1. Defense 2. Revenge 3. Competition
1.) Place the event in context. When would Truman be asking you about your thoughts on the bomb? Anchor your paper with a date.
2.) Make sure to provide context for your paper. Set the stage for this event. Think about the time period before the bomb was dropped. Set the foundation or background before stating the thesis.
3.) Write in first person.
4). LIST THREE REASONS THAT SUPPORT YOUR THESIS
Early in your paper introduce three reasons or points that you have used to form your thesis. President Truman, drop the bomb because of reason 1, reason 2, and reason 3.
5.) IMPORTANT: Try to think about principles of why the bomb should or should not be dropped, not necessarily an event. Events can be used to help prove those principles. This is a subtle difference but will make your paper more effective. For example, revenge would be a principle and the bombing of Pearl Harbor would be an event or an example that demands vengeance.
6.) After you have introduced your three reasons or points, dedicate a paragraph explaining each point. This is where you clarify your reason. In our example above we said drop the bomb, now you need to explain each of the reasons that have brought you to that conclusion. You have three reasons, so you will need a paragraph to explain each reason. In these paragraphs you will use your examples, facts, or evidence that prove or justify your reasons.
7.) COUNTER ARGUMENT
Somewhere in your paper, make sure you address why someone might disagree with you. Acknowledge why others would perceive events or the importance of events differently than
how you have. This is the counter argument and is worth several points. If you say drop the bomb, try to find reasons why someone else would say do not drop the bomb. Show me that you have seen both sides. You do not need to cite these reasons, nor do you need to give a great deal of details.
