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Are We Happier Than Our Forefathers Essay | Essay on Are We Happier Than Our Forefathers for Students and Children in English

Are We Happier Than Our Forefathers Essay: To deal with this subject one must first understand what ‘happiness’ means.

Long Essay on Are We Happier Than Our Forefathers 500 Words in English

Short essay on are we happier than our forefathers 100 words in english, 10 lines on are we happier than our forefathers.

• How are we happier than our forefathers?
• Who is happier we or our forefathers?
• Are we better than our forefathers?

Long and Short Essays on Are We Happier Than Our Forefathers for Kids and Students in English

Given below are two essays in English for students and children about the topic of ‘Are We Happier Than Our Forefathers’ in both long and short form. The first essay is a long essay on the Are We Happier Than Our Forefathers of 400-500 words. This long essay about Are We Happier Than Our Forefathers is suitable for students of classes 7, 8, 9 and 10, and also for competitive exam aspirants. The second essay is a short essay on Are We Happier Than Our Forefathers of 150-200 words. These are suitable for students and children in class 6 and below.

Below we have given a long essay on Are We Happier Than Our Forefathers of 500 words is helpful for classes 7, 8, 9, and 10 and Competitive Exam Aspirants. This long essay on the topic is suitable for students of class 7 to class 10, and also for competitive exam aspirants.

We have not to misunderstand ‘pleasure’ with ‘happiness’. A lavish lifestyle, a rich home a big bungalow, and a luxurious car are today treated as the means of ‘happiness’. We are very ‘happy’ if we have all this. But it is such a mistaken belief. All these are ‘pleasures’ and ‘comforts’ of life. Physical comforts are the mirage which gives a false sense of ‘happiness’.

Man has three parts of his being the physical, the mental, and the spiritual. Physical comforts are the lowest in the ladder. Healthy thoughts, right behavior give one the mental well-being. Serving others, being good to people, gives one a miner solace and satisfaction that is a spiritual well being.

So here lies the difference between ‘pleasure’ and ‘happiness’. To have a lot of eating and drink is all enjoying the pleasures of life.

A hermit living in a hut may have so much self-satisfaction. He serves people who go to him with words of high thoughts and advice on worthy living. He is a man in rags, eats whatever he gets as a charity, still he is ‘happy’. He does not have the ‘pleasures’ of life but he has the ‘happiness’ of his mind and soul.

We today have everything at our command, Science is at our beck and call. We have all the comforts of life which our ancestors never could even dream of. Means of transport, means of communication, means of entertainment — Cinema, T.V. with so many channels — phones, E-mails, Fax, Internet whatnot. Still, if you ask even the richest of men if he is really ‘happy’, he may just shake his head to show ‘no, not that’. There are worries, there are anxieties, there is no sense of satisfaction or contentment.

Men of the past had little but they lived all in a joint family serving each other, one another in their needs sharing whatever they could produce or earn. They lived a life of frugality but contentment. They worked hard and could have a sound sleep at night. The home housed cousins, brothers, uncles, aunts all under one roof. Now there are two room cubicles in large busy towns no space even for parents to come and stay. There had been an affectionate bond binding all in the past; there is a distance now even among the brothers. ‘What is this life so full of care’ is what can be said of today’s living.

Below we have given a short essay on Are We Happier Than Our Forefathers is for Classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. This short essay on the topic is suitable for students of class 6 and below.

Happiness comes from within. It is a sense of contentment that comes from the core of the heart. “There is a couplet in Hindi which when translated says ‘All the wealth cows, elephant, horses and all the jewels their treasure.

Nothing equals contentment everything turns meaningless in measure.

It is this contentment which is the basis of ‘Happiness’ and it is this that lacks in today’s life while that was there is the past.

That tilts the balance of ‘Happiness’ in favor of our ancestors.

Students can find more English  Essay Writing Topics, Ideas, Easy Tips to Write Essay Writing, and many more.

• It is necessary first to understand what is ‘Happiness’.
• Let us not mistake ‘Pleasures’ with ‘Happiness’.
• Physical comforts do not and cannot give ‘Happiness’.
• ‘Happiness’ is a state of mind that comes from contentment.
• We today have everything at our command, Science is at our beck and call. We have all the comforts of life which our ancestors never could even dream of.
• But the point is are we really happy? There are worries, there are anxieties, there is no sense of satisfaction or contentment.
• Men of the past lived together, lived for one another, worked hard, and slept soundly. They were contented with their lot.
• Even the richest man of today is not contented.
• Wealth and riches cannot bring ‘Happiness’ — mind and soul are its seats.
• Our ancestors enjoyed that ‘Happiness’ which we today fail to find.

FAQs on Are We Happier Than Our Forefathers Essay

1. How are we happier than our forefathers?

We should be happier because we have our forefathers’ experience to learn from. We should be using their experiences and sacrifice to teach us how to be better.

2. Who is happier we or our forefathers?

Today we have everything that life can offer, but neither do we have joy, love, certitude, peace nor help from pain. Our ancestors had nothing in comparison, but strength derived from faith in God. Thus, they were happier than we are in the present day.

3. Are we better than our forefathers?

We can’t just blatantly say yes or no to this question. According to me on some basis, they were happier and on some basis, we are happier. It’s just about on what basis we define happiness. Polonious Advice Summary

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English Essay Example on: Are we Happier than our Forefathers?

  are we happier than our forefathers.

  Some people believe that we are happier than our forefathers. Others hold a view contrary to this one. It is true that in certain respects our forefathers were happier than us. But in certain other respects, we are happier than them. The solution to this controversial point lies in deciding the real definition of happiness. Again, it is not easy to define happiness. If luxuries, wealth, and possessions are to be considered the objects and means of happiness, then, of course, we are far happier than our forefathers. But if peace of mind, contentment, simplicity, and such things are to be deemed as objects of happiness, our forefathers must have been happier than us. Of course, now we have so many comforts in life. Our life span has been prolonged, thanks to research in medical sciences. We can get food articles and vegetables and fruits in all seasons which even great emperors like Ashoka and Akbar who had so vast empires couldn’t do. In this pursuit of wealth, luxuries, and comforts, however, we have lost certain things. We cannot get the old sun and fresh air in congested urban areas, just to give one example. The most conspicuous loss to us is in the field of the mind. We now lead a life of stress and strain. We are always in a hurry as we are too meticulous about the movements of the hands of the watch. In this process, we have lost our peace of mind. Thus, though we have so many articles that our forefathers didn’t have, we may not intrinsically be happier than them. Our forefathers must never have even dreamt of such things as the train, the bus, the airplane, the spaceship, the computer, the telephone, the television, the refrigerator, and the air-conditioners. Still, our happiness though great, is circumscribed by other considerations. Life may be more comfortable of ours but we cannot say that we are hapier.

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Are We Happier Than Our Forefathers Expansion of Idea- 200 Words

There are many factors that can contribute to happiness, and it’s difficult to compare levels of happiness between different groups of people. However, some studies suggest that people today may be less happy than their ancestors. One reason for this could be that people have higher expectations for happiness now than in the past. With more access to information and opportunities, we may expect more from life and be disappointed when things don’t go as planned. Another possibility is that we are more aware of the suffering in the world now than in the past. With news and social media, we are constantly exposed to stories of conflict, natural disasters, and other forms of misery. This can make it difficult to appreciate the good things in our own lives. It’s also worth noting that happiness is relative. What makes one person happy may not have the same effect on another. So, even if overall levels of happiness have declined, some people may still be just as happy as their ancestors were. In the end, it’s hard to say definitively whether we are happier than our forefathers. However, there are some indications that suggest we may be less satisfied with our lives than they were.

Are We Happier than our Forefathers Speech

Our forefathers fought for our independence and built this country from the ground up. They worked hard every day to provide for their families and make a better life for themselves. Even though they didn’t have much, they were still happy. Nowadays, we have more than our forefathers could ever imagine. We have technology that allows us to do things that they could only dream of. We live in a time of comforts and prosperity. So, are we happier than our forefathers? The answer is yes and no both. If we say Yes, the reason would be that we have more material possessions and opportunities than our forefathers did. But if we say no, the reason would be we aren’t necessarily happier because of the possessions. In fact, some studies show that we are less happy than previous generations. There are several factors that contribute to our happiness, or lack thereof. One reason may be that we have higher expectations for our lives. With all the possibilities that exist now, we expect more out of life than our forefathers did. And when we don’t meet those expectations, we can end up feeling disappointed and unhappy. Another reason may be that we are more disconnected from each other than ever before. With all the technology at our fingertips—phones, laptops, social media—we can go days without talking to another human being face-to-face. This can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation, which can impact our happiness negatively.

Are We Happier Than Our Forefathers Essay 500 + Words

How were our forefathers happier than us?

Our forefathers were happier than us for several reasons. They didn’t have the stresses and worries that we have today. They didn’t have to worry about money, bills, or working long hours. They also didn’t have the distractions of technology that we have today. They had more time to enjoy life and spend time with family and friends. Additionally, they didn’t have the health concerns that we have today. They lived in a simpler time when life was more carefree. We can learn a lot from our forefathers about how to live a happier life.

Is your life better than our forefathers?

The answer to this question is a resounding yes! Our forefathers lived in a time where there were no computers, no cell phones, no internet, and no cars. They had to walk everywhere they went, and if they wanted to communicate with someone far away, they had to send a letter through the mail. Can you imagine not being able to Google something when you’re curious about it? Or not being able to call a friend when you’re bored? Our forefathers didn’t have it easy. Nowadays, we have all of those things and more. We can go anywhere we want with the click of a button. We can talk to anyone we want, anytime, anywhere. We have access to so much information that it’s almost impossible to not find what we’re looking for. In short, Our lives are better than our forefathers’ in almost every way imaginable but materially. So next time you’re feeling down about your life, just remember how good you have it!

Why are older generations happier?

It is widely accepted that older generations are generally happier than younger generations. There are several reasons for this happiness gap, including increased life experience, wisdom, and perspective. Older people have had more time to develop a sense of who they were and what they wanted out of life. This self-knowledge can lead to a greater sense of contentment and satisfaction with life. Additionally, older adults often have a better understanding of what is truly important in life and what is not worth worrying about. This perspective can lead to increased happiness and peace of mind. Wisdom also plays a role in the happiness of older adults. With age comes the accumulation of knowledge and understanding. This wisdom can help people make better decisions, solve problems more effectively, and navigate life’s challenges with greater grace. Finally, older adults often have a stronger sense of social support than younger people. They have had more time to develop deep and lasting relationships with family and friends. These supportive relationships can provide love, comfort, and a sense of belonging – all essential ingredients for happiness.

Were older people more positive?

There is a lot of research that indicates that older people have always been more positive than younger people. One study has found that older people were more likely to rate their lives as “very good” or “excellent” when compared to younger people. Another study has found that older people were more likely to report higher levels of satisfaction with their lives. There are several possible explanations for why older people might be more positive than younger people. One possibility is that older people have had more time to reach a point of acceptance and understanding in life. They may also be more grateful for what they have, and less focused on what they don’t have. Additionally, older people may have developed better coping mechanisms for dealing with life’s challenges. Whatever the reasons, the evidence suggests that older people are generally more positive than younger people. This can be a valuable perspective to draw from, especially in times of difficulty or stress.

What Age is the Most Happiest?

There is no definitive answer to this question as everyone experiences happiness differently. However, a recent study by the University of Chicago found that people tend to be happiest in their early 20s. This is likely due to a combination of factors, including increased independence and decreased responsibility at this age. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule and there are plenty of people who find happiness later in life. Ultimately, it is up to everyone to decide what age they are happiest.

Are We Happier Than Our Forefathers Quotes

1. “Happiness is not a destination. It is a journey.” – Unknown 2. “The greatest happiness you can have is knowing that you do not necessarily require happiness.” – William Saroyan 3. “The happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything.” – Unknown 4. “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” – Mahatma Gandhi 5. “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” – J.R.R. Tolkien 6. “There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.” – Epictetus 7. “Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” – Abraham Lincoln 8. “The greatest happiness you can have is knowing that you do not necessarily require happiness.” – William Saroyan 9. “The happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything.” – Unknown 10. “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” – Mahatma Gandhi

10 Lines on Are We Happier Than Our Forefathers

1. Our forefathers lived in a time when the world was a much simpler place. 2. They had a strong sense of community and togetherness that we often lack today. 3. They were more in touch with nature and the natural world around them. 4. They had a greater appreciation for the simple things in life. 5. They didn’t have to contend with the same level of stress and anxiety that we do today. 6. They had more time to enjoy life and pursue their passions. 7. They weren’t bombarded with 24/7 news and media coverage of all the bad things happening in the world. 8. They didn’t have to deal with the constant pressure to be “connected” and available online at all times. 9. they didn’t have to worry about things like climate change or global warming daily. 10. Overall, our forefathers had a much simpler and happier existence than we do today.

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Are We Better Than Our Forefathers?

We are both better and worse than our forefathers. Our forefathers worked hard to achieve the simplest things, yet they were much happier. We depend on machinery to do our work, live much longer lives than our forefathers, and make use of luxuries our forefathers did not have, yet we are unhappy.

Continue reading as we discuss why our forefathers lived much more straightforward and happier lives than us, even though they worked much harder.

Related Reading: How To Meet My Dead Father (Spiritual Paths)

Why Could We Be Better Than Our Forefathers?

As the first example, you can look at communication. The distances have been wrapped up, and our world has become a global village. Secondly, when it comes to traveling, both short and longer lengths have become faster, easier, and safer than during the times of our forefathers.

Agricultural procedures have not only become almost effortless but productivity has been increased as well.

When it comes to general education, we have surpassed our forefathers greatly. We have developed a whole schooling and education system that has led to incredible advancements in medicine, technology, transport, and many other modern findings. We are much more civilized and educated than our forefathers.

We have explored the universe and reached the moon and other planets . We also explored the biggest part of the ocean that has ever been explored before.

Why Could Our Forefathers Be Better Than Us?

Moreover, our forefathers had plenty of time to spend with their friends, relatives, and family. They were emotionally attached to each other, which gave them a sense of security and fulfillment.

Related Reading: Depression in Men and Fathers

Our forefathers lived in caves, where we live in our luxurious homes. Our forefathers used to eat uncooked food, where we now have the choice to look up a recipe and cook our food on stoves inside of our homes.

Scientific advancements have provided us with so many luxuries that were not available nor even thought of throughout the lives of our forefathers.

Ou r forefathers were social beings because they helped and cared for each other . They shared meals amongst themselves, even though they were not family or related in any way to one another.

Religion is a crucial part of any human being’s life. Our forefathers were extremely faithful and firmly believed in their chosen religion, but the youth of today has been so divided with religion by being manipulated by the West’s modern ways.

When it comes to the wellbeing of our environment, our forefathers surpasses us again. Our forefathers preserved and cared for their environment by planting several trees and plants, and they used natural fertilizers that contained no harmful substances.

Additionally, there was no industrialization, which means that no cars or factories released harmful gasses that may lead to global warming, such as carbon dioxide. Today, we are suffering from respiratory diseases as well as other sicknesses because of industrialism.

If our forefathers could have seen the life that we live now, they would surely be disappointed as we are not as hardworking as they were. They worked day and night to achieve the slightest success. We depend not only on machinery to do our work but also on these machines to replace us, while reaping the benefits for ourselves.

Everything that has been stated above actively demonstrated that our ancestors were much happier than ourselves . Sufficient reason has also been provided to support each statement. We have modern problems that might require modern solutions, but we created these problems for ourselves.

In short, we may say that we are better off than our forefathers when considering the several scientific advancements and facilities that have been founded over the years. However, we are hollow and weak due to our eternal chase for materialism. We have not yet learned how to use our discoveries to benefit us emotionally as it already does physically.

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Essay on “ Are we Happier Than Our Forefathers? ” Complete Essay for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

Are we Happier Than Our Forefathers?

Are We Happier Than Indians of 2000 Years ago?

Essay No. 01

                “Happiness  depends on what you can give, not what you can get.” Mahatma Gandhi

`Turning back the pages of history to ancient times, a modern man feels wonderstruck to see the hard life of human brings a few centuries ago. Our ancestor used to live in caves, ate uncooked food or depended upon fruit and leaves, walked long distances on foot.  They could not get any clothes to cover their body and had not thought of getting shelter to hide their head.  Their standard of living was no better than that of beasts.  Like animals, they used to live in groups and fight other groups with bows, arrows and sticks for food, clothing or shelter.

But everything is destined to undergo a change in this world.  The things of the past have become outdated today.  Man used his scientific imagination, made a number of inventions and revealed the mysteries of nature.  He started controlling the forces  of nature.  With the passage of time he went on marching ahead and soon became the master of the universe.  He can now fly across the sky like a bird, swim across an ocean like a fish and communicate over long distances in no time.  Today, with modern technology, man has been able to enjoy all facilities of life.  Life is exceedingly comfortable, smooth and easy-going for him.  The word ‘impossible’ does not find a place in his dictionary.  He is able to get all the necessities of life.

A modern man enjoys himself in different ways.  He is the master of the whole universe.  When bored with his dull, mechanical routine, he has lots of means for entertainment.  He has the video-cassette recorder to entertain himself.  He has beautiful restaurants and hotels to go to.  He has melodious musical extravaganzas and dance sequences packed up in his cassettes.  His fertile creative mind had made him what his ancestors could never have thought of becoming in their entire life time.

But are we really happier than our forefathers? Definitely not.  We have gained physical comforts at the cost of moral and spiritual values.  We do not believe in God.  We do not think of our moral upliftment.  We think of our own comforts, not of others.  We are too much entrapped in the snare of money.  We are greedy, selfish, isolated, perturbed, dis-appointed and addicted to all sorts of vices.  We have so many aspirations that life is full of frustration and depression.  We have no pleasure or leisure, rest of peace, joy or contentment.

Man, today is, angry, proud, hypocritical, dishonest, insincere and tense. His life is full of frustration, agony and terror.  He has no love for life and he does not brother to heed to the teaching to the teachings of great men like Guru Nanak Dev who once said:

                            Why hast thou forgotten God?                             Anger has thou not forgotten                             Not falsehood,                             Why has thou forgotten truth?

Our ancestors enjoyed that inner joy that a modern man does not dream of having. The modern man has struck a very bad bargain.  He has earned name, fame, position, status and physical comfort at the cost of inner joy, spiritual contentment and moral values.  He has ascended the throne of God Himself.  He knows how to fly in the air but has not learnt to live gracefully on the earth like a civilized citizen.  The moral and spiritual progress is negligible as compared to the scientific progress.

Man, today, has money but he does not know the right use of it.  He used his money to buy others and make them betray their conscience or their country.  He has scientific knowledge but he is using it to create bombs, missiles and deadly armaments and this increases tension, fear and suspicion.  He want to enjoy himself at the cost of others.  He does not mind indulging in a sort of cut-throat competition.  He is as cruel, callous and unscrupulous in his ways as ever.  No doubt, he is blessed with physical comforts but he is certainly far from being really contented and happy.  The divinity in him is losing ground every day and he is becoming more and more a child of mere flesh and blood.  May be he realizes his follies only when it is too late.

                            “O ! my good lord, that comfort comes too late,                             This like a pardon after execution;                             That gentle physic, given in time had cured me,                             But now I am past all comforts here but prayers.”

Essay No. 02

Are We Happier Than Our Forefathers?

The question, ‘Are we happier than our forefathers?’ is being repeatedly asked and discussed among educated circles. This is done in context of our phenomenal advancement in science and technology. Scientific development has given us such comforts as were unimaginable in the days of our forefathers. We have conquered the forces of nature, tamed the atom, reached the moon, pierced through the space, and yet we are not happy, contented, satisfied and actually pleased.

But why? is the big question. And perhaps, it is not so easy to answer.

There is a lot of controversy over the question. Why we are unhappy in spite of our great progress in every walk of life. Because of so fast means of communication, the distances have shrunk, the world has become smaller and more united. In the field of medicine and surgery we have made wonderful discoveries leading to eradication and control of many diseases which were considered fatal by our forefathers. Machines of various kinds, shapes and sizes have almost revolutionised our life. There are machines for domestic use, machines for agriculture and farming, for office use, machines for mining and excavation, machines for recording, reproduction, etc. Then there are radio, television, electricity, space-shuttles, satellites, nuclear-powered-ships, and atomic mactors producing much needed energy. And in comparison to this life full of luxury, comfort, convenience and ease, think of the life of our forefathers, say a hundred years .ago. We are virtually in a brave new world, having a life full of all comforts, leisure and pleasure. We need not shed our sweat in work. Our life has become longer, healthier and more comfortable, but certainly not happier.

We should draw a dividing line between comforts, convenience, ease and real happiness. No doubt with the so wonderful gifts of science life has become very comfortable; the world has almost turned into a fairy land, but happiness is a state of mind. It does not lie in things of comfort and convenience. All these so-called amenities and wonders of life have made our lives artificial, hollow and devoid of real charm and delight.

Our inner and real-self is being starved and stiffed. In this world of scientific advancement, the human values such as love, affection, sentiments, sympathy, compassion, etc., have been gradually marginalised. Man has become more and more selfish. He has become too much money-minded. The world is too much with us. Of what use is the possession of the whole world, if the soul is lost? The curse of King Midas has descended on mankind. Because of gross material pursuits, spiritualism and religion are on the wane. We have no time for beauties of nature, for poetry and arts, and for culture. Science without religion and spiritualism is blind. As such, it has led us to more and more unhappiness and discontentment. The rich hurry and divided aims are the real bane of our present day life. We are going at a great speed, but do not know what is our destination. This blind race leads us to no-where  to no purpose. We have produced various types of nuclear bombs. These. monstrous weapons can destroy the whole world in no time many times over. The human race has arrived at a point where a slight mistake, a single miscalculation, a wrong move can destroy it forever. In such gloomy and devastating circumstances how can we feel happy and glad. The chances of the third World War are menacingly hovering over the horizon. Gas and bacteriological warfare has further added to the gloom and hopelessness. The misuses of scientific discoveries and inventions have turned our life into a bitter one. We feel so dehumanised and disillusioned. Is it not an irony of fate?

No doubt our forefathers had no such amenities and com-forts. They suffered from many fatal diseases, epidemics and  ignorance in matters of hygiene. They did not have schools, colleges, universities and other institutions of higher learning and professional training. They were superstitious. There were no good means of communication and entertainment. They had no control over such calamities as floods, famines, earthquakes, storms, fires, etc. But at the same time, they did not suffer from the many ills and evils of modern life. They were simple, honest, loving, charitable, compassionate, sympathetic and sensible. They possessed their soul and were ever guided by ethical, moral and human values in all their doings and thinking. And so they possessed their inner poise, calm happiness and contentment in spite of many handicaps in the realm of materialism and possession. Modern life, full of scientific gadgets and devices, has become a curse than a blessing. The ever increasing material pursuits have shaken our faith in God and ourselves at the very foundation. Sans happiness, spiritual joy and moral satisfaction, man has been drifting aimlessly, overawed by the wonderful comforts of life, in the vast sea of gross materialism and possession.

When the human values are at a stake, the very existence of mankind is uncertain, how one can be happy, contented or satisfied. Those who think that they are happier than their forefathers are really living in a fool’s paradise. The sooner they are disillusioned the better. Surely material possessions have never been a recipe for happiness. Because of this materialism our hearts no more leap up at the sight of a rainbow, the glorious sun rise or the other charms of nature. See what William Wordsworth has said: The world is too much with us; late and soon,

Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers: Little we see in Nature that is ours.

Essay No. 03

If we are to judge happiness in terms of ease of living, the answer to the question would undoubtedly be “yes” : no one can deny. Modern science has achieved so much to lighten our day-to-day jobs that if our forefathers were to return today, they would not recognize the conditions as belonging to the same planet. Man today finds everything ready for him. An electric switch moves a fan above him giving him far more comfort and coolness than the punkha of our forefathers. The motor-car of today can carry us to a far greater distance and in a much shorter time. We have not to burn the Kerosene oil or the linseed oil to read in the night; we can just switch on the light without any bad smell. There are innumerable inventions of science which have made our lives easy and happy.

But are we really happy ? Are we happy in the real sense of the term ? Are we healthier than our forefathers ? The answer to all these questions, we all feel in our hearts is ‘no’. We have become ease-loving idle persons. We do not like to do any manual work. Manual work lowers our dignity these days. We do not want to give our bodies a physical exercise. The result is that we are not healthy. We suffer from various diseases. No doubt, medicine has advanced a lot but what of that ? Do we not know the proverb of our forefathers, “Prevention is better than cure” ?

Our forefathers used to get everything pure. They had cereals. Today it seems that everything and even man is adulterated. The people have to use Dalda; they have to remain content with milk adulterated with about 60 per cent of water, condiments mixed up with so many harmful substances. As a result, the people suffer from various diseases. Did our forefathers ever hear of the complicated diseases like cancer or pleurisy?

In the olden days, when a man wanted something, he set to work upon it. When he had finished, even though the work was not very good, he had the sense of satisfaction and got the joy of a creator. This made the people’s lives adventurous. Now-a-days everybody in this world expects to have things “ready-made” for him and so the spirit of adventure has gone out of life.

But all this does not mean that we should become disappointed and discard what has been achieved so far. There are still a great many things to be made, discovered and invented. We should not forget our spiritual values. And if we continue to use our minds and hands in searching after beautiful things, the day will not be far when we will be as happy as our forefathers.

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Nice and very good one.

fantabulossssss

very nice in simple words and easy to understand.

True this is awesome and very easily to understand

Easy to understand

Just loved it😄

Good points.

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100 Words Essay On Are We Happier Than Our Forefathers In English

This is a question that is being put up by many. There are a lot of critique openings as well� to this very question. However, It can be said that life has gotten so much easier than the life of our forefathers. The technology has made it an even easier task.

This is the root cause of being ungrateful. Technology has brought rise to anxiety and depression. If material pleasures are called happiness then no doubt we are but if they happiness comes from within us then I must say that our forefathers were so much happier than we are.��

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Essay on “Are We Happier than our Forefathers?” for School, College Students, Long and Short English Essay, Speech for Class 10, Class 12, College and Competitive Exams.

Are We Happier than our Forefathers?

Essay No. 01

This is indeed a debatable point. There is no doubt that our forefathers lived close, to nature, they led simple lives and believed whole-heartedly in the scriptures and the tenets contained in them. The world was not full of materialism. There was less pollution and man breathed pure and fresh air.

However, there is much to be said about life in the present times. Medical science has progressed by leaps and bounds, and if you are sitting out there and reading this essay today, it is because of small pox and BCG vaccinations you were given as a baby. Many of the dreaded diseases of yesteryears have been eradicated from the face of the earth, and cures found for many more.

We take for granted the modern comforts of running water, electricity and fast modes of transportation, but can you imagine a life without them? When our forefathers sent a letter to anyone, it took months to reach — if at all it did. Thanks to technological advances, we have every possible convenience at our doorstep and life has become such a pleasure. Radio, newspapers and television have broadened our horizons and made the world a smaller place.

In modern times, there has been a definite improvement in the quality of life. But there are always two sides to a coin. While, on the one hand, education has rid us of superstitions and narrow-mindedness, on the other we have lost a certain old-fashioned charm, a leisurely pace of life and the ability to enjoy the simple pleasures of this world. We do, however, retain the choice of making the best of both worlds.

Essay No. 02

Are We Happier Than Our Forefathers?

This is a baffling question. The question can be answered both negatively as well as positively. In certain respects, they were happier than we are. in certain other respects, we are happier than they were. There are a number of issues involved from situation to situation, from person to person, from one time to another time, etc. If happiness is related to the standard of living, the comforts and amenities of life and the development of scientific techniques and getting work from machines have made us happier than our forefathers. The development of various channels of entertainment which were absent in the olden times has made us happier than our forefathers. On the other hand, our forefathers were nearer to nature and could invoke the blessings of God. They were amidst the ancient tradition. As such, on that score, they were happier than us. The human qualities that were prevalent in the times of our forefathers are conspicuously absent today. They were, therefore, happier and more peaceful than Hs. We can say that in certain respects we are happier than our forefathers and in certain respects, they were happier than we are.

Essay No. 03

The above remark is a puzzling one and so cannot be answered categorically. Opinion remains divided on this subject because the world of today is quite different and much improved than a century ago. If our ancestors woke up from eternal sleep, they would be wonderstruck to see the marvellous changes brought by science during this century and would really envy our life.

Our ancestors had to experience inconvenience and trouble. There were no schools and, hence, they could not receive proper instructions and remain illiterate. They were unaware of the civil and hygienic rules and the result was that they suffered from many diseases. There were no hospitals and people died premature deaths. They were a lot superstitious and went to the extent of sacrificing human beings in order to appease the deities. There were no good means of communication and conveyance. At times of calamities, the people of one region could not help those of the other.

But now science has changed everything. Electricity, the fairy child of science, has done much for the comfort of modern man. There are motor cars, aeroplanes, trains and so many other modes of conveyance. Wireless and radio have done a lot to keep the world well-informed of news. Distance means nothing these days. More and more people are getting an education these days in schools. Electricity has helped much in domestic affairs. Cooking and washing are no longer big problems. Life has become comfortable and worth living. With the invention of X-rays, many internal diseases are detected without much pain. By means of trains and aeroplanes, we can send help to famine-stricken or flooded areas.

Modern scientific implements have increased agricultural output. The world no longer suffers from shortages of any kind. People are no longer superstitious and have developed a scientific attitude towards every problem related to their lives. People have learnt the laws of hygiene life and live a longer span of life. Every possible effort is being made to bring peace and prosperity. Hence the world now is a better place to live in than it was a century ago because science has brought the kingdom of cool on earth.

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Essay on Are We Happier Than Our Forefathers?

Are We Happier Than Our Forefathers?

Are we happier than our forefathers? It is difficult to answer this question because the meaning of the word “happiness” differs from person to person and from time to time even with the same person.

No doubt, we produce and consume at present plenty of goods which our forefathers might not even have dreamt of. We have speedier means of transport and communication, a wide variety of entertainment media, an improved system of public health and hygiene, better medical facilities, better civic amenities, and greater social and political stability and security. Modern man enjoys comforts, luxuries, and pleasures that even kings and emperors of the past did not even think of.

But against all this, we have slums, pollution, organized crime, and social and political conflicts. The majority of people live in abject poverty under degrading living conditions. There is noise and congestion, hustle and bustle, hurry and worry. Life is full of stress and tension. There is a pleasure but no contentment. There is progress, but no peace of mind. In the midst of affluence, we feel a vacuum that we try to fill with more and more pleasures and excitement. But as we are totally divorced from nature, we are unable to enjoy the simple beauties of nature. We are so much engrossed in the dull and drab work that we have no time to stand and stare at the natural beauty around us. Neither do we enjoy simple things of life. The food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe are all polluted and contaminated. We are so much used to comforts and luxuries that we have become soft, pleasure-seeking people, averse to physical labor. The result is that those of us who eat rich food cannot digest it. On account of worries, tension, over-excitement, and the absence of physical labor, we do not get sound sleep at night. We do not have peace of mind which is an essential condition of happiness.

As against this, our forefathers lived a simple life. They had fewer wants which they satisfied by working hard. They had sound sleep at night. They were strong sturdy and healthy people who fully enjoyed the simple things of life. Their life was in tune with nature. They liked and enjoyed the beauties of nature. They lived contented and peaceful life.

If we think that happiness consists of material comforts, we are, no doubt, happier than our forefathers. If pleasures are called happiness, we are, indeed, happier. But if contentment and peace of mind are considered to be an essential condition of happiness, surely our forefathers were far more happy than we are.

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Essay On Are We Happier Than Our Forefathers

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To deal with this subject one e must first understand what ‘happiness’ means.

We have not to misunderstand ‘pleasure’ with ‘happiness’. A lavish life style, a rich home a big lay treated bungalow and a luxurious s car these are today as the means of ‘happiness’. We are very ‘happy’ if we have all these. But it is such a mistaken belief. All these are ‘pleasures’ and ‘comforts’ of life. Physical comforts are the mirage which give a false sense of ‘happiness’. Man has three parts of his being the physical, the mental and the spiritual. Physical comforts are the lowest in the ladder. Healthy thoughts, right behaviour give one the mental well-being. Serving others, being good to 8.15 people, gives one an miner solace and satisfaction – that is a spiritual well being.

So here lies the difference between ‘pleasure’ and ‘happiness’. To have a lot of eat and drink is all enjoying the pleasures of life.

A hermit living in a hut may have so much of selfsatisfaction. He serves people who go to him with words of high thoughts and advice on worthy living. He is a man in rags, eats whatever he gets as charity, still he is ‘happy’. He does not have the ‘pleasures’ of life but he has the ‘happiness’ of his mind and soul.

We today have everything at our command, Science is at our beck and call. We have all the comforts of life which our ancestors never could even dream of. Means of transport, means of communication, means of entertainment Cinema, T.V. with so many channels – phones, E-mails, Fax, Internet what not. Still if you ask even the richest of men if he is really ‘happy’, he may just shake his head to show ‘no, not that’. There are worries, there are anxieties, there is no sense of satisfaction or contentment.

Men of the past had little but they lived all in a joint family serving each other, one another in their needs – sharing whatever they could produce or earn. They lived a life of frugality but contentment. They worked hard and could have a sound sleep at night. The home housed cousins, brothers, uncles, aunts all under one roof. Now there are two room cubicles in large busy towns space even for parents to come and stay. There had been an affectionate bond binding all in the past; there is a distance now even among the brothers. ‘What is this life so full of care’ is what can be said of today’s living.

Happiness comes from within. It is a sense if contentment which comes from the core of the heart. There is a couplet in Hindi which when translated says

‘All the wealth cows, elephant, horses and all the jewels their treasure.

Nothing equals contentment everything turns meaningless in measure.’

It is this contentment which is the basis of ‘Happiness’ and it is this that lacks in today’s life while that was there is the past. That tilts the balance of ‘Happiness’ in favour of our anscestors.

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Write a composition (in approximately 450-500 words) on the following subjects: “We are happier than our forefathers.” Express your views on the given statement.

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• How to write an argumentative essay | Examples & tips

How to Write an Argumentative Essay | Examples & Tips

Published on July 24, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

An argumentative essay expresses an extended argument for a particular thesis statement . The author takes a clearly defined stance on their subject and builds up an evidence-based case for it.

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Table of contents

When do you write an argumentative essay, approaches to argumentative essays, introducing your argument, the body: developing your argument, concluding your argument, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about argumentative essays.

You might be assigned an argumentative essay as a writing exercise in high school or in a composition class. The prompt will often ask you to argue for one of two positions, and may include terms like “argue” or “argument.” It will frequently take the form of a question.

The prompt may also be more open-ended in terms of the possible arguments you could make.

Argumentative writing at college level

At university, the vast majority of essays or papers you write will involve some form of argumentation. For example, both rhetorical analysis and literary analysis essays involve making arguments about texts.

In this context, you won’t necessarily be told to write an argumentative essay—but making an evidence-based argument is an essential goal of most academic writing, and this should be your default approach unless you’re told otherwise.

Examples of argumentative essay prompts

At a university level, all the prompts below imply an argumentative essay as the appropriate response.

Your research should lead you to develop a specific position on the topic. The essay then argues for that position and aims to convince the reader by presenting your evidence, evaluation and analysis.

• Don’t just list all the effects you can think of.
• Do develop a focused argument about the overall effect and why it matters, backed up by evidence from sources.
• Don’t just provide a selection of data on the measures’ effectiveness.
• Do build up your own argument about which kinds of measures have been most or least effective, and why.
• Don’t just analyze a random selection of doppelgänger characters.
• Do form an argument about specific texts, comparing and contrasting how they express their thematic concerns through doppelgänger characters.

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An argumentative essay should be objective in its approach; your arguments should rely on logic and evidence, not on exaggeration or appeals to emotion.

There are many possible approaches to argumentative essays, but there are two common models that can help you start outlining your arguments: The Toulmin model and the Rogerian model.

Toulmin arguments

The Toulmin model consists of four steps, which may be repeated as many times as necessary for the argument:

• Make a claim
• Provide the grounds (evidence) for the claim
• Explain the warrant (how the grounds support the claim)
• Discuss possible rebuttals to the claim, identifying the limits of the argument and showing that you have considered alternative perspectives

The Toulmin model is a common approach in academic essays. You don’t have to use these specific terms (grounds, warrants, rebuttals), but establishing a clear connection between your claims and the evidence supporting them is crucial in an argumentative essay.

Say you’re making an argument about the effectiveness of workplace anti-discrimination measures. You might:

• Claim that unconscious bias training does not have the desired results, and resources would be better spent on other approaches
• Cite data to support your claim
• Explain how the data indicates that the method is ineffective
• Anticipate objections to your claim based on other data, indicating whether these objections are valid, and if not, why not.

Rogerian arguments

The Rogerian model also consists of four steps you might repeat throughout your essay:

• Discuss what the opposing position gets right and why people might hold this position
• Highlight the problems with this position
• Present your own position , showing how it addresses these problems
• Suggest a possible compromise —what elements of your position would proponents of the opposing position benefit from adopting?

This model builds up a clear picture of both sides of an argument and seeks a compromise. It is particularly useful when people tend to disagree strongly on the issue discussed, allowing you to approach opposing arguments in good faith.

Say you want to argue that the internet has had a positive impact on education. You might:

• Acknowledge that students rely too much on websites like Wikipedia
• Argue that teachers view Wikipedia as more unreliable than it really is
• Suggest that Wikipedia’s system of citations can actually teach students about referencing
• Suggest critical engagement with Wikipedia as a possible assignment for teachers who are skeptical of its usefulness.

You don’t necessarily have to pick one of these models—you may even use elements of both in different parts of your essay—but it’s worth considering them if you struggle to structure your arguments.

Regardless of which approach you take, your essay should always be structured using an introduction , a body , and a conclusion .

Like other academic essays, an argumentative essay begins with an introduction . The introduction serves to capture the reader’s interest, provide background information, present your thesis statement , and (in longer essays) to summarize the structure of the body.

Hover over different parts of the example below to see how a typical introduction works.

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts is on the rise, and its role in learning is hotly debated. For many teachers who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its critical benefits for students and educators—as a uniquely comprehensive and accessible information source; a means of exposure to and engagement with different perspectives; and a highly flexible learning environment.

The body of an argumentative essay is where you develop your arguments in detail. Here you’ll present evidence, analysis, and reasoning to convince the reader that your thesis statement is true.

In the standard five-paragraph format for short essays, the body takes up three of your five paragraphs. In longer essays, it will be more paragraphs, and might be divided into sections with headings.

Each paragraph covers its own topic, introduced with a topic sentence . Each of these topics must contribute to your overall argument; don’t include irrelevant information.

This example paragraph takes a Rogerian approach: It first acknowledges the merits of the opposing position and then highlights problems with that position.

Hover over different parts of the example to see how a body paragraph is constructed.

A common frustration for teachers is students’ use of Wikipedia as a source in their writing. Its prevalence among students is not exaggerated; a survey found that the vast majority of the students surveyed used Wikipedia (Head & Eisenberg, 2010). An article in The Guardian stresses a common objection to its use: “a reliance on Wikipedia can discourage students from engaging with genuine academic writing” (Coomer, 2013). Teachers are clearly not mistaken in viewing Wikipedia usage as ubiquitous among their students; but the claim that it discourages engagement with academic sources requires further investigation. This point is treated as self-evident by many teachers, but Wikipedia itself explicitly encourages students to look into other sources. Its articles often provide references to academic publications and include warning notes where citations are missing; the site’s own guidelines for research make clear that it should be used as a starting point, emphasizing that users should always “read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says” (“Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia,” 2020). Indeed, for many students, Wikipedia is their first encounter with the concepts of citation and referencing. The use of Wikipedia therefore has a positive side that merits deeper consideration than it often receives.

An argumentative essay ends with a conclusion that summarizes and reflects on the arguments made in the body.

No new arguments or evidence appear here, but in longer essays you may discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your argument and suggest topics for future research. In all conclusions, you should stress the relevance and importance of your argument.

Hover over the following example to see the typical elements of a conclusion.

The internet has had a major positive impact on the world of education; occasional pitfalls aside, its value is evident in numerous applications. The future of teaching lies in the possibilities the internet opens up for communication, research, and interactivity. As the popularity of distance learning shows, students value the flexibility and accessibility offered by digital education, and educators should fully embrace these advantages. The internet’s dangers, real and imaginary, have been documented exhaustively by skeptics, but the internet is here to stay; it is time to focus seriously on its potential for good.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based way.

An expository essay also aims to be objective, but it doesn’t have to make an original argument. Rather, it aims to explain something (e.g., a process or idea) in a clear, concise way. Expository essays are often shorter assignments and rely less on research.

At college level, you must properly cite your sources in all essays , research papers , and other academic texts (except exams and in-class exercises).

Add a citation whenever you quote , paraphrase , or summarize information or ideas from a source. You should also give full source details in a bibliography or reference list at the end of your text.

The exact format of your citations depends on which citation style you are instructed to use. The most common styles are APA , MLA , and Chicago .

The majority of the essays written at university are some sort of argumentative essay . Unless otherwise specified, you can assume that the goal of any essay you’re asked to write is argumentative: To convince the reader of your position using evidence and reasoning.

In composition classes you might be given assignments that specifically test your ability to write an argumentative essay. Look out for prompts including instructions like “argue,” “assess,” or “discuss” to see if this is the goal.

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673 Words Essay on Are We Happier Than Our Forefathers

It can’t be denied that the world has progressed in all spheres of life by leaps and bounds. Our life, these days, is certainly more comfortable than that of our forefathers . And yet, the question is we happier than them? A comparison the life at the time of our forefathers and the life as it is lived today will, undoubtedly, raise the mystery-curtain.

In the by-gone days, our forefathers had to travel on foot for long distances, or used the bullock-carts for this purpose; therefore, communication and personal contact between People of different villages was very limited. But now the situation is absolutely changed. Today, we have the most sophisticated means of transport and communication.

We can travel long distances not only on land by means of a motor car or a bus but over the sea in ships and through the air in aeroplanes. The barriers of distance, high mountains or long stretches of deep water, have lost their importance. We can converse with our friends and relatives anywhere in the world using telephone, telegraph, fax, e-mail, or internet.

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We have strong, sturdy, comfortable houses in which we live in, whereas, our ancestors lived in mud houses, which were, of course, naturally, warm in winter and cool in summer. However, they were airless and far less comfortable than modern houses. They also tended to collapse and dissolve during the rainy season.

We have amenities like the refrigerator to preserve and cool perishable food stuffs. We have all kinds of electrical gadgets to help us swiftly complete our work with ease and speed. The washing machine, the dish washer, the vacuum cleaner, the mixer-grinder, the micro-wave oven and so on have all been designed to help the housewife complete her work in the shortest possible time. Our ancestors could not even dream of such highly useful appliances.

And to keep us joyfully busy during our leisure-time, we have the television and video to entertain us, if we do not have inclination to go to a cinema show. We can pursue hobbies, like photography, which again was unknown to our ancestors.

The highly sophisticated inventions at our disposal today would seem like miracles to our forefathers. The progress & medicine has increased our life-span and conquered the most devastating diseases like smallpox, cholera, polio and tuberculosis, which were considered fatal in earlier times.

We have the most remarkable machinery such as the CAT scan, electro cardio-gram and so on to check-up the organs of the human body. The x-ray gives an accurate photograph of any internal part of the body. Progress in technology has given us the best of roads, bridges, cars, buses, trains, aeroplanes and contributed a lot to the industrial development. All this was missing in ancient times.

Our entire life-style has undergone a complete transformation. Even the position of women is very different now. They are no longer confined to the four walls of the home but work shoulder to shoulder with men. Art and culture are now highly developed. In fact, no aspect of life has remained untouched these days by modernization.

But the tragedy is that in spite of all this progress, happiness and contentment are still eluding us. We have lost peace of the mind, contentment and tranquility that was the hall-mark of life of our ancestors. They had to labour for their food and shelter. They had to endure the hardships brought on by unpredictable, hard weather conditions but managed it all beautifully.

They had never seen the modern world of today, yet they were content with the little that they had. They thanked God for the bread they ate only with an onion or a green chili, and the shelter they had over their heads. Not for them was the selfish, capitalist rat-race of making money. Today, we have everything that life can offer, but the world:

“Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light

Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help from pain.”

Our ancestors were indeed, far happier than we are in the present-day world.

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• ARE WE HAPPIER THAN OUR FOREFATHERS

Modern civilization has advanced by leaps and bouds. We ahve progress in every sphere of life, and our life is certainly more comfortable than that of our forefathers. And yet, are we happier than them? a comparison of the life in the time of our ancestors and life as it is lived today should help us arrive at an answer to this question.

Our forefathers had to travel on foot for long distances, or they used the bullock cart for this purpose. Therefore, communication and intercourse between people of different villages was very limited. Today, we have the most sophisticated modes of transport and communication. We can travel long distances not only on land by means of motorcar and bus but over the sea in ships and through the air in aeroplanes. There is no limit to where we can travel. We can communicate with people anywhere in the world by virtue of the telephone, and now via Internet.

We have strong sturdy houses in which we live in comfort, where as our ancestors lived in mud houses, which were of course naturally warm in winter and cool in summer. However, they tended to crumble and dissolve druing the rainy season. We have amenities like refrigerator to preserve and cool perishable foodstuffs. We have all kinds of electrical gadgets to help us swiftly complete our work with the least labour. But, our forefathers could not even have dreamt of such machines. Now-a-days, we ahve different means of occupying our leisure hours. We have television and video to entertain us. We can engage in hobbies like photography, which again was unknown to our ancestors.

The progress in medicine, which has increased our life span and conquered most of the dreadful diseases like small pox, cholera and TB, which were fatal in earlier days. Also progress in technology has given us the best roads and bridges, aeroplanes which are contributed to industrial development. All these were absent in ancient times.

Our entire life style has undergone a sea change. The position of women is very different now. They are no longer confined to four walls of the hoe but work shoulder to shoulder with men. Art and culture is all now highly developed. In fact, there no sphere of life, which has remained, untouched by modernization.

And yet, with all this progress, which has made life more, comfortable and secure, are we happier than our forefathers? The answer is no; for we have lost the pease of mind, the content and tranquility that was the hall mark of the life of our ancesters. They had none of the tensions of twentyfirst century life and therefore none of the high stress medical problems of today. Today we have everything that life can offer, but neither do we have joy, love, certitude, peace nor help from pain. Our ancestors had nothing in comparison, but strength derived from faith in God. Thus, they were happier than we are in the present day.

No, I think that we are not became happy than our forefather. Technology is advanced day by day. Our life became very nuclear. Our life is bounded in virtual friendship world. We don't have time to go out with friends. What we do when we want to talk with friends? we do whatsapp, chat in message. In the time of our grandparents the life may be not easy, not might be as digital as now but the real happiness was their what comes when you be with ur family and friends.

Though we are enjoying a great comfort now in our living but the basic requirement of our lives is still missing. That is peace and self satisfaction. Even after paying an arm and a leg for particular items, we still fail to feel halcyon. we now have houses with A.C.s, well furnished goods and furnitures but still we are unable to find peace in our hearts instead we keep on running for gaining more.i accept that our forefathers had to walk miles for their works but that also helps them keep fit and healthy. they didn't call it encumbrance.they were happier because they used to receive a tight sleep. They used to believe in harmony and finds their strength in the same, we on the other hand fails to manage the same. we don't even have time for our families. In the end, i would like to conclude that advancements in technologies alone would not help us in living our lives happier.

We are very happy in this time.our forefathers had to travel on foot for long. To travel on foot for long distances, or they used the bullock cart for this purpose.

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How to Write an A+ Argumentative Essay

Miscellaneous

You'll no doubt have to write a number of argumentative essays in both high school and college, but what, exactly, is an argumentative essay and how do you write the best one possible? Let's take a look.

A great argumentative essay always combines the same basic elements: approaching an argument from a rational perspective, researching sources, supporting your claims using facts rather than opinion, and articulating your reasoning into the most cogent and reasoned points. Argumentative essays are great building blocks for all sorts of research and rhetoric, so your teachers will expect you to master the technique before long.

But if this sounds daunting, never fear! We'll show how an argumentative essay differs from other kinds of papers, how to research and write them, how to pick an argumentative essay topic, and where to find example essays. So let's get started.

What Is an Argumentative Essay? How Is it Different from Other Kinds of Essays?

There are two basic requirements for any and all essays: to state a claim (a thesis statement) and to support that claim with evidence.

Though every essay is founded on these two ideas, there are several different types of essays, differentiated by the style of the writing, how the writer presents the thesis, and the types of evidence used to support the thesis statement.

Essays can be roughly divided into four different types:

#1: Argumentative #2: Persuasive #3: Expository #4: Analytical

So let's look at each type and what the differences are between them before we focus the rest of our time to argumentative essays.

Argumentative Essay

Argumentative essays are what this article is all about, so let's talk about them first.

An argumentative essay attempts to convince a reader to agree with a particular argument (the writer's thesis statement). The writer takes a firm stand one way or another on a topic and then uses hard evidence to support that stance.

An argumentative essay seeks to prove to the reader that one argument —the writer's argument— is the factually and logically correct one. This means that an argumentative essay must use only evidence-based support to back up a claim , rather than emotional or philosophical reasoning (which is often allowed in other types of essays). Thus, an argumentative essay has a burden of substantiated proof and sources , whereas some other types of essays (namely persuasive essays) do not.

You can write an argumentative essay on any topic, so long as there's room for argument. Generally, you can use the same topics for both a persuasive essay or an argumentative one, so long as you support the argumentative essay with hard evidence.

Example topics of an argumentative essay:

• "Should farmers be allowed to shoot wolves if those wolves injure or kill farm animals?"
• "Should the drinking age be lowered in the United States?"
• "Are alternatives to democracy effective and/or feasible to implement?"

The next three types of essays are not argumentative essays, but you may have written them in school. We're going to cover them so you know what not to do for your argumentative essay.

Persuasive Essay

Persuasive essays are similar to argumentative essays, so it can be easy to get them confused. But knowing what makes an argumentative essay different than a persuasive essay can often mean the difference between an excellent grade and an average one.

Persuasive essays seek to persuade a reader to agree with the point of view of the writer, whether that point of view is based on factual evidence or not. The writer has much more flexibility in the evidence they can use, with the ability to use moral, cultural, or opinion-based reasoning as well as factual reasoning to persuade the reader to agree the writer's side of a given issue.

Instead of being forced to use "pure" reason as one would in an argumentative essay, the writer of a persuasive essay can manipulate or appeal to the reader's emotions. So long as the writer attempts to steer the readers into agreeing with the thesis statement, the writer doesn't necessarily need hard evidence in favor of the argument.

Often, you can use the same topics for both a persuasive essay or an argumentative one—the difference is all in the approach and the evidence you present.

Example topics of a persuasive essay:

• "Should children be responsible for their parents' debts?"
• "Should cheating on a test be automatic grounds for expulsion?"
• "How much should sports leagues be held accountable for player injuries and the long-term consequences of those injuries?"

Expository Essay

An expository essay is typically a short essay in which the writer explains an idea, issue, or theme , or discusses the history of a person, place, or idea.

This is typically a fact-forward essay with little argument or opinion one way or the other.

Example topics of an expository essay:

• "The History of the Philadelphia Liberty Bell"
• "The Reasons I Always Wanted to be a Doctor"
• "The Meaning Behind the Colloquialism ‘People in Glass Houses Shouldn't Throw Stones'"

Analytical Essay

An analytical essay seeks to delve into the deeper meaning of a text or work of art, or unpack a complicated idea . These kinds of essays closely interpret a source and look into its meaning by analyzing it at both a macro and micro level.

This type of analysis can be augmented by historical context or other expert or widely-regarded opinions on the subject, but is mainly supported directly through the original source (the piece or art or text being analyzed) .

Example topics of an analytical essay:

• "Victory Gin in Place of Water: The Symbolism Behind Gin as the Only Potable Substance in George Orwell's 1984"
• "Amarna Period Art: The Meaning Behind the Shift from Rigid to Fluid Poses"
• "Adultery During WWII, as Told Through a Series of Letters to and from Soldiers"

There are many different types of essay and, over time, you'll be able to master them all.

A Typical Argumentative Essay Assignment

The average argumentative essay is between three to five pages, and will require at least three or four separate sources with which to back your claims . As for the essay topic , you'll most often be asked to write an argumentative essay in an English class on a "general" topic of your choice, ranging the gamut from science, to history, to literature.

But while the topics of an argumentative essay can span several different fields, the structure of an argumentative essay is always the same: you must support a claim—a claim that can reasonably have multiple sides—using multiple sources and using a standard essay format (which we'll talk about later on).

This is why many argumentative essay topics begin with the word "should," as in:

• "Should all students be required to learn chemistry in high school?"
• "Should children be required to learn a second language?"
• "Should schools or governments be allowed to ban books?"

These topics all have at least two sides of the argument: Yes or no. And you must support the side you choose with evidence as to why your side is the correct one.

But there are also plenty of other ways to frame an argumentative essay as well:

• "Does using social media do more to benefit or harm people?"
• "Does the legal status of artwork or its creators—graffiti and vandalism, pirated media, a creator who's in jail—have an impact on the art itself?"
• "Is or should anyone ever be ‘above the law?'"

Though these are worded differently than the first three, you're still essentially forced to pick between two sides of an issue: yes or no, for or against, benefit or detriment. Though your argument might not fall entirely into one side of the divide or another—for instance, you could claim that social media has positively impacted some aspects of modern life while being a detriment to others—your essay should still support one side of the argument above all. Your final stance would be that overall , social media is beneficial or overall , social media is harmful.

If your argument is one that is mostly text-based or backed by a single source (e.g., "How does Salinger show that Holden Caulfield is an unreliable narrator?" or "Does Gatsby personify the American Dream?"), then it's an analytical essay, rather than an argumentative essay. An argumentative essay will always be focused on more general topics so that you can use multiple sources to back up your claims.

Good Argumentative Essay Topics

So you know the basic idea behind an argumentative essay, but what topic should you write about?

Again, almost always, you'll be asked to write an argumentative essay on a free topic of your choice, or you'll be asked to select between a few given topics . If you're given complete free reign of topics, then it'll be up to you to find an essay topic that no only appeals to you, but that you can turn into an A+ argumentative essay.

What makes a "good" argumentative essay topic depends on both the subject matter and your personal interest —it can be hard to give your best effort on something that bores you to tears! But it can also be near impossible to write an argumentative essay on a topic that has no room for debate.

As we said earlier, a good argumentative essay topic will be one that has the potential to reasonably go in at least two directions—for or against, yes or no, and why . For example, it's pretty hard to write an argumentative essay on whether or not people should be allowed to murder one another—not a whole lot of debate there for most people!—but writing an essay for or against the death penalty has a lot more wiggle room for evidence and argument.

A good topic is also one that can be substantiated through hard evidence and relevant sources . So be sure to pick a topic that other people have studied (or at least studied elements of) so that you can use their data in your argument. For example, if you're arguing that it should be mandatory for all middle school children to play a sport, you might have to apply smaller scientific data points to the larger picture you're trying to justify. There are probably several studies you could cite on the benefits of physical activity and the positive effect structure and teamwork has on young minds, but there's probably no study you could use where a group of scientists put all middle-schoolers in one jurisdiction into a mandatory sports program (since that's probably never happened). So long as your evidence is relevant to your point and you can extrapolate from it to form a larger whole, you can use it as a part of your resource material.

And if you need ideas on where to get started, or just want to see sample argumentative essay topics, then check out these links for hundreds of potential argumentative essay topics.

101 Persuasive (or Argumentative) Essay and Speech Topics

301 Prompts for Argumentative Writing

Top 50 Ideas for Argumentative/Persuasive Essay Writing

[Note: some of these say "persuasive essay topics," but just remember that the same topic can often be used for both a persuasive essay and an argumentative essay; the difference is in your writing style and the evidence you use to support your claims.]

KO! Find that one argumentative essay topic you can absolutely conquer.

Argumentative Essay Format

Argumentative Essays are composed of four main elements:

• A position (your argument)
• Your reasons
• Supporting evidence for those reasons (from reliable sources)
• Counterargument(s) (possible opposing arguments and reasons why those arguments are incorrect)

If you're familiar with essay writing in general, then you're also probably familiar with the five paragraph essay structure . This structure is a simple tool to show how one outlines an essay and breaks it down into its component parts, although it can be expanded into as many paragraphs as you want beyond the core five.

The standard argumentative essay is often 3-5 pages, which will usually mean a lot more than five paragraphs, but your overall structure will look the same as a much shorter essay.

An argumentative essay at its simplest structure will look like:

Paragraph 1: Intro

• Set up the story/problem/issue
• Thesis/claim

Paragraph 2: Support

• Reason #1 claim is correct
• Supporting evidence with sources

Paragraph 3: Support

• Reason #2 claim is correct

Paragraph 4: Counterargument

• Explanation of argument for the other side
• Refutation of opposing argument with supporting evidence

Paragraph 5: Conclusion

• Re-state claim
• Sum up reasons and support of claim from the essay to prove claim is correct

Now let's unpack each of these paragraph types to see how they work (with examples!), what goes into them, and why.

Paragraph 1—Set Up and Claim

Your first task is to introduce the reader to the topic at hand so they'll be prepared for your claim. Give a little background information, set the scene, and give the reader some stakes so that they care about the issue you're going to discuss.

Next, you absolutely must have a position on an argument and make that position clear to the readers. It's not an argumentative essay unless you're arguing for a specific claim, and this claim will be your thesis statement.

Your thesis CANNOT be a mere statement of fact (e.g., "Washington DC is the capital of the United States"). Your thesis must instead be an opinion which can be backed up with evidence and has the potential to be argued against (e.g., "New York should be the capital of the United States").

Paragraphs 2 and 3—Your Evidence

These are your body paragraphs in which you give the reasons why your argument is the best one and back up this reasoning with concrete evidence .

The argument supporting the thesis of an argumentative essay should be one that can be supported by facts and evidence, rather than personal opinion or cultural or religious mores.

For example, if you're arguing that New York should be the new capital of the US, you would have to back up that fact by discussing the factual contrasts between New York and DC in terms of location, population, revenue, and laws. You would then have to talk about the precedents for what makes for a good capital city and why New York fits the bill more than DC does.

Your argument can't simply be that a lot of people think New York is the best city ever and that you agree.

In addition to using concrete evidence, you always want to keep the tone of your essay passionate, but impersonal . Even though you're writing your argument from a single opinion, don't use first person language—"I think," "I feel," "I believe,"—to present your claims. Doing so is repetitive, since by writing the essay you're already telling the audience what you feel, and using first person language weakens your writing voice.

For example,

"I think that Washington DC is no longer suited to be the capital city of the United States."

"Washington DC is no longer suited to be the capital city of the United States."

The second statement sounds far stronger and more analytical.

Paragraph 4—Argument for the Other Side and Refutation

Even without a counter argument, you can make a pretty persuasive claim, but a counterargument will round out your essay into one that is much more persuasive and substantial.

By anticipating an argument against your claim and taking the initiative to counter it, you're allowing yourself to get ahead of the game. This way, you show that you've given great thought to all sides of the issue before choosing your position, and you demonstrate in multiple ways how yours is the more reasoned and supported side.

Paragraph 5—Conclusion

This paragraph is where you re-state your argument and summarize why it's the best claim.

Briefly touch on your supporting evidence and voila! A finished argumentative essay.

Your essay should have just as awesome a skeleton as this plesiosaur does. (In other words: a ridiculously awesome skeleton)

Argumentative Essay Example: 5-Paragraph Style

It always helps to have an example to learn from. I've written a full 5-paragraph argumentative essay here. Look at how I state my thesis in paragraph 1, give supporting evidence in paragraphs 2 and 3, address a counterargument in paragraph 4, and conclude in paragraph 5.

Topic: Is it possible to maintain conflicting loyalties?

Paragraph 1

It is almost impossible to go through life without encountering a situation where your loyalties to different people or causes come into conflict with each other. Maybe you have a loving relationship with your sister, but she disagrees with your decision to join the army, or you find yourself torn between your cultural beliefs and your scientific ones. These conflicting loyalties can often be maintained for a time, but as examples from both history and psychological theory illustrate, sooner or later, people have to make a choice between competing loyalties, as no one can maintain a conflicting loyalty or belief system forever.

The first two sentences set the scene and give some hypothetical examples and stakes for the reader to care about.

The third sentence finishes off the intro with the thesis statement, making very clear how the author stands on the issue ("people have to make a choice between competing loyalties, as no one can maintain a conflicting loyalty or belief system forever." )

Paragraphs 2 and 3

Psychological theory states that human beings are not equipped to maintain conflicting loyalties indefinitely and that attempting to do so leads to a state called "cognitive dissonance." Cognitive dissonance theory is the psychological idea that people undergo tremendous mental stress or anxiety when holding contradictory beliefs, values, or loyalties (Festinger, 1957). Even if human beings initially hold a conflicting loyalty, they will do their best to find a mental equilibrium by making a choice between those loyalties—stay stalwart to a belief system or change their beliefs. One of the earliest formal examples of cognitive dissonance theory comes from Leon Festinger's When Prophesy Fails . Members of an apocalyptic cult are told that the end of the world will occur on a specific date and that they alone will be spared the Earth's destruction. When that day comes and goes with no apocalypse, the cult members face a cognitive dissonance between what they see and what they've been led to believe (Festinger, 1956). Some choose to believe that the cult's beliefs are still correct, but that the Earth was simply spared from destruction by mercy, while others choose to believe that they were lied to and that the cult was fraudulent all along. Both beliefs cannot be correct at the same time, and so the cult members are forced to make their choice.

But even when conflicting loyalties can lead to potentially physical, rather than just mental, consequences, people will always make a choice to fall on one side or other of a dividing line. Take, for instance, Nicolaus Copernicus, a man born and raised in Catholic Poland (and educated in Catholic Italy). Though the Catholic church dictated specific scientific teachings, Copernicus' loyalty to his own observations and scientific evidence won out over his loyalty to his country's government and belief system. When he published his heliocentric model of the solar system--in opposition to the geocentric model that had been widely accepted for hundreds of years (Hannam, 2011)-- Copernicus was making a choice between his loyalties. In an attempt t o maintain his fealty both to the established system and to what he believed, h e sat on his findings for a number of years (Fantoli, 1994). But, ultimately, Copernicus made the choice to side with his beliefs and observations above all and published his work for the world to see (even though, in doing so, he risked both his reputation and personal freedoms).

These two paragraphs provide the reasons why the author supports the main argument and uses substantiated sources to back those reasons.

The paragraph on cognitive dissonance theory gives both broad supporting evidence and more narrow, detailed supporting evidence to show why the thesis statement is correct not just anecdotally but also scientifically and psychologically. First, we see why people in general have a difficult time accepting conflicting loyalties and desires and then how this applies to individuals through the example of the cult members from the Dr. Festinger's research.

The next paragraph continues to use more detailed examples from history to provide further evidence of why the thesis that people cannot indefinitely maintain conflicting loyalties is true.

Paragraph 4

Some will claim that it is possible to maintain conflicting beliefs or loyalties permanently, but this is often more a matter of people deluding themselves and still making a choice for one side or the other, rather than truly maintaining loyalty to both sides equally. For example, Lancelot du Lac typifies a person who claims to maintain a balanced loyalty between to two parties, but his attempt to do so fails (as all attempts to permanently maintain conflicting loyalties must). Lancelot tells himself and others that he is equally devoted to both King Arthur and his court and to being Queen Guinevere's knight (Malory, 2008). But he can neither be in two places at once to protect both the king and queen, nor can he help but let his romantic feelings for the queen to interfere with his duties to the king and the kingdom. Ultimately, he and Queen Guinevere give into their feelings for one another and Lancelot—though he denies it—chooses his loyalty to her over his loyalty to Arthur. This decision plunges the kingdom into a civil war, ages Lancelot prematurely, and ultimately leads to Camelot's ruin (Raabe, 1987). Though Lancelot claimed to have been loyal to both the king and the queen, this loyalty was ultimately in conflict, and he could not maintain it.

Here we have the acknowledgement of a potential counter-argument and the evidence as to why it isn't true.

The argument is that some people (or literary characters) have asserted that they give equal weight to their conflicting loyalties. The refutation is that, though some may claim to be able to maintain conflicting loyalties, they're either lying to others or deceiving themselves. The paragraph shows why this is true by providing an example of this in action.

Paragraph 5

Whether it be through literature or history, time and time again, people demonstrate the challenges of trying to manage conflicting loyalties and the inevitable consequences of doing so. Though belief systems are malleable and will often change over time, it is not possible to maintain two mutually exclusive loyalties or beliefs at once. In the end, people always make a choice, and loyalty for one party or one side of an issue will always trump loyalty to the other.

The concluding paragraph summarizes the essay, touches on the evidence presented, and re-states the thesis statement.

How to Write an Argumentative Essay: 8 Steps

Writing the best argumentative essay is all about the preparation, so let's talk steps:

#1: Preliminary Research

If you have the option to pick your own argumentative essay topic (which you most likely will), then choose one or two topics you find the most intriguing or that you have a vested interest in and do some preliminary research on both sides of the debate.

Do an open internet search just to see what the general chatter is on the topic and what the research trends are.

Did your preliminary reading influence you to pick a side or change your side? Without diving into all the scholarly articles at length, do you believe there's enough evidence to support your claim? Have there been scientific studies? Experiments? Does a noted scholar in the field agree with you? If not, you may need to pick another topic or side of the argument to support.

#2: Pick Your Side and Form Your Thesis

Now's the time to pick the side of the argument you feel you can support the best and summarize your main point into your thesis statement.

Your thesis will be the basis of your entire essay, so make sure you know which side you're on, that you've stated it clearly, and that you stick by your argument throughout the entire essay .

#3: Heavy-Duty Research Time

You've taken a gander at what the internet at large has to say on your argument, but now's the time to actually read those sources and take notes.

Check scholarly journals online at Google Scholar , the Directory of Open Access Journals , or JStor . You can also search individual university or school libraries and websites to see what kinds of academic articles you can access for free. Keep track of your important quotes and page numbers and put them somewhere that's easy to find later.

And don't forget to check your school or local libraries as well!

#4: Outline

Follow the five-paragraph outline structure from the previous section.

Fill in your topic, your reasons, and your supporting evidence into each of the categories.

Before you begin to flesh out the essay, take a look at what you've got. Is your thesis statement in the first paragraph? Is it clear? Is your argument logical? Does your supporting evidence support your reasoning?

By outlining your essay, you streamline your process and take care of any logic gaps before you dive headfirst into the writing. This will save you a lot of grief later on if you need to change your sources or your structure, so don't get too trigger-happy and skip this step.

Now that you've laid out exactly what you'll need for your essay and where, it's time to fill in all the gaps by writing it out.

Take it one step at a time and expand your ideas into complete sentences and substantiated claims. It may feel daunting to turn an outline into a complete draft, but just remember that you've already laid out all the groundwork; now you're just filling in the gaps.

If you have the time before deadline, give yourself a day or two (or even just an hour!) away from your essay . Looking it over with fresh eyes will allow you to see errors, both minor and major, that you likely would have missed had you tried to edit when it was still raw.

Take a first pass over the entire essay and try your best to ignore any minor spelling or grammar mistakes—you're just looking at the big picture right now. Does it make sense as a whole? Did the essay succeed in making an argument and backing that argument up logically? (Do you feel persuaded?)

If not, go back and make notes so that you can fix it for your final draft.

Once you've made your revisions to the overall structure, mark all your small errors and grammar problems so you can fix them in the next draft.

#7: Final Draft

Use the notes you made on the rough draft and go in and hack and smooth away until you're satisfied with the final result.

A checklist for your final draft:

• Formatting is correct according to your teacher's standards
• No errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation
• Essay is the right length and size for the assignment
• The argument is present, consistent, and concise
• Each reason is supported by relevant evidence
• The essay makes sense overall

#8: Celebrate!

Once you've brought that final draft to a perfect polish and turned in your assignment, you're done! Go you!

Be prepared and ♪ you'll never go hungry again ♪, *cough*, or struggle with your argumentative essay-writing again. (Walt Disney Studios)

Good Examples of Argumentative Essays Online

Theory is all well and good, but examples are key. Just to get you started on what a fully-fleshed out argumentative essay looks like, let's see some examples in action.

Check out these two argumentative essay examples on the use of landmines and freons (and note the excellent use of concrete sources to back up their arguments!).

The Use of Landmines

A Shattered Sky

The Take-Aways: Keys to Writing an Argumentative Essay

At first, writing an argumentative essay may seem like a monstrous hurdle to overcome, but with the proper preparation and understanding, you'll be able to knock yours out of the park.

Remember the differences between a persuasive essay and an argumentative one, make sure your thesis is clear, and double-check that your supporting evidence is both relevant to your point and well-sourced . Pick your topic, do your research, make your outline, and fill in the gaps. Before you know it, you'll have yourself an A+ argumentative essay there, my friend.

What's Next?

Now you know the ins and outs of an argumentative essay, but how comfortable are you writing in other styles? Learn more about the four writing styles and when it makes sense to use each .

Understand how to make an argument, but still having trouble organizing your thoughts? Check out our guide to three popular essay formats and choose which one is right for you.

Ready to make your case, but not sure what to write about? We've created a list of 50 potential argumentative essay topics to spark your imagination.

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Courtney scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT in high school and went on to graduate from Stanford University with a degree in Cultural and Social Anthropology. She is passionate about bringing education and the tools to succeed to students from all backgrounds and walks of life, as she believes open education is one of the great societal equalizers. She has years of tutoring experience and writes creative works in her free time.

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12 Essential Steps for Writing an Argumentative Essay (with 10 example essays)

Bonus Material: 10 complete example essays

Writing an essay can often feel like a Herculean task. How do you go from a prompt… to pages of beautifully-written and clearly-supported writing?

This 12-step method is for students who want to write a great essay that makes a clear argument.

In fact, using the strategies from this post, in just 88 minutes, one of our students revised her C+ draft to an A.

If you’re interested in learning how to write awesome argumentative essays and improve your writing grades, this post will teach you exactly how to do it.

First, grab our download so you can follow along with the complete examples.

Then keep reading to see all 12 essential steps to writing a great essay.

Download 10 example essays

Why you need to have a plan

One of the most common mistakes that students make when writing is to just dive in haphazardly without a plan.

Writing is a bit like cooking. If you’re making a meal, would you start throwing ingredients at random into a pot? Probably not!

Instead, you’d probably start by thinking about what you want to cook. Then you’d gather the ingredients, and go to the store if you don’t already have them in your kitchen. Then you’d follow a recipe, step by step, to make your meal.

Here’s our 12-step recipe for writing a great argumentative essay:

• Pick a topic
• Choose your research sources
• Read your sources and take notes
• Create a thesis statement
• Choose three main arguments to support your thesis statement —now you have a skeleton outline
• Populate your outline with the research that supports each argument
• Do more research if necessary
• Add your own analysis
• Add transitions and concluding sentences to each paragraph
• Write an introduction and conclusion for your essay
• Add citations and bibliography

Grab our download to see the complete example at every stage, along with 9 great student essays. Then let’s go through the steps together and write an A+ essay!

1. Pick a topic

Sometimes you might be assigned a topic by your instructor, but often you’ll have to come up with your own idea! 

If you don’t pick the right topic, you can be setting yourself up for failure.

Be careful that your topic is something that’s actually arguable —it has more than one side. Check out our carefully-vetted list of 99 topic ideas .

Let’s pick the topic of laboratory animals . Our question is should animals be used for testing and research ?

Download our set of 10 great example essays to jump to the finished version of this essay.

2. Choose your research sources

One of the big differences between the way an academic argumentative essay and the version of the assignment that you may have done in elementary school is that for an academic argumentative essay, we need to support our arguments with evidence .

Where do we get that evidence?

Let’s be honest, we all are likely to start with Google and Wikipedia.

Now, Wikipedia can be a useful starting place if you don’t know very much about a topic, but don’t use Wikipedia as your main source of evidence for your essay. 

Instead, look for reputable sources that you can show to your readers as proof of your arguments. It can be helpful to read some sources from either side of your issue.

Look for recently-published sources (within the last 20 years), unless there’s a specific reason to do otherwise.

Good places to look for sources are:

• Books published by academic presses
• Academic journals
• Academic databases like JSTOR and EBSCO
• Nationally-published newspapers and magazines like The New York Times or The Atlantic
• Websites and publications of national institutions like the NIH
• Websites and publications of universities

Some of these sources are typically behind a paywall. This can be frustrating when you’re a middle-school or high-school student.

However, there are often ways to get access to these sources. Librarians (at your school library or local public library) can be fantastic resources, and they can often help you find a copy of the article or book you want to read. In particular, librarians can help you use Interlibrary Loan to order books or journals to your local library!

More and more scientists and other researchers are trying to publish their articles for free online, in order to encourage the free exchange of knowledge. Check out respected open-access platforms like arxiv.org and PLOS ONE .

How do you find these sources?

If you have access to an academic database like JSTOR or EBSCO , that’s a great place to start.

Everyone can use Google Scholar to search for articles. This is a powerful tool and highly recommended!

Of course, if there’s a term you come across that you don’t recognize, you can always just Google it!

How many sources do you need? That depends on the length of your essay and on the assignment. If your instructor doesn’t give you any other guidance, assume that you should have at least three good sources.

For our topic of animal research, here’s a few sources that we could assemble:

Geoff Watts. “Animal Testing: Is It Worth It?” BMJ: British Medical Journal , Jan. 27, 2007, Vol. 334, No. 7586 (Jan. 27, 2007), pp. 182-184.

Kim Bartel Sheehan and Joonghwa Lee. “What’s Cruel About Cruelty Free: An Exploration of Consumers, Moral Heuristics, and Public Policy.” Journal of Animal Ethics , Vol. 4, No. 2 (Fall 2014), pp. 1-15.

Justin Goodman, Alka Chandna and Katherine Roe. “Trends in animal use at US research facilities.” Journal of Medical Ethics , July 2015, Vol. 41, No. 7 (July 2015), pp. 567-569.

Katy Taylor. “Recent Developments in Alternatives to Animal Testing.” In Animal Experimentation: Working Towards a Paradigm Change . Brill 2019.

Thomas Hartung. “Research and Testing Without Animals: Where Are We Now and Where Are We Heading?” In Animal Experimentation: Working Towards a Paradigm Change . Brill 2019.

Bonus: download 10 example essays now .

3. Read your sources and take notes

Once you have a nice pile of sources, it’s time to read them!

As we read, we want to take notes that will be useful to us later as we write our essay.

We want to be careful to keep the source’s ideas separate from our own ideas . Come up with a system to clearly mark the difference as you’re taking notes: use different colors, or use little arrows to represent the ideas that are yours and not the source’s ideas.

We can use this structure to keep notes in an organized way:

Download a template for these research notes here .

For our topic of animal research, our notes might look something like this:

Grab our download to read the rest of the notes and see more examples of how to do thoughtful research!

4. Create a thesis

What major themes did you find in your reading? What did you find most interesting or convincing?

Now is the point when you need to pick a side on your topic, if you haven’t already done so. Now that you’ve read more about the issue, what do you think? Write down your position on the issue:

Animal testing is necessary but should be reduced.

Next, it’s time to add more detail to your thesis. What reasons do you have to support that position? Add those to your sentence.

Animal testing is necessary but should be reduced by eliminating testing for cosmetics, ensuring that any testing is scientifically sound, and replacing animal models with other methods as much as possible.

Add qualifiers to refine your position. Are there situations in which your position would not apply? Or are there other conditions that need to be met? 

For our topic of animal research, our final thesis statement (with lead-in) might look something like this:

The argument: Animal testing and research should not be abolished, as doing so would upend important medical research and substance testing. However, scientific advances mean that in many situations animal testing can be replaced by other methods that not only avoid the ethical problems of animal testing, but also are less costly and more accurate. Governments and other regulatory bodies should further regulate animal testing to outlaw testing for cosmetics and other recreational products, ensure that the tests conducted are both necessary and scientifically rigorous, and encourage the replacement of animal use with other methods whenever possible.

The highlighted bit at the end is the thesis statement, but the lead-in is useful to help us set up the argument—and having it there already will make writing our introduction easier!

The thesis statement is the single most important sentence of your essay. Without a strong thesis, there’s no chance of writing a great essay. Read more about it here .

See how nine real students wrote great thesis statements in 9 example essays now.

5. Create three supporting arguments

Think of three good arguments why your position is true. We’re going to make each one into a body paragraph of your essay.

For now, write them out as 1–2 sentences. These will be topic sentences for each body paragraph.

For our essay about animal testing, it might look like this:

Supporting argument #1: For ethical reasons, animal testing should not be allowed for cosmetics and recreational products.

Supporting argument #2: The tests that are conducted with animals should be both necessary (for the greater good) and scientifically rigorous—which isn’t always the case currently. This should be regulated by governments and institutions.

Supporting argument #3: Governments and institutions should do more to encourage the replacement of animal testing with other methods.

Optional: Find a counterargument and respond to it

Think of a potential counterargument to your position. Consider writing a fourth paragraph anticipating this counterargument, or find a way to include it in your other body paragraphs. 

For our essay, that might be:

Possible counterargument: Animal testing is unethical and should not be used in any circumstances.

Response to the counterargument: Animal testing is deeply entrenched in many research projects and medical procedures. Abruptly ceasing animal testing would upend the scientific and medical communities. But there are many ways that animal testing could be reduced.

With these three arguments, a counterargument, and a thesis, we now have a skeleton outline! See each step of this essay in full in our handy download .

6. Start populating your outline with the evidence you found in your research

Look through your research. What did you find that would support each of your three arguments?

Copy and paste those quotes or paraphrases into the outline. Make sure that each one is annotated so that you know which source it came from!

Ideally you already started thinking about these sources when you were doing your research—that’s the ideas in the rightmost column of our research template. Use this stuff too! 

A good rule of thumb would be to use at least three pieces of evidence per body paragraph.

Think about in what order it would make most sense to present your points. Rearrange your quotes accordingly! As you reorder them, feel free to start adding short sentences indicating the flow of ideas .

For our essay about animal testing, part of our populated outline might look something like:

Argument #1: For ethical reasons, animal testing should not be allowed for cosmetics and recreational products.

Lots of animals are used for testing and research.

In the US, about 22 million animals were used annually in the early 1990s, mostly rodents (BMJ 1993, 1020).

But there are ethical problems with using animals in laboratory settings. Opinions about the divide between humans and animals might be shifting.

McIsaac refers to “the essential moral dilemma: how to balance the welfare of humans with the welfare of other species” (Hubel, McIsaac 29).

The fundamental legal texts used to justify animal use in biomedical research were created after WWII, and drew a clear line between experiments on animals and on humans. The Nuremburg Code states that “the experiment should be so designed and based on the results of animal experimentation and a knowledge of the natural history of the disease or other problem under study that the anticipated results will justify the performance of the experiment” (Ferrari, 197). The 1964  Declaration of the World Medical Association on the Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects (known as the Helsinki Declaration) states that “Medical research involving human subjects must conform to generally accepted scientific principles, be based on a thorough knowledge of the scientific literature, other relevant sources of information, and adequate laboratory and, as appropriate, animal experimentation. The welfare of animals used for research must be respected” (Ferrari, 197).

→ Context? The Nuremberg Code is a set of ethical research principles, developed in 1947 in the wake of Nazi atrocities during WWII, specifically the inhumane and often fatal experimentation on human subjects without consent.

“Since the 1970s, the animal-rights movement has challenged the use of animals in modern Western society by rejecting the idea of dominion of human beings over nature and animals and stressing the intrinsic value and rights of individual animals” (van Roten, 539, referencing works by Singer, Clark, Regan, and Jasper and Nelkin).

“The old (animal) model simply does not fully meet the needs of scientific and economic progress; it fails in cost, speed, level of detail of understanding, and human relevance. On top of this, animal experimentation lacks acceptance by an ethically evolving society” (Hartung, 682).

Knight’s article summarizes negative impacts on laboratory animals—invasive procedures, stress, pain, and death (Knight, 333). These aren’t very widely or clearly reported (Knight, 333). → Reading about these definitely produces an emotional reaction—they sound bad.

Given this context, it makes sense to ban animal testing in situations where it’s just for recreational products like cosmetics.

Fortunately, animal testing for cosmetics is less common than we might think.

A Gallup poll published in 1990 found that 14% of people thought that the most frequent reason for using animals to test cosmetics for safety—but figures from the UK Home Office in 1991 found that less than 1% of animals were used for tests for cosmetics and toiletries (BMJ 1993, 1019). → So in the early 1990s there was a big difference between what people thought was happening and what actually was happening!

But it still happens, and there are very few regulations of it (apart from in the EU).

Because there are many definitions of the phrase “cruelty-free,” many companies “can (and do) use the term when the product or its ingredients were indeed tested on animals” (Sheehan and Lee, 1).

The authors compare “cruelty-free” to the term “fair trade.” There is an independent inspection and certification group (Flo-Cert) that reviews products labeled as “fair trade,” but there’s no analogous process for “cruelty-free” (Sheehan and Lee, 2). → So anyone can just put that label on a product? Apparently, apart from in the European Union. That seems really easy to abuse for marketing purposes.

Companies can also hire outside firms to test products and ingredients on animals (Sheehan and Lee, 3).

Animal testing for recreational, non-medical purposes should be banned, like it is in the EU.

Download the full example outline here .

7. Do more research if necessary

Occasionally you might realize that there’s a hole in your research, and you don’t have enough evidence to support one of your points.

In this situation, either change your argument to fit the evidence that you do have, or do a bit more research to fill the hole!

For example, looking at our outline for argument #1 for our essay on animal testing, it’s clear that this paragraph is missing a small but crucial bit of evidence—a reference to this specific ban on animal testing for cosmetics in Europe. Time for a bit more research!

A visit to the official website of the European Commission yields a copy of the law, which we can add to our populated outline:

“The cosmetics directive provides the regulatory framework for the phasing out of animal testing for cosmetics purposes. Specifically, it establishes (1) a testing ban – prohibition to test finished cosmetic products and cosmetic ingredients on animals, and (2) a marketing ban – prohibition to market finished cosmetic products and ingredients in the EU which were tested on animals. The same provisions are contained in the cosmetics regulation , which replaced the cosmetics directive as of 11 July 2013. The testing ban on finished cosmetic products applies since 11 September 2004. The testing ban on ingredients or combination of ingredients applies since 11 March 2009. The marketing ban applies since 11 March 2009 for all human health effects with the exception of repeated-dose toxicity, reproductive toxicity, and toxicokinetics. For these specific health effects, the marketing ban applies since 11 March 2013, irrespective of the availability of alternative non-animal tests.” (website of the European Commission, “Ban on animal testing”)

Alright, now this supporting argument has the necessary ingredients!

You don’t need to use all of the evidence that you found in your research. In fact, you probably won’t use all of it!

This part of the writing process requires you to think critically about your arguments and what evidence is relevant to your points .

8. Add your own analysis and synthesis of these points

Once you’ve organized your evidence and decided what you want to use for your essay, now you get to start adding your own analysis!

You may have already started synthesizing and evaluating your sources when you were doing your research (the stuff on the right-hand side of our template). This gives you a great starting place!

For each piece of evidence, follow this formula:

• Context and transitions: introduce your piece of evidence and any relevant background info and signal the logical flow of ideas
• Reproduce the paraphrase or direct quote (with citation )
• Explanation : explain what the quote/paraphrase means in your own words
• Analysis : analyze how this piece of evidence proves your thesis
• Relate it back to the thesis: don’t forget to relate this point back to your overarching thesis! 

If you follow this fool-proof formula as you write, you will create clear, well-evidenced arguments.

As you get more experienced, you might stray a bit from the formula—but a good essay will always intermix evidence with explanation and analysis, and will always contain signposts back to the thesis throughout.

For our essay about animal testing, our first body paragraph might look like:

Every year, millions of animals—mostly rodents—are used for testing and research (BMJ 1993, 1020) . This testing poses an ethical dilemma: “how to balance the welfare of humans with the welfare of other species” (Hubel, McIsaac 29) . Many of the fundamental legal tests that are used to justify animal use in biomedical research were created in wake of the horrors of World War II, when the Nazi regime engaged in terrible experimentation on their human prisoners. In response to these atrocities, philosophers and lawmakers drew a clear line between experimenting on humans without consent and experimenting on (non-human) animals. For example, the 1947 Nuremberg Code stated that “the experiment should be so designed and based on the results of animal experimentation and a knowledge of the natural history of the disease or other problem under study that the anticipated results will justify the performance of the experiment” (Ferrari, 197) . Created two years after the war, the code established a set of ethical research principles to demarcate ethical differences between animals and humans, clarifying differences between Nazi atrocities and more everyday research practices. However, in the following decades, the animal-rights movement has challenged the philosophical boundaries between humans and animals and questioned humanity’s right to exert dominion over animals (van Roten, 539, referencing works by Singer, Clark, Regan, and Jasper and Nelkin) . These concerns are not without justification, as animals used in laboratories are subject to invasive procedures, stress, pain, and death (Knight, 333) . Indeed, reading detailed descriptions of this research can be difficult to stomach . In light of this, while some animal testing that contributes to vital medical research and ultimately saves millions of lives may be ethically justified, animal testing that is purely for recreational purposes like cosmetics cannot be ethically justified . Fortunately, animal testing for cosmetics is less common than we might think . In 1990, a poll found that 14% of people in the UK thought that the most frequent reason for using animals to test cosmetics for safety—but actual figures were less than 1% (BMJ 1993, 1019) . Unfortunately, animal testing for cosmetics is not subject to very much regulation . In particular, companies can use the phrase “cruelty-free” to mean just about anything, and many companies “can (and do) use the term when the product or its ingredients were indeed tested on animals” (Sheehan and Lee, 1) . Unlike the term “fair trade,” which has an independent inspection and certification group (Flo-Cert) that reviews products using the label, there’s no analogous process for “cruelty-free” (Sheehan and Lee, 2) . Without regulation, the term is regularly abused by marketers . Companies can also hire outside firms to test products and ingredients on animals and thereby pass the blame (Sheehan and Lee, 3) . Consumers trying to avoid products tested on animals are frequently tricked . Greater regulation of terms would help, but the only way to end this kind of deceit will be to ban animal testing for recreational, non-medical purposes . The European Union is the only governmental body yet to accomplish this . In a series of regulations, the EU first banned testing finished cosmetic products (2004), then testing ingredients or marketing products which were tested on animals (2009); exceptions for specific health effects ended in 2013 (website of the European Commission, “Ban on animal testing”) . The result is that the EU bans testing cosmetic ingredients or finished cosmetic products on animals, as well as marketing any cosmetic ingredients and products which were tested on animals elsewhere (Regulation 1223/2009/EU, known as the “Cosmetics Regulation”) . The rest of the world should follow this example and ban animal testing on cosmetic ingredients and products, which do not contribute significantly to the greater good and therefore cannot outweigh the cost to animal lives .

Edit down the quotes/paraphrases as you go. In many cases, you might copy out a great long quote from a source…but only end up using a few words of it as a direct quote, or you might only paraphrase it!

There were several good quotes in our previous step that just didn’t end up fitting here. That’s fine!

Take a look at the words and phrases highlighted in red. Notice how sometimes a single word can help to provide necessary context and create a logical transition for a new idea. Don’t forget the transitions! These words and phrases are essential to good writing.

The end of the paragraph should very clearly tie back to the thesis statement.

As you write, consider your audience

If it’s not specified in your assignment prompt, it’s always appropriate to ask your instructor who the intended audience of your essay or paper might be. (Your instructor will usually be impressed by this question!) 

If you don’t get any specific guidance, imagine that your audience is the typical readership of a newspaper like the New York Times —people who are generally educated, but who don’t have any specialized  knowledge of the specific subject, especially if it’s more technical.

That means that you should explain any words or phrases that aren’t everyday terminology!

Equally important, you don’t want to leave logical leaps for your readers to make. Connect all of the dots for them!

See the other body paragraphs of this essay, along with 9 student essays, here .

9. Add paragraph transitions and concluding sentences to each body paragraph

By now you should have at least three strong body paragraphs, each one with 3–5 pieces of evidence plus your own analysis and synthesis of the evidence. 

Each paragraph has a main topic sentence, which we wrote back when we made the outline. This is a good time to check that the topic sentences still match what the rest of the paragraph says!

Think about how these arguments relate to each other. What is the most logical order for them? Re-order your paragraphs if necessary.

Then add a few sentences at the end of each paragraph and/or the beginning of the next paragraph to connect these ideas. This step is often the difference between an okay essay and a really great one!

You want your essay to have a great flow. We didn’t worry about this at the beginning of our writing, but now is the time to start improving the flow of ideas!

10. The final additions: write an introduction and a conclusion

Follow this formula to write a great introduction:

• It begins with some kind of “hook”: this can be an anecdote, quote, statistic, provocative statement, question, etc. 

(Pro tip: don’t use phrases like “throughout history,” “since the dawn of humankind,” etc. It’s good to think broadly, but you don’t have to make generalizations for all of history.)

• It gives some background information that is relevant to understand the ethical dilemma or debate
• It has a lead-up to the thesis
• At the end of the introduction, the thesis is clearly stated

This makes a smooth funnel that starts more broadly and smoothly zeroes in on the specific argument.

Your conclusion is kind of like your introduction, but in reverse. It starts with your thesis and ends a little more broadly.

For the conclusion, try and summarize your entire argument without being redundant. Start by restating your thesis but with slightly different wording . Then summarize each of your main points.

If you can, it’s nice to point to the larger significance of the issue. What are the potential consequences of this issue? What are some future directions for it to go in? What remains to be explored?

See how nine students wrote introductions in different styles here .

11. Add citations and bibliography

Check what bibliographic style your instructor wants you to use. If this isn’t clearly stated, it’s a good question to ask them!

Typically the instructions will say something like “Chicago style,” “APA,” etc., or they’ll give you their own rules. 

These rules will dictate how exactly you’ll write your citations in the body of your essay (either in parentheses after the quote/paraphrase or else with a footnote or endnote) and how you’ll write your “works cited” with the full bibliographic information at the end.

Follow these rules! The most important thing is to be consistent and clear.

Pro tip: if you’re struggling with this step, your librarians can often help! They’re literally pros at this. 🙂

Now you have a complete draft!

Read it from beginning to end. Does it make sense? Are there any orphan quotes or paraphrases that aren’t clearly explained? Are there any abrupt changes of topic? Fix it!

Are there any problems with grammar or spelling ? Fix them!

Edit for clarity.

Ideally, you’ll finish your draft at least a few days before it’s due to be submitted. Give it a break for a day or two, and then come back to it. Things to be revised are more likely to jump out after a little break!

Try reading your essay out loud. Are there any sentences that don’t sound quite right? Rewrite them!

Double-check your thesis statement. This is the make-or-break moment of your essay, and without a clear thesis it’s pretty impossible for an essay to be a great one. Is it:

• Arguable: it’s not just the facts—someone could disagree with this position
• Narrow & specific: don’t pick a position that’s so broad you could never back it up
• Complex: show that you are thinking deeply—one way to do this is to consider objections/qualifiers in your thesis

Try giving your essay to a friend or family member to read. Sometimes (if you’re lucky) your instructors will offer to read a draft if you turn it in early. What feedback do they have? Edit accordingly!

See the result of this process with 10 example essays now .

You’re done!

You did it! Feel proud of yourself 🙂

We regularly help students work through all of these steps to write great academic essays in our Academic Writing Workshop or our one-on-one writing tutoring . We’re happy to chat more about what’s challenging for you and provide you customized guidance to help you write better papers and improve your grades on writing assignments!

Want to see what this looks like when it’s all pulled together? We compiled nine examples of great student essays, plus all of the steps used to create this model essay, in this handy resource. Download it here !

Emily graduated  summa cum laude  from Princeton University and holds an MA from the University of Notre Dame. She was a National Merit Scholar and has won numerous academic prizes and fellowships. A veteran of the publishing industry, she has helped professors at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton revise their books and articles. Over the last decade, Emily has successfully mentored hundreds of students in all aspects of the college admissions process, including the SAT, ACT, and college application essay. 

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Need editing and proofreading services, how to write an argumentative essay (examples included).

• Tags: Academic Writing , Essay , Essay Writing

Argumentative essay writing, as the name implies, involves creating strong arguments based on facts and evidence. The goal of this essay is to convince the reader to adopt a logical viewpoint based on the available proof. It is a complex form of essay writing which requires extensive first-hand as well as second-hand research.

Let’s understand what an argumentative essay is and how to write it with the help of numerous argumentative essay examples. To guide you in your essay writing journey, we’ve also provided a well-structured argumentative essay outline.

Let’s start off with understanding what is an argumentative essay.

What is an argumentative essay?

An argumentative essay is a piece of writing that convinces one to adopt a particular viewpoint, based on statistics and evidence. Unlike an expository essay, an argumentative essay involves adopting a particular point of view on a topic based on the available information.  

Since it’s aimed at convincing the readers, it needs to contain strong supporting evidence. This requires a much more thorough examination of the available data sources. An argumentative essay is the most common essay type assigned in science, technology or even advanced literature courses in colleges. 

A well-written argumentative essay makes use of information rather than personal opinion. For instance, the statement “beaches are better than mountains” makes for a poor argument. However, including statistical data and figures makes this argument more substantial. For instance “48% of Americans prefer beaches, whereas only 27% prefer mountains”

Now that we’ve understood the meaning of an argumentative essay, let’s take a look at its outline.

Argumentative essay outline

The argumentative essay structure is different from other essay types. Although its aim is to convince the reader to adopt a viewpoint, a good argumentative essay structure looks at an argument from all sides and also addresses the counterargument. The goal is to disprove the opposing arguments with the use of logic and the latest evidence. 

There are three main argumentative essay formats. Let’s take a look:

This is the simplest structure of an argumentative essay when it comes to writing. It follows a logical path of introducing the argument, providing evidence supporting the argument, refuting counterarguments, and finally concluding your argument.

The following outline talks about the advantages of using nuclear power for environmental protection. 

Advantages of Nuclear Power for Environmental Protection

I. Introduction

A. Background information on the topic

B. Thesis statement: Despite the negative reputation and potential risks associated with nuclear power, it is the best bet for our environment due to its low carbon emissions, high energy production, and advancements in safety technology.

II. Low carbon emissions

A. Explanation of carbon emissions and their impact on the environment

B. Comparison of nuclear power to other energy sources in terms of carbon emissions

C. Case studies and statistics supporting the low carbon emission of nuclear power

III. High energy production

A. Explanation of energy production and its importance

B. Comparison of nuclear power to other energy sources in terms of energy production

C. Case studies and statistics supporting the high energy production of nuclear power

IV. Advancements in safety technology

A. Explanation of nuclear power safety concerns

B. Overview of advancements in nuclear power safety technology

C. Comparison of nuclear power safety technology to other energy sources

D. Case studies and statistics supporting the advancements in nuclear power safety technology

V. Counterarguments and refutations

A. Discussion of common counterarguments against nuclear power

B. Refutation of counterarguments with evidence and examples

VI. Conclusion

A. Restatement of thesis

B. Summary of main points

C. Final thoughts on the importance of nuclear power in addressing environmental challenges.

This format is used to explain your stance on a highly polarizing, complex topic. It involves presenting your stance and comparing it with the generally accepted evidence. It also involves presenting the limitations of your claim along with rebuttals. 

The following Toulmin essay outline highlights the dangers of genetic modification:

The Dark Side of Genetic Modification

B. Thesis statement: Genetic modification is dangerous due to the potential risks it poses to human health, the environment, and ethical concerns surrounding genetic engineering.

II. Claim 1: Risks to human health

A. Explanation of the potential risks to human health associated with genetic modification

B. Overview of studies and research that have shown adverse effects on human health

C. Evidence and examples supporting the claim

III. Claim 2: Risks to the environment

A. Explanation of the potential risks to the environment associated with genetic modification

B. Overview of studies and research that have shown negative impacts on the environment

IV. Claim 3: Ethical concerns

A. Explanation of the ethical concerns surrounding genetic engineering

B. Overview of the potential consequences of genetic modification on social, cultural, and ethical values

V. Counterargument and refutation

A. Discussion of common counterarguments in favor of genetic modification

V. Conclusion

C. Final thoughts on the dangers of genetic modification and the need for caution in its application.

3. Rogerian

This format acknowledges both sides of the argument and provides evidence as to why your stance is valid. It is the least confrontational form of argument which is used to convince to opposition to adopt your point of view.  

The following Rogerian essay outline talks about why more government funds should be dedicated to space exploration.

A Cosmic Investment

B. Thesis statement: While some may argue that government funds should be allocated towards pressing issues on earth, dedicating more funds to space travel is necessary because of the technological advancements it brings, the potential for scientific discoveries, and economic benefits.

II. Understanding the opposing arguments

A. Explanation of the opposing viewpoint’s concerns and arguments

B. Acknowledgement of valid points made by the opposing viewpoint

C. Statement of common ground between the opposing viewpoint and the argument

III. Presenting the supporting arguments

A. Explanation of the technological advancements made possible through space travel

B. Overview of the scientific discoveries that have been made possible through space exploration

C. Explanation of the economic benefits of space travel and the growth of the space industry

IV. Addressing concerns of the opposition

A. Discussion of concerns raised by the opposing viewpoint and why they should not prevent the dedication of funds to space travel

B. Explanation of how funding for space travel can coexist with funding for pressing issues on earth

C. Evidence and examples to support the argument

V. Common ground and conclusion

A. Restatement of the thesis statement

B. Summary of the main points of the argument

C. Statement of common ground and call to action for continued exploration of space.

Now that you’ve learned how to structure, let’s understand how to write an argumentative essay. 

How to write an argumentative essay

Although the process of writing an argumentative essay is similar to other essay types, it requires much more research and planning. Developing an argument requires a significant understanding of the subject matter from all angles. 

Let’s take a look at the steps to writing an argumentative essay:

1. Choose appropriate argumentative essay topics.

Although topics for an argumentative essay are highly diverse, they are based on a controversial stance. So, make sure that your argumentative essay topics are debatable. Here are a few examples of good argumentative essay topics:

Should animal testing be prohibited?

Should sports be segregated by gender?

Are wildlife sanctuaries ethical?

2. Construct a thesis statement. 

The thesis statement involves taking a stance on your topic. For instance, if your topic is “Should school uniforms be mandatory?”, your thesis statement will take a stance for, or against this. However, make sure that your thesis statement has sufficient evidence from reliable sources to back it up. 

Let’s take a look at a thesis statement example for the topic “Why four-day work-weeks should  be encouraged”: 

A four-day workweek is a viable solution for reducing employee burnout, enhancing work-life balance, and improving overall productivity. It not only promotes a healthier and happier workforce but also reduces costs for employers.

3. Collect evidence.

After taking your stance on your essay topic, it’s time to back it up with facts, evidence, and statistics. This requires an extensive amount of research. 

Make sure to facilitate your research from reputed sources. To make your essay up-to-date and reliable, you can even collect evidence with the help of surveys and experiments. 

Next, sort your evidence into main points to create a basic outline of your essay. This is also a good time to address the counterarguments to your stance.

4. Write the first draft.

After developing the outline, it’s time to flesh it out. Start by constructing an interesting hook, and providing background information for your thesis statement in the introduction. 

Next, elaborate on the topic sentences that provide support to your thesis statement. You can add statistics and empirical data along with plenty of direct quotes and citations to give credibility to your essay. 

And finally, conclude your essay with a summarization of the main points of your essay along with the key takeaway. A powerful conclusion not only allows the readers to see your viewpoint but also creates a lasting impression on their minds.

5. Edit your draft.

Your first draft may not be perfect. Make sure to optimize the sentence structure and word choice. Also, modify your arguments if necessary. You can have friends and family go over your essay and spot any errors that slip through the cracks. For a more fool-proof, error-free essay you can also take the help of professional essay proofreading services .

Now that we’ve understood how to write an effective argumentative essay, let’s take a look at an example of an argumentative essay.

Argumentative essay example 

To guide you in your essay-writing journey, we’ve provided you with an argumentative essay example. It discusses the ill effects of automation. This essay is slightly longer in length and deviates from the commonly used five-paragraph structure. 

Should Companies Invest in Manpower over Autonomous Machines?

The rise of autonomous machines has revolutionized the manufacturing industry, with robots now able to perform tasks that were once done exclusively by human workers. While this technology has undoubtedly improved efficiency and productivity, the question remains whether companies should be required to hire human workers over using autonomous machines. 

The use of autonomous machines has resulted in job losses in the manufacturing industry. According to a study by the Brookings Institution, the use of robots in the United States has led to the loss of over 1.7 million jobs since 2000. While automation has created new jobs in certain industries, such as software development and engineering, the number of jobs lost is significantly higher.

Hiring human workers also has a positive impact on the economy. According to a report by the National Bureau of Economic Research, every robot that replaces a human worker leads to a net loss of 1.6 jobs. This means that for every 10 robots introduced into the workforce, 16 jobs are lost. Hiring human workers over using autonomous machines can help to create more jobs and improve the overall economic situation.

In addition to the economic benefits, human workers offer several advantages over autonomous machines. Human workers are able to adapt to changing situations and problem-solve in a way that machines cannot. This is particularly important in industries where there is a high level of variability in the work being done. 

Furthermore, the use of autonomous machines can lead to safety concerns in the workplace. While robots have become increasingly sophisticated, they are still prone to malfunctions and errors. In some cases, this can lead to workplace accidents and injuries. Human workers are able to identify potential safety hazards and take preventative measures to reduce the risk of accidents.

Although the use of autonomous machines has led to increased efficiency and productivity, their negative impact cannot be ignored. Hiring human workers over using autonomous machines can create jobs, improve the economy, and offer many more advantages. Additionally, the safety concerns associated with the use of autonomous machines highlight the importance of prioritizing human workers. Human workers are more adept at ensuring the well-being of the workforce and the economy as a whole. Therefore, they should be prioritized over machines. 

We hope the above explanation and examples have clarified the basics of writing argumentative essays. As providers of essay editing services , we understand how writing good essays is not a piece of cake. 

To help you write good essays, our team has created detailed resources. Continue reading to take your essay-writing skills to the next level! 

• Guide to a Perfect Descriptive Essay
• Expository Essays | Step-by-Step Manual
• How to Start an Essay
• How to Write an Essay Outline

Frequently Asked Questions

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Question and Answer forum for K12 Students

Argumentative Essay Topic – Our Forefathers Were Luckier Than Us

Our Forefathers Were Luckier Than Us. You can find Previous Year Argumentative Essay Topics asked in ICSE board exams.

Introduction: Our forefathers were not luckier than us.

• Advanced in political and social field.
• More advanced in the field of science and technology, transport, communication and entertainment.
• Advance in space technology
• Giant strides made in medical sciences and health care
• Education has brought with it enlightenment

Conclusion: Our forefathers were less fortunate than us

To agree with the statement,‘Our forefathers were luckier than us’ would be a travesty of the truth. We are definitely luckier than our forefathers in every sphere – political, social, economic, medical and educational or any field of human activity. The quality of life that I we enjoy is far superior to that enjoyed by our forefathers.

In the political field our forefathers suffered under the yoke of autocratic rulers, with no human right whatsoever. However, living in a democratic society we enjoy equal rights. The constitution of the country grants us fundamental rights and the robust judiciary ensures its safeguard. Socially too we are better off with no caste or creed barrier, which made the life of socially backward people of yore, worse than animals.

Spectacular progress in the field of science and technology has made life in every f sphere easy and comfortable. Travelling from one place to another by bullock cart or horseback is now done by cars, buses, train and aeroplane. Journey that took days and even months now take hours.

In the field of communication, sending messages using pigeons has made way for telephone and mobiles, and now the Internet which offer immediate communication. Entertainment and news that were previously confined to chaupals and announcements are now accessible through radio, television, and cinema.

These provide news updates and entertainment that our forefathers could not imagine. The new millennium saw great advancement in the field of information technology. The computer and the Internet ushered in an information boom, which made numerous services available on the click of a mouse. It also effectively bridged the geographic and social divide.

The advancement in space technology has enabled us to explore celestial bodies like the Moon and Mars. Satellites now enable us to predict natural calamities and explore natural mineral resources using remote sensing satellites.

Impressive progress has also been made in medical sciences and health care. Diseases that wiped out entire villages like plague and smallpox have been eradicated. The discovery of new drugs has enhanced the average life expectancy from 45 to 75 years.

Education has brought with it enlightenment, making us more compassionate, humane and sociable. Children today have more avenues for good education, in well-equipped schools, colleges and universities. They do not have to take up the profession of parents, but are free to choose a career of their choice.

Our forefathers were undoubtedly less fortunate than us. We are indeed lucky to have been born in the 21st century. This is for the new millennium brings with it hope for a more bright and better future. It is our moral obligation, to ensure that our children also enjoy a better life than us.

Assignments

• ‘Our future generations would be luckier than us. ’ Give your views for or against the statement.
• ‘Our forefathers were happier than us.’ Give your views for or against the statement.