How to prepare
 1. Choose your position.
Which side of the issue or problem are you going to write about, and what
solution will you offer? Know the purpose of your essay.
 2. Analyze your audience.
Decide if your audience agrees with you, is neutral, or disagrees with your
position.
 3. Research your topic.
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.
Vocabulary
 Claim: The overall thesis the writer
will argue for.
 Evidence: Data gathered to support
the claim.
 Reasoning: Explanation of why or
how the data supports the claim, the
underlying assumption that connects
your data to your claim.
More on Reasoning
 Including a well-thought-out bridge is
essential
 If you present data to your audience
without explaining how it supports
your thesis you readers may not make a
connection between the two or they
may draw different conclusions.
Vocabulary
 Counterclaim: A claim that negates
or disagrees with the thesis/claim.
 Rebuttal: Evidence that negates or
disagrees with the counterclaim.
Thesis and premise
 Thesis will be whatever side of the
argument you are going to take
 Include your premise (the because part)
 Generally your claims will be included in
your thesis
Skittles are the best candy because millions
are sold a year and they come in a variety of
flavors.
Thesis can’t be too broad…
 Bad- Drug use is detrimental to society.
 What “drugs”? Illegal drugs? Recreational Drugs?
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Medication?
“Society"? America? Global population? Children? Adults?
There are just too many questions that the claim leaves
open
The author could not cover all of the topics listed above
Being so general in the claim leaves all of these
possibilities open to debate within the paper
A better thesis…
 Illegal drug use is detrimental because
it encourages gang violence.
 The premise helps narrow your thesis
 The paper will focus specifically on the
aspects of drugs and gang violence
Claims of fact or definition
 These claims argue about what the
definition of something is or whether
something is a settled fact.
Example- What some people refer to as
global warming is actually nothing
more than normal, long-term cycles of
climate change.
Claims of cause and effect
 These claims argue that one person,
thing, or event caused another thing or
event to occur.
Example- The popularity of SUV's in
America has caused pollution to
increase.
Claims about value
 These are claims made of what
something is worth, whether we value
it or not, how we would rate or
categorize something.
 Examples- Global warming is the most
pressing challenge facing the world
today.
Claims about solutions or policies
 These are claims that argue for or against a
certain solution or policy approach to a
problem.
 Example- Instead of drilling for oil in
Alaska we should be focusing on ways to
reduce oil consumption, such as
researching renewable energy sources.
What claim is right for you?
 Likely use multiple types of claims
 Depends on your position and knowledge of the
topic and audience
 Imagine your audience- pinpoint where you think
the biggest difference in viewpoints/ opinions
may be
 Identify the controversy or debate you are
addressing and to define your position early on in
the paper
Types of Evidence
 First hand research - research you have
conducted yourself such as interviews,
experiments, surveys, or personal
experience and anecdotes.
 Second hand research - research you are
getting from various texts that has been
supplied and compiled by others such as
books, periodicals, and Web sites.
Evidence
 Use evidence to support your claims
 Facts, Statisitics, QUOTES
 You can use first or second hand evidence
 Evidence should appeal to your audience
Is the source credible?
 Who is the author?
 Respected/valued in their field of research
 Sources will be
 How recent is the source?
 Depends on your topic – history vs.
technology
 Sources on information technologies, or
other areas that are experiencing rapid
changes, need to be much more current.
Is the source credible?
 What is the author's purpose?
 Purpose or point of view
 Is it a neutral, objective view of a topic? Or is the
author advocating one specific view of a topic?
 Who is funding the research or writing of this
source?
 A source written from a particular point of view
may be credible; however, you need to be careful
that your sources don't limit your coverage of a
topic to one side of a debate.
Is the source credible?
 BE CAREFUL OF Internet sources!
 Be careful of Web sites where an author
cannot be determined
 Look for sites associated with a reputable
institution such as a respected university, a
credible media outlet, government program
or department, or well-known nongovernmental organizations.
 Beware of Wikipedia
More on Counterclaims
 Don't avoid the opposing side of an argument
 Find out what the other side is saying and
respond to it within your own argument
 Allows you to find common ground with
audience
 Helps Credibility
 Keeps you from looking biased or uniformed
Rhetorical Strategies- Aristotle
 Logos (Logical)
 Persuading by the use of reasoning
 Deductive and inductive reasoning
 Facts
 Statistics
 Expert sources or interviews
 Anything that can be proved
Rhetorical Strategies- Aristotle
 Ethos (Credibility), or ethical appeal
 Believe people whom we respect
 Project an impression to the reader that you
are someone worth listening to
 Make yourself into an authority on the
subject of the paper, as well as someone
who is likable and worthy of respect
Rhetorical Strategies- Aristotle
 Pathos (Emotional)
 Appealing to the reader's emotions
 Language and word choice affects the
audience's emotional response
 Emotional appeal can effectively be
used to enhance an argument
YOUR Persuasive Paper
Will either be a three prong style essay (I will tell you three
reasons why you should do what I want)
OR
Problem- Cause-Solution
(Here is the problem, Why or how was it caused, How do we
fix it?)
Topic Options

Should students have to wear uniforms?

Should college athletes be paid for playing?

Should the elderly receive free bus rides?

Should state colleges be free to attend?

Should all American citizens have to complete a year of community service?

Should students be required to take Spanish classes?

Should marijuana be legal for medicinal purposes?

Should the voting age be lowered to thirteen?

Should the driving age be raised to twenty-one?

Should students be paid for having good grades?

Should illegal immigrants be allowed to get drivers licenses?

Should not wearing a seat-belt be illegal?

Should student’s textbooks be replaced by notebook computers?

Should students have to pass a basic skills test to graduate high school?

Should schools raise money by selling candy and sugary soft drinks to students?
Topic Options

Should schools serve french-fries and fried potato products to students at lunch?

Should students’ grades in gym affect their grade point averages?

Should girls be allowed to play on boys sports teams?

Should teens be able to buy violent video games?

Should boys and girls be in separate classes?

Should teenage girls be allowed to get birth control without the permission of their parents?

Should our country have a universal health care program?

Should immigration laws be reformed?

Should the federal government recognize civil unions?

Should people who download music and movies illegally be punished?

Should school athletes have to be on the honor roll to play in games?

Should music with curse words be allowed at school dances?

Should public schools begin the day with a silent prayer time?

Should students be able to listen to MP3 players on headphones during study hall?

Should schools offer fast food options like McDonald’s or Taco Bell?

Should smoking be allowed at parks and other outdoor public venues?
Topic Options
 Should cities offer free public Wi-Fi?
 Should the government place a tax on junk food and fatty snacks?
 Should the 2nd amendment give citizens the right to own assault weaponry?
 Should people traveling in airplanes have to undergo intensive security screenings?
 Should restaurants be allowed to sell genetically modified chickens under the name
“chicken”?
 Should people be allowed to keep exotic animals like chimpanzees or tigers?
 Should people be allowed to keep pit-bull dogs?
 Should the city offer a bike sharing program?
 Should there be an ordinance citing people who fail to recycle $50?
 Should there be an ordinance citing people who play music too loudly $50?
 Should celebrities who break the law face stricter penalties?
 Should the government increase spending on the space program?
 Should larger passengers have to pay for two plane or movie theater tickets?
Topic Options

Should sexual education be taught in public schools?

Should students who commit cyber-bullying be suspended from school?

Should corporations be allowed to advertise in schools?

Should more be done to protect and preserve endangered animals?

Is it appropriate for students and teachers to be friends on Social Media?

Should students have open campus lunch periods?

Should the death penalty be used to punish violent criminals?

Should students learn about world religions in public schools?

Should schools start later in the morning?

Should the USA end overseas military operations?

Should politicians be allowed to accept campaign contributions from corporate lobbyists?

Should people with terminal illnesses have the right to doctor assisted suicides?

Should stem cell researchers be able to use stem cells from aborted babies to cure diseases?

Should school athletes have to take drug tests?

Should professional athletes have to take drug tests?

Should America convert to the metric system?