The central part of any argument is the complex claim, which is the focus of Outcome 3. A persuasive essay requires a clear and well-supported claim, and without it your audience will gain little from your essay. This course has done plenty to help me understand the complex claim, ranging from outlining the points covered in the essay (the roadmap) to the stakes of the argument. The initial statement of the complex claim will describe how and why you make your argument, making it incredibly important for the claim to be clearly defined to your audience and repeated throughout the paper.

            In Short Assignment 1, I wrote a very weak book review that claimed Tannen’s article was worth reading. Upon much revision, the claim is now much stronger and allows for a clearer reading of the review. I often write my claim before I start any essay, as a strong complex claim is necessary to provide your paper with a convincing argument that can be referenced throughout the paper. For this assignment I included all of the 5 ideas that must be included in a complex claim: the claim must be well-developed and investigate a question, be persuasive by taking into account multiple points of view, be supported with evidence and analysis, be organized in an appropriate linear fashion, have stakes that define its importance. Even if a book review seems an unlikely place for a strong complex claim, I am certain that I embodied these five points into my review and established a powerful complex claim.

            The complex claim is most apparent at the end of the first paragraph: “while some may argue otherwise, Tannen’s presentation of agonism and its detrimental effects to the classroom create an article that is essential for any teacher to utilize in revising their own teaching curriculum.” Note that this SINGLE sentence summarizes my argument, includes a nod to the concession paragraph (“while some may argue otherwise”), and includes the stakes that “[the] article…is essential for any teacher to utilize in revising their own teaching curriculum.” The claim that Tannen’s article is worth reading may appear to yield a simple yes or no answer, but in this review it is made to be a much more complex statement that accounts for evidence in her article and even includes stakes of reading the article.

            As must always be present in a complex claim, my claim serves to outline the book review by creating a roadmap that readers can follow. As can be inferred through the complex claim, the review begins with a concession and keyword paragraph that defines agonism. The next two body paragraphs examine agonism in Tannen’s article, and expand on how her article is impotant for any teacher. The claim establishes the organization of the essay and allows the reader to predict what they will see in the paper.

            The third paragraph of the book review provides a brief concession that even if Tannen doesn’t provide the tools necessary with thwarting agonism, it still informs teachers of the phenomena and is crucial information to any teacher. This concession is so brief simply because this assignment is a book review, and concessions are typically more extensive and supported by fact in an academic paper. However, the simple presence of the concession succeeds at addressing alternative points of view as outcome 3 requires.

            Elements such as evidence, analysis, and stakes in this paper are also critical to supporting the opinionated nature of the book review. By citing examples of agonism from Tannen’s very own article, I am able to convince readers that these bits of information are crucial for shaping their own teaching curriculums. The very analysis of Tannen’s ideas allowed me to build up to my claim that her article is certainly worth reading for any teacher in order to improve their teaching methods. Rather than blandly stating that the article is worth reading, stakes are included that make the argument both important and relatable to readers.

            The book review provided a unique medium to formulate my own argument out of Tannen’s article, and I certainly excelled at designing this unique complex claim. The five points crucial to a complex claim are apparent in this book review, and I’ve certainly learned to become a better writer by learning to craft a complex claim.

*Note: This paper ended up being a few measly lines over the maximum page requirement, and I added a works cited page because I quoted Tannen's article and thought any reader may be curious as to where the article I'm reviewing can be found. I hope this isn't an issue!