An argument can be defined as providing convincing evidence for a point of view on a controversial issue and persuading an audience to agree with it. After reading this chapter, I definitely learned more about the concept of argument in greater depth. Arguments happen everyday, from arguing with my roommates about who is going to make breakfast, to trying to figure out whose turn is it to take out the trash. But in order to make a valid argument you must make a claim, and support it with reasons and evidence. One of the most important arguments I have ever got involved in was when I got into a car accident 2 years ago. I was driving in Downtown, Miami and a taxicab ran a red light and we collided. When I got out of the car to go talk to the cab driver, he confronted me saying that it was my fault and that I had the red light. After hearing his side of the story, I knew there was going to be an epic argument. I needed facts to prove that I did nothing wrong and that I had the green light. Thankfully, there were two men that witnessed the whole incident and were on my side. This type of argument is best described as a one-to-one, everyday argument because it is a more traditional argument in which someone wins or loses. In my case, I won this argument and did not receive the ticket for the accident.
A consensual argument in which both sides are agreeing is the most common for me today, especially in my classes. Dialect is an extremely important element for a good argument. In my journalism class, my professor Tom Hanson usually uses this type of argumentation, where two people participate as equals in a dialogue to try to discover what seems to be the best position on an issue. For example, last class we had to decide whether or not a football team should be added to the university. Those of us who agreed and disagreed had to argue on which position would be a better story for the eagle news. In this type of argument, there was no winning and no judge; you just had to voice your opinion. Learning that the team would be around $100 million to form and could possibly take another 7 years, our class disagreed with this story.
In order for an argument to be successful, there must always be an issue, an arguer, an audience, common ground, a forum, and finally audience outcomes. A good argument, to me is one in which all parties involved, do not raise their voice and share only truthful and accurate information and experiences, and allow each other equal time to express their views. Argument in the form of a point you are trying to make is when you know that you have something valuable to share with others and you have done all your homework on the subject, this makes a good argument.
