The Persuasive Essay

Breaking it Down

Word of the Day

Vacation vs. Vocation

Vacation vs. Vocation

• Vacation: a period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel; recess or holiday.

• Ex) “I went to Beijing for my vacation.”

• Vocation: a particular occupation, business, or profession; calling. (Especially one for which a person is particularly suited or qualified.)

• Ex) “We helped the students think of a vocation for when they graduate college.”

Your Assignment:

• Pick a controversial subject

• Brainstorm

• Write a first draft (print)

• Correct the first draft (use the marks you learned)

• Print out the final version

• Staple the grading sheet to the back– (That is 4 things you are handing in!)

To Persuade; Persuasive; Persuasion

• 说服性争辩• to induce to believe by appealing to

reason or understanding; convince• Ex) “To persuade the judge of the prisoner's

innocence.”

• convincing, compelling, forceful.• urge, influence, move, entice, impel.• Convince! Convince! Convince!

• Ex) “Mrs. Dewey hopes she can persuade you to write a good essay!”

A Controversial Topic

• 有 争议的• A dispute, especially a public one,

between sides holding opposing views.

Purpose

• When writing a persuasive essay, your purpose is to convince your audience to embrace your idea or point of view. Keeping this purpose in mind is the key to writing an effective persuasion.

• The main aim of persuasive essay is to show that your argument is true. It attempts to convince the reader that your point of view is more true than others.

• Once you have developed some argument, you should back it up with evidence and examples.

Planning

• You should express clearly and convincingly why you have chosen this position on the subject of your research.

• Study your audience. Try to find out whether your audience will agree with the argument, whether it accepts or disapproves of your position.

• Examine closely the subject. All arguments in persuasive essay should be backed up with reliable and trustworthy evidence.

• Plan your essay. Try to design your essay by figuring out the order in which you will present your evidence.

To write a sound persuasive essay, do:

• be well informed about the subject you research. You should research thoroughly the topic and provide reliable real resources to back it up.

• Re-examine your thesis. Your thesis, like a coin should have two sides. It should be arguable. In order to make it arguable provide counter thesis to your argument.

• Understand another point of view. In order to make the best of your presentation, find out why other people hold a different point of view. Examine the weak points of their arguments (on this stage it you should closely examine the weakness of your points as well).

• Back up your arguments. All your evidence should be reasonable and reliable. You might include some statistics as well.

• Provide some quotes. Sometimes, it is indispensable to provide some quotes from reliable and reputable experts.

• Include examples. They enhance the reader’s credibility.

Essential steps for writing a persuasive essay:

• Identify your main idea or point of view. Your purpose will be to persuade your audience to accept this idea or point of view.

• Identify your audience. To write an effective persuasive essay, try to understand your audience. For example, are your readers undecided about your issue? Or are your readers hostile to your point of view?

• Considering your audience, identify the strongest supporting points for your persuasion.

• Identify the most significant opposing view. Explaining and then refuting the opposing view strengthens the credibility and scope of your essay.

How to Organize Your Persuasive Essay:

Introduction

• Your introduction should hook your reader's attention and provide background information on your topic or controversy.

• The paragraph should end with a clear statement of your main idea or point of view.

Example introductory paragraph with thesis

statement:• “Since the turn of the new century, a theory

has emerged concerning the end of the world, or at least the end of life as we know it. This new theory centers around the year 2012, a date that many claim has mysterious origins in ancient manuscripts from many different cultures. The most noted characteristic of this date is that it appears to mark the end of the Mayan calendar. But there is no evidence to suggest that the Maya saw any great relevance to this date. In fact, none of the claims surrounding a 2012 doomsday event hold up to scientific inquiry. The year 2012 will pass without a major, life-altering catastrophe.”

Body Paragraphs

• Your body paragraphs should present the points in support of your main idea.

• Each body paragraph should focus on one point.

• Be sure to provide evidence or examples for each point.

Opposing View (Optional)

• After presenting your supporting points, develop one paragraph to accurately explain and then refute the most significant opposing view.

Conclusion

• Creatively restate your main idea and supporting points.

• Try to leave your audience even more connected to your topic and persuaded by your main idea or perspective.

Let us look at a sample essay!

Brainstorming

• http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/persuasion_map/

Find a Good Topic

• To find good topic for an argument essay you should consider several issues that will have two conflicting points of view or very different conclusions. As you look over a list of topics you should find one that really sparks your interest.

• While a strong interest in a topic is important, it's not enough. You next have to consider what position you can back up with reasoning. It's one thing to have a strong belief, but when shaping an argument you'll have to explain why your belief is reasonable and logical.

50 Topics to Get You Thinking• 1. Is global climate change man-made?

• 2. Is the death penalty effective? • 3. Is our election process fair? • 4. Do colleges put too much stock in standardized test

scores? • 5. Is torture ever acceptable? • 6. Should men get paternity leave from work? • 7. Is a lottery a good idea? • 8. Do we have a fair taxation system? • 9. Do curfews keep teens out of trouble? • 10. Is cheating out of control? • 11. Are we too dependent on computers? • 12. Are parents clueless about child predators on the

Internet? • 13. Should animals be used for research? • 14. Should cigarette smoking be banned? • 15. Are cell phones dangerous? • 16. Are law enforcement cameras an invasion of

privacy? • 17. Are test scores a good indication of a school’s

competency? • 18. Do we have a throw-away society? • 19. Is child behavior better or worse than it was years

ago? • 20. Should companies market to children? • 21. Should the government have a say in our diets? • 22. Does access to condoms prevent teen pregnancy? • 23. Does access to condoms irresponsible, dangerous,

or bad behavior? • 24. Are actors and professional athletes paid too much?

• 25. Are CEO’s paid too much? • 26. Do violent video games cause behavior problems? • 27. Should creationism be taught in public schools? • 28. Are beauty pageants exploitive? • 29. Should English be the official language in the

United States? • 30. Should the racing industry be forced to use

biofuels? • 31. When should parents let teens make their own

decisions? • 33. Should the military be allowed to recruit at high

schools? • 34. Should the alcoholic drinking age be increased or

decreased? • 35. Does age matter in relationships? • 36. What age is appropriate for dating? • 37. Should gay couples be able to marry? • 38. Are there benefits to attending a single-sex school? • 39. Does boredom lead to trouble? • 40. Does participation in sports keep teens out of

trouble? • 41. Is competition good? • 42. Does religion cause war? • 43. Should the government provide health care? • 44. Should girls ask boys out? • 45. Is fashion important? • 46. Are girls too mean to each other? • 47. Is homework harmful or helpful? • 48. Should students be allowed to grade their

teachers? • 49. Is the cost of college too high? • 50. Is college admission too competitive?

Gather Evidence

• When we think of arguments we might picture two red-faced people speaking quite loudly and making dramatic gestures. But that's because face-to-face arguments often become emotional.

• In fact, the act of arguing involves providing proof to support your claim, with or without emotions. In your essay, you will have to provide evidence without providing too much “drama.”

Tips for Your Essay:

• Avoid emotional language• Know the difference between a logical

conclusion and an emotional point of view

• Don't make up evidence• Cite your sources• Make an outline• Be prepared to defend your side by

knowing the strongest arguments for the other side. You might be challenged by the teacher or by another student.

Practice!

Pick a topic and organize your ideas using the “Persuasion Map”