Persuasive Essay

1 Give yourself time. If you can, make the time to craft an

argument you'll enjoy writing. Rushing things makes it worse.
Trying to cram an entire 5 paragraph persuasive essay inside of
100 minutes is not a good idea. Allow yourself enough time to
brainstorm, write, and proofread. Put as much effort into your
paper as you can in the time period you are given.
2 Brainstorm Writing a persuasive essay is very much like
writing an ordinary paper. Of course, before you begin, you have
to come up with a good solid view, a foundation on which you can
base your entire paper.

Write about something you (really believe in). If you have to

take a stand on a topic you don't care very much about, then try
to imagine which side of the argument you'd rather be on. But if
given the opportunity to choose any topic, write on a topic what
you're passionate about, a topic that informs your life, makes your
blood boil, or your conscience too.

At the same time, look for a topic that has a lot of depth or
difficulty. Your life's interest may be pencil lead, but there aren't
persuasive opinions to have about pencil lead. A subject that
you're still interested in but which has a lot of depth like animal
cruelty or government earmarking will make for better subject
material.

Begin to consider opposing viewpoints when thinking about

your essay. If you think it will be hard to come up with arguments
against your topic, your opinion might not be controversial
enough to make it into a persuasive essay. On the other hand, if
there are too many arguments against your opinion that will be
hard to debunk, you might choose a topic that is easier to
disprove.

3 Write an introduction. Many people believe that your

introduction is the most important part of the essay, because it
either grabs or loses the reader's attention. A good introduction
will tell the reader just enough about your essay to draw them in
and make them want to continue reading.
Start with an amazing hook. Your hook is a first sentence that
draws the reader in. Your hook can be a question or a quotation, a
fact or an anecdote, a definition or a humorous sketch. As long as
it makes the reader want to continue reading, or sets the stage,
you've done your job.
Don't slack on your thesis statement. Your idea statement is a
short summary of what you're arguing for. It's usually one
sentence, and it's near the end of your introductory paragraph.
Make your thesis a combination of your most persuasive
arguments, or a single powerful argument, for the best effect.

4Structure your body paragraphs. At a minimum, write three

paragraphs for the body of the essay. Each paragraph should
cover a main point that relates back to a part of your argument.
These body paragraphs are where you justify your opinions
and lay out your evidence. Remember that if you don't provide
evidence, your argument might not be as persuasive.
For example, don't just say: "Dolphins are very smart animals.
They are widely recognized as being incredibly smart."
Instead, say: "Dolphins are very smart animals. Multiple
studies found that dolphins worked in tandem with humans to
catch prey. Very few, if any, species, have developed mutually
symbiotic relationships with humans."
When you can, use facts as your evidence. Agreed-upon
facts give people something to hold onto. If possible, use facts
from different angles to support one argument.
"The South, which accounts for 80% of all executions in
the United States, still has the country's highest murder rate. This
makes a case against the death penalty working as a deterrent."
"Additionally, states without the death penalty have
fewer murders. If the death penalty were indeed a deterrent, why
wouldn't we see an increase in murders in states without the
death penalty?"

5) Use the last sentence of each body paragraph to

transition to the next paragraph. In order to establish flow in
your essay, you want there to be a natural transition from the end
of one paragraph to the beginning of the next. Here is one
example:

End of first paragraph: "If the death penalty consistently fails

to deter crime, and crime is at an all-time high, what happens
when someone is wrongfully convicted?"

Beginning of second: "Over 100 wrongfully convicted death

row inmates have been acquitted of their crimes, some just
minutes before their would-be death."

6) add a disproof or counterargument. You might not be

required to do this, but it makes your essay stronger. Imagine you
have an opponent who's arguing the exact opposite of what
you're arguing. Think of one or two of their strongest arguments
and come up with a counterargument to rebut it.

Example: "Some people say that the Bible condones rape,

and for that reason, it should not be used for moral reasons or to
act against gay marriage. The verses used to say this are in
Judges 21:10-24. While it does say that the people in the passage
raped people, it didnt ever say that God condones it. Many
passages in the Bible are not things condoned by God, but are
historical things that have to do with Gods people. In Judges 21
10:-24, women are raped, however, verse 25 is not mentioned
which states that there was no king in Israel at the time, so the
people did whatever they wanted."
7) Write in your conclusion at the very end of your
essay. As a general rule, it's a good idea to restate each of your
main points and end the whole paper with a probing thought. If
it's something your reader won't easily forget, your essay will
have a more lasting impression.
8 Proof read and edit. Use the spell checker on your computer
to check the spellings of the words (if applicable). Also check your
paper twice for yourself to make sure the content makes sense.

Have others check your paper. The more the essay is checked, the
easier it is to find mistakes.

Give yourself a day or two without looking at the essay. If

you've planned ahead, this won't be hard. Then, come back to the
essay after a day or two and look it over. The rest will give you a
fresh set of eyes and help you spot errors. Any tricky language or
ideas that needed time might be revisited then