Hamilton College—Writing Center—Persuasive Essays
ESSENTIALS OF EFFECTIVE PERSUASIVE ESSAYS
By Adam Polak, ’98 and Jen Collins, ‘96
Structure and organization are integral components of an effective persuasive essay. No matter how
intelligent the ideas, a paper lacking a strong introduction, well-organized body paragraphs, and an
insightful conclusion is not an effective paper. The purpose of this handout is to outline the essentials of
a persuasive essay from introduction to conclusion.
The Introduction
Simply enough, the introductory paragraph introduces the argument of your paper. A well-constructed
introductory paragraph immediately captures the interest of your reader and gives appropriate
background information about the paper's topic. Such a paragraph might include a brief summary of the
ideas to be discussed in your paper's body as well as other information relevant to your paper's
argument. The most important function of your paper's introductory paragraph, however, is to present a
clear statement of your paper's argument. This sentence is your paper's thesis. Without a thesis, it is
impossible for you to present an effective argument. The thesis sentence should reflect both the position
that you will argue and the organizational pattern with which you will present and support your
argument. A useful way to think about the construction of a thesis sentence is to view it in terms of
stating both the "what" and the "how" of the paper's argument. The "what" is simply the basic argument
in your paper: what exactly are you arguing? The "how" is the strategy you will use to present this
argument. The following are helpful questions for you to consider when formulating a thesis sentence:
What is the argument that I am trying to convince the reader to accept?
How exactly do I expect to convince the reader that this argument is sound?
Once you have answered these questions, the next step is to synthesize these answers into a single thesis
sentence, or, if necessary, two thesis sentences. For example: You want to convince your reader that the
forces of industry did not shape American foreign policy from the late 19th century through 1914, and
you plan to do this by showing that there were other factors which were much more influential in
shaping American foreign policy. Both of these elements can be synthesized into a thesis sentence:
Fear of foreign influence in the Western hemisphere, national pride, and contemporary
popular ideas concerning both expansion and foreign peoples had significantly more
influence on American foreign policy than did the voices of industrialists.
This sentence shows the position you will argue and also sets up the organizational pattern of your
paper's body.
The Body
The body of your paper contains the actual development of your paper's argument. Each body paragraph
presents a single idea or set of related ideas that provides support for your paper's argument. Each body
paragraph addresses one key aspect of your paper's thesis and brings the reader closer to accepting the
validity of your paper's argument. Because each body paragraph should be a step in your argument, you
should be mindful of the overall organization of your body paragraphs.
The first step in writing an effective body paragraph is the construction of the first sentence of this
paragraph, the topic sentence. Just as the thesis sentence holds together your essay, the topic sentence is
the glue binding each individual body paragraph. A body paragraph's topic sentence serves two main
purposes: introducing the content of the paragraph and introducing the next step of your argument. It is
important to keep in mind that the goal of the topic sentence is to advance your paper's argument, not
just to describe the content of the paragraph.
For example, the first part of the example thesis statement states that fear of foreign influence in the
Western Hemisphere had more influence on American foreign policy than did industry. Thus, you need
to elaborate on this point in your body paragraphs. An effective topic sentence for one of these
paragraphs could be: American fear of foreign influence was a key factor in the United States' actions in
the Spanish-American War. Subsequent body paragraphs might offer further evidence for the idea
presented in this body paragraph.
A good way to test the strength of both your topic sentences and your argument as a whole is to
construct an outline of your paper using only your paper's thesis statement and topic sentences. This
outline should be a logical overview of your paper's argument; all of your paper's topic sentences should
work together to support your thesis statement.
The Conclusion
A basic purpose of your paper's concluding paragraph is both to restate the paper's argument and to
restate how you have supported this argument in the body of the paper. However, your conclusion
should not simply be a copy of your introduction. The conclusion draws together the threads of the
paper's argument and shows where the argument of your paper has gone. An effective conclusion gives
the reader reasons for bothering to read your paper. One of the most important functions of this
paragraph is to bring in fresh insight.
Some possible questions to consider when writing your conclusion are:
What are some real world applications of this paper's argument?
Why is what I am writing about important?
What are some of the questions that this paper's argument raises?
What are the implications of this paper's argument?
While the organization and structure described in this handout are necessary components of an effective
persuasive essay, keep in mind that writing itself is a fluid process. There are no steadfast rules that you
need to adhere to as you write. Simply because the introduction is the first paragraph in your essay does
not mean that you must write this paragraph before any other. Think of the act of writing as an
exploration of ideas, and let this sense of exploration guide you as you write your essay.
Copyright © 2002 The Trustees of Hamilton College. All rights reserved.
http://www.hamilton.edu/academic/Resource/WC/Effective_essays.html?print=yes
TIPS FOR ORGANIZING AND SUPPORTING A STRONG
PERSUASIVE ARGUMENT
You have chosen your position on your topic, you have analyzed your audience, you have
researched your topic, you have perfected your thesis statement, now you need to . . .
STRUCTURE YOUR ESSAY:
Figure out what evidence you will include and in what order you will present the evidence. Remember to
consider your purpose, your audience, and your topic. The most effective manner of organization is usually from
least to most important.
The following criteria are essential to produce an effective argument:
1. Be well informed about your topic. To add to your knowledge of a topic, read thoroughly about it,
using legitimate sources. Take note.
2. Test your thesis. Your thesis, or your, argument, must have two sides. It must be debatable. If you can
write down a thesis statement directly opposing your own, you will ensure that your own argument is debatable.
3. Disprove the opposing argument. Understand the opposite viewpoint of your position and then
counter it by providing contrasting evidence or by finding mistakes and inconsistencies in the logic of the
opposing argument.
4. Support your position with evidence. The more types of convincing evidence you offer, the stronger
your argument will be. Remember that your evidence must appeal to reason. The following are different ways to
support your argument:
a. Facts - A powerful means of convincing, facts can come from your reading, observation, or
personal experience. Note: Do not confuse facts with truths. A "truth" is an idea believed by
many people, but it cannot be proven.
b. Statistics - These can provide excellent support. Be sure your statistics come from responsible
sources. Always cite your sources.
c. Quotes - Direct quotes from leading experts that support your position are invaluable.
d. Examples - Examples enhance your meaning and make your ideas concrete. They are the
proof.
e. Observations – What do you or others know from your observations.
f. Comparison – Compare your argument to that of another
g. Analysis – Analyze the situation, and provide logical and supported reactions.
h. Expert Testimony - Go to those who know best for information to support your arguments.
i. Predictions – What do you think will happen in regards to your topic? Be sure to support your
prediction with evidence.
j. Experience – Either personal experiences or those of another add credibility to your arguments.
Most of this information came from Del Mar College’s Writing Center web page:
http://www.delmar.edu/eng/wrtctr/handouts/persuasive.htm
Other sites that may be helpful:
http://www.orangeusd.k12.ca.us/yorba/persuasive_writing.htm --Super site
http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/curriculum/writing/elem_writing/Bib/Persuasive.htm --List of multiple sites!!
http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/awolaver/term1.htm
http://www.studygs.net/wrtstr4.htm