Excerpt from “Three Strong Argumentative Essay Examples, Analyzed”
<https://blog.prepscholar.com/argumentative-essay-examples>
Color Code the elements in this argumentative essay, which has been reformatted to
demonstrate a standard Introduction + 2 Body paragraphs + Conclusion model.
RED: Thesis statement / topic sentences / concluding sentences / Arguments
ORANGE: Sub-arguments that lead to concrete support
BLUE: Concrete support for the topic sentence and thesis
BROWN: Anecdotal evidence (personal experience)
PURPLE: The opposing point of view that the thesis/essay is refuting
As online learning becomes more common and more and more resources are converted to
digital form, some people have suggested that public libraries should be shut down and, in
their place, everyone should be given an iPad with an e-reader subscription. Proponents of
this idea state that it will save local cities and towns money because libraries are expensive to
maintain. They also believe it will encourage more people to read because they won’t have to
travel to a library to get a book; they can simply click on what they want to read and read it
from wherever they are. They could also access more materials because libraries won’t have
to buy physical copies of books; they can simply rent out as many digital copies as they
need. However, it would be a serious mistake to replace libraries with tablets.
First, digital books and resources are associated with less learning and more problems
than print resources. A study done on tablet vs book reading found that people read 20-30%
slower on tablets, retain 20% less information, and understand 10% less of what they read
compared to people who read the same information in print. Additionally, staring too long at
a screen has been shown to cause numerous health problems, including blurred vision,
dizziness, dry eyes, headaches, and eye strain, at much higher instances than reading print
does. People who use tablets and mobile devices excessively also have a higher incidence of
more serious health issues such as fibromyalgia, shoulder and back pain, carpal tunnel
syndrome, and muscle strain. I know that whenever I read from my e-reader for too long, my
eyes begin to feel tired and my neck hurts. We should not add to these problems by giving
people, especially young people, more reasons to look at screens.
Second, it is incredibly narrow-minded to assume that the only service libraries
offer is book lending. Libraries have a multitude of benefits, and many are only
available if the library has a physical location. Some of these benefits include acting
as a quiet study space, giving people a way to converse with their neighbors,
holding classes on a variety of topics, providing jobs, answering patron questions,
and keeping the community connected. One neighborhood found that, after a local
library instituted community events such as play times for toddlers and parents, job
fairs for teenagers, and meeting spaces for senior citizens, over a third of residents
reported feeling more connected to their community. Similarly, a Pew survey
conducted in 2015 found that nearly two-thirds of American adults feel that closing
their local library would have a major impact on their community. People see
libraries as a way to connect with others and get their questions answered, benefits
tablets can’t offer nearly as well or as easily.
While replacing libraries with tablets may seem like a simple solution, it would
encourage people to spend even more time looking at digital screens, despite the
myriad issues surrounding them. It would also end access to many of the benefits of
libraries that people have come to rely on. In many areas, libraries are such an
important part of the community network that they could never be replaced by a
simple object.
