Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their analytical skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Heinrichs dissects the basic structure of an argument in Thank You for Arguing.

• What are the basic elements of an argument? (topic sentence)
• What are the “three megatools” (Chapter 4) of rhetoric that help form arguments? Citing from the text, please provide an example for each tool.
• In your conclusion, describe how Heinrichs’ description of the basic structure of an argument is expanded upon and enlarged in later chapters of the book, and also how Argument Is Part of Human Nature.

2. As Heinrichs says, “Persuasion doesn’t depend on being true to yourself. It depends on being true to your audience” (Chapter 5).

• When it comes to persuasion, why is it more important to be true to your audience than yourself? (topic sentence)
• What are the elements of rhetoric used by persuaders to shape the beliefs and expectations of their audience? Explore no fewer than 3 examples.