The BEST Way to Write about Personal Experience in an Argument Essay!

Summary

In this informative video, Crystal La debunks the myth that personal pronouns should be avoided in essays. She explains that while they might not be suitable for rhetorical analysis essays, they can be effectively used in argumentative essays when sharing personal anecdotes that support the argument. Crystal uses the censorship prompt and thesis from previous videos to demonstrate how to incorporate a personal example, such as her experience with Disney Plus, into an essay. She emphasizes the importance of being detailed and vivid in storytelling, while also ensuring the accuracy of the details. Crystal also advises on how to connect personal experiences to a broader audience to strengthen the argument. The video concludes with a reminder to avoid immature writing and to confidently include personal pronouns when they enhance the essay's narrative and validity.

Takeaways

• 📝 Use personal pronouns in essays when appropriate, such as in an argumentative essay where a personal example strengthens the argument.
• 🚫 Avoid using personal pronouns in rhetorical analysis essays and limit their use in synthesis essays.
• 👍 Engage your audience by liking and subscribing to the channel for more writing tips and updates.
• 🎯 Start with a topic sentence that includes transitional language, a generalized reference to your example, and an abstract idea.
• 🌟 Use personal experiences as a transition from broader examples to more relatable and realistic scenarios.
• 🔍 Be detailed in describing your example, but remember that the vividness of the details is more important than their absolute accuracy.
• ✨ Take creative liberties with details to fit your argument, as long as the story remains true to your experience.
• 🏁 Keep personal example descriptions concise, not exceeding five sentences.
• ➡️ After describing your example, connect it back to the commentary and link your personal experience to a broader audience.
• 📌 When providing commentary, ensure you connect your personal example to others to demonstrate its relevance and validity.
• 🚫 Avoid phrases like 'I believe,' 'I think,' 'in my opinion,' or 'in my paper I will argue,' as they indicate immature writing skills.
• 📚 The key is to tell detailed, vivid stories that prove the validity of your point, which justifies the use of personal pronouns in your writing.

Q & A

What is the common myth about personal pronouns in essays that the video aims to bust?

The video aims to bust the myth that you shouldn't use personal pronouns in your essays, particularly in argumentative essays where personal examples can be effectively used to support a point.

In which type of essays is it advised against using personal pronouns?

It is advised against using personal pronouns in a rhetorical analysis essay, and there may be limited times you'd want to use them in a synthesis essay.

What is the role of a topic sentence when writing about oneself in an argumentative essay?

The topic sentence must include transitional language, a generalized reference to an example, and an abstract idea that will prompt reasoning in the commentary.

How does the speaker transition from discussing a general example to a personal one in the topic sentence?

The speaker uses the phrase 'as a mother' to transition from a general example (Starbucks Fiasco) to a more personal and realistic experience.

What is the importance of being detailed when describing a personal example?

Being detailed is important to make the example vivid and relatable, which helps to better illustrate the argument. However, the accuracy of details is less important than the overall truthfulness and relevance to the argument.

What is the speaker's stance on modifying the details of a personal example to fit the argument?

The speaker suggests that while the story should be mostly true and drawn from life experience, some liberties can be taken with the details to better fit the argument, as long as the core truth of the story is maintained.

Why is it necessary to connect personal examples to a broader audience when providing commentary?

Connecting personal examples to a broader audience helps to validate the argument's relevance and applicability beyond the individual's experience, making it more persuasive.

What is the significance of using phrases like 'not just in my life' and 'parents everywhere' in the commentary?

These phrases help to generalize the personal experience, making the argument more relatable and applicable to a wider audience, thus strengthening the overall persuasiveness of the essay.

What does the speaker mean by 'immature writing skills' in the context of using personal pronouns?

The speaker refers to the use of phrases like 'I believe,' 'I think,' 'in my opinion,' or 'in my paper I will argue,' which can indicate a lack of confidence or an informal tone in writing, rather than a misuse of personal pronouns in general.

What is the key advice given for including personal pronouns confidently in a paper?

The key advice is to tell detailed stories that prove the validity of your point. If you can do this effectively, you can confidently include personal pronouns in your paper.

What is the next step suggested by the speaker for the viewer after understanding how to include personal pronouns?

The speaker suggests that the viewer should watch another video about how to conclude their arguments effectively.

Why is it important to use personal pronouns in certain types of essays?

Using personal pronouns in certain types of essays, like argumentative ones, can add a personal touch and authenticity to the writing, making the argument more compelling and relatable to the reader.

How does the speaker suggest balancing the use of personal pronouns with maintaining a formal tone in academic writing?

The speaker suggests that while personal pronouns can be used, it's important to avoid phrases that indicate informality or lack of confidence, such as 'I believe' or 'I think.' Instead, the focus should be on telling detailed, vivid stories that support the argument.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Debunking the Myth of Personal Pronouns in Essays

Crystal La, Liberty, the host of the Garden of English, challenges the myth that personal pronouns should be avoided in essays. She explains that while they might not be suitable for rhetorical analysis essays, they can be effectively used in argumentative essays, particularly when sharing personal anecdotes that support the argument. The video encourages viewers to like and subscribe for more informative content and writing tips. Crystal then demonstrates how to incorporate a personal example into an argumentative essay using a topic sentence that includes transitional language, a general reference to the example, and an abstract idea that leads into the reasoning. She uses a censorship prompt and thesis from previous videos as a basis for her example, showing how to transition from a broader example to a personal one, and emphasizing the importance of making informed choices to protect children from inappropriate content.

Keywords

💡Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns are words used to refer to oneself or others in a sentence, such as 'I', 'you', 'he', 'she', 'it', 'we', and 'they'. In the context of the video, the speaker discusses the myth that personal pronouns should not be used in essays, particularly argumentative ones. The video argues that personal pronouns can be effectively used when writing about oneself in an argument, especially when sharing a personal example that strengthens the argument.

💡Rhetorical Analysis Essay

A rhetorical analysis essay is a type of academic writing where the author examines and interprets the way an author's persuasive strategies function within a text. The video mentions that personal pronouns are generally not used in this type of essay, setting a contrast to the use of personal pronouns in argumentative essays where the speaker's personal experience can be relevant.

💡Synthesis Essay

A synthesis essay is a written work in which the author combines ideas from multiple sources and incorporates them into a coherent argument. The video suggests that personal pronouns might be used sparingly in a synthesis essay, particularly in the conclusion, to tie together different ideas and perspectives.

💡Argumentative Essay

An argumentative essay is a type of writing where the writer takes a position on a controversial issue and argues for their point of view using evidence and reasoning. The video emphasizes that personal pronouns can be appropriately used in an argumentative essay to share personal anecdotes that support the writer's argument.

💡Censorship Prompt

A censorship prompt is a topic or question that invites discussion about the control or suppression of what can be expressed in various forms of public communication. In the video, the censorship prompt serves as the central issue around which the argumentative essay is built, with the speaker using personal experience to discuss the importance of making informed choices.

💡Topic Sentence

A topic sentence is the first sentence of a paragraph that presents the main idea or argument of that paragraph. The video provides an example of constructing a topic sentence that includes a transition from previous content, a general reference to an example, and an abstract idea that sets up the reasoning for the paragraph.

💡Transitional Language

Transitional language refers to words or phrases that connect one idea to another, guiding the reader through the text. In the video, the speaker uses transitional language in the topic sentence to move from discussing a general example (Starbucks Fiasco) to a personal experience related to Disney Plus.

💡Disney Plus

Disney Plus is a streaming service that offers a variety of content, including movies and television shows. In the video, the speaker uses Disney Plus as an example to illustrate a personal anecdote about making informed choices to protect her children from inappropriate content, which is relevant to the censorship prompt.

💡Vivid Details

Vivid details are specific, sensory-rich descriptions that help to create a clear and engaging picture in the reader's mind. The video emphasizes the importance of including vivid details when describing personal examples in an essay, while also noting that the accuracy of these details is less important than their ability to support the argument.

💡Commentary

Commentary in an essay refers to the writer's analysis, interpretation, or opinion on the topic being discussed. The video discusses how to connect personal examples to a broader context through commentary, ensuring that the personal anecdote is not just a recitation of events but is used to support the overall argument.

💡Immature Writing Skills

Immature writing skills refer to the use of language and structure in writing that is characteristic of less experienced or less developed writers. The video contrasts the inappropriate use of phrases like 'I believe' or 'I think' in an essay with the more sophisticated use of personal pronouns to tell detailed stories and prove the validity of a point.

Highlights

Dispelling the myth that personal pronouns should not be used in essays.

Personal pronouns are acceptable in argumentative essays when used effectively.

Using personal examples from one's own life can strengthen an argument.

The importance of including a topic sentence with transitional language, a generalized reference to an example, and an abstract idea.

Transitioning from one example to a more relatable and realistic personal experience.

The necessity of being detailed yet creative with personal anecdotes.

The significance of accuracy in details, though not more important than the vividness of the story.

Allowing for some creative liberties with the details to better fit the argument.

Limiting the personal anecdote to no more than five sentences.

Connecting personal experiences to a broader audience to enhance the argument's validity.

The difference between immature writing and effectively using 'I' in academic essays.

Avoiding phrases that indicate immature writing skills, such as 'I believe', 'I think', and 'in my opinion'.

The importance of proving the validity of one's point through detailed storytelling.

Confidently including personal pronouns in academic papers when done correctly.

The video provides guidance on how to conclude arguments effectively.

The use of personal pronouns should be purposeful and enhance the essay's argument.

The video is part of a series on essay writing, including a previous discussion on censorship prompts and thesis.

The presenter, Crystal La, shares a personal example related to Disney Plus and making informed choices for children.

Transcripts

welcome back to the Garden of English

I'm not Tim Freitas I'm Crystal La

Liberty as we journey into today's video

I'm going to be working on busting the

myth that you shouldn't use personal

pronouns in your essays I mean sure you

shouldn't use personal pronouns in a

rhetorical analysis essay and there may

be limited times you'd want to use them

in a synthesis essay like when you're

writing a conclusion but when you write

an argument if you have a great example

from your own life that works you want

to write about yourself and there's no

other way to do that unless you use

personal pronouns now if you like that

news you'll want to prove it by liking

this video make sure you also subscribe

so you don't miss any more good news and

writing tips anyway let's actually look

at how to write about yourself when

writing an argument for my example we

are going to continue to work with the

censorship prompt and thesis from past

argument videos The Thesis itself is

about to pop up on the screen

[Music]

foreign

so Tim showed you how to write what

would be the first body paragraph for

this essay but now I'm going to produce

what would be the third paragraph using

myself as an example let's start by

writing a topic sentence remember that

this sentence must include transitional

language a generalized reference to an

example and an abstract idea that will

prompt your reasoning in your commentary

so if I were to draw from my own life

experience and include it in my topic

sentence it would look like this

this is

notice that when I say as a mother I

begin to transition from the ridiculous

example of the Starbucks Fiasco and

shift my reader's attention to the much

more practical and realistic experiences

I also referenced generally to my

example when I mentioned Disney plus and

my argument is included in the topic

sentence when I discuss making informed

choices to Shield my children so this

topic sentence does it all now we'll

have to include a more detailed

description of my Disney plus example it

would look like this

foreign

[Music]

when describing your example remember

that you need to be incredibly detailed

but what's also important to note is

that the accuracy of your details are

less important than the fact that you

know those Vivid details need to be

there in the first place of course I've

seen Deadpool before but I really did

see it pop up on the screen and thought

about how detrimental it would be if my

son saw it so I took some liberties with

the details to better fit the argument

at hand essentially I'm not telling you

to lie because the story is mostly true

and you still want to draw from your

life experience but I'm telling you to

be creative and specific and Vivid as

you tell your story as long as you don't

go above five sentences look if you

mistake Uncle Buck for cousin Vinnie but

the story is still true and illustrates

the argument set forth in your topic

sentence and thesis then rock on now

let's shift back to the commentary and

see what that would look like here

[Music]

foreign

[Music]

I want to mention one other really

important move when providing commentary

for personal examples it is not enough

to rely on the fact that you have lived

your idea and so it must be true for

others you have to actually connect it

to other people look I'm sure you're all

lovely individuals and trust me I care

about you but AP does not

I don't care who you're that 30 right

though so notice how my last line of

commentary connects my experience to

others when I use words and phrases like

not just in my life parents everywhere

our children and their development in

the past when you were told not to use

personal pronouns what your teacher

really meant was not to say things like

I believe I think in my opinion or in my

paper I will argue

those all indicate immature writing

skills what we have covered here today

is so much more than that you want to

tell detailed stories prove the validity

of your point and if you can do that you

can confidently include personal

pronouns in your paper and now what I

want you to do is watch this video here

about how you can conclude your

arguments