For any author who wishes to write an argumentative article, it is essential that they realize that in as much as they will be bringing to light an issue that needs to be addressed, in most cases where they feel the efforts employed so far have failed in a way, they need first to applaud the efforts so far. The second step would be to pinpoint the areas where they find fault with the measures and then propose a better approach. While it acceptable that they come up with their new proposed measures, it is better if they seek to amend the measures in question. An excellent argumentative article is one that applauds precautionary measures taken, brings to light the faults of the given approach and propose amendments while at the same time provoking the reader to think critically of the matter in question.
While the author of The American Dream, King, points out the efforts that have been realized over the years for the dream, he fails to admit the fact that the goal hasn't been accomplished fully, and puts the blame instead on individuals who he feels are not striving hard enough. He starts off on the right foot with a rhetorical question that is meant to provoke his audience to evaluate on their own the state of the dream in question. But he is quick to jump into conclusion that the dream is very much alive only that a certain people think not as an excuse to not work hard. Since the purpose of argumentative writing is to try to solve a given predicament, and the author, in this case, doesn't pose such difficulty, one is left wondering what the purpose of the article is. Later on, he goes on to give solutions to a few issues he highlights along his piece, which begs the question, what are the proposed solutions for if there is no case in the first place? King points out that, "the stock market has made impressive rebounds, but unemployment remains high. Thanks to bailouts for large corporations and stimulus measures, economic activity seems to be on its way up" (King, 2018). This shows a lack of coherence in his argument. While he points out the issue of unemployment, he does not discuss either the causes or the possible measures to be taken but instead points out an irrelevant fact for the argument.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
An article whose agenda is well articulated should, therefore, be Herbert's Hiding from Reality. In his introductory paragraph, he points out that nothing much is left of the American Dream. And there lies the predicament of the article; the broken dream. An argumentative article should most importantly point out its agenda. Then as the author progresses, he can address the issues one after the other. Herbert's points are laid out sequentially. He picks a point and goes through it to exhaustion before jumping on to the next. On the issue of employment, he applauds the government for recognizing immigrants and creating jobs for all people, but he points out that salaries and wages declined. He, therefore, suggests that in as much as America strives to embrace all people, it should do so in a manner that can absorb the workforce on a comfortable pay (Herbert, 2010). He keeps his arguments short and precise to the point. Going into a lot of details usually serves as a distraction to the reader who might end up missing the picture at the end of such a detailed explanation. The second essay, therefore, is more thought through and clearly articulated. The author brings about his claims in a clear and coherent manner, stating distinctly the areas that need fixing, and then goes ahead to propose such measures.
References
Herbert, B. (2010). Hiding From Reality. The New York Times . Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/20/opinion/20herbert.html
King, B. (2018). The American Dream . Retrieved from https://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/write/little-seagull-handbook-2/pdf/King.pdf
