Persuasive Essay
Jan 20, 2016
Persuasive Essay
• Goal: to convince your readers to agree with your opinion on an issue that concerns you
• What is an issue?• A subject about which people disagree• Choose an issue that has an impact on your life
as well as the lives of others• When looking for an issue, ask:
• Is it debatable? Will people disagree about it?
• Do I have strong feelings about the issue?• Would other people have strong feelings
about the issue?
Brainstorming!Issue Is this issue
debatable?Do I have strong feelings about this issue?
Would other people have strong feelings about the issue?
Banning students from wearing backpacks to class
Yes. Some think banning them would make school safer, but it would cause students to go to class without everything they need.
Not really. I always leave my backpack in my locker.
Yes. When the principle mentioned banning them, many of my classmates complained.
Thesis Statement• Tells both the issue and your point of view
on it.
• Example:
Issue: starting a paper-recycling program at our school
+Point of view: We need to start one
Thesis statement: The school should start a paper-recycling program.
Identify Your Audience• What type of people make up my
audience
• How does this group feel about the issue?
• What objections might this group have to my opinion?
Evaluate and Support ReasonsA good persuasive essay is like sturdy
house; both rely on strong support to stand.
• To build a strong persuasive essay, we need to appeal to the reader’s common sense by making a logical appeal.
Reason Evidence
Reasons• Answer the question “why?”
• It is the explanation behind an argument.
• Use resources! books magazines newspapers web sites
• Make sure your reasons appeal to your audience
Evidence• Writers should use strong evidence
to back up each reason.• Types of evidence:
Fact – statement that can be proven true
Statistics – a fact in number form Anecdotes and examples Expert opinion
ExampleThesis The school should start a
paper-recycling program.
Reason A paper-recycling program can help conserve our forests
Evidence The school uses about six tons of paper a year.
Outline FormatI. Introduction (with thesis as last sentence)
II. Body (Reason #1)A. Supporting Detail (fact/evidence/expert opinion, etc.)
B. Supporting Detail
C. Supporting Detail
III. Body (Reason #2)A. Supporting Detail (fact/evidence/expert opinion, etc.)
B. Supporting Detail
IV. Body (Reason #3)A. Supporting Detail (fact/evidence/expert opinion, etc.)
B. Supporting Detail
V. Conclusion (with concluding statement)
Outline
I. IntroductionA. The school should start a paper recycling
program.II. A paper recycling program can help conserve
our forests. (reason)A. A ton of paper from recycled material saves
about seventeen trees a year (evidence)B. The school uses about six tons of paper a year.
(evidence)III. Recycling paper is easy and inexpensive.
A. …B. …
Plagiarism• to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's
own
• All of the following are considered plagiarism:*• turning in someone else's work as your own • copying words or ideas from someone else without giving
credit • Failing to put a quotation in quotation marks • giving incorrect information about the source of a
quotation • changing words but copying the sentence structure of a
source without giving credit • copying so many words or ideas from a source that it
makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not (see our section on "fair use" rules)
*http://www.plagiarism.org/learning_center/what_is_plagiarism.html
Plagiarism• Two Basic Rules*
• If you use someone else’s words, data, etc., use quotation marks and give a complete reference.
• If you borrow someone else’s ideas, give a complete reference.
http://www.uottawa.ca/plagiarism.pdf
Works Cited (MLA Format)
1. Little, Paul. Know Why You Believe. Boston: Zondervan, 1967.
2. Roberts, Maria. “Steroids in MLB.” Baseball Monthly Mar. 2001: 14+.
Last Name, First Name Title, underlined
Publishing location and publisher
Book:
Magazine:
(monthly)
Publication date
Last Name, First Name Article title, in quotations
Magazine name Publishing Date Page #
Works Cited (MLA Format)
1. Roberts, Maria. “Steroids in MLB.” Baseball Weekly 16 Mar. 2001: 14-17.
2. New International Version.
Chicago: Zondervan, 1999.
Last Name, First Name Title, italicized
Bible:
Magazine:
(weekly)
Bible translation
Magazine name Publishing Date Page #
Publishing location and publisher Publication date
Works Cited (MLA Format)
“Abraham Lincoln.”
Encarta. 16th ed. Vol 6 2002.
What if the encyclopedia is online?
“Abraham Lincoln.” Microsoft Encarta. <http://www.encarta.com/usa/
presidents/lincoln.html>.
Article name
Encyclopedia:
(or dictionary)
Encyclopedia name Edition Publication date
Works Cited (MLA Format)
1. NBA.com. 2 April 2008. NBA Media Ventures. 6 April 2008. <http://www.nba.com/playerfile/tracy_mcgrady/index.html>
2. Waller, Kara. “Race Relations in Florida.” Newsweek. 3 Dec. 2001. 15 Mar. 2008. <http://www.newsweek.com/id/19482>.
Website name
Website:
(professional)
Date posted Sponsoring organization
Website:
(periodical)
Web address
Author Title, quotations
Magazine nameDate posted
Date accessed
Date accessed
Web address