Choosing the Best Argumentative Essay Topics
Choosing the best argumentative essay topics make writing great argumentative essays interesting and easy. Argumentative essays are essays in which the writer aims at convincing the readers to accept their viewpoint or stand on the chosen topic. The basis of an argumentative essay is normally the opinion that a writer has on a given topic.
Thus, any argumentative essay strives to ensure that readers agree with the position or argument of the writer on a topic. It is basically a call-to-action essay where the reader is required to agree with the viewpoint of the reader on a topic or to do something that will bring about change regarding the topic.
Considerations to make when choosing the best argumentative essay topics
Before choosing topics for your argumentative essays, you should know what makes an ideal argumentative essay topic. You may come across many topics for argumentative essays but not all of them might be appealing to you. As such, it is important to know what makes a brilliant topic for any argumentative essay.
Here are some of the attributes of a brilliant argumentative essay topic:
- It is interesting to the writer and the audience
- The topic is dear to the writer’s heart
- It has depth and complexity
- The writer has some knowledge and experience about the topic
A good topic is very important because it determines sources, time and knowledge that you will need to write the argumentative essay. However, a mistake that you are likely to make when writing argumentative essays is choosing simple topics. This is because you want to be certain that you will be able to write brilliant essays with ease. However, choosing a simple topic will defeat the argumentative essay writing purpose. Your instructor is not looking for essay topics that cannot be debated on because they are too simple. Therefore, choose a topic that requires solid evidence to convince readers to accept your viewpoint. Choose a challenging topic so that you can score better grades in your argumentative essays.
Tips for choosing the best argumentative essay topics
Choose a topic that raises heated debate
To choose a complex topic, select one that is highly debatable. However, you should be careful when choosing such topics especially if they touch on the subjects of religion, morals and politics. This is because finding solid sources of valid information for supporting their arguments can be difficult. Always remember that your sources should have solid supporting evidence. If there is not adequate evidence, the topic will hinder you from writing a good essay.
Select an unusual topic
Choose an unusual topic that you are confident that it will raise a heated debate. This requires you to think critically about the argumentative essay topics that you come across. Choosing a conventional or common topic will not impress your readers or the instructor. Choosing a less conventional topic will capture the attention of readers and impress your instructor.
Conduct preliminary research
Before you invest a lot of time in your topic, conduct some research. This entails skimming through different credible sources that tackle the topic or theme. Make sure that the sources have adequate information for supporting your argument.
Steps in choosing the best argumentative essay topics
To choose the best topics for your argumentative essays, you need to follow certain steps.
They are as follows:
- Brainstorm to generate an argumentative essay topics’ list
- Select topics that you think and feel that they appeal to your emotions and those of the readers
- Avoid conventional topics or topics that other scholars have written about severally
- Narrow down every topic to ensure that it has a specific focus
- Refine the topic to ensure that it will convince the audience to change their views
- Check to ensure that the basis of the topic is the current trends and events
- Ensure that the topic states the problem while presenting arguments on how to solve it
- Ensure that the topic interests the reader
Things to avoid
There are things that you should avoid when choosing the best argumentative essay topics.
They include:
Rushing
You should take time to select the topics for your argumentative essays because if you rush in selecting the topics, you might face difficulties in developing your essays. After brainstorming and selecting topics that you consider ideal for you, brainstorm the possible arguments as well. Brainstorm theses as well to ensure that your topics allow for concise and clear theses.
Broad topics
Choose narrowed down topics because including examples and evidence is difficult for broad topics. Use a mind map to narrow down your topics. This entails writing down each topic on a paper and specific themes for each around it. Two or one theme can be the most ideal topic for your argumentative essay.
Boring topics
You should avoid topics that you do not find interesting. Writing argumentative essays require extensive research on the chosen topics. This implies that if you choose boring topics, you will have the most miserable experience while writing the essays. Additionally, a boring topic will not only fail to impress the audience or instructor, but they will also tell them that you are not interested or passionate about the subject.
Arguing from both sides
While choosing the best argumentative essay topics, make sure that the topics allow you to formulate definitive arguments. The main purpose of argumentative essays is to let you choose arguments and support them with specific and relevant examples. This differentiates argumentative essays from surveys or compare and contrast essays. Therefore, avoid topics that hinder you from choosing a point that you can stick with. To do this, examine the topics to ensure that they allow you to prove points that you will make in the essays. Every paragraph of an argumentative essay should aid in proving the point that your topic sentence makes.
Fields where you can choose argumentative essay topics from
There are many fields from which you can choose argumentative essay topics from.
They include:
Health or science
When choosing a health or science topic for your argumentative essay, make sure that you are familiar with the subject. Also make sure that your topic presents a question without a definitive answer.
Examples of health or science topics for argumentative essays include:
- Creation versus evolution-Which of the two is right?
‘Which of the two is right’ is the question for this topic.
- Animal research-Is it a violation of animal rights?
The question in this topic is ‘is it a violation of animal rights?’
- Obesity-Is it possible to beat?
Here, the question is ‘is it possible to beat’
Social field
If you are passionate about social issues, you can choose social topics.
Such topics include:
- Child behavior-Is it worsening?
- Is media regulation right?
- Should we accept all religions?
Politics and government
Examples of politics and government topics for argumentative essays include:
- Should governments abolish death penaltie
- Should citizens continue paying taxes even when they do not agree with the government expenditures?
- Between party A and B, which one is the best?
Technology
Technology topics enable you to present arguments about the latest technologies.
Examples of such topics include:
- Should the government monitor and regulate social media websites?
- Is the application of nanotechnology acceptable?
- Should textbooks be replaced by electronic devices?
When choosing the best argumentative essay topics, select fields that you are knowledgeable and passionate about because this will make refining your topics and finding sources easier.
Here are some examples of good argumentative essays:
Scientific and Technical Information.
Contrast Between Indian Deity Veneration and Chinese Ancestor Worship.
Take risk
Most people avoid arguments. However, if you choose topics that make your argumentative essays appealing to the audience, you will capture their attention. If you do not select a unique topic, you will look like you are a no-brainer. Your audience or instructor expects you to introduce controversy in your essay. This can clearly be seen from the topics that you write essays about.
Therefore, instead of playing safe by selecting conventional topics, take risk by choosing unusual topics for your argumentative essays. Make sure that the instructor or audience will be interested in reading each of your essays after reading their topics by making them unique and appealing.
Be confident
Do not choose topics for your argumentative essays just to create shock appeal. Be confident that you can write essays on the topics that you choose with passion and without struggling too much. Debating from a side of the topic that you do not believe in will make writing the essay difficult for you though it is possible. The best thing is to choose an unusual topic that you can argue from both sides but you have to declare your stand. This will show your confidence to the audience or the instructor and you will also be able to convince them to concur with you in taking a specific stand on the issue.
Basically, choosing the best argumentative essay topics will not only make writing quality argumentative essays easier, but also interesting and less time-consuming. If you have difficulties in choosing a topic or writing the argumentative essay of your choice, get in touch with us for assistance. Visit our homepage for more information about our academic writing services. You can also continue reading more academic paper writing guidelines and sample papers on this blog.
Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persuasive_writing
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/02/
http://www.assignmentwritinghelp.net/argumentative-essays-on-scientific-and-technical-information.php
http://www.bestessayservices.com/blog/contrast-between-indian-deity-veneration-e-g-durga-puja-and-chinese-ancestor-worship/