7th man argumentative essay

The Seventh Man Summary

Summary& analysis of the seventh man by haruki murakami.

Haruki Murakami wrote the short story “The Seventh Man” in 1996, drawing his inspiration from a dream while engaged in surfing. Its preoccupation lies with the consequences of childhood trauma in an adult’s life with its set of challenges. Thrusting on the power of nature and its sublime effect on the narrator, the author delivers a compelling narrative that advises its readers to put up a fight against their fears and escape its inscrutable web. 

The Seventh Man | Summary

The story opens with a frame narrative that introduces the character of the seventh man who is narrating a story from his past comprising of an encounter with nature’s power in the form of a typhoon which Japan as an island country often experiences. The past then transforms the man into the narrator who recalls losing his best friend K to a huge sea wave when he fails to hear the narrator’s warning. Witnessing  his friend being swallowed by the sea, the narrator falls unconscious and views K resting at the tip of a wave attempting to grab him and take him to another world. This fear elongates, gradually translating into trauma and compelling the narrator to leave his hometown. After forty years, he revisits the shore where he saw K for the last time, and unable to bear the pain, he resorts to finding solace in K’s seascape paintings which he has gifted to the narrator. Surprisingly, they help him to re-establish his relationship with nature, especially the sea. The narrator is able to overcome his fear with his eventual realization that his nightmares are not K’s anguish at his friend’s failure to protect him but rather a departing smile. Confronting is what releases the narrator from the chains of horrifying memories and enables him to move forward in his life to live the remaining years in peace and tranquillity. 

The Seventh Man | Analysis

Murakami pens down a  frame narrative  where the introductory story sets the stage for the titular character’s journey into the past concerned with his battle against nature and trauma through a third-person limited narrator. The second narrative is the protagonist’s i.e. the seventh man’s first-person account of his encounter with a typhoon at the age of ten where strong winds and high sea waves were an unbelievable spectacle.  Imagery and figurative language  to compare nature and its elements to domesticity is a unique strategy that the author employs to facilitate a smooth understanding of the  psychological and emotional complexities .  Gloominess in mood and regretful in tone,  Murakami artistically sets an apt  eerie atmosphere  for the seventh man to narrate his story to his group with winds rattling the windows of the room in the background. 

The story deals with how and in what shape one perceives the forces of nature. For the narrator, “it was a wave” which  symbolizes an agent of death . The approaching sea waves at the shore leave the narrator in a train of contemplation which the  caesuras  reflect in his overwhelming response. He couldn’t fathom the phenomenon: “And then, just as soundlessly, the water drew back—and stayed back. The waves that had approached me were as unthreatening as waves can be—a gentle washing of the sandy beach. But something ominous about them—something like the touch of a reptile’s skin—had sent a chill down my spine. My fear was totally groundless—and totally real. I knew instinctively that they were alive.” Death pays a visit to the narrator but instead of embracing him, it seizes his friend K. Adding to the burden of guilt is the lack of recognition K’s parents extend to the narrator’s presence or fault in the missing of their child. 

While  flashbacks  enable the readers to have a peak into the past of the narrator,  foreboding  assists in anticipating and predicting future events, in this case when the narrator utters “I  knew  that the wave was coming, and K. didn’t know.” K’s lack of knowledge about the impending calamity makes him vulnerable to the impenetrable depths of the sea. The play of time operates in the town too where the narrator spends his young years. When he revisits it, it transforms into an industrial setup with only the seascape still the way it was. This signifies that it is only nature that stands against the ravages of time. It is due to this that the narrator is able to reconcile with the sea. 

When the narrator ends his narration, the listeners are silently speculating the intensity of the events.  The inarticulateness of trauma  and  conquering it thereafter  is the crux of the story. The narrator i.e. the seventh man ends his tale with a lesson: “…the only thing we have to fear is fear itself…which comes to us in many different forms, at different times, and overwhelms us. But the most frightening thing we can do at such times is to turn our backs on it, to close our eyes. For then we take the most precious thing inside us and surrender it to something else. In my case, that something was the wave.” Never give in to anything that holds the capacity to overpower and torture you. Fear is only in the mind and to face it is the appropriate agential action an individual should work towards. 

Acknowledging  the title of the story , the author does not provide any identity-specific information and addresses his protagonist only as the seventh man which one can assume to be a number allotted to him in the group with whom he shares his life episodes. By not naming him, the author also extends this experience to all mankind where a human who has faced, is facing, or might face a similar fate can relate to this universal notion of fear and trauma.  

The Seventh Man | Literary Devices

“Every once in a while,  the house would creak  and shudder  as if a huge hand were shaking it. ”

The narrator reveals the difference in the generational attitudes towards a natural disaster: “To the adults, typhoons were an annoyance and a threat they had to face almost annually, but to the kids, removed as we were from such practical concerns, it was just a great big circus, a wonderful source of excitement.” 

The narrator discloses his reflex during the second shift of the wave which was unlike the previous one: “This time, though, I didn’t run. I stood rooted to the sea wall, entranced, waiting for it to attack. What good would it do to run, I thought, now that K. had been taken? Or perhaps I simply froze, overcome with fear. I can’t be sure what it was that kept me standing there.”

“Thick, gray clouds edged across the sky, and patches of blue showed here and there.” 

“In the tip of the wave, as if enclosed in some kind of transparent capsule, floated K’s body, reclining on its side.”

“I looked up at the sky. A few gray cotton chunks of cloud hung there, motionless.”

“I knew that the wave was coming, and K. didn’t know.  As clearly as I knew what I ought to be doing, I found myself running the other way —running full speed towards the dyke, alone.” 

The strong winds are addressed as “a n absolute giant”  by the seventh man. 

Onomatopoeia 

The wind “moved past the house with one final  whistle .” 

The wind “began to  howl ”

Personification 

The wind “ swallowed  everything that mattered most to me.” 

“The storm’s great “ eye ” seemed to be up there, fixing its  cold stare  on all of us below.”

“Without any sound or other warning,  the sea had suddenly stretched its long, smooth tongue  out to where I stood on the beach.”

“…soft sun of late afternoon embraced everything below…”

“…the rain began to beat against the house with a weird dry sound,  like handfuls of sand .” 

The wind will “ stay quiet like this for a while , maybe fifteen, twenty minutes, kind of  like an intermission. ”

“The white sand stretched out before us as far as we could see. The whole, huge space felt  like a room without furniture …”

“But something ominous about them [waves]—something  like the touch of a reptile’s skin —had sent a chill down my spine.”

“A wave  like a huge snake  with its head held high, poised to strike, was racing towards the shore.”

 “It looked  like part of a gigantic rug  that had been yanked by someone at the other end of the earth.”

“…another huge wave raised its head to strike. It towered before me, blocking out the sky,  like a deadly cliff .”

“From far above my head it began to fall, losing its shape,  like a brick wall slowly crumbling.”

The nightmares “would come to me now and then , like debt collectors at the door .” 

“Forty long years collapsed  like a dilapidated house , mixing old time and new time together in a single swirling mass.”

The Seventh Man | Themes

Contingency, Natural Calamity and its Repercussions

Various countries regularly experience fiery forces of nature in the shape of calamities such as earthquakes, landslides, cyclones, etc. due to their geographical location in proximity to sea or high altitudes. Japan is one of them where natural disasters are a frequent phenomenon. People are well prepared in advance as they track weather forecasts with their remedial kits and plan of action. In the story, the event of the typhoon’s arrival exhibits the before and after picture of the narrator’s town. Strong winds accompanying powerful sea waves sweep everything in its way- human or non-human. The once beautiful seashore fills with the material belongings of people from innumerable places. Such natural calamities also become a traumatic memory if they cause death along with destruction. The narrator’s insufferable post-traumatic stress disorder after K’s death hinders him from living his life in its pleasures. The fear engulfs him and prevents him from being near any river body or flying in an airplane. The story instructs the readers to always be prepared for emergencies as nature is a powerful entity that possesses the capacity to nourish as well as take away life. 

Every living being on earth suffers from one fear which can vary depending on the individual. The claustrophobic nature of fear facilitates suffering through nightmares and unpleasant memories. The seventh man who is also the narrator, lives in a fear of sea waves and strong winds for almost forty years after witnessing the death of his close friend K. As a consequence, he often sweats at night due to evil dreams and thus does not marry if he can’t fathom sharing his worries with a partner who may or may not understand him. However, it is necessary to overcome it and the only way out is to face it and look in the eye of it. The narrator revisits the seashore and reflects on K’s paintings of seascape beauty which gradually enables him to befriend the sea once again. Getting hold of one’s fears is not an overnight process. It requires careful consideration and sensitivity. To live in fear makes one vulnerable and prevents him/her from living life peacefully with all its pleasures and merits. The narrator misses out on his youthful experiences of adventure and exploration and even a blissful married life due to his fears which is a lesson readers can take away. 

Some ties are thicker and stronger than blood relations. The narrator’s friendship with his neighbor K as children is the fondest and most valuable time the former treasures in his memories. K is like a younger brother whom the narrator protects due to his speech impediment. They share similar tastes and love for the sea. K even understands his friend’s silence and is always ready to accompany him in his ventures. But no such journey on the day of the typhoon writes off his death warrant. The narrator senses the approaching sea waves and fails to warn K. His thoughts do not sync with his actions as instead of saving his friend he runs away in the opposite direction, allowing the sea monster to swallow his friend. K is never reported dead as his body is never found but he always continues to live in the memories. By remembering him even after forty years, the narrator establishes his genuine love for his friend. 

Guilt and Trauma 

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, commonly known as PTSD is a psychological condition that is triggered as an after-effect of a terror-inducing event. The victim is unable to live his/her life without the presence of fear and constant anxiety. The narrator in the story experiences trauma of losing his friend to the typhoon in his childhood which couples with his guilt for a failure to protect him. It rips him off a healthy and happy life and pushes him into the drudgery of loneliness. The guilty conscience begins to manifest K’s presence as nightmarish. But he eventually learns to face his fear and overcome his guilt to render an ineffective stance to his trauma, which every individual should work towards if facing a similar situation. 

The Seventh Man | Characters 

The Seventh Man –  He is the narrator in the second frame of the story whose recollection of a traumatic incident in his past forms the main plot of the story. A typhoon consumes his best friend K when he fails to notice the approaching gigantic waves. Being a protector to K as an elder brother and taking pride in the fact during their childhood, things flip when he chooses his own life over K’s. He spends his entire until his mid-fifties in fear and guilt for not saving his friend over himself. In the present when he narrates his story to a group, there is a scar near his right eye which is probably evidence of his encounter with the overpowering waves. Any identity-specific details are absent from the narrative and he is only addressed as the seventh man in the first frame of the narrative. As the only dynamic character who experiences a change in his personality after the disaster, he is an interesting character who explores the human psyche in its complexity when it comes to decision-making and fighting back some deeply penetrated fears. 

K –  He is the childhood best friend of the narrator who is a victim of the destructive typhoon that hit their town when they were young. He suffers from a speech impediment and is frail and skinny with a pretty face. Often a subject of ridicule by his peers, the narrator acts as his support system through all tough times but fails to be a protector when the waves consume his friend right in front of him. His strong artistic bent compensates for his poor academic performance. The landscape paintings he gifts to the narrator turn out to be the only medium of solace that reconnects him to the water and brings him back from the world of fear. The narrator imagines his best friend as a grinning young boy lending out his hand to take him to the other side of the world. But in effect, it is all the workings of a traumatic mind that produces K as a vengeful boy punishing his friend for his failure to protect him. 

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Fear In “The Seventh Man” by Haruki Murakami Argumentative Essay

• Updated July 25, 2023
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All people have something that they fear and when it’s not faced, it can become a part of their lives. The narrator of “The Seventh Man” by Haruki Murakami shares a story about a tragedy that changed his life. When he was 10 years old, his friend, K, died and he blamed himself.

He couldn’t live with the guilt and feared his life, so he moved away, but fear followed wherever he went. His fear became a part of his life and handicapped him from living a ‘normal’ life. After 40 years, he faced his fear and it brought him relief and happiness. Characterization, conflict, and resolution all contribute to the theme of fear in “The Seventh Man”.

Characterization helps develop a theme of fear by making the seventh man feel guilty about a tragedy that happened to him as a child. The narrator shows his guilt by saying, “But I knew the truth. I knew that I could have saved K if I had tried” (Murakami 365).

The seventh man feels guilty for K’s death because he believes that he could have done something to save him, but he was so scared that he was almost in shock. He is drowned in guilt and prohibited him from fully recovering after the tragedy.

The guilt was so overpowering that by “the end of the year the seventh man had pleaded with his parents to let him move to another town” (Murakami 366). The seventh man has grown a fear of guilt which prevented him from moving on with his life. He is haunted by K’s death and runs away from his fear. His fear causes him to feel extreme guilt and pushes him away from his hometown. Fear is becoming a part of his life.

Fear took control of the seventh man’s life which is one of the main conflicts in the short story, “The Seventh Man”. Fear is almost like an addiction; the seventh man can’t control it just like when people are addicted to drugs. The seventh man says, “That is probably why I never married. I didn’t want to wake someone sleeping next to me with my screams in the middle of the night” (Murakami 366).

He moved to get away from the tragic memories, but he would have nightmares every once in a while. They were about what happened to K, but it was so vivid and detailed that he would wake up terrified. The nightmares hindered him from getting married and starting his own family. Fear also kept him from doing fun, normal activities: “… but after that day I never even went to swim in a pool.

I wouldn’t go near deep rivers or lakes. I avoided boats and wouldn’t take a plane to go abroad” (Murakami 366). The seventh man was scared that what happened to K would happen to him as a type of revenge, so he kept his distance. Fear had taken control of his life and withheld him from living a normal life. He had lived with his fear for 40 years and it was time for him to get over it.

The seventh man let fear ruin most of his life and then one day while looking at some of K’s old paintings, he decided that it was time to face it. He traveled back to his hometown and went down to the beach where the incident. When he got there “he realized that the deep darkness inside him had vanished” (Murakami 369).

He had traveled to a place that had caused him so much pain and that he feared so much. Because he got the courage to face his fear, he was able to defeat his fear. After, he shared, “I stopped having my terrible nightmares. I no longer wake up screaming in the middle of the night. And I am trying now to start my life over again” (Murakami 369).

The seventh man was able to live a normal-ish life, now that he faced his fear. He knows that he doesn’t have long, but he can still make the most of it. The seventh man was able to recover from a tragedy that kept him from living his life.

Characterization, conflict, and resolution play an important role in developing the theme; your fears won’t disappear on their own, they need to be faced. Characterization showed how the seventh man felt guilty and procrastinated in confronting his fear.

Conflict showed how fear was like an addiction to him and took 40 years away from him. The resolution showed how he was relieved and looking forward to the future after he faced his fear. Fear can cause a lot of pain, therefore, it must be faced.

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — The Seventh Man — Themes of Guilt and Resilience in “The Seventh Man”

Themes of Guilt and Resilience in "The Seventh Man"

• Categories: Guilt The Seventh Man

About this sample

Words: 698 |

Published: Sep 12, 2023

Words: 698 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Table of contents

The burden of survivor's guilt, the power of traumatic memories, social reactions to trauma, confronting fear and finding resilience, conclusion: the complex interplay of guilt and resilience.

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• How to write an argumentative essay | Examples & tips

How to Write an Argumentative Essay | Examples & Tips

Published on July 24, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

An argumentative essay expresses an extended argument for a particular thesis statement . The author takes a clearly defined stance on their subject and builds up an evidence-based case for it.

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Table of contents

When do you write an argumentative essay, approaches to argumentative essays, introducing your argument, the body: developing your argument, concluding your argument, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about argumentative essays.

You might be assigned an argumentative essay as a writing exercise in high school or in a composition class. The prompt will often ask you to argue for one of two positions, and may include terms like “argue” or “argument.” It will frequently take the form of a question.

The prompt may also be more open-ended in terms of the possible arguments you could make.

Argumentative writing at college level

At university, the vast majority of essays or papers you write will involve some form of argumentation. For example, both rhetorical analysis and literary analysis essays involve making arguments about texts.

In this context, you won’t necessarily be told to write an argumentative essay—but making an evidence-based argument is an essential goal of most academic writing, and this should be your default approach unless you’re told otherwise.

Examples of argumentative essay prompts

At a university level, all the prompts below imply an argumentative essay as the appropriate response.

Your research should lead you to develop a specific position on the topic. The essay then argues for that position and aims to convince the reader by presenting your evidence, evaluation and analysis.

• Don’t just list all the effects you can think of.
• Do develop a focused argument about the overall effect and why it matters, backed up by evidence from sources.
• Don’t just provide a selection of data on the measures’ effectiveness.
• Do build up your own argument about which kinds of measures have been most or least effective, and why.
• Don’t just analyze a random selection of doppelgänger characters.
• Do form an argument about specific texts, comparing and contrasting how they express their thematic concerns through doppelgänger characters.

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An argumentative essay should be objective in its approach; your arguments should rely on logic and evidence, not on exaggeration or appeals to emotion.

There are many possible approaches to argumentative essays, but there are two common models that can help you start outlining your arguments: The Toulmin model and the Rogerian model.

Toulmin arguments

The Toulmin model consists of four steps, which may be repeated as many times as necessary for the argument:

• Make a claim
• Provide the grounds (evidence) for the claim
• Explain the warrant (how the grounds support the claim)
• Discuss possible rebuttals to the claim, identifying the limits of the argument and showing that you have considered alternative perspectives

The Toulmin model is a common approach in academic essays. You don’t have to use these specific terms (grounds, warrants, rebuttals), but establishing a clear connection between your claims and the evidence supporting them is crucial in an argumentative essay.

Say you’re making an argument about the effectiveness of workplace anti-discrimination measures. You might:

• Claim that unconscious bias training does not have the desired results, and resources would be better spent on other approaches
• Cite data to support your claim
• Explain how the data indicates that the method is ineffective
• Anticipate objections to your claim based on other data, indicating whether these objections are valid, and if not, why not.

Rogerian arguments

The Rogerian model also consists of four steps you might repeat throughout your essay:

• Discuss what the opposing position gets right and why people might hold this position
• Highlight the problems with this position
• Present your own position , showing how it addresses these problems
• Suggest a possible compromise —what elements of your position would proponents of the opposing position benefit from adopting?

This model builds up a clear picture of both sides of an argument and seeks a compromise. It is particularly useful when people tend to disagree strongly on the issue discussed, allowing you to approach opposing arguments in good faith.

Say you want to argue that the internet has had a positive impact on education. You might:

• Acknowledge that students rely too much on websites like Wikipedia
• Argue that teachers view Wikipedia as more unreliable than it really is
• Suggest that Wikipedia’s system of citations can actually teach students about referencing
• Suggest critical engagement with Wikipedia as a possible assignment for teachers who are skeptical of its usefulness.

You don’t necessarily have to pick one of these models—you may even use elements of both in different parts of your essay—but it’s worth considering them if you struggle to structure your arguments.

Regardless of which approach you take, your essay should always be structured using an introduction , a body , and a conclusion .

Like other academic essays, an argumentative essay begins with an introduction . The introduction serves to capture the reader’s interest, provide background information, present your thesis statement , and (in longer essays) to summarize the structure of the body.

Hover over different parts of the example below to see how a typical introduction works.

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts is on the rise, and its role in learning is hotly debated. For many teachers who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its critical benefits for students and educators—as a uniquely comprehensive and accessible information source; a means of exposure to and engagement with different perspectives; and a highly flexible learning environment.

The body of an argumentative essay is where you develop your arguments in detail. Here you’ll present evidence, analysis, and reasoning to convince the reader that your thesis statement is true.

In the standard five-paragraph format for short essays, the body takes up three of your five paragraphs. In longer essays, it will be more paragraphs, and might be divided into sections with headings.

Each paragraph covers its own topic, introduced with a topic sentence . Each of these topics must contribute to your overall argument; don’t include irrelevant information.

This example paragraph takes a Rogerian approach: It first acknowledges the merits of the opposing position and then highlights problems with that position.

Hover over different parts of the example to see how a body paragraph is constructed.

A common frustration for teachers is students’ use of Wikipedia as a source in their writing. Its prevalence among students is not exaggerated; a survey found that the vast majority of the students surveyed used Wikipedia (Head & Eisenberg, 2010). An article in The Guardian stresses a common objection to its use: “a reliance on Wikipedia can discourage students from engaging with genuine academic writing” (Coomer, 2013). Teachers are clearly not mistaken in viewing Wikipedia usage as ubiquitous among their students; but the claim that it discourages engagement with academic sources requires further investigation. This point is treated as self-evident by many teachers, but Wikipedia itself explicitly encourages students to look into other sources. Its articles often provide references to academic publications and include warning notes where citations are missing; the site’s own guidelines for research make clear that it should be used as a starting point, emphasizing that users should always “read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says” (“Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia,” 2020). Indeed, for many students, Wikipedia is their first encounter with the concepts of citation and referencing. The use of Wikipedia therefore has a positive side that merits deeper consideration than it often receives.

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An argumentative essay ends with a conclusion that summarizes and reflects on the arguments made in the body.

No new arguments or evidence appear here, but in longer essays you may discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your argument and suggest topics for future research. In all conclusions, you should stress the relevance and importance of your argument.

Hover over the following example to see the typical elements of a conclusion.

The internet has had a major positive impact on the world of education; occasional pitfalls aside, its value is evident in numerous applications. The future of teaching lies in the possibilities the internet opens up for communication, research, and interactivity. As the popularity of distance learning shows, students value the flexibility and accessibility offered by digital education, and educators should fully embrace these advantages. The internet’s dangers, real and imaginary, have been documented exhaustively by skeptics, but the internet is here to stay; it is time to focus seriously on its potential for good.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

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An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based way.

An expository essay also aims to be objective, but it doesn’t have to make an original argument. Rather, it aims to explain something (e.g., a process or idea) in a clear, concise way. Expository essays are often shorter assignments and rely less on research.

At college level, you must properly cite your sources in all essays , research papers , and other academic texts (except exams and in-class exercises).

Add a citation whenever you quote , paraphrase , or summarize information or ideas from a source. You should also give full source details in a bibliography or reference list at the end of your text.

The exact format of your citations depends on which citation style you are instructed to use. The most common styles are APA , MLA , and Chicago .

The majority of the essays written at university are some sort of argumentative essay . Unless otherwise specified, you can assume that the goal of any essay you’re asked to write is argumentative: To convince the reader of your position using evidence and reasoning.

In composition classes you might be given assignments that specifically test your ability to write an argumentative essay. Look out for prompts including instructions like “argue,” “assess,” or “discuss” to see if this is the goal.

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The Seventh Man Persuasive Essay

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This is a guided persuasive essay instruction/prompt sheet. Also included is a graphic organizer for the persuasive essay and a rubric for grading the essay. Goes well with the how to write an essay PowerPoint presentation.

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Argumentative essay (30 minutes)

• states or clearly implies the writer’s position or thesis
• organizes and develops ideas logically, making insightful connections between them
• clearly explains key ideas, supporting them with well-chosen reasons, examples, or details
• displays effective sentence variety
• clearly displays facility in the use of language
• is generally free from errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics
• organizes and develops ideas clearly, making connections between them
• explains key ideas, supporting them with relevant reasons, examples, or details
• displays some sentence variety
• displays facility in the use of language
• states or implies the writer’s position or thesis
• shows control in the organization and development of ideas
• explains some key ideas, supporting them with adequate reasons, examples, or details
• displays adequate use of language
• shows control of grammar, usage, and mechanics, but may display errors
• limited in stating or implying a position or thesis
• limited control in the organization and development of ideas
• inadequate reasons, examples, or details to explain key ideas
• an accumulation of errors in the use of language
• an accumulation of errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics
• no clear position or thesis
• weak organization or very little development
• few or no relevant reasons, examples, or details
• frequent serious errors in the use of language
• frequent serious errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics
• contains serious and persistent writing errors or
• is incoherent or
• is undeveloped or
• is off-topic

How should I build a thesis?

• (Choice A)   Kids should find role models that are worthier than celebrities because celebrities may be famous for reasons that aren't admirable. A Kids should find role models that are worthier than celebrities because celebrities may be famous for reasons that aren't admirable.
• (Choice B)   Because they profit from the admiration of youths, celebrities have a moral responsibility for the reactions their behaviors provoke in fans. B Because they profit from the admiration of youths, celebrities have a moral responsibility for the reactions their behaviors provoke in fans.
• (Choice C)   Celebrities may have more imitators than most people, but they hold no more responsibility over the example they set than the average person. C Celebrities may have more imitators than most people, but they hold no more responsibility over the example they set than the average person.
• (Choice D)   Notoriety is not always a choice, and some celebrities may not want to be role models. D Notoriety is not always a choice, and some celebrities may not want to be role models.
• (Choice E)   Parents have a moral responsibility to serve as immediate role models for their children. E Parents have a moral responsibility to serve as immediate role models for their children.

How should I support my thesis?

• (Choice A)   As basketball star Charles Barkley stated in a famous advertising campaign for Nike, he was paid to dominate on the basketball court, not to raise your kids. A As basketball star Charles Barkley stated in a famous advertising campaign for Nike, he was paid to dominate on the basketball court, not to raise your kids.
• (Choice B)   Many celebrities do consider themselves responsible for setting a good example and create non-profit organizations through which they can benefit youths. B Many celebrities do consider themselves responsible for setting a good example and create non-profit organizations through which they can benefit youths.
• (Choice C)   Many celebrities, like Kylie Jenner with her billion-dollar cosmetics company, profit directly from being imitated by fans who purchase sponsored products. C Many celebrities, like Kylie Jenner with her billion-dollar cosmetics company, profit directly from being imitated by fans who purchase sponsored products.
• (Choice D)   My ten-year-old nephew may love Drake's music, but his behaviors are more similar to those of the adults he interacts with on a daily basis, like his parents and teachers. D My ten-year-old nephew may love Drake's music, but his behaviors are more similar to those of the adults he interacts with on a daily basis, like his parents and teachers.
• (Choice E)   It's very common for young people to wear fashions similar to those of their favorite celebrities. E It's very common for young people to wear fashions similar to those of their favorite celebrities.

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