Unlocking the Secrets of Persuasive Writing

1. Unlocking the Secrets of Persuasive Writing How to be effective from start to finish

2. What really matters… • Your audience likes and wants to be interested in (and even entertained by) what you have written. • Once you have the audience’s interest, you need to be certain that your writing is well organized with all the necessary parts in their proper place, using correct grammar, punctuation and spelling. • You must be sure that your writing is easy to understand and that it is clear and coherent. • The thing you want to avoid most is being confusing.

3. From the beginning… • The most important sentence you’ll write is the first sentence, the lead,for this is when you “grab” the reader’s attention. • Let’s say your topic is “Should the Death Penalty be abolished?” • Your lead could be “Right now, in America, 37% of the convicts on death row are innocent and will be unjustly executed for no good reason!”

4. More about the beginning… • After you have written your lead, you need to show that you can see both sides of the issue, the prosand cons, with one short reason. • The prosis where you say: “Some people say yes, the death penalty should be abolished, for it is cruel and unusual punishment.” • The conswould say: “Other people say no, it should not be abolished; the death penalty is necessary to stop murders.”

5. Now tell what you think… • After you give the pros and cons, it’s time to say what you think in the Thesis Statementand give your three reasons to support your opinion: • “I believe that the death penalty should be abolished because many innocent people will be unjustly executed; it is against many religions’ teachings; and it is forbidden by the US Constitution as a form of cruel and unusual punishment.”

6. Now, the support paragraphs • The next three paragraphs support and elaborate on the reasons that you stated in your thesis. Be sure to be specific and don’t generalize. • For instance, to support your first reason “many innocent people will be executed” you could say: • “Studies have shown that 37% of the people on death row are innocent and do not belong there. Some are there because they are a member of an unpopular minority. Many are there because the police needed to make an arrest and didn’t care who they arrested as long as they had someone to blame. It is totally wrong for the state to kill innocent people just to look good in the papers.” • The next 2 paragraphs should do the same thing. • Remember to save your strongest reason for last to leave the reader with your best thought. 3

7. Developing the Support Paragraphs • You can appeal to your reader in a variety of ways: • Logos • Pathos • Ethos • Let’s look at each of these more closely …

8. Logos … or mounting an argument based in logic. Facts, numbers, and information can be very convincing. Example: A Snickers bar has 280 calories and 30 grams of sugar. That’s not very healthy.

9. Pathos You can also appeal to your reader’s emotions. Getting people to feel happy, sad, or angry can help your argument. Example: Your donation might just get this puppy off the street and into a good home.

10. Ethos Some people are moved by ethics and integrity. So, If people believe and trust in you, you’re more likely to persuade them. Example: Trust me! I’ve been there before. I’m just like you.

11. Finally: your conclusion. • Here, in your 5th paragraph, you summarize what you said in your paper. You restate your thesis and briefly give your three supporting reasons again. It is a good idea to paraphrase (say in different words) your thesis and reasons, so that your essay is not too repetitive. • Your conclusion should be a “mirror image” of your introduction. But you do not need to give the pros and cons again in the concluding paragraph, just your thesis, your 3 reasons and your “tag line.” • The “tag line” is the last line of your essay and is the second most important line after the lead-in because this is where you leave the reader with your final thought.

12. Your conclusion continued… • Your conclusion could be: • “The death penalty has no place in modern America. It is a throwback to older barbaric times and causes many innocent people to be unjustly killed. Moreover, it is against the fundamental teachings held by many religions, and it is rejected by the “cruel and unusual punishment” amendment of the US Constitution. I strongly urge everyone to write to their Congressman and demand that the death penalty be abolished once and for all.