Argument (also called rhetoric) is the process of presenting a clear, logical, well-supported position.  According to The St. Martin's Guide to Writing, 8th ed., arguments must be arguable (have at least two sides), be clearly worded, be appropriately qualified (limited), and be well-supported.  The same text says that support can be any of the following:  statistics, facts, anecdotes, texts, and authorities.  A very nice list of rhetorical terms can be found at the University of Kentucky.  The opposite of argument is propaganda; a very nice exercise in the use of propaganda can be found by watching presidential political adds from the last 50 years at The Living Room Candidate.  A non-web-dependent alternative is to use advertising from old magazines the library discards:  the classic propaganda techniques are usually not hard to spot.

The following are student and teacher examples of argumentative writing.  Please add your own best examples.

Drew_Disney Editorial.doc

A student's opinion on the effect of Walt Disney films on the hunting industry.

jamie_editorial.doc

A student's opinion on how her music differs from her parents (and how it's the same).

jeff_editorial.doc

A teacher's opinion of progress and traditional values.

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