Begin a Persuasive Essay

A persuasive essay is a piece of writing that describes a particular perspective and provides evidence in support of that perspective. While similar to an argumentative essay, the logic of a persuasive essay can be based on emotion rather than substantiated evidence, and it does not need to take the counter argument into account. Whether you are writing an essay for a composition class, or you are sending a letter to a newspaper editor, having a carefully crafted argument with solid evidence will make your writing more convincing and effective.

Steps

Brainstorming and Outlining Your Essay

  1. Determine and narrow your topic. The subject of your essay might be predetermined if, for example, you are writing this essay for a class. If you are, however, writing a newspaper editorial or a letter to your senator, you may have a more flexible topic around which you will write. Try to narrow your topic so that you are writing about something fairly specific.
    • For example, if you are writing about the prison system in the U.S., you will find this is a huge topic. Narrow that topic to focus on one aspect of the topic, such as the treatment of elderly inmates or the rates of literacy among inmates.
  2. Determine your angle. Now that you have a narrowed topic, you can start to think about what you want to say about your topic. Why do you feel strongly about this topic? What is your solution to this problem or issue? This is the start of your essay’s thesis, or its overall argument. Persuasive essays appeal to the reader’s emotion; consider the most emotional angles of your topic.[1]
    • Brainstorming ideas with someone can be helpful because they might contribute ideas you hadn’t considered or they might expand on the ideas you have.
    • For example, if you are writing about the treatment of factory farmed pigs, your angle might be that this treatment should be banned because it is inhumane.
  3. Brainstorm ideas for supporting evidence. Write down a list of different reasons you might give for supporting your thesis statement. Some of these reasons might be silly, but jot them down anyway. There might be a kernel of truth in them that you might revisit later on.
    • These reasons can be rooted in emotion and appeal to the reader’s sense of moral responsibility or ethics, for example. Evidence for a persuasive essay does not necessarily have to be rooted in substantiated evidence.
  4. Choose the best 3-5 examples. You will likely not be able to write about every single example of evidence that you find; instead, choose the best, most convincing evidence.
  5. Write a rough draft of your thesis statement. Your thesis statement, or the overall argument you want to propose in your essay, derives from the angle you are taking on your specific topic. Writing the thesis statement should answer the “what” and the “how” of your argument. The “what” is the topic itself and the “how” is the angle.[2]
    • For example, your thesis statement on inhumane treatment of animals might read: “Factory farming of pigs should be banned because it is cruel, torturous treatment of animals, and their living conditions can spread disease and contaminate the human food supply.”
    • Your thesis statement might change as you work through your paper. This is why it is still a rough draft at this point.
  6. Write an outline for your paper. An outline will help organize your thoughts and structure your paper. An outline can be numbered with Roman numerals (I, II, III, IV, etc.), regular numbers, or bullet points. Use phrases and brief sentences to put your ideas on paper.
    • Use a basic five-paragraph structure for your paper, with one paragraph for your introduction, three paragraphs for three points of evidence, and one paragraph for your conclusion. Your paper may need to be longer than this, however, especially if you are writing a persuasive research essay that requires more information to give background to your topic.

Writing Your Introduction

  1. Open your paper with a “hook.” A hook is a device that “hooks” your reader, drawing them into the paper and making them want to read more. This can be a startling statistic or statement, a rhetorical question, a quotation, or a very brief anecdote.[3] You might start out with the big picture and narrow down towards your thesis statement, or you might do the opposite and start very small and zoom out to your thesis statement.
    • An example might be: “The United States has a 25 percent larger prison population than China, giving the U.S. the worst prison record in the entire world.”
  2. Write confidently and concisely. You are taking a stand with your essay, no matter its purpose. Make confident and assertive statements, and don’t overstate or use extra words where fewer words will work. You want to draw in readers with this introductory paragraph and give them the sense that you are an authority on the subject.
    • Persuasive essays are most effective when they blend opinion with fact to convince the reader that the writer’s viewpoint is the “right” viewpoint.
  3. Steer clear of weak introductory sentences. There are a few different kinds of introductions that are frequently used, but they often detract from the force of your argument by being too vague, broad, or unclear, or by including irrelevant information. Some of these introductions might be:
    • The dictionary definition: While you may try to establish a definition of a word like “slavery” to hinge your paper on, this is a less effective way of introducing a topic. An example of this type of introduction might be: “Webster’s Dictionary defines slavery as ‘the state of being a slave,’ as ‘the practice of owning slaves,’ and as ‘a condition of hard work and subjection.’”[4]
    • The very broad introduction, or the “Dawn of Man” introduction: Persuasive essays are written to provide a solution to a given problem, but connecting it to greater human existence in broad strokes can sometimes be an ineffective method. An example might be: “People have killed and eaten animals since the beginning of time.” [4]
    • The book report information: If you are writing a persuasive essay about a novel, for example, you might be tempted to fill in your introduction with information about the book itself, such as the full title, author, year of publication and so on. This information is typically not relevant to your thesis statement and should be eliminated, unless you are referencing some of those details for a specific purpose. An example might be: “Frederick Douglass wrote his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, in the 1840s. It was published in 1986 by Penguin Books. In it, he tells the story of his life.”[4]
  4. Write your thesis statement. Your thesis statement, which you have already drafted, will argue your position and gives the reader clues as to how you will argue your position. You may want to change a few words here and there in your thesis statement to make it flow better within your introduction. It may have also changed somewhat after you drafted your outline.
  5. Revisit this introduction after you have written the rest of your essay. As you write your paper, you may develop other lines of thinking or decide that certain evidence should be tossed out. This may shift the focus of your paper. Your introduction and thesis statement might need to be revised based on these changes in the rest of your paper.

Writing the Rest of Your Essay

  1. Develop your argument. Use your best examples of evidence to support your introduction and thesis statement. Follow the outline that you made so that you stay on track. Provide concrete examples, although you should paraphrase most information so you are writing in your own words. Use one paragraph for each piece of evidence (if you are using the five-paragraph essay structure).
    • Make sure that your evidence directly supports your thesis statement. If you start to get off track, revisit your outline.
  2. Include transitions. Between each paragraph, you will need sentences that tie them together so that they read logically. Otherwise, your essay might seem like a stream of unconnected paragraphs. Transitions help the reader understand the information that you’re writing about and help them follow your argument.[5]
  3. Write the conclusion. Restate your thesis statement and the main points you have used to support your thesis statement. Your conclusion should do more than just simply summarize your paper. Think of an original and creative point you can make that ties your paper together.[3]
    • Avoid vague, overarching statements that don’t say much. Strive to write something meaningful yet concise and specific.
  4. Edit and revise your paper. After you have finished your first draft, take a break, and then read through the entire paper. Pay particular attention to your introduction and thesis statement, and keep these in mind as you read through the rest of the paper. Does your argument support your thesis statement? Do you make points that contradict your thesis statement?
    • You may need to tweak the wording on your thesis statement. Refine this sentence to say exactly what you want to say in a concise, clear way.
  5. Proofread and spellcheck your paper. Make sure your paper is free from errors, as these can unintentionally detract from the overall quality and effectiveness of your paper. Use proper grammar and spelling to ensure your essay is as persuasive as possible.
  6. Ask someone to read your paper. Having another set of eyes on the paper will help you find illogical passages or unclear transitions. Try to find someone who has good grammar, as they may also help you fix minor spelling and grammatical errors.

Tips

  • A persuasive essay does not necessarily stay in written form. It may provide the basis for something created in some other media, such as a documentary, podcast, TV news editorial or other piece.
  • If you are writing this paper for an assignment, ask your instructor if you can write in the first person (using “I”) or second person (using “you”). It is common in a persuasive essay to use the first-person and second-person.

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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.berkeley.k12.sc.us/webpages/alishaanderson/index.cfm?subpage=98668
  2. ↑ http://www.hamilton.edu/writing/writing-resources/persuasive-essays
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://www.usu.edu/markdamen/WritingGuide/24intro.htm
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/introductions/
  5. ↑ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/transitions/

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