Writing a Persuasive Essay
February 23rd, 2010Persuasive writing is also called as argumentative writing and it tries to persuade the readers to agree strongly to one side of an issue or idea. This type of essay combines the usage of strong logic and reasoning with facts in support of the idea so that it does not totally sound like an argument. A persuasive essay, at the end, is able to convince its reader to your way of thinking.
Writing a persuasive essay is not easy, so it is better to plan it thoroughly. The essay should contain an introduction, main body paragraphs, the opposite point of view and a closing paragraph. Introduction should give some background information on the topic in such a way that the reader becomes interested in your essay and it should also clearly present your point of view. All body paragraphs should elaborate on your idea with strong supporting evidence. The paragraph with the opposite view point should also be elaborate and accurate and should leave no point for discussion. It should clearly show that you understand both the pros and the cons of the topic. Conclusion should relate to the main idea and cleverly summarize the whole argument. Throughout the essay, a flow should be maintained from one paragraph to another.
While preparing the essay, keep on thinking about the possible questions related to your topic that one might ask. This will help in focusing on the different aspects of the topic. The following should be kept in mind while writing this essay-
• Know the idea behind the essay and choose your side of it. The topic and your thinking towards it should be very clear and you should be able to express convincingly why took that particular side.
• Know your audience and study them keenly. Know beforehand whether your audience agrees with your side, disagrees with it or is neutral towards the topic.
• Read extensively about the topic and gather as much data as possible because it is important to have thorough knowledge on the topic.
• Persuasive essays are generally based on some facts, so use statistical figures and other data in support of your argument. Using examples and quotes from experts who support the idea will help cement your point.
• An argumentative essay always has two sides and in the essay the other side’s point of view should also be presented. Elaborate on the other side and then use logic and reason to explain why your side is more legitimate then the other side.
• Check your essay for grammatical error or spelling mistakes.
After completing the essay, read it to see if it makes sense and will your reader’s be convinced. The facts presented in the essay should be genuine and should lead to conclusions and if at some point it deviates to some other important matter, it should lead back to your idea. In entirety, a persuasive essay should be able to captivate the reader’s attention so that they keep on thinking about it even after they have stopped reading it.
