We present this selection as an example of a fairly well-reasoned argumentative

essay. There is more here than arguments—there’s some

window dressing and you’ll probably find some slanters here and there

as well. You should go through the selection and identify the issues,

the positions taken on those issues, and the arguments offered in support

of those arguments. Are any arguments from opposing points of

view considered? What is your final assessment of the essay?

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, produced a response among American

officials, the media, and the public that is probably matched only by the

attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Since it is the very nature of terrorism not

only to cause immediate damage but also to strike fear in the hearts of the

population under attack, one might say that the terrorists were extraordinarily

successful, not just as a result of their own efforts but also in consequence

of the American reactio