M4, U2, L10 - Argument Writing

Model Argument Essay

By Elizabeth Hough

​M4, U2, L10

Multiple Choice

argument

• A factual statement

• an opinion and it's support

  including facts, reasons, evidence

• a surrender to someone else

  even though you are correct

• to persuade someone

  to your side

  by yelling and shouting

Multiple Select

claim

• a fact used to support an opinion

• a belief that can be proven with evidence

• a statement of opinion

  that can be proven

  with evidence

• sufficient evidence to support

  an opinion

Multiple Select

counterclaim

• the main claim

• an alternate opinion

• the opposition

• the alternate viewpoint

Multiple Choice

evidence

• opinions that are used to support others opinions

• claims that are used to support

  others claims

• proofs that are used in geometry to prove some formula

• information such as facts, statitics, data, or expert

  opinions that support a claim

Multiple Choice

reason

• explanations about why a claim is true or should be believed

• explanations about why a fact is true or should be believed

• explanations about why a counterclaim is false or should not be believed

• explanations about why a proof is provided

Multiple Choice

relevant

• insufficient to the claim being made

• sufficient to the claim being made

• unrelated to the claim being made

• related to the claim being made

Multiple Choice

irrelevant

• unrelated to the claim being made

• sufficient to the claim being made

• related to the claim being made

• insufficient to the claim being made

Multiple Select

sufficient

• ample

• enough

• plenty

• not enough

Multiple Select

insufficient

• not enough

• enough

• inadequate

• too little

Farewell to Manzanar tells the story of the Wakatsukis, one of many Japanese American

families forced to live in an internment camp during World War II. Their story is told through

the eyes of Jeanne Wakatsuki, the youngest of the family. Jeanne is sensitive and observant,

but because she is so young, she sometimes has a naive, or simple and incomplete,

understanding of what is happening around her. One significant idea in Farewell to Manzanar is

that Jeanne’s youth impacts her understanding of events in the text. Descriptions of Jeanne

help the reader understand how Jeanne’s youthful naivete keeps her from understanding what

was happening around her at Manzanar. By looking at key moments of the text and the film, we

can see that the film Farewell to Manzanar effectively conveys this significant idea of Jeanne’s

youth impacting her understanding of events.

In one important early moment from the text, Jeanne and her family are on the bus to

Manzanar. The text describes her as “full of excitement, the way any kid would be” (16). She

tries to befriend the bus driver and eagerly wants to look out the window. Feeling excited on

the way to an internment camp illustrates how Jeanne’s naivete impacts her understanding of

what awaits her and her family. Clearly, Manzanar is nothing like the camp Jeanne is

anticipating. The filmmakers choose several techniques to capture this significant idea. They

introduce a new character, another young girl on the bus. The two girls have a conversation

about what to expect at Manzanar. The actor portraying Jeanne speaks quickly and excitedly as

she describes the “camp” that her Caucasian friends attended in the past. Those friends had

told her that camp, with all its swimming and hiking and sleeping outside, was “really fun.” The

filmmakers’ choices in this moment convey how Jeanne’s youth impacts her understanding of

Manzanar. Through its dramatic touches regarding characters, voice, and dialogue, the film

remains faithful to the ideas in the text. Jeanne’s youth and naivete are clear. She is on the way

to an internment camp, but does not fully understand what this means for her and her family.

​What is the claim?


What are some
reasons given?

What types of
evidence are
given?

In another important moment from the text, Jeanne tries to make sense of the word inu.

Jeanne and Mama hear two women call Papa an inu, which means “dog” in Japanese. At the

time, Jeanne thinks the women who said this are just speaking badly about Papa “because he

never socialized” (60). Years later, Jeanne would learn that “inu also meant collaborator or

informer” (61)—in other words, a traitor. This distinction between Jeanne’s early and later

knowledge of this word emphasizes all that Jeanne does not know while she is a child living at

Manzanar. In this moment in the film, the filmmakers use dialogue to convey Jeanne’s naivete

and confusion. In a departure from the text, Jeanne asks Mama what an inu is, and Mama

answers in the moment. She says that “here, it means worse [than ‘dog’]: someone who helps

the enemy.” The camera shows Jeanne looking up, clearly trying to make sense of what she is

told. She asks, “Who is the enemy?” Mama is not able to provide an exact answer, suggesting

that the answer to this question is more complicated than young Jeanne can comprehend. In

this film scene, Jeanne’s questions signal to the viewer that Jeanne does not fully understand

what makes an inu or why Papa is being accused of disloyalty. Mama’s response shows that she

is not able to give Jeanne a simple answer to her naive question. By using this dialogue, the

filmmakers remain faithful to the significant idea of the text that Jeanne’s youth keeps her from

understanding these complicated concepts.

​Is there sufficient evidence to support the claim?

Is all the evidence relavant?

Some might argue that the film does not effectively convey Jeanne’s youthful naivete and its

impact on her understanding of events. Sometimes, the film presents scenes that depart from

the text. For example, in the text, after Papa is arrested for being a traitor, Mama starts

weeping uncontrollably. Jeanne starts “clinging” to her mother’s legs, “wondering why

everyone was crying” (8). Jeanne’s reaction helps illustrate the significant idea that Jeanne’s

youth keeps her from fully understanding what is happening to the family. In contrast, Mama

cries in the film, but not uncontrollably, and Jeanne does not cling to her legs or express

bewilderment at what is happening. In fact, Jeanne is not in the scene at all. It is true that the

film departs from the text. However, even though this is a departure from the text, the

filmmakers’ choices are effective because they show that Jeanne does not always know about

the issues the family is facing. Through this film scene, the viewer can better understand that

Jeanne was too young to be included in some situations and conversations about adult issues

like Papa’s arrest. The filmmakers’ choices might be somewhat different from the authors’, but

they honor the same significant idea of Jeanne’s youthfulness affecting how much she knew

about what was happening around her.

All in all, the film effectively conveys the idea of Jeanne’s youth impacting her understanding of

events. Through faithful depictions of key moments from the text, the film shows that Jeanne is

young and naive and cannot always make sense of what is happening to her family. Though

some film details depart from the text, they are still in line with this significant idea. By making

choices to emphasize the significant idea of Jeanne’s naivete and its impact on her

understanding of what is happening around her, the filmmakers have made sure the audience

grasps the complicated and often bewildering experience of internment that is conveyed in the

text.

​Does the author show a counterclaim?

Does the author include a conclusion?

Overall, does the author prove the claim?