PERSUASIVE ESSAY
Pre-AP I
PERSUASIVE ESSAY
The primary purpose of a persuasive essay is
to convince readers to think the way that
you do about a subject.
 To accomplish this goal, you will have to
establish a reasonable and thoughtful
argument supporting a subject or a position
you have strong feelings about.
EXPOSITORY VS. PERSUASIVE WRITING
 The following chart shows the difference between expository and
persuasive subjects.
Creatine—typically bought in flavored powders and mixed with liquid—
increases the body's ability to produce energy rapidly. With more energy,
you can train harder and more often, producing faster results.
Subjects for an Expository
Essay
Subjects for a Persuasive
Essay
How creatine works as a diet
supplement
High school athletes should
avoid creatine.
GATHERING DETAILS
 #1 Collect Information
 #2 Forming an Opinion Statement…
 (This statement will be the thesis of your essay.)
 #3 Planning and Organizing your thoughts

list the main points that support your opinion.
 Example
 Opinion statement: High school athletes should not use creatine.
 Main Supporting Points: 1: “Loading up” on creatine is unnatural.

2. Harmful side effects are possible.

3. It isn’t used wisely.
START OFF STRONG
 In a persuasive essay, you may want to lead off with your
most significant argument to get your reader’s attention. Or
you may want to save your best argument for last to solidify
your opinion.
THINKING THROUGH AN ARGUMENT
 Stating an Opinion: A reasonable and logical opinion statement is at the
core of an effective persuasive essay.
 Opinion statements fall into three main categories: statements of fact,
statements of value, and statements of policy.
Statement of fact: claim that something is
true or not true.
Athletes who take supplemental creatine can
weight-train longer and harder than athletes
who rely on natural sources of the nutrient.
Statements of value: claim that something
does or does not have worth.
In the long run, creatine really isn’t worth the
risk to athletes’ health.
Statements of policy: claim that something
should or should not be done.
Adults responsible for young athletes should
forbid the use of creatine.
USING QUALIFIERS
 Qualifiers are terms that make an opinion easier to support. Note the




difference between the two opinions below:
Creatine makes athletes stronger, but it won’t make them better.
Creatine may make athletes stronger, but it won’t necessarily make
them better.
“May” and “necessarily” qualify the above opinion statement, changing it
from an all-or-nothing claim to one the can more effectively be
defended. Here are some other useful qualifiers:
Almost
usually maybe
probably
often
some
most
in most cases
if….then… likely
many
frequently
ADDING SUPPORT
 Support your opinion with effective evidence. The more types of
convincing evidence you offer, the stronger your argument will be. Here
are different types of evidence you might use:
Statistics
This magazine also states that nearly 200 million children under age five- 40
percent of all children this age – lack sufficient nutrition.
Predictions
This condition will surely affect the intellectual development of a particular
country.
Observation
Samantha appears quiet and withdrawn when math starts.
Expert testimony
Dr. Michael Colgan, a clinical nutritionist, states, “Taken in doses of more
than 25 grams per day, creatine can crucify your kidneys…”
Comparison
To understand cerebral thrombosis (a type of stroke), one must imagine a
highway, not a large highway, but a busy one.
Experience
Although these cases are rare, a local high school football player was taken
to the hospital for dehydration due to the use of the “power powder.”
Analysis
Realizing their own potential and building on their strong points have
helped them overcome their disabilities, even enabling them to be examples
for the rest of us.
MAKING CONCESSIONS
 When you make a concession, you identify other valid opinions about
your subject. Making a concession often makes your overall argument
more convincing. Note the following concession made by a student
writer:
I realize that you are worried about our safety, but there are dangers in
nearly all things, including driving cars and playing sports.
 The phrase, “I realize that” introduces this concession in a way that
shows respect for the other side of the argument. Here are some other
useful expressions for making concessions:
Even though
I agree that
I cannot argue with
While it is true that
admittedly
granted
I will admit
you’re right
I accept the fact
High School Athletes should not use creatine
(thesis)
Because
1. It is unnatural to “load up” on a supplement
“Athletes start with 7 times the natural amount
then drop to twice that amount.”
2. It may have harmful effects.
“Potential short-term effects: dehydration,
nausea, cramping, etc.”
“Possible long –term effects: damage to kidneys,
muscles, and connective tissues.”
3. It isn’t used wisely
“athletes only use it because of pressure to
compete..”
“they don’t weight pros and cons.”
Creatine Crazy
Walk into almost any fitness club today, and you will find someone who is taking
creatine, a training supplement that has become popular with athletes from high school
on up. For the last decade, athletes around the world have been taking it to gain muscle
mass. If athletes work out regularly, follow a good diet, and take creatine, they’ll get
results. But are bigger muscles worth it? For high school athletes, the answer is no
because creatine presents too many risks.
One of the many concerns with high school athletes is the overload creatine use
creates. To help build muscles, the body actually produces creatine naturally- at the rate
of 2 to 3 grams a day. The problem is that athletes who take supplemental creatine start
with a loading-up phrase, taking 20 to 25 grams a day for a week. They then follow with
an eight-week cycle of 5 grams a day. In other words, athletes on the supplement start by
taking more than seven times the natural daily amount before dropping down to twice
the daily amount.
In the short term, creatine use may be more harmful than people believe. The side
effects may include diarrhea, dehydration, nausea, cramping, bloating, muscle strains, and
increased blood pressure. While these effects are rare, at least one local high school
football player was taken to the hospital for dehydration from using creatine, or “power
powder” as it is often called.
Doctors are even more concerned about possible long term problems. As Dr. Michael
Colgan, a clinical nutritionist, states in Today’s Health magazine, “Taken in doses of more than
25 grams per day, creatine can crucify [torture] your kidneys, and there’s also evidence that
it can contribute to muscle cramping and the tearing of connective tissues” (67). Experts
worry about the kidneys having to filter all that extra creatine, and some believe that the
body might actually stop producing creatine naturally.
Even with these possible harmful effects, more and more high school athletes are using
creatine. Why? They feel pressure to become bigger, stronger, and faster. George Hurley, a
football coach from Newbury Park High in California, said in recent interview in Sportz
magazine, “Kids come to the conclusion that if the guy next to me in the weight room is
doing creatine and I’m not doing it, he is ahead of me” (117). The result is that teen athletes
believe they must take creatine to compete in high school sports, and to have any chance of
competing at the next level.
Given the pressure, few young athletes (or parents) take time to weight the pros and cons
of their decision about creatine. They fail to consider that very few high school athletes go
on to play in college and only a tiny minority of those will play professionally. They don’t
understand that they are risking a lifetime of health problems for a short term gamble at the
big leagues. They don’t listen to the cautions that come their way. For example, the National
Federation of High School Sports Medicine has stated in its NFSM Journal that “school
personnel and coaches should not dispense any drug, medication, or food supplement except
with extreme caution” (42).
Adults responsible for young athletes should not promote the use of creatine in
their schools.
Today, teenage athletes are under a lot of stress. There is way too much emphasis
placed on performing well in a society that seems to eat, sleep, and breathe sports.
Coaches, administrators, and parents should de-emphasize winning at all costs and
keep teens away from supplements like creatine, at least until more is known about
them.Young athletes should be encouraged to rely on their natural talents and
strength so that sports are fair and safe for everybody. Creatine may make athletes
stronger, but it won’t necessarily make them better, and in the long run, it really isn’t
worth the risk.
ASSESSMENT RUBRIC
Focuses on a statement of opinion about a timely subject
Contains a specific facts and details to support the opinion
Maintains a clear, consistent stand from start to finish
The writing…
•
•
•
Persuasive Elements
• Student uses specific rhetorical elements intentionally that
effectively strengthen the argument. Contains one or zero
fallacies. Arguments are logical and developed through sources.
Counterargument
•
Student presents an effective counterargument that strongly
contributes to the overall success of the essay.
Analysis/Supporting
Details/Organization
•
Strong thesis. Specific, developed analysis and
insightful observations.
Maintains focus on topic/subject throughout response.
Organization develops and thoroughly assists argument.
Conventions
•
Formatting
• Student follows all MLA citation and formatting guidelines.
•
•
No spelling/usage errors present. Student utilizes varied
sentence styles and transitions to create a well-written essay
that flows.
MLA FORMATTING
 One Author: With Author in Text
According to Winchester, no English dictionary existed at the time Shakespeare
wrote his plays (80).
 Without author in Text
No English dictionary existed at the time Shakespeare wrote his plays (Winchester
80)/
 Anonymous Work
When there is no author listed, give the title or a shortened version of the title as it
appears in the works cited section. No page numbers are needed for single page
articles or nonprint sources.
The information Place Almanac states that drinking water can make up 20 percent or
more of a person’s total exposure to lead (572).
MLA FORMATTING CONT.
 Indirect Source
If you cite an indirect source – someone’s remarks published second hand
– give the abbreviation qtd. in (quoted in) before the indirect source in
your reference.
Desmond Tutu, speaking of the struggle against South African apartheid,
said, “Our cause is just and noble. That is why it will prevail and bring
victory to us” (qtd. In duBoulay 223).
WORKS-CITED LIST: OVERVIEW
 The works-cited section lists all of the sources you have cited in your paper. It
does not include sources you may have read but did not cite in your paper. The
work cited list follows the format below.
 The work-cited should be the page after your essay. The title should be centered
and the title should be Works Cited
 Entries begin each entry flush with the left margin. If the entry runs more than
one line, indent additional lines five spaces.
 Double-space between all lines on the page of works cited
 Single-space between words and after punctuation marks in a works-cited entry.
 List each entry alphabetically by the author’s last name. If there is no author, use
the first word of the title. (Disregard A, An, The)
WORKS CITED OUTLINE
 Format for a periodical entry
Author’s last name, First name. “Article.” Periodical Title date: page nos.
Frank, Large. “A Stranger Among Us.” New York Post 11 May 2014: 14-16.
 Format for an On-Line Entry
Author’s late name, First name. “Title.” Information on print version (if
any). Site title. Date posted or last updated. Sponsor. Date accessed
<Electronic address>.
Note: In web entries, if certain items are not available, go on to the next
item.
WORKS-CITED CONT.
 Web Site (Professional)
Title. Date. <Url>.
 Article within a website
Last Name, First Name. “Article.” Website title. Date. <url>.
 On-Line Government Document
Government Title. Document Title: Date <url>.