What is a persuasive essay? – this a redundant question because the name of this essay speaks for itself. Its purpose is to persuade someone, to make him or her adopt your point of view, and this purpose needs to be achieved via words. Sounds really challenging, right? This is why students invent hundreds of reasons to skip writing a persuasive essay and are even ready to take a quiz instead. Nevertheless, we try to persuade people in opposite and quite often we achieve our goal with help of different means. Let us take a look at these tools and see how we can use them to create a decent essay worth handing in to a professor.
Persuasive essay is about being sure of what you say and about burning desire to make others side with your opinion. So to begin with, you need to choose one side and stick to it. You will need to explore the topic to shape the viable opinion, but as a soon as you master the material you will find it easier to create the whole essay and to find arguments that will be compelling enough. So, this essay is about finding your side in the issue and finding the reasons to attract others to your side.
Writing A Persuasive Essay: How to Use Different Arguments
Now that you have found your voice and want others to follow its call, let us review what instruments can help you achieve it.
Suppose, for your college persuasive essay you have picked weighty arguments that come from credible sources. Now what? Now try to mix different kinds of arguments to make your paper lively and vibrant in style. You cannot use facts only, or statistics only. For example, you have three main arguments to use. Bring in one argument as a fact supported by scientific proofs. Then bring in second argument such as a statistics, as figures tend to impress people stronger than words. And finally, bring in an example argument. Make it personalized and easy to identify with. People like stories that resemble their experiences even more than figures.
So you will bombard your audience with a variety of arguments, and if facts seem too dry to readers, then examples will make them nod apprehensively and agree with your ideas.
Okay, you have selected an assortment of different arguments, but how to arrange them? Begin with the one you believe to be the most important. Then add up others, thus building up the paper. However, while writing a persuasive essay, now and then use rhetoric tricks. Repeat your main claim now and then. You do not need to repeat the whole thesis, but you should remind of your opinion that the audience has to adopt.
Appeal to common sense and knowledge, and to social standards that everyone needs to follow. Sorting trash is boring, yet if people are reminded that responsible and environmentally conscious citizens sort it, they will pick the pattern because they want to be those respected citizens.
Show how hot and pressing the problem is. Use some strong imagery (but in moderate amount) so that people sympathize with you and take your words close to heart.
Be confident in your language and claims. If you are hesitating on the topic, how do you suppose to persuade someone else?
Examples of Persuasive Essays
Help with Persuasive Essay Outline
Now it is time to get to drafting. How to start a persuasive essay? Begin the introduction with a so-called hook. A striking fact, a statistical datum, a controversial claim that opens up a debate will do.
What about the structure? Anything particular? Actually, no.
You need to have a thesis in the introduction, arguments with explanations and references in the main body, and restatement of your plea in the conclusion. So the structure is pretty typical. It is the content that is the king (or a leader, as it is fashionable to say today). Reference page is a must if you bring in some facts and figures. Otherwise a pretty good essay will get a zero for plagiarism.
Proofread the finished essay to ensure that you have included everything essential and did not use too much distracting data.
Still fearing the task and unsure how to write a persuasive essay? Let us complete it for you and persuade your readers and professor to adopt any point of view you decide to support your essay.
Patti Yates
Pati Yates holds a Ph.D. in Literature and Master's degree in History. He studied in University of Pennsylvania and also has been working as a professor there now. His extensive experience and time-management skills allows him to help students and even run several blogs on academic writing.
