Opinion article is a type of text in which the author presents their point of view on a certain subject. This is an argumentative text, as its author (the columnist) needs to build a reasoning based on reliable data and information to demonstrate the validity of your point of View.
Below are 7 examples of opinion articles that help us understand the characteristics of this textual genre.
Sample opinion article that presents the point of view of the writer
Every opinion piece presents the point of view (the opinion) of the writer. In this example, senior African officials at the United Nations (UN) sign an article harshly criticizing police violence against black populations.
Title: “Black lives matter” protests and other demonstrations against systemic racism and police brutality
Theme: racism and police violence
As African leaders at the United Nations, the last weeks of protests over the murder of George Floyd in custody police left us indignant with the injustice of the practice of racism that continues to be widespread in our host country and throughout the world.
There will never be words to describe the profound trauma and intergenerational suffering that resulted from the racial injustice perpetrated over the centuries, particularly against people of African descent. Just condemning expressions and acts of racism is not enough.
The secretary general of the United Nations, António Guterres, stated that “we need to raise our voice against all expressions of racism and cases of racist behavior”. After the assassination of Mr George Floyd, the cry 'Black Lives Matter' that echoed in the United States and around the world is more than a slogan. Indeed, they are not only important but essential to the fulfillment of our common human dignity.
Excerpt from an opinion article signed by several high-ranking African officials of the United Nations (UN). Posted in UN News, 15/06/2020.
Sample opinion article signed by the author
As it is a text that expresses the point of view of the person who writes it, every opinion article is signed by its author, in order to demonstrate that the ideas expressed there are strictly personal. In the example below, the text is signed by Renato Zerbini Ribeiro Leão, member of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Title: The art
Theme: art
Art encompasses architecture, cinema, dance, drawing, sculpture, photography, literature, music, painting, poetry. Nowadays, in the 21st century, even television, fashion, advertising and video games are considered by many as artistic manifestations. According to René Huyghe, art and man are inseparable. There is no art without a man, much less a man without art. The isolated being or the civilization that does not reach art is threatened by a secret spiritual asphyxia, by a moral disturbance. For UNESCO, art is key to forming generations capable of reinventing the inherited world. It reinforces the vitality of cultural identities and promotes relationships with other communities.
Art is the human capacity for creation. It is the expression or application of creative skills and imagination to create works that are prized primarily for their beauty, intellect, or emotional power. Its results are obtained by different means. The art of cooking, painting pictures, graffiti, plastic arts, the art of composing (poems and musical scores), engraving, book printing and, even, linked to a more severe concept, means nowadays that cause great social revulsion, such as hunting and war, can be considered as art. Human beings and art are closely connected. Art frees. And, nowadays, the art of living is becoming more and more indispensable for human emancipation.
Excerpt from an opinion article written by Renato Zerbini Ribeiro Leão, Ph.D. in international law and international relations. Member of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Published in Brazilian mail, 26/01/2020.
Sample opinion article written in 1st person
It is common (but not mandatory) for opinion articles to be written in 1st person. As it is a text in which the columnist exposes his personal point of view on a certain subject, it is natural that he uses the 1st person (singular or plural).
In the example below, the frequent use of the 1st person can be seen (eg "In my point of view..."). we use bold to highlight the use of the 1st person.
Title: Education in the Times of Covid-19
Theme: education and pandemic
Possibly, here in Brazil, the best solution for students in public education networks will be the use of content transmitted through cell phones with internet. An example of this situation comes from the state of São Paulo, where the Department of Education is negotiating sponsorship with operators to fund the Wi-Fi connection of students who have at least one smartphone. This period will require managers to think outside the box.
In my point of view, this will be an opportunity to rethink the role of school and parents in students' school life. Parents, burdened by different tasks, are increasingly outsourcing their duty to educate to the school, contrary to what art. 205 of the Federal Constitution, which states that education is a duty of the State and families. In one of his homilies, Pope Francis said, in a concerned tone: “The time has come for fathers and mothers to return from their exile and recover their educational role. Let us pray that the Lord will grant parents this grace: that of not exiling themselves from the education of their children”.
Another aspect that we can take as a lesson: it is necessary to study how to use new technologies in harmony with face-to-face classes and how to establish a balance between face-to-face and virtual teaching. Today we face in our country, there is an arduous discussion on the use of technology-mediated teaching. Maybe this period teach us that both modalities can coexist in harmony in favor of a pedagogical project that meets the needs of an education focused on the 21st century. Not facing the issue maybe send us the current situation with regard to the enormous inequalities of access between public and private schools.
Excerpt from an opinion article written by Mozart Neves Ramos, professor at the Institute of Advanced Studies at USP-Ribeirão Preto. Published in Brazilian mail, 02/04/2020.
Example of an opinion article that addresses a topic of social relevance
All opinion articles on this list address issues of social relevance, such as racism, education, art, urban mobility, etc. Themes of social relevance are those that directly affect the life of society as a whole or of certain groups.
The text below addresses a topic of social relevance: bullying. This type of violence is present in the daily life of many schools in Brazil and around the world and causes physical and psychological damage to its victims. Due to the importance of this topic, experts come to the public to give their opinion and present proposals to combat the problem.
Title: It is worth investing in prevention to avoid bullying
Theme: school bullying
This type of violence has happened a lot in the school environment. There are modern versions such as cyberbullying, which are attacks via the internet or cell phone. Repressing it, as the school and the courts have tried to do, will have little chance of bringing about a change. In fact, repression prevents effective change.
Despite these acts being frequent, little space has existed in schools for reflection, with only repressive actions when they come to light. Now, the human being has an aggressive side and denying it or putting it at the bottom of a well will not prevent its manifestation. On the contrary, it can give you strength.
School actions to combat bullying must be aimed at preventing it, where more than following a conduct, the student can make sense of it, considering themselves and the other part of the world. When something is questioned and thought about, it provides awareness of its dimension and importance. The other can be seen as someone who also has feelings.
A work in this sense must be part of the day-to-day life of a school and involve the students' families. Much of who we are and how we express ourselves has its origins there. It is necessary that both help young people to build themselves as people, not only in what they learn, but in how they act.
Excerpt from an opinion article written by Ana Cássia Maturano, psychologist and psychopedagogist. Published on the portal G1 (Education), 05/27/2010.
Example of an opinion article that presents statistical data
To build an argument, it is necessary to select ideas, quotes, data and information that support the adopted point of view. Statistical data provide a very accurate picture of reality. Therefore, they are important allies in the construction of an argument.
In the text below, we highlight in bold the passage in which the author uses statistical data to prove the existence of social inequality in Brazil.
The statistical data are
Title: It is necessary to reduce Brazilian social inequality
Theme: social inequality in Brazil
Data on inequality in Brazil are chilling. Choose any indicator, women and blacks are always below men and whites. In the country, the income of the richest 1% is equal to that of the remaining 99%. And rich get richer and poor get poorer.
In the world, there are 62 individuals with a combined income of US$ 1.7 trillion, equal to what the poorest 50% of the planet earn. But we Brazilians are world champions in inequality.
The worst thing is that most of the poor in Brazil live on the outskirts of cities. Dreams of better jobs, transport, safety, health and education. But he suffers from the daily problems. Those who live in Restinga spend three hours getting to and from work.
Of course, we will only come out of the hole if we face the Social Security crisis, the distortions in labor relations and if we make the economy more competitive. But without policies that promote better income distribution and better quality public services, Brazil will never advance. It is necessary to take care of the most vulnerable. And that requires patriotism. Look less at your own navel. Accept losing privileges. It is the only way in which children of any Brazilians, especially the poorest, can become, one day, more competitive professionals. Brazil is bad even for the rich. Many keep their businesses here, but the family has already left to escape the violence. Imagine the life of someone who has no choice but to stay.
Excerpts from an opinion article written by Gilberto Schwartsmann, physician and professor. Posted in GauchaZH, 04/01/2019.
Example of an opinion article that presents a proposal for intervention
In addition to exposing their position on a particular subject, the columnist can also propose interventions - that is, concrete measures that can reduce or even solve the problem. Below, we highlight in bold the excerpts of the text in which the authors make their intervention proposal.
Title: Violence against women: silences oppress and kill
Theme: violence against women
There is some confusion about the role of International Women's Day. The date is not intended to be a celebration of what is considered “feminine” or a moment of congratulations. The 8th of March is about highlighting all the injustices, inequalities and violence – visible and invisible, to which we are exposed every day – and proposing advances. Violence against women has very peculiar and particularly complex patterns. Most of the time, the aggressor is a person from the battered person's circle of trust; she often sees reasons to protect her abuser; it greatly affects children and young people; physical violence is often preceded by verbal and psychological abuse.
When it comes to public safety, a healthier society does not just depend on crime suppression. It is necessary to develop policies that understand the origin of violence and thus prevent a crime from occurring. The goal should not be simply to punish all crimes, but, above all, to have fewer and fewer crimes to punish. The ideal world needs less impunity, but mostly fewer victims.
To combat violence against women, we do not need, therefore, only punishment of the guilty:we need data that precisely informs the roots of violence and allows direct interventions on these factors. When we started a project with the objective of gathering data on violence against women in a single place, we expected to collaborate with the government in combating violence; help society understand the seriousness of the problem; and supporting women who have suffered or suffer violence so that they do not feel alone.
Excerpt from an opinion article written by Carolina Taboada and Terine Husek, researchers at the Igarapé Institute. Posted in the country, 09/03/2020.
Example of an argumentative opinion article
Every opinion article is argumentative in nature. This means that the columnist uses a kind of reasoning that leads his readers to accept his point of view.
In the text below, the author demonstrates, at first, that traffic jams are bad for the economy. Then, it tries to show how mobility problems hinder the democratization of public space. To demonstrate these claims, he uses arguments.
Read more about argumentation.
Title: Urban mobility is also democratization
Theme: urban mobility
Losses of R$267 billion per year. This is the impact of traffic jams on the Brazilian economy, according to a survey released at the 2019 Urban Mobility Summit, in São Paulo. In addition, the study showed that Brazilians spend, on average, 1h20 per day to travel to their main activities. This number can reach 2h07 for all daily displacements to be fulfilled, which results in 32 days spent per year in traffic. In other words, a month wasted in traffic jams. Urban mobility is really one of the biggest problems in Brazil and even affects the democratization of the use of spaces and access to opportunities. A long-standing problem that does not foresee a solution in the short or medium term.
Urban mobility is a topic constantly discussed in Brazil. Most large cities suffer from serious transport problems and face challenges in promoting ways to reduce the impact of traffic on the population's daily lives. One of the causes of the increase in traffic jams is quite obvious: we have more cars on the streets. Past governments invested in the development of the automobile industry, facilitating access to private vehicles, which left public roads overloaded. On the other hand, there were no – and there still are no – programs to encourage public transport, collective, more economical.
To clarify the nonsense, it is enough to see several cities around the world where public transport is a priority, buses and subways are of good quality and people move around with ease; while here, on the contrary, collectives have the stigma of being transports to the lower strata of society. It could also: inadequate infrastructure, old vehicles, still restricted service network, all this makes it difficult for the population to use these modes as a priority. Much of this reality comes from the lack of government interest in establishing development programs that address sustainable urban mobility.
A good urban mobility system also has its bias towards the democratization of public space. The center-periphery model that prevails in Brazil makes life difficult for those who live in the most distant areas, and this, added to the lack of transport infrastructure, reinforces social segregation. Well-being and quality of life are also heavily influenced by traffic. This is a problem that is not just about mobility, but about the occupation of urban space
Excerpt from an opinion article written by Janguiê Diniz, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Grupo Ser Educacional. Published in Pernambuco Diary, 04/10/2019.
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