How can we resolve political differences that divide us?
Introduction, in which you
Catch the reader’s attention with an interesting bit of information that relates to the issue you will be arguing
about (Example: Jack Ryan designed guided missiles before designing the most popular doll in the world,
Barbie, named after his daughter.)
Briefly indicate how the subject became an issue that well-informed individuals argue over (Example: The rise
of feminism and consumer culture in the 1960s and 1970s led people to question the value of a toy that
inspired false notions of beauty and women’s roles in society.)
Briefly identify the names of people and/or organizations that have taken opposing sides on the issue
(Example: Whereas Madison Goldbeck has argued that the Barbie doll motivated girls to become more
independent, self-assured, and successful, Jill Filipovic argues that even the 2017 version of Barbie teaches
girls to accept their marginalized position in society.)
In one sentence, state your own position on the issue (Example: Mattel’s Barbie doll, in all its versions,
reinforces females’ second-class standing in American society.)
Identify the focus of your argument (Example: This essay will focus on social media’s criticism of female
politicians’ personal appearance and professionalism based on values that can be connected to Jack Ryan’s
original creation. Specifically, it will consider social media treatment of Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in light of the norms reinforced in 1960s advertisements for and products associated
with the Barbie doll.)
Body paragraphs, in each of which you
Lead with a topic sentence that lets readers know what topic the paragraph addresses
Follow with an idea or fact from a source
Introduce the idea or fact with a signal phrase
Summarize or paraphrase the idea or fact (use quotation if you intend to respond to the source’s word choices
or tone)
Cite the source with a parenthetical citation (you may skip part “c” if you provided the author’s name in the
signal phrase AND the source has no page numbers)
Explain why you agree, disagree, or partly agree and partly disagree with the idea (at least one paragraph
should express an idea you disagree with, along with your reasons for disagreeing with it) or
Explain how the fact relates to your thesis, providing further facts and reasons, if needed
Conclusion, in which you do one of the following:
Explain the importance of arguing the issue OR
Recommend a course of action that, in your opinion, should be taken to resolve the issue OR
Show how the issue relates to subjects that formerly were arguable issues but currently are not
Sample Solution
