In an Argumentative essay, where should the writer present the Counterclaims?
Counterclaims become a crucial part of writing an argumentative essay. They are the claims that are opposite to the statement of the essays. But, in an Argumentative essay, where should the writer present the Counterclaims is the main question.
Quick Takeaways
- An Argumentative essay is a genre of academic writing that requires students to read, research, understand and establish evidence and viewpoints about a topic.
- Counterclaims are generally inserted after presenting the claim with factual research and data.
- They can also be included anywhere within the essay except for the conclusion part.
However, you must read till the end so that you get a better understanding of what is an argumentative essay and the counterclaims in it.
What is an Argumentative Essay?
An Argumentative essay is a genre of academic writing that requires students to read, research, understand and establish evidence and viewpoints about a topic. In an argumentative essay, you need thorough research on the topic with the help of interviews, polls, surveys, and much more. An argumentative essay is all about stating the opinion and viewpoints of a student on a debatable topic. You need to do intensive research on the topic as you need to establish your own opinion based on the intensive research on the topic of the argumentative essay. This can be also involved in your video essays.
While writing an argumentative essay there would be two sides to the topic, and a student needs to present both sides with claims and counterclaims and thus decide upon the side favored by the student and conclude the essay. You can also involve different features of compare and contrast essays.
What can be the possible configurations or structure of an Argumentative Essay?
A basic structure that is usually followed by students for an argumentative essay can be as follows:
- Introduction of the subject – Introducing the topic
- Claim – Introduction of the thesis statement or the principal argument of the essay
- Data supporting the claim – Supports the thesis statement
- Logical reasoning and research – Supporting the claim and making the argument stronger.
- Counterclaims – Opposing statements that defy the thesis statement of the subject.
- Rebuttals – Proves the disagreement with the counterclaims thus helping the thesis statement or the claim to be true.
What are the Claims in an Argumentative Essay?
Claims are thesis statements that help the reader understand the main argument and the discussion that is going to be presented throughout the essay with the help of counterclaims and rebuttals.
What are Counterclaims in an Argumentative Essay?
A counterclaim can be interpreted as an argument that is the opposing statement that defies the thesis statement or the claim of the subject. A counterclaim negates the main thesis statement in the argumentative essay. You can use various dialogues to prove them.
Where does a counterclaim come into the picture while writing an essay?
Counterclaims actually help in revealing the hard work that the student has put through thorough research. You should not avoid counterclaims, instead, include as many counterclaims as possible with rebuttals to prove the subject of the essay more specifically.
What are Rebuttals?
Rebuttals or rebuttal paragraphs are the arguments or opposition statements for the counterclaims which are in favor of the claims or the thesis statement. The rebuttal is an instance or a piece of evidence disapproving of the counterclaim.
Where can you include Counterclaim in an Argumentative Essay?
Counterclaims are usually added after presenting the claim with factual research and data. According to many methods provided for writing an Argumentative essay, counterclaims can be included in various paragraphs just leaving the introduction and the conclusion. There are many methods that are being used to write an argumentative essay, so there is no fixed position to include counterclaims.
The only reason why a counterclaim cannot be included in the introduction is that the introduction part is for presenting the argument on an unbiased basis. In the same way, counterclaims also cannot be presented in the conclusion as they can negate the complete idea of your claim.
Some students present counterclaims just after the introduction, some present them before rebuttals and conclusion. You may present them throughout the body of the essay which makes the argument quite strong. Thus it depends upon the writers how they actually want to represent the argumentative essay. Also, add only questions when required.
How long a counterclaim can be?
It can be a paragraph if it is directly presented after the claim and research statements, it can also be a paragraph if it is presented after the introduction, but if a counterclaim is presented after every claim within a paragraph then it can be shorter within two or three lines.
A few points to be considered while presenting counterclaims in an essay – Writing counterclaims in the Essay
- Rebuttals are required following the counterclaims to make the thesis statement or the claim stronger.
- The counterclaims should always be presented graciously so that the reader does not feel biased or upset about the reader’s feelings.
- The counterclaim should be verifiable.
- The counterclaim should be logical and may also contain a piece of evidence, then and then only the whole point of the argumentative essay becomes justifiable.
Why are rebuttals required after presenting the counterclaim?
Rebuttals are very important after presenting the counterclaim for the readers to understand the claim in a comparative manner. Rebuttals help in bringing the ball back to the writer’s court which is an instance or evidence that is supporting the thesis statement.
Conclusion
Counterclaims are usually added after presenting the claim with factual research and data. Writing counterclaims in the Essay can be tricky but they enhance the justification of the essay. A counterclaim can also be included anywhere within the structure of the essay except for the conclusion part. According to many methods provided for writing an Argumentative essay, counterclaims can be placed in various paragraphs except in the introduction and the conclusion.
