Writing About Ekphrasis 8

Making someone see

How can you make someone who is not a lover or knowledgeable see? In Seeing, the author states, “The herpetologist asks the native, “‘Are there snakes in that ravine?’ ‘Nosir.’ And the herpetologist comes home with, yessir, three bags full.’”(Dillard 157). In this instance, the person who loved snakes and was knowledgeable about snakes could see many snakes, while the native could not or chose not to see them.

The statement the author brings up says, “The lover can see, and the knowledgeable” (Dillard 157). Could this pose a problem to arguments? How can you successfully persuade or convince someone if they are not enthusiastic about the subject?

Proposal Argument

One type of argument is a proposal argument. In Everything's an Argument it states, “To be effective, proposals must be feasible—that is, the action proposed can be carried out reasonably. Demonstrating feasibility calls on you to present evidence—from similar cases, from personal experience, from observational data, from interview or survey data, from Internet research, or from any other sources—showing that what you propose can indeed be done with the resources available.” (Lunsford and Ruszkiewicz). To make someone a lover or knowledgeable about the subject of the argument, perhaps you could apply Lunsford and Ruszkiewicz's suggestion and present evidence from personal experience and data. Presenting quality data can help someone understand the necessary facts of the situation, while your personal experience can serve as a pathos appeal and turn someone into a lover of the subject.

Reflection

It is easy to ignore something that you do not love or have no knowledge of. It is necessary for argumentative essays, such as proposal arguments, to introduce and frame arguments with facts and personal experiences. This is something that I want to incorporate into my writing whether I am giving a causal argument, or writing arguments through images.

Want more?

Video about how to write about personal experience in a argumentative essay

Works Cited

Dillard, Annie. “Seeing” The Abundance. Harper Collins, 2016.

Lunsford, Andre, and John Ruszkiewicz. Everything’s an Argument. Eight Edition, ebook, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2019.