Writing to argue (rhetorical)

Preparation and Planning

The materials and activities provided could span two lessons, depending on student ability and the amount of time you would like to allow for discussion. It would be worthwhile looking at the suggested timings in the lesson plan grid and deciding whether or not to break the content across multiple sessions.

Ensure that you photocopy enough Student Worksheets for the whole class. If you have access to an interactive whiteboard you may choose to display the worksheets during Episode 3 and to ask students to highlight the techniques on the board.

About the MOD Topic

Iraq was invaded in March 2003 by a United States - led Coalition Force. Twenty-nine other countries, including Britain, also provided troops. The Coalition's stated reasons for invasion were that Iraq had not abandoned its nuclear and chemical weapons development programme.

The background to the 2003 Iraq War can be found in the first Gulf War which took place in 1991. In 1990 Iraq invaded Kuwait which led to the United Nations Security Council passing Resolution 678. The Resolution authorised UN member states to use 'all necessary means' to 'restore international peace and security in the area.' By March 1991 Iraq had been expelled from Kuwait, and had agreed to a cease-fire resolution. This resolution obligated Iraq to discontinue its nuclear weapons program.

By 2002 Britain and the United States had become concerned that Iraq was failing to honour the cease-fire agreement and was obstructing weapons inspectors. In November 2002 the United Nations passed Resolution 1441which gave Saddam Hussein's administration one more chance to comply to the rules set out in the disarmament obligations which had been set out over ten previous UN resolutions. However Iraq continued to breach the disarmament obligations, failing to issue all relevant documents for UN inspection and continuing to obstruct UN weapons inspectors. Consequently, in March 2003 the US, supported by Britain and 28 other countries invaded Iraq. The invasion was not supported by the UN and met with some criticism from countries including France and Russia.

Following the deposition of Saddam Hussein, the US established the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) to govern Iraq. In 2004 Government authority was transferred to an Iraqi Interim Government and in October 2005 a permanent Iraqi government was elected.

The Iraq Body Count website estimates that there have been between 89,000 and 98,000 violent civilian deaths since the coalition invasion in 2003. By 11th December 2008, 178 members of the British Armed Forces had been killed whilst serving in Iraq. This has fuelled debate over whether British troops should have remained in Iraq following the deposition of Saddam Hussein.

Over 4,000 British troops are to remain in Iraq until June 2009 in order to assist the Iraqi government. Troops continue to contribute to the reconstruction of Iraq, training Iraqi security forces, rehabilitating schools and hospitals and initiating immunisation programs. They also continue to aid in the fight against a strong militant Iraqi insurgency.
By June 2009 the British Government expects to see the democratically-elected Iraqi Government and its Security Forces take responsibility for security across the country. In keeping with the Prime Minister's statement in October 2007 force levels are under constant review and future decisions will be made on the advice of military commanders, based on conditions on the ground.

Further information about the Iraq war can be found at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_War (accessed on 05/03/2009)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/middle_east/2002/conflict_with_iraq/default.stm (accessed on 05/03/2009)

Further Opportunities for Learning

Invite students to consider the differences between writing a speech and writing elsewhere e.g. in a newspaper. What additional techniques can a speechwriter rely on?

Students write a speech of their own but on a different subject, e.g. school uniform should / should not be abolished.

Review of further political speeches to see devices employed by a variety of politicians. How often do we use these techniques in our everyday life? A list of effective speeches can be found at the following website: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/2446609/Top-25-political-speeches-of-all-time-25-13.html

Compare and contrast the writing in various newspapers' 'opinion' column. How might the writing style / techniques used be influenced by the readership?

Students can research other wars in which Britain decided it was in the interests of the country to go to war despite the lack of a UN mandate (e.g. the Suez conflict).

More able students can be asked to write a persuasive piece to address the following question: If the UN had been active in the 1930s might the Second World War have been avoided?

Students to use the internet to find articles concerning continued involvement in Iraq. Is there any evidence from the articles which they find that some papers are more pro/anti UK involvement in international conflicts?

Student worksheet answers

Download the teachers notes PDF to access the answers for this lesson.