Persuasive essay presents an argument or viewpoint with the purpose of convincing or attempting to encourage the reader to accept what the writer’s point of view or opinion or take an action (Buss & Kanowski, 2002). It has also the purpose of changing one’s mind about something. Persuasive essay is also known as the argument essay. It utilizes logic and reason to show that one idea is more legitimate than another idea (essayinfo.com).
For instance, you will argue that working in call center is not a good choice of career. Or you might recommend that the agriculture sector in the Philippines should be given more priority than the military.
To have an effective and successful persuasive essay, it is very important that you present strong evidence that would support your point of view (factmonster.com). Critical stance and development of a strong argument are key strategies when writing a persuasive essay to convince someone to agree with your position.
For more acceptable evidence, you should present statistics, facts, and quotations from experts and examples to build a strong case for your argument. Appeal to the reader’s sense of logic by presenting specific and relevant evidence in a well-organized manner (factmonster.com).
For example, you recommend about taking more priority the agriculture sector than military in the Philippines. There is significant in this recommendation in the sense that agriculture in the Philippines is productive if given priority and having production of agriculture products would mean high income for the farmers which comprise a great number of the population in the Philippines. These arguments also should include facts and statistics like how many percent are the farmers of the Philippines and how much income does agriculture brings to the gross income of the Philippines.
Facts are powerful means of convincing. It may come from your reading, observation, or personal experience. Statistics also can provide excellent support. Just be sure your statistics come from responsible sources and be sure to cite the sources. In addition, quotes direct from leading experts that support your position are very useful. Moreover, examples enhance your meaning and make your ideas concrete. They are the proof (essayinfo.com/essays).
A persuasive essay must provide specific and convincing evidence. Often it is necessary to go beyond your own knowledge and experience. You might need to go to the library or interview people who are experts on your topic (essayinfo.com/essays).
Also, consider the opposing point of view. Anticipating the concerns and questions that a reader might have about your subject and responding to these points will give you the chance to explain why your viewpoint or recommendation is the best one (factmonster.com). Disprove the opposing argument. Understand the opposite viewpoint of your position and then counter it by providing contrasting evidence or by finding mistakes and inconsistencies in the logic of the opposing argument (essayinfo.com).
Persuasive essay with a goal to persuade needs to be succinct. This doesn’t necessarily mean it needs to be short. It just needs to be stripped of any unnecessary language and be direct to the point (Wood, 2005). As stated “Write with nouns and verbs” (Strunk & White et.al. 2000). All good writing creates a sensory element, and writers often try to accomplish it with overabundance of adjectives. However, precise nouns and verbs are more effective.
One of the best tips for writing an essay is to keep it simple. As according to Strunk and White, “avoid fancy words.” Simple, straight forward words and feelings create the best persuasive essays.
Like other types of writings, persuasive essay also follow a particular format. This should have an introduction, body and conclusion.
Choosing the Topic
Before you start writing your persuasive essay, choose a topic that you would like to discuss that is debatable. It must have two sides and then choose in what position of the argument or issue your essay would focus. Usually, the most effective topics of persuasive essays can be taken from the news or from the concerns of the people such as moral concerns, environmental concerns, political or even economical concerns can brings out interesting topics for your persuasive essay.
In choosing a topic for your essay, it is helpful to do brainstorming to develop topic that you would like to discuss. Then after you have listed the possible topics you’ll need to select one to work on. Evaluate each idea according to what you want to achieve. These following questions may help you: Is this topic going to yield enough material? Will the topic interest readers? Will the topic accomplish the article’s purpose? Is there enough information available about the topic? (Westover, 2006)
It is also important to consider your audience. It is important to know if your audience agrees, oppose or neutral with your argument.
Writing the Introduction
The introduction part of your essay introduces the reader to your argument. You should construct your introductory paragraph well that would capture the attention or interest of the reader. You should give appropriate background information about the paper's topic. You should include in your paragraph a brief summary of the ideas to be discussed in your paper's body as well as other information relevant to your paper's argument. The most important function of your paper's introductory paragraph is to present a clear statement of your paper's argument (www.hamilton.edu). You should include also in the paragraph your thesis sentence to present an effective argument. Without a thesis, it is impossible for you to present an effective argument (www.hamilton.edu). Your thesis sentence should reflect both the position that you will argue and the organizational pattern with which you will present and support your argument. in constructing your thesis sentence you should state the “what” which answers your basic argument in your paper and what you are exactly arguing in your paper and the “how” which is the strategy you will use in your presentation of your argument (www.hamilton.edu).
For example, you want to let your readers to sympathize with your argument that agriculture in the Philippines must be given priority by the government. To do this you should show statistics or forecast to show the significance if the government would give priority with the agriculture sector.
In writing the introduction, you should make sure that it would catch the readers’ interest or attention because how can you persuade when no one would bother reading your article. You should begin your essay with a “hook or a grabber statement”. In your introduction, you can use different styles of opening your essay. You can use opening with an unusual detail, opening with a strong statement, opening with a Quotation, opening with an Anecdote, opening with a Statistic or Fact, opening with a Question, opening with an Exaggeration or Outrageous Statement, and opening with a threat/opportunity statement (orangeusd.k12.ca.us).
Opening with an Unusual Detail
Example: Technology that helps airlines keep track of baggage and sounds an alarm when a shoplifter tries to leave the store may be able to stop surgeons from losing a sponge inside a patient, a study said on Monday.
Opening with a Quotation
Example: As Fernando Pessoa said in his The Book of Disquiet, "No intelligent idea can gain general acceptance unless some stupidity is mixed in with it."
Opening with an Anecdote
Example: Time Magazine is celebrating the burka as a symbol of diversity. It seems only yesterday that the left considered the burka to be the ultimate repression of women, now it is a symbol of enlightenment. The National Organization for Women should be thrilled because men will no longer be able to look upon women as sex objects. There could be a huge market in this country for designer burkas. I can just see next Academy Awards with Angelina Jolie, or Jennifer Lopez sporting Versace berkas.
Opening with a Statistics or fact
Example: Virginia farm wineries estimate a 25 percent cut in annual revenue due to a recent federal court ruling that prohibits them from selling directly to retailers. 99.6 percent of his business comes from selling grapes to wineries. Nearly 300 independent vineyard owners across Virginia are expected to lose buyers for their grapes. Virginia farm wineries and other wineries affected should do something to stop this new law.
Opening with a Question
Example: Where does Europe stands now? What holds its many people together? Where lies their destiny?
Opening with an Exaggeration or Outrageous Statement
Example: Globalization affects the whole wide world and so much on trading and business activities.
Opening with a Threat/Opportunity Statement
For how many years, Filipinos has been suffering with the increase of commodity prices due also to the continuous fluctuation of prices of gas and oil in the global market. However, there is a new discovered plant species called “tubatuba” when process can be an alternative energy source.
The introduction of the essay should also contain the focus statement which tells the reader the specific topic of your essay, imposes manageable limits on that topic, and it suggests the organization of your paper (orangeusd.k12.ca.us).
Writing the Body
The body is the spirit of the essay. This is where arguments are discussed and where you convinced your reader with your position of the argument or persuade to do something to an issue or problem. The actual development of your paper's argument is contained in the body of your paper. Your body paragraph should present a single idea or set of related ideas that provides support for your paper's argument. Each body paragraph should address one key aspect of your paper's thesis and brings the reader closer to accepting the validity of your paper's argument. Because each body paragraph should be a step in your argument, you should be mindful of the overall organization of your body paragraphs (www.hamilton.edu).
The first thing in creating a successful body paragraph is writing its topic sentence. Topic sentence acquaints the reader with the main point of the section and represents the next argument.
The topic sentence should not be a fact because a fact is not debatable. It should be a statement of position and that position should be mentioned clearly and direct. Make it also definitive (www.geocities.com). You should give enough illustrative examples and use reliable facts. You should include specific evidence, examples and statistics and not broad generalizations or personal opinions to persuade the reader that the stated position is valid one. These should convince the reader that your opinion is reasonable and your arguments are valid.
In one of the paragraphs you should discuss contrasting positions and your counter argument. Rebut the opposing viewpoints and demonstrate the superiority of your opinion (bestessays.com). The body should at least comprise with three paragraphs or more.
You can elaborate your position through the use of statistics or research, real-life experiences, or examples. You can also use hypothetical instance which you can use when you want the reader to see a different point of view.
Also, in the body of the essay, you can clarify your position. You can provide background information that a reader may need. Illustration may be appropriate for the reader to understand more what you want him to understand or point out. You can also analyze a problem by looking at the parts and be able to help also the reader to understand and accept your ideas or opinions.
You can also use analogy to explain or elaborate an idea by identifying likeness between the ideas even when they are different. This would be helpful when comparing something (orangeusd.k12.ca.us).
Writing the Conclusion
In writing persuasive essay, it usually ends with a conclusion. This is the summarizing part of the whole essay. The most important points in the essay should be stated once again in this part as to what the reader is to believe or do.
In the conclusion, restate your focus statement and summarize the main points. This would enable the reader to refresh what they have just read. All your evidence and explanations should build a strong ending in a clear and memorable way. You might also include in your conclusion a call to action (factmonster.com).
Your conclusion should draw together the threads of the paper's argument and shows where the argument of your paper has gone. An effective conclusion gives the reader reasons for bothering to read your paper. (www.hamilton.edu).
Lastly, to have an effective persuasive essay, use a pleasant and reasonable tone. Sarcasm and name-calling weaken an argument. Logic and fairness will help to keep the essay strong (factmonster.com)
References:
Wood, Barbara. Persuasive Writing for Students, Webmasters, Bloggers, and Everyone Else. Accessed 18 July 2006
Buss, K., & Karnowski, L. (2002). Teaching persuasive texts. In Reading and writing nonfiction genres (pp. 76–89). Newark, DE: International Reading Association
Five Paragraph Essay. Accessed 18 July 2006. <http://www.geocities.com/soho/Atrium/1437/pers.html>
How to Write a Persuasive Essay. Accessed 18 July 2006.
<http://www.factmonster.com/homework/writingskills7.html>
Persuasive Essay. Accessed 18 July 2006 <http://essayinfo.com/essays/persuasive_essay.php>
Persuasive Writing. Accessed 18 July 2006 <http://www.orangeusd.k12.ca.us/yorba/persuasive_writing1.htm>
Persuasive Essay. Accessed 18 July 2006 <http://www.bestessays.com/music.php>
Polak,Adam (1998) and Jen Collins, (1996). Essentials of Effective Persuasive Essays. Accessed 18 July 2006 <http://www.hamilton.edu/academics/Resource/WC/Effective_essays.html>
Strunk, William Jr., E.B. White, & Roger Angell. The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition (Paperback). Longman (January 15, 2000)
Westover, Brian. (2006, July 02). 10 Simple Steps - Basics of the Writing Process. EzineArticles. Accessed July 18, 2006, from <http://ezinearticles.com/?10-Simple-Steps---Basics-of-the-Writing-Process&id=235104>
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