pg. 269-284 summary

We encounter and take part in hundreds of arguments everyday, from disagreements with friends to the posters you see telling you to join this club or support this cause. In rhetoric, argument "refers to any way that human beings express themselves to try to achieve a certain purpose." Arguments are situated in different contexts, so what is persuasive in one culture are not in another. For example, Martin Luther King Jr's "Letter from Birmingham Jail." His argument does not change, but the interpretation of it does across time and culture. The effectiveness of an argument also varies depending on the context and audience. It is important that we understand how arguments work and how to make arguments of our own because they are so important and we encounter them so often. It is crucial that we think carefully about the arguments we are presented with. We should consider the source of the argument-where it is coming from and who is saying it. Get to the heart of the argument by looking at the facts, the issue, why it matters, and what actions should be taken. Figure out the claim of the argument-what is it stating and how is it saying it.