130 SMART THINKING: SKILLS FOR CRITICAL UNDERSTANDING & WRITING©
+
©.©©.©,0,0,0
1
My conclusion (claim 1) is what I want my audience to agree with. Hence, I
will state it clearly in the first paragraph of my narrative flow (although there are
also times when it is better to leave the conclusion-claim until later on in the nar-
rative flow).^2 At the same time, I want to signal to my readers that I will be giving
them two key reasons for accepting this conclusion—these reasons are expressed,
first, in claims 2-6 and, second, in claims 7-9. However, I would not go into detail
in this first paragraph but would simply indicate that, broadly, I will be discussing
free education in terms of economic benefit and democratic rights.
Next, although it is not represented anywhere in the analytical structure just
given, I would probably give a summary or overview of the history of higher edu-
cation in Australia, providing an outline of the times at which education has and
has not been free. To do this properly might involve the development of a second
structure diagram that captures the main points I want to make. I would also need
to establish a context for this argument: I could perhaps identify it as a response to
the continued pressure from the federal government to reduce public spending in
favour of more private spending by individual Australians. This section of the
written report (which, in this example, would be between ten and twelve pages, or
3000 words, in total) might be between two and three pages long.
Then I would begin my actual analysis by discussing the second of my two reasons
(the 'democratic rights' one), since it is, for me, more significant than the 'economic
benefit' reason. I would begin by writing about claim 8—'Australia is a democracy'—
and would not expend too much effort on showing why I made this claim (since it is
generally accepted). Probably a paragraph would be sufficient. My discussion of claim
7—'Free education is a fundamental democratic right'—is a different matter. I could
expect to write between four and five paragraphs exploring every aspect of this claim,
in effect developing an argument for its acceptability. I would need to consider the issue
of 'rights' and what they mean; whether or not free education is a 'fundamental' right
or just an added benefit where it is possible. You can see how it may well be necessary
for me to stop and, thinking through my argument, develop another analytical struc-
ture in which claim 7 is the conclusion. Finally, claim 9—'Education includes all levels
from primary to tertiary'—might simply be presented as a definition and expressed