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Skeletal
Plan
for
a
Possible
Concession/Refutation
Draft:
Paragraph
1:
Intro/Justificatory
proposition
Paragraph
2:
Open
with
the
strongest
reason
against
my
proposition.
Devote
the
remainder
of
the
paragraph
to
developing
this
counterargument
with
evidence,
explanation,
and
whatever
other
strategies
that
will
most
strongly
support
my
opponents
reason.
Paragraph
3:
Open
with
a
statement
that
refutes
my
opponents
reason,
or
concedes
that
it
has
some
validity.
Paragraph
4:
Open
with
a
reason
in
support
of
my
proposition,
and
develop
it
Paragraph
5:
Open
with
a
second
reason
in
support
of
my
proposition,
and
develop
it
Paragraph
6:
Conclude
by
pointing
out
the
long-term
positive
effects
of
what
I
propose
Note
that
the
above
is
just
one
possible
blueprint.
You
might
wish
to
provide
a
counterargument
to
one
of
the
reasons,
instead
of
the
proposition
as
a
whole.
Or
you
might
wish
to
take
issue
with
the
opening
premises
(presumed
common
ground)
that
you
use
to
introduce
your
proposition.
For
example,
returning
to
the
death
penalty,
if
I
opened
by
discussing
the
values
that
I
imagine
my
readers
have
and
that
lead
them
to
advocate
the
death
penalty,
I
might
make
the
turn
after
introducing
my
proposition
to
refuting
the
idea
that
those
are
the
main
or
only
considerations
that
a
death-penalty
proponent
has.
Alternately,
I
might
provide
a
counterargument
to
one
of
the
reasonsperhaps
pointing
up
problems
with
the
data
upon
which
the
expenses
are
based,
and
then
moving
to
prove
that
despite
these
questions,
the
data
is
reliable
and
useful.
A
justificatory
argument
that
cannot
hold
up
to
strong
counterargument
may
lead
the
rhetor
herself
to
change
her
mind.
The
purpose
of
counterargument,
refutation,
and
concession
is
to
insure
the
strength
and
validity
of
our
propositions
and
reasoning.
Rhetorically,
such
testing
adds
to
the
persuasiveness
of
the
argument
by
acknowledging
and
addressing
others
concerns,
showing
that
the
writer
has
been
thorough,
thoughtful,
open-minded,
reasonable.
Such
qualities
shape
the
attitude
of
the
reader
toward
the
writer
and
her
proposition.
As
with
the
previous
two
assignments,
remember
that
this
is
an
exercisenot
an
essay.
Aim
for
logical
development
and
clarity,
not
beauty.
You
do
not
have
to
exhaust
the
topic
in
750
words,
but
at
this
point
you
should
have
selected
strong
reasons
and
evidence
so
that
the
piece
is
substantive.
If
you
have
extra
material,
be
sure
to
cut
and
paste
it
into
a
document
and
put
it
in
your
Justificatory
Folder.
You
may
be
able
to
make
use
of
it
later
on.
Prewriting
for
the
Draft
Think
of
a
tentative
justificatory
proposition
(or
use
the
one
from
your
previous
exercise).
Be
sure
that
it
is
debatable:
some
or
all
of
your
colleagues
should
need
to
be
persuaded
of
the
truth
or
rightness
of
your
proposition.
List
as
many
reasons
and
evidence
as
you
can
think
of
to
persuade
your
doubters
and
opponents
to
embrace
your
proposition.
Consider
quantitative
and
qualitative,
abstract
and
concrete,
textual
and
any
other
sorts
of
evidence
that
they
might
find
compelling
and
that
would
be
acceptable
in
your
field
(ask
your
instructor
what
kinds
of
evidence
are
not
permitted
in
your
field).
Choose
the
strongest
reason
or
evidence
from
among
these,
the
one
you
think
your
peers
would
probably
find
most
compelling.
Gather
whatever
evidence
you
have
to
support
this
reason.
Consider
which
evidence
would
be
most
persuasive
and
most
directly
supports
your
reasons.
Refutation
and
Concession
2
Now list the strongest arguments and evidence against the reason you have selected. List, as well, strong reasons against your proposition. Note that a writer may refute a proposition, or may refute one or more reasons, or both, depending upon the writers motive. Repeat this process using the assumptions you based your introduction upon (shared premises/common ground), your proposition itself, or some aspect of your evidence. Revise your current proposition (or rewrite it entirely) so that it captures what you have learned in this process. Make a brief skeletal outline, noting your intended architecture, and commence writing the draft.
Writing
the
Draft
Set
your
timer
and
your
goal
for
how
much
time
you
will
spend
on
this
draftsay,
90
minutes.
At
this
point,
some
of
your
colleaguesperhaps
you--are
able
to
write
a
750
word
first
draft
in
60
minutes.
Each
writer
is
different,
of
course,
but
the
idea
with
these
exercises
is
to
be
so
fluent
and
rigorous
in
your
reasoning
that
you
can
turn
out
a
solidly
reasoned
text
in
a
relatively
brief
amount
of
time,
whether
delivered
in
writing
or
in
person,
impromptu.
Write
your
proposition.
Follow
your
skeletal
outline.
When
you
have
written
your
first
draft,
check
for
logical
coherence.
Also
note
whether
the
last
sentence
of
your
paragraph
links
to
the
first
sentence
of
the
next
paragraph.
At
this
point,
you
should
begin
to
pay
attention
to
transitions
as
well
as
logic
The
Rhetorical
Outline:
Detailed
Proposition:
(paraphrase
your
own
proposition)
Audience:
Goal:
Plan:
Paragraph
1
Sentence
1
Says:
(paraphrase)
Sentence
1
Does:
(describe
the
action/strategy/purpose
of
this
sentence:
is
it
providing
a
reason?
Offering
an
example?
Defining
a
term?
Introducing
an
anecdote?)
If
you
find
that
a
sentence
is
not
doing
much
of
anything,
say
so:
This
sentence
is
redundant.
Or,
this
sentence
is
a
tangent.)
Continue
this
for
every
sentence
in
your
exercise.
If
two
or
three
sentences
are
saying
and
doing
the
same
thing
(a
meaning
cluster)
feel
free
to
group
them.
For
example:
Paragraph
1
Says:
Sentences
4
through
6
say
that
scholars
imagine
a
rational
audience.
Does:
Sentence
4
provides
the
reason,
Sentence
5
provides
a
quotation
that
exemplifies
this
reason,
and
Sentence
6
provides
a
second,
paraphrased
example
to
support
the
reason.
Grammatical/Mechanical/Style
Any
grammatical,
mechanical,
or
stylistic
issues
that
you
notice
in
outlining
your
draft
should
be
added
to
your
Customized
Proofreading
Sheet,
following
the
CPS
instructions.
Refutation
and
Concession
3
Directions for Submitting Your Exercise & Outline: Submit a single-spaced copy of your essay and outline to the Blackboard link marked Assignments. Bring two copies of your first draft and your outline to class (or bring one copy and your laptop). Please use the following heading on your exercise: Your Name Refutation and Concession Date Submitted