THE ART OF PERSUASIVE WRITING
Persuasive writing utilizes logic and reason to show that one idea is more
legitimate than another idea. It attempts to persuade the reader to adopt
a certain POV or to take a particular action. The argument must always
use sound reasoning and solid evidence by stating facts, giving logical
reasons, using examples, and quoting experts. It is possible to use
emotional and ethical appeals in the paper, but logic will be the
foundation. Your goal: PERSUADE ALL READERS TO
ACKNOWLEDGE THE INTELLIGENCE OF YOUR ARGUMENT!
DO:
■ Have a focused, arguable, provable thesis (cannot be morally based)
■ Brainstorm and research may different arguments for your side
■ Organize these arguments—where will you put your strongest argument?
■ Address the opposing side and discredit it without being offensive
■ Summarize with a “Call to Action”
DON’T:
■ Insult your reader by talking down to him/her
■ Sound over-emotional/opinionated
■ Insult the opposing side
■ Talk a lot and say nothing (quality not quantity)
Essentials in your Paper
• An interesting and catch intro—CLEAR position statement
• Statistics, research, or support that prove your stance. Your claim or position
needs evidence for support; the more kinds of evidence you provide the more solid
your argument will be.
• Concession and Rebuttal paragraph must be present
• Conclusion paragraph will further solidify your position. A call for action must be
present.
The following information breaks down the essential parts
of a solid persuasive paper
The Introduction
What it includes
1.
Getting the reader’s attention - anecdote (telling a story), startling statistic, interesting quote,
significance of your concerns.
Possible Openings/hooks: An anecdote: A short store that helps you transition into your topic (See
opening sentences of Intro ex #2)
Quotation: Elbert Hubbard once said , "Truth is stronger than fiction."
A Statistic or Fact: Sometimes a statistic or fact will add emphasis or interest to your topic. It may be
wise to include the item's authoritative source.
An unusual detail: Manitoba, because of its cold climate, is not thought of as a great place to be a
reptile. Actually, it has the largest seasonal congregation of garter snakes in the world!
2.
Define the issue and your purpose to your readers. Why are you writing about this? Why
should your audience be interested?
3. The background/history of the issue (if significant)
4. Position/thesis statement - state your claim clearly without using 1st persion
Ex: Intro #1
In the city of Salinas the number of youths joining violent gangs is a growing
problem. To help stop youths from joining these violent gangs the community must find
the root of the problem. Young people join gangs because they grow up in environments
where gang members are viewed as role models. The youths emulate the gang members
and hope that one day they can be accepted by them. To combat this problem, the city of
Salinas has organized youth centers and clubs where teens find temporary escape from
their negative environment. Although helpful, the moment a troubled young person
leaves the club or center they are right back on the city streets, where the gangster
lifestyle lures them. A stronger, long-term solution that cannot be provided by youth
centers may come in a different form. There should be a club for at risk teens, where they
can travel for extended periods of time and learn about different cultures and
environments.
Ex: Intro #2
In junior high I can remember carrying home several books each night. It was a
pain and oftentimes I would forget one that I needed because I had so many. Now
that I am in high school I hardly ever forget a book that I need nor do I have to carry
several home each night. What is the difference one might ask? It is not because the
teachers suddenly had a change of heart and decided to give less work. It is because
in jr. high I had seven classes and now that I am in high school I only have four each
semester. Recently, rumors have been floating around this small school and town
about the possible return of seven period days. These rumors have students singing
the praises of four block days because they have more time to ask questions in class,
do homework, and opportunities to double-up or take more electives.
The Conclusion
What it includes
The last chance to convince your reader is your conclusion. It must be as strong as
possible. There is a number of ways to complete your persuasive essay efficiently.
Your conclusion may contain a prediction, a question, some helpful recommendation
or a powerful quote. Some writers prefer to make the readers act with the last words
in their essay or they share their own comments on the problem.
1. Restate your position/thesis
2. State the significance of your position. How does it affect the future?
3. Make a final emotional appeal if appropriate
4. State a call for action
5. Appeal for further study or research
Ex: Conclusion Topic = “Animal experimentation is necessary for the betterment of mankind.”
The anti-vivisectionist position can be supported only if one believes that the moral
value attached to the avoidance of animal suffering is greater than the moral value
attached to the alleviation of human suffering. If we are to continue our search for cures
to combat the many ailments that afflict mankind, and if we are to alleviate suffering and
improve the quality of our lives, then we must continue to rely upon animal
experimentation.
Ex: Conclusion Topic = “Students should not be forced to wear uniforms because
they take away a student’s sense of individuality, they do not allow for self-expression,
and they absolutely do not save families any money.”
In conclusion, in our public schools, students should not be forced to wear
uniforms. This is because they take away a student’s sense of individuality, they do not
allow for selfexpression, and they do not save families any money. There are already
plenty of restrictions upon high school students, and these rules and regulations are
acceptable because they help maintain order on a daily basis. However, mandating
school uniforms would not be a helpful regulation. Uniforms may seem like a good idea
at first, but in the end they would do more harm than good.
Body Paragraphs
Support Your Position/Claim
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. The first step in
writing an effective body paragraph is the construction of the first sentence of this paragraph, the
topic sentence. 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.
Be sure your evidence is specific. Stay away from using broad generalizations and personal
opinions. Especially refrain from using words like all (as in all people), always, every, and never.
Choose words carefully. You want to use words that are going to help make your point.
Careful word choice also influences an argument's emotional appeal. The point here is that
the overall emotional texture of your argument is the result of many individual choices about
which word to use.
Should I speak of "drunk" or "intoxicated" drivers?
Should I call them a "menace" or a "concern"?
Should they be "thrown into jail" or "incarcerated"?
Do we need to "teach them a lesson" or "make them aware of the consequences of their
actions"?
Such choices, even though they must be made one at a time, can't be seen as independent of
each other. Their force is cumulative. They communicate how you feel--and by implication
think the reader ought to feel--about your subject. If you want the reader to identify with you
emotionally, you'll choose words carefully, making sure they're appropriate for you as a
writer, for your readers, and for your overall purpose in writing.
Read the Body Paragraph Below:
Studies show that abstinence-only programs do not reduce sexual activity by young people. In 2007,
the United States Department of Health and Human Services released a study of abstinence programs.
This government-funded study involved more than 2000 students. The authors discovered that “findings
from this study provide no evidence that abstinence programs implemented in upper elementary and
middle schools are effective in reducing the rate of teen sexual activity” (“Impacts”). The authors
concluded that “findings indicate that youth in the [abstinence-only] programs were no more likely” than
students not in the programs “to have abstained from sex” (“Impact”). In addition, “among those who
reported having had sex, they had similar numbers of sexual partners and had initiated sex at the same
mean age” (“Impact”). Apparently, students did not benefit from all of the effort and the millions of
dollars that have gone into these programs. In abstinence-only programs, students are taught to “just say
no” to sex. They are not taught the information that they need to know about safe sex and contraception if
they later choose to say “yes,” as many of them are doing.
The Concession and Rebuttal
Using
a concession shows your readers that you have considered their concerns or
arguments. Your rebuttal demonstrates that your argument is still either more logical
or believable. You concession/rebuttal paragraph will be your last body paragraph,
above the conclusion.
The following words and phrases can be used to help you transition within your
concession/rebuttal paragraph…
Phrases/words to
intro concession
It is true that...
Admittedly,...
Granted,...
Certainly,...
Phrases/words into
rebuttal
However…
On the other hand…
But…
Nevertheless…
Phrases to intro
conclusion of
Con/Reb paragraph
Thus…
Therefore…
As a result…
—Identify the Concession, the rebuttal, and all transitions in the paragraph below—
(you can highlight/underline and write a note next to them)
It is true that some rock music contains lyrics that are both provocative and
rebellious. In fact, one form of rock music, punk rock, concentrates purely on antisocial
subjects as a basis for its songs. However, rock music itself is not enough to make a
teenager rebel against society. Even though some lyrics contain hints of social rebellion
and moral decline, the average teenager does not take this seriously and concentrates
more on the musical value of the songs rather than the inner meaning of the lyrics. In
conclusion, I feel that even though lyrically rock music shows hints of anarchy and social
rebellion, it is not a threat to society.
Ex: #2 Concession Rebuttal paragraph
Certainly, grades do serve as a powerful motivational tool for students. The fear of failure
gets otherwise disengaged students to complete their work, and the desire to receive excellent
marks (A's) motivates good students to push themselves to do their very best work. It is also true
that grades contribute to a productive classroom environment that benefits the entire group;
students who know they will be graded down if they don't have their homework done tend to
come prepared, thus improving the quality of class discussions. On the other hand, the positive
motivational effects are overpowered by the negative impact of competition between students.
Students who don't earn those A's often feel like failures, even though they have learned a great
deal. What is gained from the B is often lost in the desired an A. Often students compare their
grades with others in an effort to see how they rank. This relative status has little to do with how
much an individual is actually learning. In short, we must find another way to motivate students
that puts the emphasis on learning rather than on the delineation of winners and losers.
Read this full PERSUASIVE ESSAY and follow directions on the next page!
Perry Persuasion
Persuasive Essay
15 Dec. 2008
Stopping Youth Violence: An Inside Job
Every year, nearly a million twelve-to nineteen-year-olds are murdered, robbed, or
assaulted—many by their peers—and teenagers are more than twice as likely as adults to
become the victims of violence, according to the Children’s Defense Fund. Although the
problem is far too complex for any one solution, teaching young people conflict resolution skills—
that is, nonviolent techniques for resolving disputes—seems to help. To reduce youth violence,
conflict-resolution skills should be taught to all children before they reach junior high school.
First and most important, young people need to learn nonviolent ways of dealing with
conflict. In a dangerous society where guns are readily available, many youngsters feel they
have no choice but to respond to an insult or an argument with violence. If they have grown up
seeing family members and neighbors react to stress with verbal or physical violence, they may
not know that other choices exist. Robert Steinback, a Miami Herald Columnist who works with
at-risk youth in Miami, writes that behavior like carrying a weapon or refusing to back down
gives young people “the illusion of control,” but what they desperately need is to learn real
control—for example, when provoked, to walk away from a fight.
Conflict-resolution programs have been shown to reduce violent incidents and empower
young people in a healthy way. Many programs and courses around the country are teaching
teens and preteens to work through disagreements without violence. Tools include calmly telling
one’s own side of the story and listening to the other person without interrupting or blaming—
skills that many adults don’t have! Conflict Busters, a Lost Angeles public school program, starts
in the third grade; it trains students to be mediators, helping peers find their own solutions to
conflicts ranging from “sandbox fights to interracial gang disputes,” according to Youthwatch:
Statistics on Violence, October 1999. Schools in Claremont, Connecticut, run a conflict-resolution
course written by Dr. Luz Rivera, who said in a phone interview that fewer violent school
incidents have been reported since the course began. Although conflict resolution is useful at
any age, experts agree that students should first be exposed before they are hit by the double
jolts of hormones and junior high school.
Although opponents claim that this is a “Band Aid” solution that does not address the root
causes of teen violence—poverty, troubled families, bad schools, and drugs, to name a few—in
fact, conflict-resolution training saves lives now. The larger social issues must be addressed, but
they will take years to solve whereas teaching students new attitudes and “people skills” will
empower them immediately and serve them for a lifetime. For instance, fourteen-year-old
Verna, who once called herself Vee Sinister, says that Ms. Rivera’s course has changed her life: “I
learned to stop and think before my big mouth gets me in trouble. I use the tools with my
mother, and guess what? No more screaming at home.” Ms. Rivera reports that Verna is not the
only success story coming out of the program.
The violence devastating Verna’s generation threatens everyone’s future. One proven way
to help youngsters protect themselves from violence is conflict-resolution training that begins
early. Initiating the creation of programs in school is possible. Consider writing a letter to a local
school board member, or even introducing the idea at the next school board meeting. Although
it is just one solution among many, this solution taps into great power: the hearts, minds, and
characters of young people.
Using the information from this packet, complete the following tasks for the Essay
Stopping Youth Violence: An Inside Job
1) Circle hook and annotate type used
2) Underline the Position statement
3) Underline all topic sentences in the first 2 body paragraphs.
4) Double underline transitions used in the first 2 body paragraphs.
5) Circle Concession in Concession/Rebuttal paragraph
6) Highlight the transition into the Rebuttal in the Concession/Rebuttal paragraph.
7) Underline the call to action in the Conclusion. Identify whether it is explicit or
implicit.
8) Look back a word choice throughout the essay. Draw Boxes/rectangles around any
words you think were specifically chosen to help the author make his point.
9) Is this essay effective? Why?
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