Persuasive Writing

Definition:

Persuasive writing seeks to convince the reader to adopt a certain line of reasoning (the person's opinion)or take a particular course of action by using strong argument.

How do you know you have a good persuasive piece?

Good persuasive writing:

þ  presents reasons for or against a statement or proposition and uses additional details to help persuade the reader

þ  appeals to the reader’s sense of right and wrong, justice and fair play

þ  requires you to have a fair knowledge of current events in your school, community and society (acquired from news: internet, television, radio and print media). 

N.B. It also acknowledges that an opposing point of view may exist. Therefore, it tries to identify this point of view and give reasons to refute (show to be incorrect) it. This is often referred to as “acknowledging the counterarguments” or “giving both sides of the argument”.

How many types of persuasive pieces are covered for CSEC?

TYPES OF PIECES	CHARACTERISTICS
1.  Argumentative             Essay	§  most popular format of persuasive writing with simple layout of                  introduction  ---->  body ---->     conclusion §  organised into appropriate paragraphs §  written in the 3rd person (he, they, one, the reader, individuals, etc.)
2.  Persuasive               Speech	§  similar format of argumentative essay but this argument makes reference to an audience throughout discussion §  audience: ladies and gentlemen, you, fellow students, friends, etc. §  written in the 1st person (I, my, we, our, us, etc.)
3.  Letter to the              Editor	§  same format as argumentative essay placed in a letter §  written in 3rd person
4.  Advertisement	§  not written in the exam §  print media  samples are given to analyse under reading comprehensions

What to Do Before You Tackle Each Piece

Before you even approach writing or analysing the persuasive pieces (or any composition), you must consider what is called the Rhetorical Rhombus.

What is rhetoric?  The art of effective speaking or writing.

What is a rhombus? A four sided figure with equal parts.

Therefore, we can surmise that in order to write and speak effectively, we must have four equally important elements. These are coined under the acronym: P.A.W.S.

/                                             /
                              

	MEANING	QUESTION(S) TO ANSWER	POSSIBLE ANSWER(S)
P	Purpose	What is my reason for writing on this topic?	Inform, Persuade, Entertain, Complain …
A	Audience	Who am I writing for? What language do I need to use with them?	Informed reader? Ignorant reader? Adults? Children?
W	Writer	What role will I be taking on? Who am I writing as?	Expert? Farmer? Past student? Concerned citizen?
S	Subject	What do I know about the topic? How do I feel about it? How much research do I need to do?	I know nothing I strong believe in topic…

Definition:

An argument is a statement that has both pro and con positions that is used to support the stand you are taking of the thesis (main idea). It is NOT a statement of fact. It is composed of two main things:

1. the reason you want someone to accept your position on the claim/thesis you are advancing (furthering, proposing); and

    2. the evidence which is intended to support the reason.

What Type of Evidence Do You Use to Support Your Reason in an argument?

Since your main purpose in an argumentative essay is to persuade, then you would use persuasive methods.

Methods of Persuasion

Method	Meaning	Format &  Examples
1.    Fact	Simply statements of “what is” What exists; has happened; has been proven to be true	Statistics can make your argument seem more persuasive; however, in order to be effective they have to be free from bias and relevant to topic you are writing about.
2.    Referring to              Authority	An authority is an expert who can be relied on to give unbiased facts and information on a topic	If you wish to convince your readers that asthma is a far more serious illness than most people realise, you must speak to an emergency-room physicians about the numbers or quote experts from literature.
3.    Examples	Use specific examples that are clearly related to the argument. Poorly chosen or too general examples can make an argument seem vague, therefore, weak.	Give examples taken from things which you see/observe happening around you; what you read about in the newspaper, see on television; or which you make up on your own.
4.    Predicting the          Consequence	Create a scenario that can help reader visualize the outcome of a situation if something does/ does not happen. N.B. Do not exaggerate the consequence.	Give advantages (benefits) and / or disadvantages (problems) of a decision: “if examinations are abolished in schools then students will have less stresses…” or “if you take a ride from a drunk person and the car crashes, the fault is yours.
5.    Answering the          Opposition	Acknowledge the counterarguments by anticipating highlighting the opposition’s idea and show how it is an incorrect view.	If you wish to anticipate your readers’ opposing thoughts to an argument, you could say: “although many people claim beauty magazines build self-esteem, they really do the opposite.”

Notes are a combination of research and original ideas of Mrs M. George.

All these questions must be considered before and during the process of writing an exceptional essay to persuade.

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