Persuasion is generally an exercise in creating a win-win situation. You present a case that others find beneficial to agree with. You make them an offer they can't refuse. It's simply a good deal or a position that makes sense to that particular person. After you have found your information in all sorts of forms and stating bias and opinions of their own, you must establish your thesis. Your thesis is where you will state your position on an issue and what you will show with reasoning and the evidence you've found to try to argue. This thesis should occur in the first paragraph of your essay. It needs to be clear, concise and defined. This means that it relates to the question posed as well as states how you will go about proving your point. In your introduction, it is important to show why the issue you'll be talking about is significant. You should make it clear to the audience why it is important that they care about the topic. The persuasiveness in your essay should really be shown through the evidence you'll be mentioning. This can be brought into the introduction paragraph briefly to entice the reader into reading your body paragraphs. The introduction is used to bring your audience into the context of your topic, get them interested and state your thesis or argument/perspective on the issue and how you'll use evidence to back it up. The body paragraphs are where you develop the evidence. Make sure that the evidence you use is always tied back to your thesis. You can even have a body paragraph that shows "on the other hand" evidence (concession/counter-argument) that goes against your thesis and argument. This provides a great opportunity for you to create a rebuttal paragraph in which to persuade your audience of your thesis further.If you present your case and someone is left thinking "yeah, but…", well, you've lost. Addressing all the potential objections of at least the majority of your readers can be tough, but if you really know your subject the arguments against you should be fairly obvious. If you think there are no reasonable objections to your position, you're in for a shock if you have comments enabled. Your conclusion is not merely a summary and restatement of your thesis, but it shows a new light on the topic with the inclusion of the evidence.. This is very important because it sums up everything that was mentioned and brings your argument to its fullest form. It is not wise to introduce new information in your conclusion. Analyze why your argument is valid. Make connections to yourself and the world at large. Answer the question "so what?" (why is what you are arguing valuable/important?) --Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Parents or other adult relatives should make important decisions for their older (15 to 18 year-old) teenage children. Argue your point.
Additional Topic Ideas All DC public middle schools should have student-run disciplinary courts. The late-night Metrorail service is a failed transportation experiment. Ban plastic bags in grocery stores. Americans should not be allowed to burn the United States flag as an act of free speech. September 11 should be made a national holiday. |
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