Claims

The Because of every argument.

Claims are the “because” part of every argument:

You want your family to go to the lake because it’s hot. “It’s hot” is the claim. 

Anyone who wants to write well should read a lot of books, because good writing starts with reading. “Good writing starts with reading” is the claim.

We should serve chocolate ice cream for dessert, because any dessert other than chocolate ice cream is just kidding. What’s the claim? You can probably guess.

You have a Purpose—the point you want to make, the choice or opinion you want to talk your audience into. The Claim links that point to a belief or expectation. The trick is to make that claim a belief or expectation that your audience already holds. So, in the examples above, which would seem to be the best claim? Presumably, your family agrees that it’s hot. On the other hand, does everyone think that reading a lot of books is necessary for good writing? What if your audience thinks that inspiration comes straight from Heaven? As for the ice cream example: while Jay doesn’t understand why people eat anything but chocolate ice cream, not everyone holds that opinion. 

Claims are a great way to understand rhetoric’s number-one rule: IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU. Persuasion starts with your Audience’s beliefs and expectations. 

Tania’s 11-year-old daughter, Tessa, desperately wants her own phone. That’s her purpose. She comes up with three claims:

1.     Now that she’s in middle school and taking the bus by herself, she needs to let us know she’s safe when she gets home ahead of her parents.

2.     If she had a phone, she would be able to call Aunt Kelly and grandmother Nan without monopolizing her parents’ phones.

3.     All her friends have one, and it’s so unfair that she doesn’t! 

Which claim might be the most persuasive? Remember, think of the audience—in this case, Tessa’s parents. The best claims will use Tania’s beliefs and expectations. Another great source of claims: VALUES. What does Tania think is important in life? Tessa knows that her mother values Tessa’s safety above almost everything else. So claim number one would seem pretty strong, right? 

Now look at claim number two. How much does Tania value the exclusive use of her phone? Is she a total texting addict? In which case, claim number two might work. (In reality, Tania is not a texting addict, so that claim doesn’t really cut the mustard. Nice try, Tessa!)

As for claim number three, very few parents in the history of humanity have every believed the claim that every other kid has something that one kid doesn’t have. And Tessa should know that Tania doesn’t value Tessa’s social standing all that much. Total claim fail.

By the way: at some point in your study of Claims, you might run across an ancient rhetorical term, the enthymeme (EN-the-meem). This is a little logic packet that contains two parts: the Purpose, and the Claim. 

I need my own phone so I can tell you I’m safe if I get home before you. 

Purpose: “I need my own phone.”

Claim: “So I can tell you I’m safe.”

 Together, they comprise an enthymeme, rhetorical Logos that states a purpose—what the rhetor wants the audience to think or feel or do—backed up by a claim. 

Having trouble coming up with a good claim? Try thinking of the opposing argument. Your opponent is likely to make the mistake of basing his claim on his own belief or value, not yours. Plus, the best debaters will shoot down her opponent’s argument before he even makes it. 

Tessa knows that her father will bring up the old claim that his generation managed to survive childhood without smartphones. So before he even speaks, she can shoot down his claim.

Tessa: You played outside for hours, didn’t you, Dad? Without Nan and Papa even knowing where you were. You never let me do that. So you must be worried about my safety, right? Let’s talk about safety.

She can also base her claim on a key flaw in her dad’s belief: that kids didn’t have access to phones back then.

Tessa: You did have a phone, a landline in the house. When I get home, there’s no way to call you. We don’t have a landline!

When you plan your argument essay, sketch out your possible claims. Order them from strongest to weakest, anticipating the counterclaims. (See Organization for more advice on how to arrange your claims.) Keep in mind that your strongest claims will also have plenty of Evidence to back them up.

When you read an argument, take note of the author’s purpose, and then list the claims as you read. Notice the order of those claims; a skilled rhetor usually has a strategy for that. For example, the author may initially use a claim that’s closest to the audience’s own beliefs or values, in order to establish some trust. The next claims might not be quite so close to the audience’s heart, but are better for backing up the author’s purpose. 

Notice the moments when the author shifts from one claim to the next. Your teacher will help you analyze this structuring and organizing of claims and counterclaims—key rhetorical choices that make up a persuasive essay.

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