What Makes An Effective Argument In Pass Fail By Ron Srigley

An essay’s purpose is to persuade and/or inform readers of a topic that a writer is passionate about. In an essay such as Pass, Fail by Ron Srigley the purpose is to persuade readers with a convincing argument and is an excellent example of an effective argument. Srigley is a university professor at UPEI who writes with passion and a slightly sarcastic tone throughout his article to prove his thesis. The purpose of his inductive essay is to persuade his audience (which are parents of future/current students in postsecondary institutions as well as students themselves) that the education system has gone down hill over the years and is therefore a waste of an educational experience. His thesis of the essay comes in the last paragraph:

Not just

Going back to the example in the previous paragraph, “Undereducated instructors are compromising the value of your sons’ and daughters’ educations”(Srigley, 37), you notice the wording of his argument was carefully chosen. When looking at this statement, it is evident that Srigley knew how his readers think and feel about the subject (as parents they want the best education possible for their child), knew their likes (their own children) and dislikes, this argument obviously appeals to them.Srigley made effective arguments because Srigley knew his audience. This is a crucial element of composing an argument that must be acknowledged when looking at Pass,

A good example of the type of tone he took in this essay is in paragraph 17 when Srigley says, “But don’t worry—you won’t go bust because of this failure, not in the modern university.”(Srigley, 36). Somewhat sarcastic with a hint of mocking. Even with this tone though, the audience never felt like they were being shouted at because he was sincere and used evidence to support his claims throughout. Srigley never got side-tracked or rude or harsh, he was sincere and honest and by doing this, he kept his audience engaged. This made the essay that much more easy to agree with which proves it is an effect way to present an argument. At the same time with all argumentative essays there is always an opposing argument that needs to be acknowledged in order to make an effective argument. Srigley acknowledged opposition many times to help make his argument that much more supported and convincing. To illustrate, in paragraph 24 he considered the opposition when he mentioned “This curriculum may “pay” in the short term—more bums in chairs, the appearance of “relevance,” the mandatory homage paid to the god of “innovation.” (Srigley 37) however he then disproved the opposition by using facts and examples to support his claim:

But in the real world, its effects are disastrous. In their 2010 book on higher education, Academically Adrift, Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa look at 2,300 students enrolled at a range of