy shrew for dinner tonight because eating it is a demonstration of community pride.
2. The second is called the causal claim (in other words, one thing causes the other). It looks like this.
We should do X because X will lead to good consequences.
For example:
We should eat pygmy shrew for dinner tonight because eating it will lead to a more sanitary neighborhood.
3. The final proposal argument is the resemblance claim (in other words, one thing is LIKE the other). It looks like this.
We should do X because X is like Y.
For example:
We should eat pygmy shrew for dinner tonight because smelling the rotting corpse of the 30-foot pygmy shrew the National Guard shot down is like living next to a sea of rancid diapers.
Your assignment for the day is to cast your argument into these three versions of the proposal argument: the categorical, the causal, and the resemblance versions.
When you are finished, please let me take a look at it. Then email it to me by copying the text and pasting it into the the email body.
I am happy to assist you at any time.
