Chapter Nine

            Definitional arguments "don't just appear out of the blue; they evolve out of the occasions and conversations of daily life" is how the next section of our book describes this topic. Chapter Nine discusses arguments of definition. The book describes that because words have various definitions, there are multiple ways of writing arguments based on definitions. Formal definitions are the descriptions of words that can be found in the dictionary. Operational definitions identify something based on its functions or what conditions create it. Definitions by example are ways of defining something, like a class or species, by listing individual members. There are also other various types of definitions that aren’t considered to be part of such defining topics.

            The next part of this chapter begins to talk about how the first step in composing a definitional argument is formulating a claim. Basically, this means that you come up with your overall opinion on the word, and state your basic definition of that word. They used many examples such as defining volunteers and political bias.

            The paragraphs following the claim formulation go on to explain the formulation of an argument. People are always going to question what you believe, this means that it is really important to show your credibility and make them believe you. This is related to what we learned about in chapter three, and the importance of ethos.

            The last step in the process of forming definitional arguments is considering the design and visuals that will make the argument work. This can definitely add to your credibility and make the argument more powerful.

            This is what our second writing project was based off of. I did my writing project on defining the term “discrimination”. I reported a long history of how discrimination in America has come to be formed and how it is a consistently changing term, involving various issues that are constantly piling up.

This chapter was really helpful in teaching me about formulating a proper definitional argument, not only in my writing project, but in other aspects of my life,