Rachel Carson's Silent Spring is used in Everything's and Argument for several reasons. It adresses the use of pesticides and their affect on the enviornment. This has always been a very controversial topic and can grab the attention of the reader. Also the excerpt used from Silent Spring creates a very vivid description of the effects of pesticides such as DDT on the enviornment. Providing this strong description maintains the readers' interest while showing how a causal argument can start with the result and trace back to the causes. The last function of the Silent Spring example is that it shows how a causal argument can be countered. The use of DDT has been banned in many nations; however, in some countries the use of DDT can help prevent the spread of Malaria. This example shows how there can be two sides to a causal argument and the author must address all parts.


The sample essay "What Makes a Serial Killer?" presented a very strong and well written argument. La Donna Beaty used a variety of very credible sources and all her facts supported her argument. She used statistic, examples, stories, and scientific research to support her causes. Her argument was presented well; however, she did not anticipate any of the oppositions to the causes that she presented.


Some examples of causal questions found on CQ Researcher are: would raising the minimum wage reduce poverty, can AP and IB programs raise US high-school achievement, do earmarks lead to waste and corruption, can new business policies save the environment, and does ecotourism help or hurt fragile lands and cultures? Other examples of causal questions include: do images in the media cause eating disorders, is fast food the reason that childhood obesity has increased, is povery a result of selfish lifestyles in industrialized nations, would lowering or raising the drinking age promote or decrease responsible drinking, and how is personality developed? Some sources that could be used to explore eating disorders are "Eating Disorders: Cause and Effect" (http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/document?_m=a1b69d746686e4b7be70b0e869c7b81e&_docnum=2&wchp=dGLbVtb-zSkVA&_md5=376252789c54300e4553542f62694109), "Eating Disorders Hit Grade School...... Have We As A Weight-Obsessed Society Gone Too Far?" (http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/document?_m=a1b69d746686e4b7be70b0e869c7b81e&_docnum=4&wchp=dGLbVtb-zSkVA&_md5=0cb43e97587dd10bf5c91fb657abb056), and "Food for Thought" (http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/document?_m=a1b69d746686e4b7be70b0e869c7b81e&_docnum=5&wchp=dGLbVtb-zSkVA&_md5=7f82c13cb75e047d229d326804a34fde).