2. CHAPTER 4

3. A persuasive essay is an imagery dialogue between a reader and writer The writer uses arguments to try to imagine how the reader will argue against his or her arguments, and answers those objections.

4. THE HOOK The most important sentence in your essay is the first sentence, the HOOK, for this is when you “ grab ” the reader ’ s attention.

5. To catch the reader, use a hook in the introductory paragraph. Ask the reader a question. Ask the reader a question. Use a catchy phrase or quote or song lyrics Use a catchy phrase or quote or song lyrics Create a tongue twister. Create a tongue twister. Make an exclamatory sentence. Make an exclamatory sentence. Use a lead in sentence that entices the reader to read on. Use a lead in sentence that entices the reader to read on.

6. Let ’ s say your topic is “ Should the Death Penalty be abolished? ” Your HOOK could be “ Right now, in America, 37% of the convicts on death row are innocent and will be unjustly executed for no good reason! ”

7. After you have given your lead-in, you need to show that you can see both sides of the issue, the “ pros ” and “ cons ” with one short reason. The “ pros ” is where you say: “ Some people say yes, the death penalty should be abolished, for it is cruel and unusual punishment. ” The “ cons ” would say: “ Other people say no, it should not be abolished, the death penalty is necessary to stop murders. ”

8. After you give the pros and cons, now it ’ s time to say what you think in the Thesis Statement; Include; The topic Your opinion  states your position on the topic The main reasons (argument)

9. “ I believe that the death penalty should be abolished because many innocent will be unjustly executed, it is against the Bible ’ s commandment ‘ thou shalt not kill ’ and it is forbidden by the US Constitution as a cruel and unusual punishment. ”

10. Think of the introduction as having a funnel shape: General statement (hook) Specific information Thesis

11. In your body paragraph, you should have; Counter arguments Your argument, Examples, personal experience, expert opinion, analogy, facts and statistics, reasons, emotions

12. Every controversial issue has two sides. Once you can support your position with research, you need to explore what others think.

13.  Look at the three main reasons for your opinion.  What objections would others have to each of your reasons?  W Write these down under each of your reasons. Now you have three arguments a nd three counter-arguments. YYou should either start with the topic sentence(your argument) or counterargument.

14. Write a topic sentence and three details that support the reason you believe what you believe. Repeat the process until you have three paragraphs with three different reasons and three details to support that reason.

15. Research what people opposed to your point of view believe. Write down t hree counter- arguments to your position. Address those arguments in a paragraph explaining why your position is a better one. The final sentence in each paragraph should sum up and make a transition to the main idea of the next paragraph.

16. To support your first reason “ many innocent people will be executed ” you could say: “ Studies have shown that 37% of the people on death row are innocent and do not belong there. Some are there because they are a member of an unpopular minority. Many are there because the police needed to make an arrest and didn ’ t care who they arrested as long as they had someone to blame. It is totally wrong for the state to kill innocent people just to look good in the papers. ” The next 2 paragraphs should do the same thing. Remember to save your strongest reason for last to leave the reader with your best thought.

17. Here, in your 5 th paragraph, you summarize what you said in your paper. You repeat your thesis and briefly give your three supporting reasons again. It is a good idea to paraphrase (say in different words) your thesis and reasons, so that your essay is not too repetitive. Your conclusion should be a “ mirror image ” of your introduction. But you do not need to give the pros and cons again in the concluding paragraph, just your thesis, your 3 reasons and your “ CLOSURE The CLOSURE is the last line of your essay and is the second most important line after HOOK because this is where you leave the reader with your final thought.

18. Your conclusion could be: “ The death penalty has no place in modern America. It is a throwback to older barbaric times The death penalty causes many innocent people to be unjustly killed, it is against the law of God given in the Bible, and it is rejected by the “ cruel and unusual punishment ” amendment of the US Constitution. I strongly urge everyone to write to their Congressman and demand that the death penalty be abolished once and for all.

19. Is interesting. Is well organized. Uses proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Has all the elements in the right place. Has a powerful “ grabber ” HOOKsentence. Shows both sides of the issue. Has a well-defined thesis statement (your opinion) which takes a definite side. Has three different reasons to support the main opinion of the thesis. Has three well-elaborated specific reason paragraphs. Saves the best, strongest reason for last. Concludes by “ mirroring ” the introduction by repeating the thesis and the 3 supporting reasons and leaves the reader with a strong CLOSURE to remember.