Guidance on essay writing-Argument

[Anup Bengeri]

Q)

The following appeared as a letter to the editor from a Central Plaza store owner.

"Over the past two years, the number of shoppers in Central Plaza has been steadily decreasing while the popularity of skateboarding has increased dramatically. Many Central Plaza store owners believe that the decrease in their business is due to the number of skateboard users in the plaza. There has also been a dramatic increase in the amount of litter and vandalism throughout the plaza. Thus, we recommend that the city prohibit skateboarding in Central Plaza. If skateboarding is prohibited here, we predict that business in Central Plaza will return to its previously high levels."

Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered in order to decide whether the recommendation is likely to have the predicted result. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the recommendation.

A)

Here the comparison is between the Central Plaza and Skateboarding. The argument is flawed for various reasons. Firstly, the argument is based on the assumption that Central Plaza's popularity is decreasing due to the Skate Boarding and hence giving us the conclusion that skateboarding should be prohibited so that Central Plaza will return to its previous heights, which is invalid.

The argument fails to give any justification as to why skateboarding is the only reason for the decline of Central Plaza and how removing of the skateboarding will really help the Central Plaza to get back to its glory days. This is just based on the assumption that prohibiting skateboarding will solve the problems of Central Plaza. Whereas, the problems of Central Plaza may lie within. The quality of products Central Plaza are providing may have decreased and hence the shoppers have reduced buying at the Central Plaza.

Comparing skateboarding and Central Plaza is a baseless comparison. Blaming the skateboarding, which is primarily a outdoor activity, for the decline of Central Plaza is as vague as it gets. Even if the skateboarding is prohibited, what is the guarantee that Central Plaza will start attracting more shoppers. If Central Plaza do attract more shoppers, narrowing it down to only skateboarding as a problem would be unjustified. Before 2 years, was the skateboarding prohibited? yet still the Central Plaza was running smoothly and attracting customers.

Skateboarding is held responsible for litter and vandalism at the plaza. This is not a plausible argument as the skateboarding cannot cause any kind of litter. It is the people who cause litter around the plaza. Whether we allow skateboarding or prohibit it, if people are not well educated, litter and vandalism will take place.

This argument makes unwarranted assumptions, it fails to make a convincing case as to prohibit the skateboarding to revive Central Plaza.