Persuasive writing
Persuasive writing is a form of communication aimed at convincing readers to adopt the author's viewpoint. It is commonly utilized in various contexts, including essays, advertising, editorials, political speeches, and product reviews. This style differs from argumentative writing in that it does not typically engage with opposing viewpoints; rather, it focuses on personal experiences and emotional appeals. Effective persuasive writing often employs Aristotle's three modes of persuasion: ethos (credibility), pathos (emotional appeal), and logos (logical reasoning), to influence the audience.
The process of crafting a persuasive essay generally involves choosing a topic and taking a clear stance, followed by thorough research to understand the subject matter. Writers develop a thesis statement that outlines their position and arguments, beginning with the strongest rationale to capture the reader's attention. Throughout the essay, the language used is often conversational and may include repetition and emphatic phrasing to reinforce key points. A strong conclusion ties back to the main argument while suggesting alternatives or actions that address the issue at hand. Overall, persuasive writing seeks not only to inform but also to motivate readers to take action or reconsider their beliefs.
Persuasive writing
The goal of persuasive writing is to convince readers to share the author’s point of view. Persuasive writing is used in essays and also in advertising, marketing, newspaper editorials, political speeches, brochures, and product reviews. Persuasive writing differs from argumentative writing because the latter presents and refutes counterarguments, or the opponent’s point of view. While persuasive writing may incorporate statistics and facts, it mostly relies heavily on personal experience and appeals to emotion.
Background
Many types of writing share information or entertain. Persuasive writing differs because it tries to convince readers to adopt a point of view. The language and tone of persuasive writing are conversational because the writer attempts to connect with readers, telling them about personal experience and appealing to their emotions.
More than two thousand years ago, the famous Greek teacher and scientist Aristotle taught his students what he believed were the three modes of persuasion: ethos, logos, and pathos. These modes are still used today.
Ethos is also known as “ethical reasoning.” It refers to the writer establishing their credibility in the essay. For example, if a student is writing a persuasive essay to convince people to work to help homeless people, it helps if the student has some experience doing this, such as working at a soup kitchen. Readers are more likely to trust a writer who is an authority on their subject matter. However, writers who do not have authority on their subject matter may use research and appeals to emotion to convince their readers.
Pathos is also known as “passionate reasoning.” It is the appeal to human emotions. Experts believe that people are moved more by their emotions than by logic. Consider appealing to emotions such as sadness, pity, sympathy, or anger. Writers appeal to emotions in many ways, such as by giving examples of scenarios that evoke sympathy in readers.
Logos is the appeal to logic. It refers to the structure of persuasive writing and the facts presented in it. In other words, an essay should make sense.
The language used in persuasive writing is different from that used in more traditional writing. Repetition is acceptable in persuasive writing. It is a great way to ensure that readers will remember important information. Repetition can also make radical ideas seem normal. Writers should not be afraid to use exclamation points and definitive words such as “horrible,” “must,” “now,” and “obviously.” Phrases such as “take action,” “I am certain,” and “what needs to be done” are appropriate when writing persuasively.
Overview
Writers should follow these steps when writing a persuasive essay:
- Choose a topic and take a side.
- Research the topic.
- Create a thesis statement.
- Write the introductory paragraph.
- Write the body of the essay:
- Write the conclusion.
- Begin with the strongest argument.
- Include the second-strongest argument next.
- Include the third-strongest argument next.
- Continue as needed.
- Write the conclusion.
Choose a topic.
The first step is to choose a topic and take a side. For example, a student may choose to write a persuasive essay against euthanizing animals at shelters.
Research the topic.
Depending on the topic, research can easily be conducted using authoritative sources online. In this case, the student should research the topic by searching for animal welfare organizations, such as the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). The student should also search “euthanasia at animal shelters.”
While an author writing a persuasive essay does not include information about their opponents’ point of view, they should be aware of it. For example, the writer should know why people at shelters believe it is necessary to euthanize animals. It is mainly because shelters lack space and not enough homes are available for all the animals that need them. Knowing this information helps the writer craft a better essay.
Write a thesis statement.
The next step is to write a thesis statement. This is a sentence or two that tells the reader precisely what the essay is about. Writers often revise their thesis statement after they draft their essay to make it more precise. A thesis statement might be “It is cruel and unethical for animal shelters to euthanize healthy pets simply because they do not have a home.”
Write the introduction.
The introduction should clearly state the topic of the essay, the author’s position, the thesis statement, and other relevant information. It should include the thesis statement and other basic, relevant information. For this topic, the author should include a statistic about the number of shelter animals that are euthanized each year, such as “According to the ASPCA, of the 6.3 million animals dropped off at US shelters each year, at least 920,000 are euthanized, 390,000 dogs and 530,000 cats.” Such a high number will appeal to readers’ emotions. The writer should define euthanasia in the introduction and indicate if they believe it should be used to alleviate the suffering of very sick or injured animals.
Include at least three arguments in the body of the essay. Present the strongest argument first.
The strongest argument should be presented first. This makes the essay more persuasive. Writers should also consider that some readers will not read the entire essay. Presenting the strongest argument first makes it more likely to be read. The most persuasive argument against euthanizing animals in shelters is that it is cruel to the animals and unethical to take the life of a healthy animal. For the second argument, the writer might say that it is sometimes painful for an animal to be euthanized and the experience is traumatic for the animal and the shelter staff. The third argument could indicate that the money spent on euthanasia is better spent on spay and neuter programs to reduce the population of cats and dogs.
Write the conclusion.
The conclusion of a persuasive essay should relate back to the thesis statement without restating it verbatim. The writer of the persuasive essay against animal euthanasia may choose to present an alternative to the procedure in the conclusion, such as asking state and federal governments to allocate more money to animal shelters to expand them, so they are large enough to house the animals. They could also build new shelters. Governments should also invest in low-cost or free spay and neuter programs that will eventually reduce the animal population.
Bibliography
Birt, Jamie. “Eight Persuasive Writing Tips (With Examples).” Indeed, 12 Feb. 2024, www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/persuasive-writing,. Accessed 30 May 2024.
Cummins, Kevin. “How to Write Perfect Persuasive Essays in Five Simple Steps.” Literacy Ideas, 8 June 2023, literacyideas.com/how-to-teach-opinion-writing/persuasive-essays/. Accessed 30 May 2024.
Frederick, Peter. Persuasive Writing: How to Harness the Power of Words. Prentice Hall, 2011.
Hall, Trish. Writing to Persuade: How to Bring People Over to Your Side. Liveright, 2020.
Marshall, Colin. “As Humans, We All Want Self-Respect–And Keeping That in Mind Might Be the Missing Ingredient When You Try to Change Someone’s Mind.” The Conversation, 3 May 2024, theconversation.com/as-humans-we-all-want-self-respect-and-keeping-that-in-mind-might-be-the-missing-ingredient-when-you-try-to-change-someones-mind-227134. Accessed 30 May 2024.