Essay Assignment due in Week 5:*** The essay assignment requires research. The assignment is accessible THIS week, in order to allow students sufficient time to locate data, incorporate APA in-text ci

Persuasion

The main aim of a persuasive essay is to make an effective argument. Thus, persuasive essays are written as if the writer is attempting to convince his or her audience to adopt a new belief or behavior. Persuasive essays take a stand on an issue. However, simply having an argument or opinion about a topic is not enough. In persuasive essays, writers must also support their opinions. Typically, persuasive essays support their arguments through the use of appropriate evidence, such as quotations, examples, statistics, expert opinions, or other facts. Nevertheless, simply having an opinion and supporting evidence is still not enough to write a strong persuasive essay. In addition to these two things, a writer must also have strong organization.

Organization is the key to any well-developed essay. When composing your essay, think of its organization; the introduction, body paragraphs, and the conclusion. Your introductory paragraph should conclude with your thesis statement before your essay jumps to the supporting paragraphs. These supporting paragraphs, should be full of information and logically solid because the stability of the argument of the essay rests on the success of the body paragraphs. Much like the introductory paragraph that precedes it, your concluding paragraph should restate your thesis statement and the main points of your essay, allowing your essay to end on a firm base.

**** Pay attention to the wording in essay assignments as they offer clues to the required essay pattern. The following words usually signal a persuasive pattern of development:

• Agree

• Disagree

• Debate

• Controversy

• Convince

• Argue

• Issue

• Opinion

• Persuade

Organization of the Persuasive Essay

Introductory Paragraph:

A strong introductory paragraph is crucial to the development of an effective persuasive essay. An introductory paragraph that properly identifies both the topic and the writer’s argument is required to convince the reader of the validity of the argument. Since the introductory paragraph contains the thesis statement, or the core argument and purpose of the essay, introductory paragraphs are essential to the overall success of the paper.

Introductory Paragraph:

• Introduce the issue.

• Provide each of the arguments that will later appear in each body paragraph.

• Provide the thesis statement (your opinion + fact).

Since the success of the paper rests on the introductory paragraph, it is important to understand its essential components. Usually, persuasive papers fail to make a clear argument not because the writer’s ideas or opinions are wrong, but rather because the argument is not properly explained in the introduction. One of the most important jobs of an introductory paragraph is that it introduces the topic or issue. Most arguments cannot be made without at least some background information. Thus, it is essential to provide a foundation for your topic before you begin explaining your argument. For instance, if you wanted to argue that the special effects in the movie Avatar are innovative, your introductory paragraph would first need to provide background information about movie special-effects. By doing so, you ensure that your audience is as informed about your topic as you are, and thus you make it easier for your audience to understand your argument.

Consider using a quotation, a surprising or interesting fact, thought provoking question, an anecdote, or a humorous story in your introduction. While the quotation, story, or fact you include must be relevant to your essay, using one of these strategies at the beginning of your introduction helps you capture the attention or the reader and also introduces your topic and argument, making your introduction interesting to your audience and useful for your argument and essay.

The thesis statement indicates the argument of the paper and also needs to introduce each of the arguments you will cover in your body paragraphs. By providing your audience with an idea of the points or arguments you will make later in your paper, your introductory paragraph serves as a guide map. A thesis statement MUST be composed of a fact AND your opinion.

Body Paragraphs:

In a persuasive essay the body paragraphs are where the writer has the opportunity to argue his or her viewpoint. Body paragraphs of a persuasive essay are weak when no quotes or facts are used to support the thesis or when those used are not adequately explained. Occasionally, body paragraphs are also weak because the quotes used detract from rather than support the essay. Thus, it is essential to use appropriate support and to adequately explain your support within your body paragraphs. In order to create a body paragraph that is properly supported and explained, it is important to understand the components that make up a strong body paragraph.

Essential components of a well-written, well-argued body paragraphs:

• Begin with a topic sentence that reflects the argument of the thesis statement.

• Support the argument with useful and informative facts/quotes, statistics, or expert opinion, from sources such as books, journal articles, reputable websites, etc.

• Provide 1-2 sentences explaining each fact/quote, statistic, or expert opinion.

• Provide 1-3 sentences that indicate the significance of each fact/quote, statistic, or expert opinion.

• Ensure that the information in these paragraphs is important to the thesis statement.

• End each paragraph with a transition sentence which leads into the next body paragraph.

The first sentence of a body paragraph must introduce the argument for that paragraph. For instance, if you were writing a body paragraph for a paper arguing that Avatar is innovative in its use of special effects, one body paragraph may begin with a topic sentence that states, “Avatar has produced the most life-like animated characters of any movie ever created.” Following this sentence, you would go on to indicate how the movie does this by supporting this one statement. When you place this statement as the opening of your paragraph, not only does your audience know what the paragraph is going to argue, but you can also keep track of your ideas.

Following the topic sentence, you must provide some sort of fact that supports your claim. In the example of the Avatar essay, maybe you would provide a quote from a movie critic or from a prominent special effects person. After your quote or fact, you must always explain what the quote or fact is saying, stressing what you believe is most important about your fact.

The conclusion paragraph of an persuasive essay is an author’s last chance to create a good impression. It is important to restate the thesis statement at the beginning of the paragraph in order to remind the reader of your argument. Since it is at the end of the essay, the conclusion paragraph also should add a sense of closure and finality to the argument. It is important to re-emphasize the main idea without being repetitive. While you can end your conclusion paragraph by suggesting a topic for further research or investigation, do not make this question the focus of the paragraph. You should briefly and concisely reiterate the strongest arguments of the essay, reminding the reader of the validity of the thesis statement.

Concluding Paragraph:

• Begin with a topic sentence that reflects the argument of the thesis statement.

• Briefly summarize the main points of the paper.

• Provide a strong and effective close for the paper.