Chs. 1,2,3 . . . in the beginning

In the beginning . . . there was Comp. I.

Much of these opening 3 chapters are devoted to rehashing many of the salient ideas from Comp. I, ad how these ideas are going to apply to the art of argument. When we look at Ch. 1 we see that arguments are more complex than a simple pro/con debate, that they are not a quarrel or a fight - instead a "dialectical discussion" (comp. I term). the argument requires justifications of its claims. this is the idea that saying something doesn't make it so - we, as humans, need proofs. Someone can say, in a State of the Union Address for instance, that the Union is strong, but if we don't receive justification/proof/example then we readers become suspicious. There is also the issue of whether truth or victory should be the ultimate goal of the argument.

Chs. 2 & 3 deal with reading and writing arguments respectively. By reading arguments we allow ourselves to see the components that make an argument successful. We get the opportunity to read as a Believer and a doubter, both with and against the grain (comp I term), thus honing our abilities to think critically. Ultimately it is important to read arguments so as to get a feel for what works and what doesn't - we must allow ourselves to analyze arguments and then use those ideas/strategies and apply them to our own writing

In order to do the thing one must experience the thing, in this case reading other arguments will help us when it comes to our own writing. And this writing is what the vast majority of th rest of your text will deal with: the writing of argument. Obviously we are going to worship at the altar of the "Multiple Drafts." The process of revision is where we discover exactly what we want to say and the best way to do it. The use of exploratory writing to discover ideas and deepen thinking is an important aspect of the planning process. Which brings us to planning. Planning for your essays is the only way to go. Planning more than you need also is a good way to go.

finally we reach the Classical Argument - this is an argument that is high on structure, low on surprise and possibly tension. It can be used as something that. It is like the five-paragraph essay, in that it is extremely well-organized, but, like the Paragraph/essay - there is very little surprise.