6.1.2: The Middle

The body of the text is where you provide the details and do what you said you would be doing. If you were planning to describe, this is where you place the details of the description. If you were planning to argue, this is where you provide convincing reasons for your claim and perhaps clarify just what the claim is that you are trying to establish. However, when arguing logically, you should concentrate on what ought to convince, not what will convince. Even if you know your audience's prejudices and how to exploit them to get them to do what you want, don't follow this path if you want to be a logical reasoner rather than a propagandist or con artist.

The most common error in creating an argumentative essay is to leave out, or not to adequately develop, the assessment of objections. You’ll look narrow-minded to the knowledgeable reader if you plunge ahead with your reasons and show no appreciation for what reasons your opponent might offer.

When you write your essay and argue for some conclusion, be sure you use assumptions that your audience will agree with, or else you ought to do one of two things: (1) defend those assumptions, or (2) mention that they won’t be defended even though you realize that in a fuller work they should be.

Suppose your goal is to create an essay that establishes a specific point. How should you structure the essay? The first thing to keep in mind is that you need a fairly clear idea of the content before you can bother with the structure. Once you have that clear idea, then focus on structure. One helpful rule of thumb is that the middle can be structured so the reader is moved by understandable steps from the more obvious to the less obvious. You can establish your essay's important reasons by carefully taking the reader from points of ready agreement to points that are more controversial. At the same time, the flow of argument should usually be from the simple points to the complex points. Without this structure, many of your readers will fall by the side of your road. Your structure is your road, and if readers cannot see where they are going, they will become confused and lose interest in what you have to say. In long or complex pieces it doesn't hurt to occasionally remind readers of what the road is, how far you’ve gone, and what lies ahead.

Although it is important for your writing to have a clear structure, remember to do first things first: Write first, organize later. Brainstorm first; get your ideas onto paper or into your computer. Later you can go back and tie them together effectively by adding the proper organization.