As online learning becomes more common and more and more resources are converted to

digital form, some people have suggested that public libraries should be shut down and, in
their place, everyone should be given an iPad with an e-reader subscription.
 Proponents of this idea state that it will save local cities and towns money because
libraries are expensive to maintain. They also believe it will encourage more people to read
because they won’t have to travel to a library to get a book; they can simply click on what
they want to read and read it from wherever they are. They could also access more
materials because libraries won’t have to buy physical copies of books; they can simply rent
out as many digital copies as they need.

However, it would be a serious mistake to replace libraries with tablets. First, digital
books and resources are associated with less learning and more problems than print
resources. A study done on tablet vs book reading found that people read 20-30% slower on
tablets, retain 20% less information, and understand 10% less of what they read compared
to people who read the same information in print. Additionally, staring too long at a screen
has been shown to cause numerous health problems, including blurred vision, dizziness, dry
eyes, headaches, and eye strain, at much higher instances than reading print does. People
who use tablets and mobile devices excessively also have a higher incidence of more
serious health issues such as fibromyalgia, shoulder and back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome,
and muscle strain. I know that whenever I read from my e-reader for too long, my eyes begin
to feel tired and my neck hurts. We should not add to these problems by giving people,
especially young people, more reasons to look at screens.
Second, it is incredibly narrow-minded to assume that the only service libraries offer
is book lending. Libraries have a multitude of benefits, and many are only available if the
library has a physical location. Some of these benefits include acting as a quiet study space,
giving people a way to converse with their neighbors, holding classes on a variety of topics,
providing jobs, answering patron questions, and keeping the community connected. One
neighborhood found that, after a local library instituted community events such as play times
for toddlers and parents, job fairs for teenagers, and meeting spaces for senior citizens, over
a third of residents reported feeling more connected to their community. Similarly, a Pew
survey conducted in 2015 found that nearly two-thirds of American adults feel that closing
their local library would have a major impact on their community. People see libraries as a
way to connect with others and get their questions answered, benefits tablets can’t offer
nearly as well or as easily.
While replacing libraries with tablets may seem like a simple solution, it would
encourage people to spend even more time looking at digital screens, despite the myriad
issues surrounding them. It would also end access to many of the benefits of libraries that
people have come to rely on. In many areas, libraries are such an important part of the
community network that they could never be replaced by a simple object.

@3 Strong Argumentative Essay Examples, Analyzed November 13,2020

https://blog.prepscholar.com/argumentative-essay-examples

Online learning become common and resources are converted to digital form.

People suggest that libraries

The author begins by giving an overview of the counter-argument, then the thesis
appears as the first sentence in the third paragraph. The essay then spends the rest
of the paper dismantling the counter argument and showing why readers should
believe the other side.

What this essay does well:

o Although it’s a bit unusual to have the thesis appear fairly far into the
essay, it works because, once the thesis is stated, the rest of the
essay focuses on supporting it since the counter-argument has
already been discussed earlier in the paper.

o This essay includes numerous facts and cites studies to support its
case. By having specific data to rely on, the author’s argument is
stronger and readers will be more inclined to agree with it.

o For every argument the other side makes, the author makes sure to
refute it and follow up with why her opinion is the stronger one. In order
to make a strong argument, it’s important to dismantle the other side,
which this essay does this by making the author's view appear
stronger.

How this essay could be improved:

o This is a shorter paper, and if it needed to be expanded to meet length

requirements, it could include more examples and go more into depth
with them, such as by explaining specific cases where people benefited
from local libraries.

o Additionally, while the paper uses lots of data, the author also mentions
their own experience with using tablets. This should be removed since
argumentative essays focus on facts and data to support an
argument, not the author’s own opinion or experiences. Replacing
that with more data on health issues associated with screen time would
strengthen the essay.

o Some of the points made aren't completely accurate, particularly

the one about digital books being cheaper. It actually often costs a
library more money to rent out numerous digital copies of a book
compared to buying a single physical copy. Make sure in your own
 essay you thoroughly research each of the points and rebuttals you
make, otherwise you'll look like you don't know the issue that well.

1: Make Your Thesis Crystal Clear

The thesis is the key to your argumentative essay; if it isn’t clear or readers can’t find
it easily, your entire essay will be weak as a result. Always make sure that your
thesis statement is easy to find. The typical spot for it is the final sentence of the
introduction paragraph, but if it doesn’t fit in that spot for your essay, try to at least
put it as the first or last sentence of a different paragraph so it stands out
more.

Also make sure that your thesis makes clear what side of the argument you’re on.
After you’ve written it, it’s a great idea to show your thesis to a couple different
people--classmates are great for this. Just by reading your thesis they should be
able to understand what point you’ll be trying to make with the rest of your essay.