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Structure,
Sound & Sense:
Essay Writing:
Persuasive Essay
A persuasive essay is a
short composition intended to sway readers to the writer’s
point of view. Tackle a persuasive essay just like you would
any other essay—break it down into manageable tasks.
Task 1: Requirements
Make sure you understand
what your teacher expects of you. Review all of the
information you have about the assignment and verify that
you can answer the following questions. If you don’t know,
ask your teacher.
·
Are you required to do your essay on a particular topic?
·
When is your essay due?
·
Is there a requirement for length?
Task 2: Topic
Your essay topic should
interest you and comply with any guidelines your teacher
provided. You also must pick a subject that has more than
one point of view.
1. Choose a general topic
that interests you and complies with any guidelines that
your teacher provided. If you’re having trouble coming up
with ideas, page through a magazine, watch the news, or skim
a newspaper for stories about people, events, or issues that
intrigue you. Example: An article in the morning paper
about pollution from automobiles catches your eye. You feel
strongly about the importance of reducing pollution, and
would like to know more about this issue.
2. Do some digging to get
a feel for your topic. Do Internet searches, read a few
newspaper articles, and skim encyclopedia articles related
to your topic. Use what you find to narrow the point of
focus for your essay. Example: While reading a few
newspaper articles about automobile pollution in your city,
you learn that a council member has proposed a $.01/gallon
gas tax to help pay for programs to reduce automobile
pollution. You’re interested in this proposal and decide to
make this the focal point of your essay.
Task 3: Working thesis
statement and objective
Every persuasive essay
begins with a working thesis statement—that is, a main
point. Your job is to come up with a main point, then use
your essay to support it. Tip: A good working thesis
statement is
·
Interesting to you and
your audience
·
An opinion about your
topic
·
A complete sentence
summarizing your position
1. Make your topic and
main point into a complete, opinion-based sentence. This
becomes your working thesis statement. Example: You have
already selected a topic—the new gasoline tax proposal.
From your preliminary research, you’re pretty convinced that
a new tax on gasoline will reduce automobile pollution in
your city. That’s your main point.
Now put your topic and main point together:
new tax on gasoline/will reduce automobile pollution in
the city
Next, make it into a sentence:
A new tax on gasoline will reduce automobile
pollution in the city.
2. Make sure your thesis
sentence expresses your topic and your point accurately, and
that it’s clearly based on opinion, not fact. If necessary,
fine tune it. Example: A new, $.01/gallon tax on
gasoline will reduce automobile pollution in the greater
metropolitan area.
3. With your thesis
statement in place, it’s time to define your objective—that
is, what you intend to accomplish with your essay. Since
this is a persuasive essay you certainly want to persuade
your audience. But are you also trying to get them to take
an action, or is agreeing with you enough? Example: You
intend to use your essay to explain why you think the new
gasoline tax will reduce automobile pollution. Your
objective, then, is to persuade your audience to agree with
your thesis statement.
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