Outlines

The PAWS test will have a writing section on it. The basic format will be:

1. The test gives you a prompt
2. You have approximately 40 minutes to write a rough draft.
3. You come back the next day and get 40 minutes to revise your rough draft.
4. The revised draft is then turned in for scoring.

So you have about 80 minutes to put together an essay that will be no longer than 750 words. I'll expect you to write at least 650. This is about two and a half type-written, double-spaced pages.

The only way you'll be able to manage this part of the test is if you are adept at putting together good outlines. If you have an outline, your writing will be better organized, more assured, and much higher scoring.

Today we started to practice outlining. You'll remember that during the previous term we worked a lot on persuasive argument, especially focusing on providing support for your thesis. Now we are heading a little deeper, focusing on warrants.

When we think of a warrant we usually think of either the make-uped hair rock band

or the police closing in on your house.

If the police are coming to arrest you or to search your house, you have the right to ask why, and they are required to give you warrant, or a piece of paper that a judge has issued outlining the reasons why you are being arrested or your house searched.

A warrant in a persuasive paper works the same way. A warrant is "justification or authority for an action, belief or feeling." A warrant is what you use to support your support.

It looks like this:

Thesis (X is true because of Supports A, B, and C)

Support A
Warrant 1
Warrant 2

Support B
Warrant 1
Warrant 2

Support C
Warrant 1
Warrant 2

Conclusion

A warrant provides reasoning and evidence that solidify the logos of your support.

Take the following as an example of an outline that includes the thesis, supports, warrants and conclusion. (The argument is not necessarily factual, by the way.)

Thesis
Eminem is an influential artist because (A) he is funny, (B) he is a social critic, and (C) he is a family man. Each of these gives him the clout he needs to be influential.

Support A: He is funny
Warrant 1. (Provide an example of Eminem being funny)
Warrant 2. Funny people tend to get attention. Therefore, more people will listen to him, making him more influential.

Support B; He is a social critic:
Warrant 1. Most musical artists focus on banal subjects such as falling in love and breaking up, making them socially inconsequential.
Warrant 2. Eminem focuses much of his music on exposing and critiquing the culture, such as in “Just Lose It” where he skewers hypocrisy by lampooning Michael Jackson.

Support C: He is a family man.
Warrant 1. Most pop music stars cannot sustain a stable familial relationship destroying the confidence their fans have in them (provide examples like Britney Spears).
Warrant 2. Eminem has a wife and a child, with whom he shares a committed relationship. This sends a subtle but powerful message to his fans, and they respect him for it.

Conclusion
Eminem got the attention of the masses by being funny, he also earned their respect by maintaining a stable family life. These, combined with the social criticism he embeds in his raps, make Eminem an influential artist.

You'll notice from the sample outline that the supports don't necessarily seem to support the thesis (Eminem is an influential artist). Why would being funny make someone influential? That is why I provided warrants. I needed to show how my support supported my thesis.

I provided a list of ten prompts about halfway through the class, asking you to pick two and write an outline for how you would argue it. If you were not here today, or if you need more practice (and you do), follow this link and make outlines using thesis, supports, warrants, and a conclusion.