Argumentative essays are a regular part of the college experience, and as you progress in your studies, these complex essays will be more frequently assigned. You will find yourself writing about topics that require fair amounts of research. The organizational level of your essays will also become more intricate. Among the more interesting argumentative essay topics you may encounter is writing an argumentative essay about the Nobel Prize in Literature.
As you work to become a better essay writer, you’ll need to increase your knowledge arsenal. And in this article, I have you covered!
Keep reading to learn some of the following points about how to write an argumentative essay about the Nobel Prize in Literature.
- What is the Nobel Prize in Literature and why is it important?
- How to write an argumentative essay and how to choose a strong argumentative essay topic
- How to structure your argumentative essay
- How to research your topic and support your claims
- How to address counterarguments
- The proper style and tone to use
- How to wrap things up
You’ll also be presented with a short sample argumentative essay on the Nobel Prize in Literature to help you visualize what a good essay should look like.
Understanding the Nobel Prize in Literature
Before we discuss the mechanics of how to write an excellent argumentative essay about the Nobel Prize in Literature, it’s important to understand what it is we’re talking about.
The Nobel Prize in Literature was established in 1895 by Swedish scientist and businessman Alfred Nobel. Nobel dedicated his fortune to awarding prizes to outstanding individuals in a number of fields, including physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace.
Nobel envisioned the prize for literature being awarded for the “most outstanding work in an idealistic direction” to one or more writers in a year, but not necessarily every year. The first award was given in 1901, and since that time, 103 men and 18 women from dozens of different countries have won the award. Winners, known as laureates, have produced best selling novels, screen plays, theatrical plays, poems, and important non-fiction works. The laureates are chosen by the Swedish Academy for an entire body of work instead of one thing. The primary criteria is that nominated authors have produced works that are a benefit for mankind.
Laureates are given a medal, a diploma from the King of Sweden, and a cash prize worth over $1 million today.
With this background in mind, let’s delve into the mechanics of writing an argumentative essay about the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Choosing a Strong Argumentative Topic
Before we look specifically at how to write an argumentative essay about the Nobel Prize in Literature, it’s important to look at what an argumentative essay is and how to choose a strong topic. So let’s get into it!
What Is an Argumentative Essay?
Argumentative essays are similar to expository essays, so much so that many people confuse the two. The two types of essays are similar because you, the writer, are choosing a point to argue, but there are some notable differences that you need to know.
- Argumentative essays involve more research than an expository essay
- A good argumentative essay includes counterarguments that you refute
This second point is particularly important. Including counterarguments gives your essay depth and authority because it demonstrates that you are knowledgeable of both sides of an issue.
How do I Choose an Argumentative Topic on the Nobel Prize in Literature?
As soon as you’re assigned this essay, you should get to work researching the Nobel Prize in Literature. It will help to start big and then narrow your focus down as you learn more about the Nobel Prize in Literature. Ask these questions as you do your research.
- Why is the Nobel Prize in Literature important?
- What are some controversial aspects of it?
- How has it changed over the years?
- What does the future of the Nobel Prize in Literature look like?
I’m sure you’ll think of many more when you begin your research. As I did my preliminary research, the topical themes of the Nobel Prize in Literature’s social significance and how it acknowledges writers who push certain limits stood out.
In the next section, I’ll take those topics and formulate them into a proper thesis.
Structuring Your Argumentative Essay
All good essays, no matter the type, have one thing in common – they’re well structured. This is where you’ll use the outline-making skills you learned from writing other types of essays. An argumentative essay generally follows the same format as most other essays – with an intro paragraph, main body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph – but there are some notable differences we need to cover. First, let’s start with the thesis.
Formulating the Thesis
As I mentioned in the previous section, what I found most compelling about the Nobel Prize in Literature is its social significance and how it acknowledges writers who push certain limits. Now I need to take those ideas and refashion them into a working thesis statement.
- The Nobel Prize in Literature is among the most important and prestigious awards in history because it is a barometer of socially significant issues. It does this by acknowledging writers who push the limits of their respective societies and eras.
It’s important to point out here that this is a working thesis statement and can be modified accordingly. I like what I have for now, so let’s move on to creating the outline of the essay.
Creating Your Outline
The structure of a good argumentative essay is similar to that of other essays, but because it is more detailed, it’s usually longer.
- Introduction Paragraph:
This is the paragraph where you state your thesis. As important as the thesis statement is, the first sentence is also important. The first sentence is your hook, where you state an interesting fact or figure that sets the tone for your essay
- Main Body Paragraphs:
The main body paragraphs are where you present your evidence in support of your thesis, and it is also where you present the opposing views. There are different ways to do this. Remember, you need to present the counterarguments in a paragraph, so you either do that as the first main body paragraph or as the last. The order will depend on you, the topic, and the parameters of what you’re writing the essay for (school, web content, journal article, etc.). Experiment a little with this order to see what works best for you. Personally, I think it’s better to present the counterarguments first because the arguments in favor of your thesis are the last that the reader will remember.
- Conclusion Paragraph:
This is similar to other essays because you will restate your thesis. It’s different, though, in that a conclusion paragraph in a good argumentative essay should be more detailed.
The Writing Process
Now that we’ve structured our argumentative essay about the Nobel Prize in Literature, let’s take a more in-depth look at the writing process. But as we do that, let’s rewind things a bit.
Researching and Supporting Your Claims
It should be clear to you now that any good argumentative essay is research-centric. So, even before you begin your outline, you should be spending plenty of time reading about your topic. Once you’ve narrowed down your topic to a working thesis statement, you can focus your research. Let’s consider my working thesis statement to see how this is done.
Here are some key research points I’ll focus on:
- How has the Nobel Prize in Literature affected geopolitics and history? In particular, how have specific winners done this?
- Who are some of the more controversial winners that have “pushed the envelope”?
- In what ways did those writers push the boundaries?
As you conduct your research, you need to use credible sources. Books published by university presses, news sites with good reputations, and websites known for neutrality are where you should get most of your sources. Each one of your claims will have to be supported by a source, so it’s imperative that you use only credible sources.
Addressing Counterarguments
This part of the argumentative essay cannot be overstated. Yes, you are arguing a specific point, but in order to do so, you have to acknowledge the other side of the argument. This process, known as dialectic, was used by the ancient Greeks and was later improved upon by the German philosopher, Georg Hegel.
This does not mean that you have to accept the counterargument(s), only that you acknowledge they exist. This, too, will require doing research and citing credible sources. As you research counterarguments to your thesis, consider these questions:
- Is pushing the limits always a good thing?
- What are some of the boundaries that the Nobel Prize in Literature hasn’t challenged?
- Is the process of awarding process fair for the entire world that it claims to represent?
The Proper Writing Tone and Style for an Argumentative Essay
As argumentative essays are more detailed and heavily researched, their tone is also more scholarly. You don’t necessarily need a thesaurus to write an argumentative essay, but you should follow an academic style and tone. Consider some of these points when you start writing:
- Always write in the third person:
Good academic writing should be objective, so never use first person (I, me, us) or second person (you) in your writing.
- Avoid contractions:
Contractions are a combination of two words (“it’s” instead of “it is,” for example). We use contractions every day in our speech and writing, but you want to avoid them in formal, academic writing.
Now that you know what an argumentative essay is, how to format one, and how to do the research, let’s take a look at a sample essay.
Sample Argumentative Essay on the Nobel Prize in Literature
With the thesis statement I formulated earlier in this article, I’ll now produce an abbreviated sample of what a good argumentative essay on the Nobel Prize in Literature should look like.
Paragraph 1: I’ve already written the thesis statement, but I’ll need a hook to start things off.
Hook: You need to start the essay off good with a catchy opening sentence or two.
Thought-provoking essays, revolutionary ideas, and prose that seem to create visions as you read the words. These are the hallmarks of some of the greatest writers in modern history – those who have won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Thesis statement: You’ll add another sentence that provides some background on your topic before stating your thesis.
The Nobel Prize in Literature is among the most important and prestigious awards in history because it is a barometer of socially significant issues. It does this by acknowledging writers who push the limits of their respective societies and eras.
Transition Sentence:
As culturally and politically significant as the Nobel Prize in Literature is, it does have its detractors.
Remember to use a transition sentence to link every paragraph in your essay.
Paragraph 2: This will be my counterargument paragraph. I will focus on two points that are counter to my thesis: the lack of women award winners and the dominance of English-speaking winners.
Despite its role in forwarding social ideas, the Nobel Prize in Literature has only been awarded to 18 women, and the majority of its winners have been English speakers.
Paragraphs 3 and 4: I use these paragraphs to support my thesis and counter the counterarguments from the previous paragraph.
Although the Nobel Prize in Literature may not be perfect, its winners have consistently pushed the limits. Russian winner Aleksander Solzhenitsyn opened the world’s eyes to the horrors of the Soviet era gulags, while Nigerian poet Wole Soyinka won for his unique perspectives on existence.
Conclusion Paragraph: In addition to restating your thesis, your conclusion paragraph should include a secondary hook.
Conclusion Hook:
The Nobel Prize in Literature has not been without controversy and some problems, but it is from that that some of the world’s greatest writers hit their strides.
Finalizing Your Essay
Once you’ve written your argumentative essay about the Nobel Prize in Literature, you still have some work to do.
First, you’ll have to proofread your work for punctuation and spelling errors. You can catch most of these errors on your own, but if you want to get some good feedback on the content, style, and flow, you’ll need to have someone else look at it. Once your reader sends the essay back to you with their suggestions, address the concerns and give the paper another read.
You can never read your paper too many times, so give yourself enough time. Don’t procrastinate. As soon as you get the assignment, get to work!
Opening New Opportunities
As you work on your argumentative essay about the Nobel Prize in Literature, you’ll start to see how the skills and strategies you’ve learned are adaptable. You’ll also be able to use what you’ve learned here to do research in other fields, you will see the validity of different sides of an argument, and your writing skills will vastly improve.
You could say that mastering argumentative essays is the key to opening a plethora of new academic opportunities. Just remember to keep your mind open and consider all perspectives.
Good luck and have fun writing!
