Persuasive Essays ELD 3 – Support

What is a Persuasive Essay? In persuasive writing, a writer takes a stand either for or against an issue. The goal of the writing is to convince the audience to do/think/or believe the writer’s argument.

When Planning… Choose your position and whether you are for or against the argument in question. Analyze your audience and prepare your topic to address the audience’s needs. Research your topic to acquire ethos, pathos, and logos to convince your audience of your position and reasoning. Structure your essay according to the order in which you choose to present your essay.

To Produce an Effective Argument Be well informed. Check various sources and examine the argument from several sides. Test your thesis ensuring that it is debatable. Disprove the opposing argument. Support your opinion with evidence.

Parts of the Persuasive Essay – The Introduction “The Hook” Creative and engaging beginning that grabs your reader’s attention

Ways to “Hook” Your Reader… Open with an Unusual Detail This is something that people would likely not know and makes them want to read on to find out why. For example: The Pentagon has twice as many bathroom as are necessary (US Buildings Facts and Stats 8).

Ways to “Hook” Your Reader…Open with a Strong Statement For example: Schindler's List graphically portrays the horrific acts of German concentration camps in World War two.

Ways to “Hook” Your Reader…Open with a Quotation For example: Hillary Rodham Clinton once said that “There cannot be true democracy unless women's voices are heard” (Hillary Clinton 12).

Ways to “Hook” Your Reader… Open with an Anecdote An anecdote is something that tells an amusing or attention getting story. For example: When my older brother substituted fresh eggs for our hard- boiled Easter eggs, he did not realize our father would take the first crack at hiding them. Yesterday morning I watched as my older sister left for school with a bright white glob of toothpaste gleaming on her chin. I felt no regret at all until she stepped onto the bus …

Ways to “Hook” Your Reader… Open with a Statistic or Fact Sometimes a statistic or fact will add emphasis or interest to your topic. It is necessary to include the source of your statistic or fact. For example: "Seventy-two percent of Canadians have been directly related to a person, or persons, killed during WWII" (Canadian History 3).

Ways to “Hook” Your Reader…Open with A Question Questions can create personal interest in the essay, but be careful your question is not too general. For example, in an essay about cell phone use asking, “Do you own a cell phone?” is too general. For example: What would you do if you discovered a secret that changed everything? Can you imagine how much a single day can cost if you live in Shibuya, Tokyo?

Ways to “Hook” Your Reader…Open with an Exaggeration or an Outrageous Statement For example: The whole world watched as the comet flew overhead. If the government cuts any more money from education, the entire country will crumble.

Thesis Statement The thesis statement is your statement of purpose. The three objectives of the thesis statement are: It tells the reader the specific topic of your essay. It imposes manageable limits on that topic. It suggests the organization of your paper by including three subtopics that match your three body paragraph topic sentences.

Thesis Statements A good argumentative thesis is focused and not too broad. Don’t write, “Eating fast food is bad and should be avoided.” Do write, “Americans should eliminate the regular consumption of fast food because the fast food diet leads to preventable and expensive health issues, such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.”

Thesis Statements A good argumentative thesis is centered on a debatable topic. Don’t write, “There are high numbers of homeless people living in Berkeley, California.” Do write, “Homeless people in Berkeley should be given access to services, such as regular food donations, public restrooms, and camping facilities, because it would improve life for all inhabitants of the city.”

Thesis Statements A good argumentative thesis picks a side. Don’t write, “Secondhand smoke is bad and can cause heart disease and cancer; therefore, smoking should be outlawed in public places, but outlawing smoking is unfair to smokers so maybe non-smokers can just hold their breath or wear masks around smokers instead.” Do write, “Secondhand smoke is just as harmful as smoking and leads to a higher prevalence of cancer and heart disease. What’s worse, people who inhale secondhand smoke are doing so without consent. For this reason, smoking in any public place should be banned.”

Thesis Statements A good thesis makes claims that will be supported later in the paper. Don’t write, “Humans should relocate to Mars.” Do write, “It is too late to save earth; therefore, humans should immediately set a date for their relocation to Mars where, with proper planning, they can avoid issues of famine, war, and global warming.”

The Body of the Persuasive Essay Use logos (statistics, research, and facts) to be convincing to your reader. Use ethos (quotes) from notable experts or those that have tremendous knowledge about your subject to convince your reader.

The Body of the Persuasive Essay Clarify your position in your topic sentence. Include concession statements addressing your opponent’s arguments; however, always explain why these viewpoints are invalid and your argument is correct. Use transitions.

The Conclusion Restate the main idea of your thesis. Summarize your main points. Conclude with a call to action: A prediction A question A Recommendation A Quotation