Discursive Writing
AND WRITING TO ARGUE
Harambe
Critically endangered gorilla
17 years old
Cincinnati Zoo
The day after his 17th birthday, Harambe was shot and
killed by zoo officials
Why? Because he acted like a gorilla
A 4-year-old managed to fall into the enclosure, and
Harambe was shot to ensure the childs safety
People
say Harambe was protecting the child
This
has sparked conversation around whose
fault this incident was
Was
it the childs mother for not supervising
the infant?
Was
it the zoo for not securing the area well
enough?
Should
zoos exist in the first place?
Watch
the following video and write
a short paragraph on whether or not
you think zoos are beneficial to
society.
You
may also choose to remain
neutral.
Discursive writing
Discursive
writing is when you consider a
particular issue, problem, or situation and
outline the arguments on both sides before
coming to a reasoned conclusion.
The
To
keys to effective discursive writing are:
present both, or multiple, points of view
To
write in a detached, objective manner
(avoid the first person)
To
move towards a more personal response at
the end of the piece
Argumentative Writing
Argumentative
writing is very close in style to
discursive writing.
However,
it draws more strongly on the
writers sense of voice from the very beginning
It
includes more persuasion or convincing
Argumentative
writing tends to have a more
personal, direct style
Planning Discursive Writing
Make a list of the key terms and requirements in the task
question
Do any words or phrases need defining from the start?
Involve points for and against: two or three points for each side
of the case
Each of the points will form a paragraph between your
introduction and conclusion
Decide on the order of your paragraphs
It is best to start with minor points and then move on to stronger
ones
Structuring Discursive Writing
If you are for the topic, your plan could be like this:
INTRODUCTION
POINTS AGAINST
POINTS FOR
CONCLUSION
Structuring Discursive Writing
If you are against the topic, your plan could be like this:
INTRODUCTION
POINTS FOR
POINTS AGAINST
CONCLUSION
Another Approach
Begin each paragraph with an argument, followed by
its counter-argument.
Eg: Smoking is bad for your health because it
destroys the alveoli in the lungs. This then causes air
to be filtered less well, and less oxygen enters the
cells. However, smoking is a huge stress reliever, and
in this way it has huge benefits
Activity
With a partner, choose (or think of) a topic around which you
could construct a discursive essay.
Some examples are:
Should students be allowed to have phones in school?
Should our country have free health care?
Should the government place tax on junk food and unhealthy
snacks?
Should smoking be allowed in public venues?
Come up with +/- three points for and three points against the
topic and be ready to present this to the class
Activity
Page 99 Writing introductions
