Effective Argument

Throughout history authors all around the world have written successful arguments through their own creative reasoning, evidence, diction, and tone. Writers Cornel West and Jonathan Swift are only two of the many authors who have done so. West, in his book Race Matters (1993), argues that Americans need to stop viewing African Americans as the “problem people” and instead view society as a whole. Swift argues for a similar idea in his essay A Modest Proposal (1729), by writing a satirical solution. He argues that Ireland needs to stop viewing the poor Irish as the problem, but rather all of society and come up with a solution for the issue together. They both use logical evidence and reasoning, as well as creative diction and tone to write an effective argument. Even though West and Swift’s essays differ immensely from one another, they both have a unique style and are successful in illustrating the significance of their arguments.

The First factor that strengthens their arguments is each writer’s use of logical evidence and reasoning. West uses authoritative sources to emphasize certain points that relate to his topic. For instance, on page 59, he uses a quote from African American civil rights activist W. E. B. Du Bois in order to explain the feeling of being seen as the “problem people” in society (West). By using a famous figure to portray the true feeling of being seen as the outsider, West touches his audience on an emotional level while providing strong support for his argument. He also provides relevant facts and percentages to support his ideas. For example, when stating what must be done to improve the current situation, he mentions that society must focus on the public and the “common good” and that this ca...

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... and evidence and unique diction and tone to create successful arguments. Race Matters and A Modest Proposal both argue that society needs to overcome the issues they are faced with as a whole, and not as divided people, or else the problem will not be resolved. Yet, they were written almost three hundred years apart from one another. If after so long a time period society has still not realized the complexity in their arguments, then what does that say about the world? It is important to analyze effective arguments such as West and Swift’s in order to learn from the past and improve societies all around the world.

Works Cited

Swift, Jonathan. “A Modest Proposal.” Mercury Reader. Ed. Teresa McKimmey. United States: Pearson, 2010. 82-90. Print.

West, Cornel. “Race Matters.” Mercury Reader. Ed. Teresa McKimmey. United States: Pearson, 2010. 57-63. Print.