Category: General

What is Argument?

Authors use argument within their literary texts in order to make a point or bring attention to an issue. Many writers use poems, plays, short stories, and books to express their ideas of injustice, freedom, and other issues in order to give a voice to those who could not speak for themselves or because they believe the issue needs to be brought up.


Another definition for argument would be persuasive writing or speaking. Persuasion is when you want to convince someone of an idea, change their mind, or get people to take some action. This is common with persuasive speeches and persuasive essays. The argument would be the thesis statement that you are going to prove in order to have your audience take action or change their opinion on a topic.


  1. Examples of Argument

An example of argument would be in a story in which the writer wanted to point out that honesty is the best policy. “Tom always made up stories, but one day, his habit of telling stories meant that no one believed him when he ran into some trouble.” The story would then proceed to describe Tom, his surroundings, and perhaps tell some of the stories he told. At some point, Tom would need people to believe him, and we would see the consequences of his telling stories in the resulting plot events.


Another example of argument would be a speech in which the speaker wishes to get people to stop texting and driving. The thesis statement would be the argument. The speaker would find statistics showing how many people died from accidents in which the driver was texting. Using a story about an actual person who died and showing the effects on the family members, would add emotion and make the argument stronger. Throughout the speech, the speaker would be proving the argument with more information, effects, solutions, and a call to action. Argumentative speeches or essays focus on proving why one idea is true over another and is similar to the persuasive essay or speech.