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Both Sides of the Story 1789 Views


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Description:

When presenting an argument in an essay, you may want to play devil’s advocate. Don’t play it with the devil himself, though. That guy always wins.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:04

Both Sides of the Story, a la Shmoop Okay, so you’re an expert on your topic,

00:09

but hold on, bucko. We always need to hear both sides of the story.

00:13

Have you considered other points of view? The thing is, there are usually more than

00:18

two sides of the story… …and you’ll earn the respect and trust

00:22

of your readers by acknowledging it. Point out who might see the issue differently

00:27

and why. Get the most bang for your buck by choosing

00:35

the strongest or most common arguments against your position.

00:44

Give your opposition a fair trial by explaining their point of view.

00:48

Use words such as “while,” “although,” and “however” to introduce competing points

00:53

of view. Don’t set up other opinions just to knock

01:04

‘em down without a fair trial. Be craftier than that.

01:08

Poke holes in the argument by showing how it’s uninformed, illogical, or outdated.

01:16

You’ll probably wish you could razz the opposition, but bite your tongue.

01:27

Keep your tone respectful and your attitude in check, cowboy. As the saying goes, kill

01:34

‘em with kindness and bury ‘em with a smile.

01:41

But hey, you still want to stand your ground in your essay…

01:46

… so here are a few tips for giving the other guy his fifteen minutes then bumping

01:50

him out of the spotlight. For every standard 5-paragraph essay—you

01:57

know - the intro, body, conclusion—confine the competing points of view to a single paragraph.

02:06

In longer papers, a good rule of thumb is one paragraph of counterargument for each

02:10

major section. There’s always someone who will come along

02:16

and argue with your point of view…

02:18

…so beat ‘em to the punch by choosing relevant counterarguments…

02:23

… presenting them accurately and respectfully…

02:26

… pointing out stuff the other guy failed to consider…

02:30

… and confining your courtesy rebuttal to about one-fifth of your essay.

02:35

Then ease back into your own argument. Now you can confidently say that you’ve

02:41

looked at both sides of the story.

02:43

It’s what those in the business world call, “Covering one’s butt.”

02:45

Blurb: When presenting an argument in an essay, you may want to play Devil’s Advocate. Don’t

02:47

play it with the Devil himself, though. That guy always wins.

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