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Persuasive Essays! Or, how to win an argument by sounding really smart and stuff

Persuasive Essays! Or, how to win an argument by sounding really smart and stuff. Objectives: Learn how to structure a persuasive essay Learn how to pick strong evidence Learn how to incorporate quotes correctly into your essay. What is a Persuasive Essay?.

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Persuasive Essays! Or, how to win an argument by sounding really smart and stuff

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  1. Persuasive Essays! Or, how to win an argument by sounding really smart and stuff Objectives: Learn how to structure a persuasive essay Learn how to pick strong evidence Learn how to incorporate quotes correctly into your essay

  2. What is a Persuasive Essay? • It is an essay that:- take a strong stance on a controversial topic. - makes a point of PERSAUDING the reader that the presented view is correct. - provides abundant evidence to back-up the point of view being presented

  3. What are some examples of Persuasive writing in our everyday life? • Advertisements • Political campaign messages • Editorials (hey, look, a vocab word!) • Critical reviews (of movies, books, music, plays, etc.) • Textbooks (yep, they aren’t always completely factual ) • What are some other examples?

  4. Gee, I’d sure like to write a Persuasive essay! How would I go about that? • 1. Pick a topic and point of view. • In your case, choose one of the R&J prompts and pick a point of view. • You will need to write a thesis, which states your argument. It will be included in your essay. • Gather evidence to support your point of view. • Use quotes from the play! • Use events from the play! • Use quotes and information from outside sources! • Plan your attack! • Make an outline or a plan or something that shows you’ve thought about this before you wrote it.

  5. More about How to Write the Essay! 4. Write the essay! Make sure you include: • An introduction • At least one body paragraph for each prong of your attack. ( You should have at least 3 prongs) • A conclusion • YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE 5 PARAGRAPHS! HAVING 5 PARAGRAPHS WILL NOT ENSURE A GREAT ESSAY! • REVIEW AND REVISE YOUR ESSAY!!! • Seriously, this is not the type of essay you should just write off the top of your head and never read again.

  6. KEEP THIS STUFF IN MIND AS YOU WRITE AND REVISE • Write a strong, clear thesis and stick to it! • Thesis: The sentence that clearly states your argument and gives some hint as to how you will support that argument. • It should be concisely stated. • Every support you give in every body paragraph should directly refer back to the thesis.

  7. KEEP THIS STUFF IN MIND AS YOU WRITE AND REVISE • Use a strong, confident voice to convince the reader your point of view is correct. • Don’t use words like “sorta” or “kinda” • Don’t say “in my opinion” or “I think” • Even if you aren’t super sure that your point of view is the only correct one, pretend that you are.

  8. MORE TO KEEP IN MIND AS YOU WRITE AND REVISE • Use evidence, expert opinion, facts and data to support your point of view • Your arguments are stronger if you have evidence to back them up • Your arguments become super strong when you can find other experts who agree with you

  9. MORE TO KEEP IN MIND AS YOU WRITE AND REVISE • MAKE SURE YOU CHECK YOUR FACTS! • If your evidence is easily proven wrong, your argument will fail • If your expert is easily proven to be just some schmuck with a website, your argument will fail

  10. MORE TO KEEP IN MIND AS YOU WRITE AND REVISE • Acknowledge the opposing viewpoint • Your point of view seems stronger if you acknowledge the opposing viewpoint (BRIEFLY) and then explain why it’s incorrect (BRIEFLY) • Dismissing and discrediting the opposing side gives your argument a stronger feel than just ignoring them

  11. MORE TO KEEP IN MIND AS YOU WRITE AND REVISE • Be Concise! • Don’t use 20 words to say 5 words worth of information • Don’t repeat yourself. Make your point and move on.

  12. MORE TO KEEP IN MIND AS YOU WRITE AND REVISE • Be aware of your audience • Use arguments and supports your audience would find appealing • Use language that would appeal to your audience • Know what background information your audience has and what they need to be told

  13. MORE TO KEEP IN MIND AS YOU WRITE AND REVISE • USE SPELL CHECK AND GRAMMAR CHECK! AND THEN PROOFREAD AND REVISE! • Seriously, any argument worth making is worth reading and reviewing a few times. • Even the most intelligent and well-thought out argument will be dismissed if it is not presented in a polished, revised, error-free way.

  14. Hey! Let’s Look at what things each part of your persuasive essay is going to need in more detail! INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH • Introduce the piece of literature that will be discussed. Include: • The name of the piece (The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet) • The genre of the piece (play- NOT book, novel, or story) • The author of the piece (William Shakespeare) • Introduce the question to be discussed. • Do this as a statement or two. • Ex. While many believe Romeo and Juliet provides an example of true love, others contend that they provide only an example teenage infatuation. • Or • Many scholars believe Romeo and Juliet were doomed to their tragic end by fate. Others believe that Romeo and Juliet’s own poor decisions led to their untimely deaths. • Include your thesis

  15. What makes a strong thesis? • Be concise • Be direct • Provide some hint of how you will support this view Good Examples: The poor decisions Romeo and Juliet made throughout the play led to their tragic deaths. Although many contributed to the untimely deaths of Romeo and Juliet to their parents, Friar Laurence was most at fault. Bad Examples: Romeo and Juliet made many bad choices during the play like getting married in secret and killing Tybalt that led to their deaths. You can’t blame fate because they made bad choices. TOO LONG, TOO MUCH INFORMATION A lot of people could be blamed for Romeo and Juliet’s deaths. Friar Laurence and Lord Capulet are responsible. So is Lady Capulet. But Lord Capulet is probably most at fault. TOO LONG, NOT CLEAR

  16. BODY PARAGRAPHS • You should have at least one paragraph per argument. (Your paper should have at least three arguments.) • Each argument should be supported by at least three pieces of evidence. • Explain your evidence/ quotes. Don’t just plop it into a paragraph and expect the reader to know what you meant! • Try to transition from one argument/ paragraph to the next.

  17. CONCLUSION • Briefly recap your argument • Try to connect the topic/ argument to your life/the world/ the reader • Make a summative statement (statement that wraps everything up) • Your conclusion can be super short

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