This Youtube video tutorial does a fairly good (if basic) job of summarizing the basic moves that a writer of an argumentative essay typically makes.
Remember that your essay deals directly with free speech and censorship issues in the wide world of creative expression. This includes music, theatre, literature, dance, film/video and of course the many forms of visual art that surround us on a daily basis.
I really like the book "They Say, I Say" because Graff and Birkenstein fully demystify the process of using quotations from other sources. They also include whimsical illustrations to break up the monotony. Here is a link to the 3rd chapter. There used to be pirated full-text copies of this book posted online. I'm not sure if they're still available. You can probably buy a used copy online for a penny plus shipping and handling, about $5 or so. Check it out.
My main take-away from the book is to use signal phrases to introduce quotations and to put these quotations in the top half of your paragraphs. Doing so will help you to avoid the "hit and run" problem that they describe in their third chapter. Save the second or bottom half of your paragraphs for your analysis and synthesis of the quoted material.
Essentially you have three options:
1. Do you agree? Why? Explain with specific examples.
2. Do you disagree? Why? Explain with specific details.
3. Do you agree in some ways but not others? Why? Explain with specific examples. This is the "grey area" in which we live most of our lives.
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