Persuasive Writing

Writing to persuade or convince the reader.

Have you ever been asked to give your opinion on something? Every day we deal with controversial issues and situations in which we can voice our opinion on a topic.

Sometimes it is in simple, every day things like convincing a friend to go to the movies instead of the game; or persuading a teacher to consider moving a test date; or negotiating with your parents to give you an increase in your allowance.

Sometimes the issues are very important things such as convincing the school board to change a policy; or persuading your town to build a recycling plant; or convincing an employer to hire you.

When we want to persuade or convince others to consider our opinion, we are using persuasive techniques.

The most important persuasive techniques include the following:

*consider both sides of the issueIn persuasion, being a good negotiator is important.Think of times you tried to convince your parentsor friends of something. As a teenager, tantrums do not work! Seeing both sides of the issue is bothimportant and effective. Communicating this in your writing is also important and effective; it makesyour persuasion skills stronger!

*give strong, believable information to convince othersAs you prepare a persuasive piece of writing, firstbrainstorm reasons why you feel the way you do.Choose your three strongest reasons for your essay.Each one will be explained and elaborated on in a body paragraph of your essay.

PERSUASIVE ESSAY MAPIntroduction Include a thesis that clearly states your opinion.

Reason #1 with explanation and detail

Reason #2 with explanation and detail

Reason #3 with explanation and detail

Opposition State an opposing opinion but refute it.

Conclusion

When given the task of preparing a persuasive presentation, brainstorming is important. Let’s say the topic is recycling plastic.

Each issue has two sides—pro and con. Pro is for and con is against. State your side of an issue clearly.

PRO: People need to recycle plastic.CON: People do not need to recycle plastic.

I am on the PRO side, so next I brainstorm reasons people need to recycle.

People need to recycle plastic to reduce garbage.People need to recycle to save money.People need to recycle to protect the environment.

My essay’s thesis sentence is generated from these ideas. The best place for the thesis is the end of my introduction paragraph. Once I introduce my topic and give some background info on the topic, I clearly state my thesis sentence.

THESIS: People need to recycle plastic to reduce garbage, save money, and protect the environment.

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The PRO statements I brainstormed become the topic sentence for each of my three main body paragraphs. I continue each paragraph with explanation and details to support each statement.

People should recycle plastic because it would reduce garbage, save money and protect our environment.

One reason people should recycle plastic is because it would reduce garbage.

A second reason to recycle plastic is because it would save money.

Finally, recycling plastic would help protect our environment.

Students often confuse the purpose of the opposition paragraph. Its purpose is to simply mention a reason people may be on the opposite side. What I want to do is make my argument stronger by refuting the opposition, or more simply, explain why they are wrong and I am right!

Some people may say we should not recycle because it takes too much time to separate the garbage. While it does take time both to separate the plastic and time to take the items to a recycle drop-off, the few minutes of time can have a huge impact on protecting our environment. Separating the garbage really is not that difficult. Families could have a container specifically for plastic and place empty containers in as they are used. In some areas, the plastic items are picked up by a recycling company. Even if the items need to be taken to a recycle center, doing this will help our environment.

Finally, my essay will end with a conclusion paragraph. This is the writer’s last chance to make an impression upon the reader. I want to effectively summarize what I have presented in the essay, and close with a statement that restates my thesis.

REMEMBER, the purpose of the persuasive essay is to make your readers agree with you. To write a good persuasive essay:

*Clearly express your claim in the introduction. *Brainstorm and use your three strongest points. Write a separate body paragraph for each. Explain and give details. *Include recognition of the opposing view, but counter that with your reasoning. *A good conclusion paragraph helps a persuasive essay. Restate your claim and summarize your information.