Chapter Three of Everything's an Argument is about the proper presentation and style that is used in an argument. It begins by saying every argument has its own style. From the basis of an argument, three basic styles of communication can be classified. The first of this is known as high (formal or ornate), the second one middle (understated and very clear) and low (every day or humorous).
The book then goes on to explain these three styles. It basically says that the high style in argument is severe, proper, and strict. This made me think of the arguments and debates done in the houses of congress. All of the people involved are highly educated about a certain topic and then defend their beliefs, or the beliefs of their constituents. There are strict rules about when and how someone is supposed to present their case.
The middle style arguments are the most commonly recognized arguments. These are the everyday arguments had between a parent and a child. When a 16 year old walks down the stairs to go to school and she is wearing heavy eyeliner, a short skirt and her bellybutton piercing is showing, usually her mom is going to have something to say about that. The daughter might defend herself by saying “Everyone wears this” or “Things have changed since you’ve been in high school mom!”. The mother would then respond with her opinion and then tell her daughter to “Go back upstairs and change before you are late for school!!” This type of argument can be seen in many situations and we see it as the most common argument type.
The low style argument is the most informal and is done for entertainment. This kind of argument is most common for those who are trying to find humor. These are the “arguments” that take place after a big holiday dinner when your entire extended family is there and your overly-opinioned older sister wants to see how much she can make her uptight aunt cringe. There is often humor involved and opinions are flying around everywhere.
The chapter then goes on to describe different ways to make an argument more effective. Style and word choice are important because if you are a member of congress who is trying to pass a bill, it is important to use proper language choices, and avoid slang and profanity. On the other hand, if you are at the dinner table after thanksgiving and a discussion about how horrible your favorite movie is, it’s important to use language appropriate for the context of that specific argument. Meaning, you want to use words and vocabulary that people will understand.
The next point brought up in the chapter is about punctuation. It is important to make proper use of commas, periods, and exclamation points when making an argument because it makes it stronger and more effective. If you pause after a strong point, it often makes what you are trying to say more apparent and understandable as opposed to rambling on and on and speaking to fast for people to keep up with.
This chapter was helpful for me to see how to structure a proper argument. It also allowed me to see some key components of what is important to keep in mind while formulating one of the three types of arguments.
