A whole library of possibilities.
534 examples and lessons to explore. Find an approach, follow the thinking, and try it in your own writing.
Does Technology Reduce or Improve Human Connection?
An argumentative essay takes the position that technology can both weaken and strengthen human connection, depending on whether people use it to replace attention and in-person engagement or to support meaningful communication and action.
Macbeth’s Ambition and the Cost of an Unfulfilled Need
An analysis of how the prophecy awakens Macbeth’s desire for power, and how his efforts to secure the crown turn ambition into an unsatisfiable need that destroys moral and political order.
Why Rural America Needs Public Transportation Too
An explanatory essay argues that rural transit connects people to work, medical care, and other essential services, while recognizing the practical challenges of distance, cost, and locally appropriate service design.
Social Change Movements in the United States, 1945–1980: Evaluating Their Effects
A comparative argument weighs the legal, political-participation, and public-expectation effects of civil-rights and women’s-rights movements, while explaining why their gains were uneven across communities.
Should Water Efficiency Be Part of Housing Affordability Discussions?
An argument that housing affordability should account for water use and the cost of efficient fixtures, while recognizing that savings vary by household, climate, and existing equipment.
Interdisciplinary Knowledge: Does Every Field Need Ideas from Outside It?
A qualified argument that specialized methods are indispensable, but significant progress on practical problems often requires bringing other kinds of knowledge and experience into the work.
Walking as an Everyday Form of Exercise
An explanatory essay on how accessible everyday movement can support health alongside organized sport, and why opportunities to move should account for differing abilities and circumstances.
GRE Argument: Should Governments Fund Scientific Research with Unclear Consequences?
An argumentative essay assessing when governments should fund research whose consequences are uncertain, using the historical examples of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 defense policy and Dwight D. Eisenhower’s 1961 warning about the military-industrial complex.
Pride and Prejudice: Darcy’s Memory and Changed Judgment
An analysis of how Elizabeth’s rejection and criticism reshape Darcy’s conduct, and how Elizabeth’s reassessment makes Austen’s portrayal of self-knowledge reciprocal rather than one-sided.
Should Public Information Be Designed for People With Different Abilities?
An argument that public information should be designed to be usable by people with different abilities, using U.S. election accessibility as a concrete example and considering the costs and limits of inclusive design.
The Scientific Method and European Society, 1600–1800
An explanatory essay on how empirical inquiry changed scientific debate and contributed to the practical value of systematic knowledge in Europe from 1600 to 1800.
Should Nuclear Power Be Part of America's Clean-Energy Future?
A qualified argument for keeping nuclear power in the U.S. clean-energy portfolio while expanding renewables and taking waste, safety, and environmental obligations seriously.